Creating Worlds

Creating a World is a prerequisite to playing a story—unless you are using a Workshop World. Worlds serve as the foundation of an adventure, containing Characters, Locations (Areas and Points), Items, Enemies (Mooks), and more.

Worlds offer extensive customization options, but first, let's go through a quick-start guide.

It’s recommended to look at the official Worlds in the World Editor to see how they’re constructed. For example, the Tutorial can be copied from the Workshop to your Worlds List by pressing the three dots icon in the top-right corner of the world card, then opening it in the editor. This will help you understand Z-Levels, Gateways, Transitions, Walled Areas, Zones, and more.

The first recommended step is to create a beginning Area that will serve as the “Overworld”—the largest containing area for the entire World. This could be a galaxy, planet, region, city, or any large-scale setting that defines the scope of the adventure.

1. Creating an Overworld Area:

• Right-click on the map and select New Area.
• Enter a name and select an area type.
• Switch to Extras tab and turn on Overworld.
• Click Save—other details can be added later.

2. Adjusting the Area:

• The new Area will now be visible on the map.
• Zoom in, right-click the Area, and select Move/Resize Area.
• Drag the handles to resize the Area. Hold Shift to maintain a square aspect ratio.

3. Understanding Scale:

• Check the total square KM displayed at the top of the screen when zoomed in.
• Ensure it fits your vision (e.g., a city shouldn’t be too large or too small).
• Example: 100km² = 10km × 10km = 62 square miles.

4. Adding Sub-Areas and Points:

• Sub-Areas can be used to divide the Overworld (e.g., districts in a city).
• Points represent specific locations (e.g., Taverns, Inns, Guild Halls).
• General rule: Areas contain locations, while Points are individual locations.
• A large location (e.g., a University) can be:
  • An Area containing multiple Points (faculty buildings).
  • A single Point representing the entire university.
• Important: At least one Point should have the “Starting Location” option checked—this ensures that when beginning a story, there is a designated place for the Player to start.

5. Finalizing Basic Scaffolding:

• Once the Overworld, Sub-Areas, and Points are set up, further customization is available via the Edit World Info button in the top-right Settings panel.

Customization options allow world builders to tailor their Worlds in-depth.

Basic Tab:

• Define allowed character races.
• Adjust World Boundaries (should generally remain at default, even if unused).

Customization Tab:

• Set style prompts for characters, locations, and item images.
• Adjust Ambience settings (select music/ambience tags).
• Configure custom Calendar settings (starting year and date).

Modules Tab:

• Daily Events – Enable AI-generated daily events.
• Fast Travel – Allows travel between locations using the `/travel` command.
• PC Recognition – NPCs initially refer to the Player as a stranger until introduced.
• NPC Knowledge System – Dynamically scales NPC knowledge.
• NPC Proactive Behavior – Enables NPCs to act proactively.
• NPC Roles – Assigns role-based behaviors to NPCs.
• Tracked Variables – Allows custom character-based variable tracking.
• Magic System – Configure settings for magic mechanics.

Instructions Tab:

• Advanced users can modify AI behavior by adding custom instructions to different system helpers.

With this setup complete, you now have a fully functional World framework ready for deeper customization and storytelling.