#CampaignSetting

[madlabgames]

A Dungeon Master's Guide to Designing Fantasy World Geopolitics

Understanding the geopolitical forces at play in your fantasy world can transform it from a static backdrop into a dynamic, living entity. By applying real-world principles of geography, climate, and resource distribution, you can create plausible societies, enduring conflicts, and compelling narratives. This guide distills the insights from Baron de Rop's analysis of Faerûn to help you build a robust and believable geopolitical landscape for your own campaign setting.

Phase 1: Laying the Foundation – Climate & Geography

The physical world dictates the possibilities for life and society. Start by sketching out the fundamental geographical features of your world, considering their impact on resources.

Water is Life (and Society):

Identify Major Water Sources: Rivers, lakes, seas, and even massive glaciers are crucial.

Glacial Impact: If you have glaciers, consider their long-term effects:

Mountain Carving: Deep channels and valleys in areas below the ice.

Debris Fields: Scattered boulders and outcrops in lowlands, carried and deposited by glacial movement.

Floodplains/Bogs: Further from glacial foothills, where water accumulates.

Resource Distribution: Glaciers inform where arable land, stone, and metal ores might be easily accessed (e.g., runoff supporting fertile valleys, exposed rock formations).

Sea/Oceanic Influence:

Wind Patterns: Determine prevailing wind directions. Winds carrying moisture from oceans will drop it as rain when they hit elevated terrain.

Rain Shadows: The leeward side of mountain ranges will be arid or barren due to moisture being "wrung out" on the windward side.

Coastal Rainfall: Areas close to the coast will likely receive consistent sea-based rainfall, supporting lush growth.

Rivers and Lakes:

Fertile Land: River valleys and lake basins are often the most fertile areas, ideal for agriculture.

Transportation Arteries: Rivers provide efficient, cost-effective transport routes.

Terrain & Resources:

Mountains: Source of stone and metal ores. Act as natural barriers, influencing population movement and defense.

Forests: Provide timber for construction and fuel. Indicate areas of consistent rainfall.

Grasslands/Steppes:

Rainfall Indicators: Lack of trees or lush grass suggests arid conditions and lower rainfall.

Migratory Fauna: Consider if large herd animals (like bison or wildebeest) exist that prevent tree growth by trampling. If so, this explains why a fertile plain might remain a grassland rather than a forest.

Nomadic Lifestyles: Arid grasslands often support nomadic herding populations.

Swamps/Marshes: Impede movement and trade, making regions harder to access or develop.

Scale Matters:

Define Your Map's Scale: Understand the vastness of your regions. Is a "forest" the size of a national park or a small country? This influences travel times, resource availability, and the scope of conflicts.

Distance & Cost: Remember that overland travel is significantly more expensive than water-based transport (up to 20 times!).

Phase 2: Populating the World – Societies & Interactions

Once your geography is set, think about how different populations would emerge and interact based on these physical realities.

Cities & Settlements:

Harbor & River Mouths: Large cities often arise at defensible natural harbors or at the mouths of wide, navigable rivers, enabling trade.

Resource Access: Settlements thrive where there's easy access to essential resources: water, fertile land, timber, and building materials (stone, metal).

Strategic Locations: Consider choke points, defensible positions (e.g., mountains on two sides, flanked by water), or resource hubs.

Growth Potential: Cities with diverse resource access and good trade routes are poised for greater growth and wealth. If a prime location isn't a major city, ask "Why not?" (e.g., a historical disaster, a powerful magical threat, a societal choice).

Trade & Economy:

Water Dominance: Water-based trade is king. Settlements with river or sea access will naturally become economic hubs.

Overland Trade Routes:

Purpose: If roads exist, especially through difficult terrain, they imply a strong economic incentive (e.g., highly prized rare commodities).

Maintenance: Such roads might be remnants of fallen civilizations, or require significant ongoing investment.

Support Structures: Look for smaller settlements or outposts spaced about a day's travel apart to support caravans (like the Silk Road).

Resource Needs vs. Availability: What resources does one region have in abundance, and what do they need that another region possesses? This drives trade and potential conflict.

Security & Conflict:

Defensibility: Geography plays a massive role in a region's defensibility.

Natural Barriers: Mountains, large rivers, dense forests, or coastal cliffs can provide significant protection (e.g., Northern Italy's defensible position).

Open Plains: Flat, expansive terrain is notoriously difficult to defend and often becomes a historical "war-torn region" (e.g., Poland).

