The last fantasy setting I created started with the gods, and their last war breaking the greatest empire (a god of Good, Evil, Chaos, Order, Death, and Nature/Life). You can read that at the end of my Dungeons Unleashed system (it's in alpha and free.)

At the time I wanted to run 1e AD&D and maybe actually have (partial) alignment languages, and the gods essentially being the alignments helped with that. After that idea, I drew a map of important regional "political" powers. I've used it for a few campaigns now.

For Superheroes campaigns - the base unit is generally a city, and I usually start with time period and sources of superhero powers.

I often run a few different Superhero campaign settings:
New Carthage - a city a short time in the future - where powers are mostly from genetic engineering and mutation, or super-tech and have only been around for 5 years.

Chalice City - 1980's - powers are often magical or training/conviction. Powers have been around forever (legendary characters and magic have always existed).

Artifice City - 1950's - anything goes here, though I often seem to get tech accidents, and dimensional powers for some reason. Public "powers" emerged after WW2

I've run some "heroes by gaslight" games that I've really enjoyed too. Those probably vary more, though unlike the others these are always in the lowest power tier ("vigilante" in Simple Superheroes.)


I'd be very interested in how other folks come up with their non-fantasy campaign settings?

I always start with what I know, then what I think.  For example, Nebraska has the most miles of rivers than any other state in the country.  I think that rivers have been the cause/source of Tribes throughout history.  Thus, I immediately have a  reason to imagine and make a lot of different kinds of people or races in a simple geographical area.  Nothing worldwide, just yet, but rather something quite practical.  It is entirely possible to put in distinct terrains, adding to the options of what distinguishes one Tribe from another Tribe.  Cities, towns and villages follow.  Especially after I sprinkle in commerce and religion.  Things were start develop once I use my favorite plot device: Borders. 

In my opinion, the key to any setting are the borders and why they exist or have meaning. 

When I use the borders, rivers and tribes approach, It doesn't take long for it look like an Alt-History situation.  The Near-East on Earth Trope is something I can't ever escape.  Though, I don't want to derail the thread by talking about that inspirational, yet messy subject!

Just roll it up. Tie it together somehow. I described making some nonsense up here.

Quote from: Prairie Dragon on July 28, 2021, 10:56:10 PM
I always start with what I know, then what I think.  For example, Nebraska has the most miles of rivers than any other state in the country.

I had to look that up, I don't know if I'm disappointed or relieved that it's not true

https://www.farmprogress.com/husker-harvest-days/no-nebraska-doesnt-have-most-miles-river

Quote from: SirFrog on July 30, 2021, 12:28:34 AM

Quote from: Prairie Dragon on July 28, 2021, 10:56:10 PM
I always start with what I know, then what I think.  For example, Nebraska has the most miles of rivers than any other state in the country.

I had to look that up, I don't know if I'm disappointed or relieved that it's not true

https://www.farmprogress.com/husker-harvest-days/no-nebraska-doesnt-have-most-miles-river

Orc Filth! Go back to Alaska and quit using the internet to spread lies!

However, you did demonstrate that the Borders, Rivers and Tribes model can easily generate not just a local region to describe, but also a near-global region to describe.  Reread what you've quoted.  I didn't say anything about science or proof.  A tribe may think they have that-usually in the form of a God, hence a 'setting'.

It's important to start small when dealing with a new and unique setting. The area the players start out in merits some detail, but try to keep everything else loose. I have encountered people who try to conjure a whole world into being overnight, and they're always overwhelmed by the task they set for themselves. Keep a few pages of broad stroke notes with you, be ready to improvise, and then work those improvisations into a more detailed whole. This will also reduce the "my precious setting" thinking that we all feel sometimes when those damned players start tugging at loose threads.

Another important detail is to not push the players too fast when it comes to ideas which you invent or borrow from other cultures. For example, I once ran a DCC game where the characters were offered tax farming licenses over several villages. The players were pretty widely read and were familiar with tax farming, so they eagerly accepted it and the game moved on. A different group of players in a D&D campaign found the concept utterly baffling and it was clear that they wouldn't have handled it well if our DM had given us such privileges.

Quote from: Prairie Dragon on July 30, 2021, 02:32:38 AM

Quote from: SirFrog on July 30, 2021, 12:28:34 AM

Quote from: Prairie Dragon on July 28, 2021, 10:56:10 PM
I always start with what I know, then what I think.  For example, Nebraska has the most miles of rivers than any other state in the country.

I had to look that up, I don't know if I'm disappointed or relieved that it's not true

https://www.farmprogress.com/husker-harvest-days/no-nebraska-doesnt-have-most-miles-river

Orc Filth! Go back to Alaska and quit using the internet to spread lies!

However, you did demonstrate that the Borders, Rivers and Tribes model can easily generate not just a local region to describe, but also a near-global region to describe.  Reread what you've quoted.  I didn't say anything about science or proof.  A tribe may think they have that-usually in the form of a God, hence a 'setting'.

Yeah, you qualified it, but it still made me question what I know of reality. I know all about tribal loyalty, I'm a Texan by God!

