Designing your world: The Six Traits
Our new campaign The Darklands will follow the principles set by Dungeon World rules we are using, but I also utilize other wonderful sources for campaign design.
In my favorite piece of game mastering guides, The Lazy Dungeon Master, Mike Shea (@SlyFlourish) writes about using Six Traits that will help players and game master to see what makes the world special. The same technique has also been used by Wizards of the Coast in number of their Dungeons & Dragons settings.
The number of traits a world/setting should have is not strictly six - it is somewhere between five and ten. I decided to write a five and later add a few in co-operation with my players if we decide to need them. This advice comes from Dungeon World authors Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel; they tell us to leave blanks.
So, here you go! Six Traits of The Darklands:
The land of the defeated. You live in Arandor, nation once vast and prosperous, greatest among the great. Arandor was the nation where the races man, elf, dwarf, and halfling lived in harmony for a millennia. Dwarves built not only the greatest of the underground citadels but also the cities of men with the help of mystical powers of the elven archmages. During that time the elven druids helped human farmers and halfling vintners to produce crop of amazing quantity and wines of unparalleled quality. The culture, science, and magical knowledge of Arandor was beyond anything any nation had achieved before.
But then the time of war came while the union of four races was built for time of peace. They were no match to the hordes of evil Rhakan Empire. The nation of Arandor was defeated and its entire population enslaved.
The fallen grace. The race of elves is now outlawed and forced to seek refuge in darkest alleys and deepest caves. There is still a bounty of ten imperial silver coins for an elf, young or old, male or female, dead or alive. Majority of the dwarves have fled to their underground citadels with only few remaining as blacksmiths and artisans serving in bigger towns or mercenaries and bounty hunters trying to make living like it would be worth that of handful of coins. And even the underground citadels are now controlled by the tyranny of Rhakan Empire, because their mind-mages found a secret way to the thoughts of the dwarf lords and now rule them from within.
The mists everywhere. Due effect of an unknown spell or curse released at the end of the war, the Darklands are constantly covered by lingering cold mists. It is impossible to see further than a hundred meters or so in any given day, even from higher grounds. The mists also makes sounds travel in a strange ways. You can hear sounds of battle or sudden screams of pain that appear to be near even when they are not. And the rain, it is almost always there to keep you wet and cold and miserable.
According to the war mages of Rhakan, they performed the ritual that cursed the land of Arandor under the ever present mists. But there are another theories, and as far as you can tell, nobody knows for sure.
Death is always near. In this world, only one thing is certain. Everyone will die. The gates of the great beyond are half open every day. You have witnessed men beaten to death for no reason by those who rule. You have seen a young child, the one who was the only member of his family to survive another lingering attack of the black plague, to catch cold from the cursed mists and die. And maybe, for a few times, you have seen the gates of death personally, but you have prevailed. There is one thing you know for sure; this world will kill you.
Since peaceful times of Arandor when rangers and paladins kept lands safe, numerous monstrous infestations have been witnessed. Rhakan officials don’t really care as they can loot enough resources for their campaigns elsewhere in the world. In fact they like that the enslaved men of Arandor learn to fight. They like to capture the best fighters and mages to battle in their gladiator arenas or military campaigns all over the world.
As long as there is life, there is hope. Even in this dark world, people work to earn some hard coins and manage to live a life (just about) worth living. Despite of these dark times people do find reasons for joys such as a good story or a joke, pint of wine and hefty loaf of cheese, or simply watching giggling children as they play in the field. There are still local people who rule towns and villages of Arandor, even while they are under heavy supervision and have to pay massive taxes to the empire collectors. There are also few organizations both new and old that have a causes not aligned with those of Rhakan Empire.