Threats from Neighbors:

Nomadic Warriors: Arid steppe regions can breed tough, mobile warriors (like the Mongols) who, when their populations grow too large for their land to support, may invade more fertile, settled areas.

Maritime Threats: Island chains or coastal populations can pose significant threats to mainland trade through piracy, privateering, or controlling sea lanes.

Strategic Control Points: Identify locations whose control gives dominion over larger regions (e.g., islands controlling a coast, or a mountain pass controlling trade).

Societal Development & Culture:

Resource Abundance & Stability: When basic needs (food, clothing, shelter) are easily met, populations can pursue higher levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, leading to cultural advancements, art, science, and luxury goods (e.g., Renaissance in Northern Italy).

Resource Scarcity & Isolation: Regions with limited resources and difficult access to broader economies may foster:

Self-Reliance & Mistrust: People are isolated and have to make everything themselves.

Tribalism & Infighting: Poverty and limited opportunities can lead to internal strife.

Lack of Education/Advancement: Without exposure to external ideas, scientific and magical advancements may be slow or non-existent.

Toughness: People from harsh environments are often hardy and formidable.

Phase 3: Refining & Injecting Fantasy

Once you have a plausible baseline, it's time to layer in the magic and fantastical elements of your world.

The "Why Not?" Question:

For every real-world geopolitical expectation you've set up, ask if your world's magic, creatures, or lore provide a compelling reason for it not to happen that way.

Example: If a rich river delta isn't a major city, is it because a powerful dragon lairs there, or a perpetual magical blight makes it uninhabitable?

Example: Are roads through a perilous mountain range maintained by magically enchanted constructs, or by a specific group whose unique abilities make it feasible?

Fantastical Influences on Geography:

Magical Storms/Climate Control: Does a powerful wizard control the weather, influencing rainfall patterns?

Elemental Rifts: Do elemental energies shape terrain in unusual ways, creating impossible mountains or perpetually burning forests?

Divine Intervention: Did a god's act create a unique resource or transform a landscape?

Racial/Creature Geopolitics:

Resource Needs: Do certain races have unique resource requirements (e.g., dwarves needing specific ores, elves needing ancient forests)?

Environmental Preferences: Do they thrive in specific biomes (e.g., drow in underground caverns, minotaurs in labyrinths)?

Natural Defenses/Advantages: Do their innate abilities (flight, burrowing, magical resistance) change their interaction with terrain?

Predatory/Prey Relationships: How do dangerous creatures affect settlement patterns and trade routes?

Historical Layers:

Fallen Civilizations: Use ancient ruins, forgotten roads, or abandoned cities to hint at past geopolitical realities that have shaped the present. What brought them down? How did their fall change the landscape of power?

Long-Term Consequences: Consider the lasting impact of major historical events on the current geopolitical map (e.g., an ancient war that left a region barren, a magical cataclysm that isolated an area).

Phase 4: Testing & Iteration

Your geopolitical map is a living document.

Ask Questions: Constantly challenge your assumptions. Why would people settle here? What would they do? What would they need? Who would they fight?

Interconnectivity: Ensure that the choices you make for one region have logical ripple effects on others. A war in one area might disrupt trade for another; a new magical discovery in a third might shift the balance of power.

Conflict Drivers: Use your geopolitical insights to generate plausible conflicts, alliances, and rivalries. Resource scarcity, trade route control, defensible borders, and historical grudges all make for compelling story hooks.

By systematically applying these geopolitical considerations, you'll create a fantasy world that feels more grounded, dynamic, and ripe for adventure, providing a solid foundation for countless campaigns. Good luck, Dungeon Masters!

The Primary Source for this paper was an amazing video mentioned in the top, linked below.

[the-gm-perspective-blog]

The Setting

Game: Stars Without Number

Setting tweaks:

