Worldbuilding

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Which type of worldbuilder are you? (lemmy.world)

submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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What drives your world? Where do you start?

Are you:

The Architect, who begins with the setting—crafting landscapes, lore, and systems until the story grows naturally from the world itself (J.R.R. Tolkien)?
The Storycrafter, who starts with a strong plot—shaping the world and characters to serve a compelling narrative arc (J.K. Rowling)?
The Psychologist, who builds from the inside out—creating vivid, complex characters whose choices shape the world and drive the story (George R.R. Martin)?
The Philosopher, who begins with a theme—exploring big ideas and moral questions through a world built to embody and test them (C.S. Lewis)?
The Engineer, who uses mechanical systems as a world scaffold - building characters, stories, and lore to support and explore those systems (Brandon Sanderson)?

Which one best describes your process? Or do you switch between them depending on the project?

EDIT: Added The Engineer thanks to CaptSatelliteJack

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I would like to submit a fifth category that's a little more specific to game worlds like homebrew dnd settings, The Engineer. This archetype uses mechanical systems as a scaffold of the world, then builds characters, stories, and lore to support or be supported by those systems.

My personal example was an idea for a worlds that had harnessed elementals and primordial elemental magic to spark an industrial revolution, and bridge massive distances with transit systems never seen before. I figured out how the magic and transportation worked first, then built the rest of the world around it. Idk, maybe that's just me.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

🤯 I thought I was the Architect until I read your comment. Turns out it's not the setting that drives my worldbuilding. It's the mechanics - I start with something like the "physics" that govern magic and how that may interact with the astrophysics of planet formation, plate tectonics, etc. I think I may actually be the Engineer. I start with a mechanical system and shape the world around it. I think this has first-class relevance outside of the TTRPG sphere as well. Thanks for the mind-blowing insight!

(I hope you don't mind my equating Brandon Sanderson with this type. I feel like it's a good fit)