Quote from: Prairie Dragon on July 30, 2021, 02:32:38 AM

Quote from: SirFrog on July 30, 2021, 12:28:34 AM

Quote from: Prairie Dragon on July 28, 2021, 10:56:10 PM
I always start with what I know, then what I think.  For example, Nebraska has the most miles of rivers than any other state in the country.

I had to look that up, I don't know if I'm disappointed or relieved that it's not true

https://www.farmprogress.com/husker-harvest-days/no-nebraska-doesnt-have-most-miles-river

Orc Filth! Go back to Alaska and quit using the internet to spread lies!

However, you did demonstrate that the Borders, Rivers and Tribes model can easily generate not just a local region to describe, but also a near-global region to describe.  Reread what you've quoted.  I didn't say anything about science or proof.  A tribe may think they have that-usually in the form of a God, hence a 'setting'.

You have to choose your qualifiers carefully.  Alabama has the most miles of navigable rivers of any state.  Assuming you use the technical definition of "navigable".    A lot of those Alaska rivers are frozen and I'm guessing a lot of those Texas rivers can get dry enough to not technically qualify as navigable for huge stretches, at least part of the year.  For that matter, Arizona has a lot of miles of "rivers"--it's just that most of them are gullys that handle flash floods.

Bring it back on topic, the different nature of rivers--from region to region and even upstream to downstream--is one of those little details you can use to great effect in a setting.  It's a very quick way to rationalize the location and nature of many settlements.

Quote from: SirFrog on July 30, 2021, 07:11:54 AM

Quote from: Prairie Dragon on July 30, 2021, 02:32:38 AM

Quote from: SirFrog on July 30, 2021, 12:28:34 AM

Quote from: Prairie Dragon on July 28, 2021, 10:56:10 PM
I always start with what I know, then what I think.  For example, Nebraska has the most miles of rivers than any other state in the country.

I had to look that up, I don't know if I'm disappointed or relieved that it's not true

https://www.farmprogress.com/husker-harvest-days/no-nebraska-doesnt-have-most-miles-river

Orc Filth! Go back to Alaska and quit using the internet to spread lies!

However, you did demonstrate that the Borders, Rivers and Tribes model can easily generate not just a local region to describe, but also a near-global region to describe.  Reread what you've quoted.  I didn't say anything about science or proof.  A tribe may think they have that-usually in the form of a God, hence a 'setting'.

Yeah, you qualified it, but it still made me question what I know of reality. I know all about tribal loyalty, I'm a Texan by God!

And you probably know a heck of a lot about Borders too!  And a certain River...

Quote from: Steven Mitchell on July 30, 2021, 07:45:27 AM

Quote from: Prairie Dragon on July 30, 2021, 02:32:38 AM

Quote from: SirFrog on July 30, 2021, 12:28:34 AM

Quote from: Prairie Dragon on July 28, 2021, 10:56:10 PM
I always start with what I know, then what I think.  For example, Nebraska has the most miles of rivers than any other state in the country.

I had to look that up, I don't know if I'm disappointed or relieved that it's not true

https://www.farmprogress.com/husker-harvest-days/no-nebraska-doesnt-have-most-miles-river

Orc Filth! Go back to Alaska and quit using the internet to spread lies!

However, you did demonstrate that the Borders, Rivers and Tribes model can easily generate not just a local region to describe, but also a near-global region to describe.  Reread what you've quoted.  I didn't say anything about science or proof.  A tribe may think they have that-usually in the form of a God, hence a 'setting'.

You have to choose your qualifiers carefully.  Alabama has the most miles of navigable rivers of any state.  Assuming you use the technical definition of "navigable".    A lot of those Alaska rivers are frozen and I'm guessing a lot of those Texas rivers can get dry enough to not technically qualify as navigable for huge stretches, at least part of the year.  For that matter, Arizona has a lot of miles of "rivers"--it's just that most of them are gullys that handle flash floods.

Bring it back on topic, the different nature of rivers--from region to region and even upstream to downstream--is one of those little details you can use to great effect in a setting.  It's a very quick way to rationalize the location and nature of many settlements.

Good points!  And yes, rationalizing the location and nature of the settlements makes the process I use more enjoyable. 

I created a DC/Marvel Mashup setting once for Mutants and Masterminds, I always planned to use it.

The basics of it were:

-Lower level power (less superheroes over all- so PCs have something to do)
-Superman is dead (again... so PCs have something to do!)  (Doomsday killed him, only this time, he didn't come back...)
-Only iconic and/or story necessary heroes with no duplication (Only one Spider-Man ...no Spider-Girl, no Scarlet Spider, etc. unless that story plays out in the game, only one Flash, one Green Lantern in the sector, No Nova Corps [too similar to GL], no expys, i.e. only Catwoman or Black Cat [not both!], etc.)
-Rogues Gallery prioritized over Heroes
-Come up with a story (which I did... too long to post here!)

So the idea was, I could have the PCs fighting Magneto one week, and Lex Luthor the next, in a coherent narrative.  And I made it work too