Originally I read the history wrong AND I had the old edition of the book. So I had started writing the story for the scream being 200years ago. This plot. Takes place in Sector 72, a frontier sector that fully lost interconnectivity for 20years. Not every planet has been brought back into the fold of interstellar existence though. Even 180years after the birth of New Ol'Commerce LLC, lostworlds are still being discovered. In the last 180 years, the New Ol'Commerce LLC has set up trade posts in the Northeast, Southwest (homeworld), and due south of the Sector. They brought spike drives back to the people living in their systems and others took those drives to the lostworlds. In the year 3046 an empire was beginning to form in the bowels of the sector's northwest. The Irazean Empire was growing and would only be matched by one woman (Asanya Edrus) and her crew of daring pirates in the year 3095, who took the ship by force in a short amount of time. However the price she paid was grave indeed. The man she loved (Gorrunt Slaz), died protecting her. She spent the next year trying to bring back her love Gorrunt, only to find that when she brought him back, someone else had settled into the body (Ludwig). The new Queen of the empire renamed it the Raze empire, in honor of the old empire. She spent the next 100 years perfecting her immortality through nanomachines, biopsionics, and mysterious research into meta-dimensional space. She found many many artifacts and amazing discoveries along her journey, making her a truly terrifying force to reckon with. In the Southeastern part of the Sector a planet in the Arkeas system still retains a government from pre-scream times. The Giridions, a group of people who believe in altering their bodies with cybernetics for efficiency in their work have also made it mandatory to implant a neural network that assists the brain in computation and gives complete connectivity to all Giridions who are within a set distance. In the year 3152 they return to the stars to find the other factions already starting their secondary plans. In the Northeast, sometime within the last 50years the Free Men started popping up. A gang ran by the San family, however each family member renamed themselves in case they get caught, not trail. Their father was a beat cop, and upon seeing his children form this gang he tried desperately to stop them. But alas our intrepid heroes ignored his pleas and has now died (after the campaign started). Now, the Raze are going after a large black box located on Olberhaag-1 in the Olberhaag system. The Giridions want it, because the Raze want it. The New Ol'Commerce LLC wants to help the Giridions to prevent the Raze from using the box for bad (they don't know what's in it). So the Giridions send out Noy and Kal to retrieve the box. The protectors (a group of Giridions who act as silent protectors of the Giridions/silent because the Giridions tried to destroy them when they found out that a shadow organization existed withing their government) sent Riv to protect them. And the Raze sent in Ludwig (the Queen's failed resurrection) to take it back.

Player Characters:

Noy: Captain of the ship. Used to be a merchant captain prior to the campaign. Has a sister who is a top notch telepath and uses an unusual psionic discipline utilizing dreams.

Kal (retired): Old partner of Noy. They worked together for 6 months prior to the campaign starting as drug runners. Kal was the muscle, Noy was the brains. Kal's player decided he wanted Kal to leave after about 14 sessions, so he's not around anymore. He is replaced by Thomas Hyde.

Thomas Hyde: Turns out the black box was a human who had cryostasised themselves to survive the scream. However looks can be deceiving, and he is not simply human... A smart man with memory of pre-scream technology, he built Olberhaag-1. His plan was to wake up 50 years after the scream, but things didn't go to plan...

Riv: A protectorate spy who was assigned to watch over Noy and Kal because her handler has heard rumors of a Raze spy trying to infiltrate Noy's ship. She has a soft spot for the unwanted types. The more someone is hated for things they did in the past, the more she wants to protect them.

Ludwig: When the Queen tried to resurrect her lost love, what she got was a new consciousness. Ludwig unknowingly suppressed Gorrunt. Eventually he would try to get out and Lud would always win. The last 30years of Ludwig's 100year life, have been a rouse by the Queen to try to draw out Gorrunt.

[enanoski]

The Koryo Hall of Adventures just arrived on my doorstep and I take a look through it, focusing on the Mudang Class, the ghost whisperers of Jeosung. https://youtu.be/y_N-_U-kKAg #dnd #dungeonsanddragons #ttrpg #koryo #lvp #dirty20 #campaignsetting https://www.instagram.com/p/CHaj9Gph5s8/?igshid=40f2ou722arm

[otlrook]

Before/After of the ‘humans of Runa’ piece I’m doing for our Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting ‘Into the Runaverse’. I’m really liking how this is all turning out, and can’t wait to add color in the next step! : #humans #ink #people #Runa #intotherunaverse #art #beforeandafter #blackandwhite #ethnicity #artistsoninstagram #dungeonsanddragons #campaignsetting #dnd #5e https://www.instagram.com/p/CBqUWrSjCke/?igshid=14awzbvy9xiew

[dtbosquez]

Been awake for 2 hours now, so I’m working on my #dungeonsanddragons #campaignsetting set an 18th century horror themed world. I’m excited to get this going. #writing #amwriting #fantasy #amwritingfantasy (at London, Kentucky) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5ARZ4ghyJ1/?igshid=n9ubcjkp3mjb

[marketingplus10]

FB Penny Likes

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Read the full article

[allcheatscodes]

ghostbusters the video game ps3

http://allcheatscodes.com/ghostbusters-the-video-game-ps3/

ghostbusters the video game ps3

Ghostbusters: The Video Game cheats & more for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Cheats

Unlockables

Hints

Easter Eggs

Glitches

Guides

Trophies

Get the updated and latest Ghostbusters: The Video Game cheats, unlockables, codes, hints, Easter eggs, glitches, tricks, tips, hacks, downloads, trophies, guides, FAQs, walkthroughs, and more for PlayStation 3 (PS3). AllCheatsCodes.com has all the codes you need to win every game you play!

Use the links above or scroll down to see all the PlayStation 3 cheats we have available for Ghostbusters: The Video Game.

Also Known As: Ghostbusters

Genre: Action, Adventure Developer: Terminal Reality Publisher: Sierra ESRB Rating: Teen Release Date: June 16, 2009

Hints

The Gate.

On the final level, you have to help the Ecto 1 through a gate with 3 head like things on it. Here’s the 2 easiest way’s you can get through it: 1-You can Slime Tether the Stone Angels into the gate itself, 2 to 3 direct hits to the gate should do it depending on the difficulty level. 2-Use the same strategy as the 1st one, only instead of the Slime Tether use the Capture Stream. I suggest the first way myself. But beware, not only is it just you and Ray, but you have to do it while being attacked by not only the Stone Angels but also those small crawling Headstones, use the Slime Blower against those. Well good luck. And remember, everything depends on the difficulty level.

Nice Shootin Tex.

The EASIEST way to get the trophy Nice Shootin Tex is to only shoot when its absolutely necessary. From the first level (Sedgwick Hotel)All the way to when you go BACK to the Sedgwick Hotel to defeat the Spider Witch, you can get property damage (P. D . For short). The goal here is to complete with less than 100, 000 dollar’s in P. D . (which you can check in your stats). The other Busters can shoot up the place and you won’t gain a cent so let them do most of the busting but still be careful when you shoot. Once you get to Shandor Island you’re in the clear. Also there are 3 other places where it doesn’t matter, the alternate demention of the library, the bottom of the Museum (once you go down the spiral staircase and the area where you fight the Spider Witch. After you do that you can get the other trophy where you complete the game with over 3, 000, 000 dollar’s in P. D . (Note if you have more than 100, 000 dollar’s in PD, just go for the 3 mill trophy then start a new game).

Cheats

Currently we have no cheats or codes for Ghostbusters: The Video Game yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Unlockables

Currently we have no unlockables for Ghostbusters: The Video Game yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Easter eggs

Ghostbusters 2 Easter Egg

When you are in ghostbuster office in between any mission walk over to the drinking fountain near the stairs to go the basement (next to slimer). When you are in front of the drinking fountain look to your right you’ll see a door with a window look in that room and you’ll see ghostbusters2 stuff (you can get a better look once you have a pke scanner).

Glitches

Currently we have no glitches for Ghostbusters: The Video Game yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Guides

Currently we have no guides or FAQs for Ghostbusters: The Video Game yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Trophies

Trophy List

We Came, We Saw… (Bronze) Complete the game on ‘Casual’ or ‘Experienced’difficulty. Slam Dunk! (Bronze) Slam dunk a ghost into a trap. Slime Dunk! (Bronze) Trap a ghost using the Slime Tether. Stasis Dunk! (Bronze) Trap a ghost using the Stasis Stream. I Ain’t ‘Fraid of No Ghost! (Bronze) Trap a ghost. Aim for the Flat Top! (Bronze) Eliminate a creature. Heat ‘Em Up (Bronze) Purchase all upgrades for the Proton Gun. Mother Pus Bucket! (Bronze) Purchase all upgrades for the Slime Gun. We be fast! They be slow! (Bronze) Purchase all upgrades for the Dark MatterGenerator. I Don’t Want My Face Burned Off (Bronze) Purchase all upgrades for the MesonCollider. The Destructor (Bronze) Complete the game with more than $3,000,000 inproperty damage. Nice Shootin’, Tex! (Bronze) Complete the game with less than $100,000 inproperty damage. …And You Want to Keep It? (Bronze) Collect a Cursed Artifact. I’m Picking Up A Signal… (Bronze) Obtain a 100% PKE scan on a paranormalcreature. I’m a Ghostbuster, Not a Doctor! (Bronze) Revive your teammates 20 times. I Feel So Funky (Bronze) Get slimed by a charging ghost. Total Protonic Reversal (Bronze) Knock yourself down with your own weapon. You Gotta Try This Pole! (Bronze) Slide down the fire pole. It’s Slime Time (Bronze) Use the Slime Tether on 15 ghosts. I Looked at the Trap, Ray! (Bronze) Recover 20 of your own full ghost traps. Kosher! (Bronze) Remedy a dubious food choice to make the bar mitzvah asorthodox as it can be. I Love You When You Rough-House! (Bronze) The tidy architectural office coulduse some Proton-based humbling. But the Kids Love Us! (Bronze) The children’s reading room has a story totell, but it will take more than your eyes to see it. You Never Studied (Bronze) Keep your ears open to learn everything you canabout the Civil War. I’ve Quit Better Jobs Than This. (Bronze) Some ghosts had a real blowout inthe Coat Room. Clean it up? Hedgebuster (Bronze) The hedge maze is a real eyesore; do some Protonicpruning. One down, on the Ground! (Bronze) Airborne coffins are an affront to gravity;use your Proton Pack to avenge Mother Nature! Ghostbusters Drinking Game (Bronze) Quench your thirst wherever possible toavoid being scared spitless. Loans Paid Off (Bronze) More than $100,000 earned in multiplayer. On the Payroll (Bronze) Successfully complete one multiplayer campaign. Egon’s Guinea Pig (Bronze) Use one of every Pickup (both Power-ups andEquipment). Payday! (Bronze) Be the overall top earner in each multiplayer campaignsetting. It’s a Living (Bronze) Trap over 50 ghosts in your multiplayer Ghostbustingcareer. Wanted! (Bronze) Defeat three Most Wanted Ghosts. Employee of the Month (Bronze) Be top earner in each multiplayer job type. No Job Too Big (Bronze) Defeated all Most Wanted Ghosts Gozer’s Most Wanted (Bronze) Successfully complete each Multiplayer job inevery location. Overachiever (Bronze) Get over $2,500,000 in multiplayer, over 30 Post-JobAwards, 50 Jobs completed. We Have the Talent! (Bronze) Complete the Firehouse training level. The Flowers Are Still Standing! (Bronze) Complete the ‘Welcome to the HotelSedgewick’ level. Once S’more into the Breach (Bronze) Complete the ‘Panic in Times Square’level. Get Her! (Bronze) Complete the ‘Checking Out the Library’ level. Ghost Fever Grips New York (Bronze) Complete the ‘Museum of (Super)NaturalHistory’ level. Are You A God? (Gold) Complete the game on ‘Professional’ difficulty. We Have the Tools! (Gold) Purchase all available equipment upgrades. Spores, Molds, and Fungus (Gold) Collect all Cursed Artifacts. Back Off Man. I’m A Scientist (Gold) Obtain 100% PKE scans for everyparanormal creature. Platinum Trophy Awarded for outstanding performance in Ghostbusters! Somebody Saw A Cockroach on 12 (Bronze) Complete the ‘Return to theSedgewick’ level. Let Me Guess, Gozer Worshippers (Bronze) Complete the ‘Lost Island Rising’level. Disaster of Biblical Proportions (Bronze) Complete the ‘Central ParkCemetery’ level.

[eventfieldvibration]

#sketchbook #rpgzine #campaignsetting

[enanoski]

A godless world where spirits roam... Join us at Dirty20 where we take a look at some of the things we are most looking forward to in the Koryo Hall of Adventure campaign setting. https://youtu.be/ieelmPDnvq0 #dungeonsanddragons #dnd #5e #campaignsetting #koryohallofadventure #dirty20 #lavictoriaproductions #youtube #korearpg #ttrpg #roleplayinggame https://www.instagram.com/p/CBxgUkEJsm9/?igshid=3ac03st4wbxs

[otlrook]

Page 3 is UP of Ark7: Jeminar at OTLBink.com! The prologue and battle of the two ravens comes to its grisly finale! : #comic #pg3 #cartoon #art #artist #drawing #webcomic #ark7 #jeminar #runa #intotherunaverse #otlbink #fantasy #fantasyart #rpg #campaignsetting #fantasycomic #raven https://www.instagram.com/p/B_S8Jmrj30z/?igshid=t0spzjf7knu3

[otlrook]

The dapper dhampir is all did-up now. Coming SOON in the 5e campaign setting ‘Into the Runaverse’! Very happy with how this turned out. As it would happen, finding a convincing skin tone for a half-undead was a little more challenging than originally anticipated. : #dhampir #art #artistsoninstagram #characterdesign #color #dungeonsanddragons #rpg #ttrpg #character #dapper #vampire #undead #cloak #redeyes #runa #intotherunaverse #fantasy #comingsoon #timelapse #timelapseart #campaignsetting #adventure https://www.instagram.com/p/CDL0hx_jae5/?igshid=1xcuzvioamka2