444:
209:", where he stated that the "Secondary World" or "Sub-Creation" (the constructed world) is substantially different from the art of play-writing: "Very little about trees as trees can be got into a play." Constructed worlds may sometimes shift away from storytelling, narrative, characters and figures, and may explore "trees as trees" or aspects of the world in-and-of-themselves. Tolkien sought to make his constructed world seem real by paying careful attention to
573:
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setting that readers can extrapolate on what is written to come to their own conclusions regarding specific details that were not provided. This is especially useful for roleplaying game settings, as individual games may require certain details to be created on a case-by-case basis for the RPG's story to function.
220:
Later analysis of fantasy worlds in the 1960s contextualized them in the medium or the narrative of the works, offering an analysis of the stories in the world, but not the world itself. In the 2000s, worldbuilding in film has increased in popularity. When before, writers sought to create a character
341:
From a game-design perspective, the goal of worldbuilding is to create the context for a story. Consistency is an important element, since the world provides a foundation for the action of a story. However, J. R. R. Tolkien described the goal of worldbuilding as creating immersion, or "enchantment"
332:
Despite requiring considerable work to develop enough detail for a setting to be useful, not every aspect of a setting can be explored, and instead an approach called inferred worldbuilding is often used. Inferred worldbuilding is when the author provides enough detail about the various parts of a
588:
features and significant civilizations present. A clear, concise map that displays the locations of key points in the story can be a helpful tool for developers and audiences alike. Finished creative products, such as books, may contain published versions of development maps; many editions of
732:
role-playing game, who stated that "Everything that happened in the real world has also unfolded in the exact same way in the
Champions Universe." This means any past wars, elections, and technological advancements in our world occurred the same way in the Champions Universe unless explained
309:
to each other. The surrounding areas are then described in a lower level of detail, with description growing more general with increasing distance from the initial location. The designer can subsequently enhance the description of other areas in the world. For example, an author may create
282:. A world constructed from the top down tends to be well-integrated, with individual components fitting together appropriately. It can, however, require considerable work before enough detail is completed for the setting to be useful, such as in the setting of a story.
329:, however. By combining the top-down and bottom-up approaches, a designer can enjoy the benefits of both. This is very hard to accomplish, however, because the need to start from both sides creates twice as much work, which may delay the desired product.
110:. Prior to 1900, most worldbuilding was conducted by novelists, who could leave imagination of the fictional setting in part to the reader. Some authors of fiction set multiple works in the same world. This is known as a
757:. The fictional world's history can explain past and present relationships between different societies, which can introduce a story's action. A past war, for example, functions as a key plot point in the
392:. While magic is a more common element of fantasy settings, science fiction worlds can contain magic or technological equivalents of it. For example, the Biotics in the science fiction video game series
342:
as he put it, and descriptions of the world can be wholly disconnected from the story and narrative. Writers must also make the world building make sense for the story on hands-on matters concerning
322:
says "You had to start wondering how the fresh water got in and the sewage got out... World building from the bottom up, to use a happy phrase, is more fruitful than world building from top-down."
722:
has stated as a 'Golden Rule' of worldbuilding that "... unless specified otherwise, everything inside your world is assumed to behave exactly as it would in the real world." Another example is
704:
Constructed cultures, or concultures, are a typical element of worldbuilding. Worldbuilders sometimes employ past human civilizations as a model for fictional societies. The 1990 video game
230:
2085:
285:
With the bottom-up approach, the designer focuses on a small part of the world needed for their purposes. This location is given considerable detail, such as local geography,
325:
This approach provides for almost immediate applicability of the setting, with details pertinent to a certain story or situation. The approach can yield a world plagued with
262:, and history. From there, they develop the rest of the world in increasing detail. This approach might involve creation of the world's basics, followed by levels such as
538:, the physical world is referred to as the Prime Material Plane, but other planes of existence devoted to moral or elemental concepts are available for play, such as the
178:, with the BBC's Dante 2021 series describing it as "the first virtual reality". The creation of literary fictional worlds was first examined by fantasy authors such as
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1545:
162:
443:
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435:, calls for writers to depict only scientifically plausible technology; as such, fictional faster-than-light travel is not depicted in these works.
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An uninhabited world can be useful for certain purposes, especially in science fiction, but the majority of constructed worlds have one or more
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trilogy has a very long year (called the "great year"), equivalent to 2,500 Earth years, where generations live & die within one season.
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towards the end of the worldbuilding process, thus creating lifeforms with environmental adaptations to scientifically novel situations.
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culture can be a distinct challenge. Some designers have also looked to human civilizations for inspiration in doing so, such as
548:
series, for example, contains a variety of religions practiced by its world's various races. The world of the 2000 video game
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for each biome. Often, Earth-like ecology is assumed, but designers can vary drastically from this trend. For example,
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Perhaps the most basic consideration of worldbuilding is to what degree a fictional world will be based on real-world
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setting, which provides an entirely novel fantasy astrophysical system. Some fantasy worlds feature religions. The
152:(1920) to describe the thinking out of hypothetical worlds with different physical laws. The term has been used in
491:
of the world, and to define the physical characteristics of the other bodies in the same system; this establishes
254:
first creates a general overview of the world, determining broad characteristics such as the world's inhabitants,
2191:
2145:
38:
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travel is a common factor in much science fiction. Worldbuilding may combine physics and magic, such as in the
221:
that could sustain multiple stories, now they create a world that can sustain multiple characters and stories.
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is a fictional universe that can be used by different authors. Examples of shared universes include the
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210:
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refer to these terms as "outside-in" and "inside-out", respectively. In the top-down approach, the
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1873:
Subcreation: Fictional-World
Construction from J.R.R. Tolkien to Terry Pratchett and Tad Williams
1590:
432:
421:
214:
122:, a fictional region of space. A fictional universe with works by multiple authors is known as a
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511:
483:. If the designer wishes to apply real-life principles of astronomy, they may develop detailed
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1917:
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843:
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246:
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956: – Self-consistent fictional setting with elements that may differ from the real world
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365:
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47:
is the process of constructing an imaginary world or setting, sometimes associated with a
8:
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A map of the fictional kingdom of Aredia, which is used in a
Medieval role-playing game
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244:, or by a combination of these approaches. The official worldbuilding guidelines for
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and Africa. This method can make a fictional world more accessible for an audience.
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is often one of the first tasks of worldbuilding. Maps can lay out a world's basic
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such as what equipment, nourishment, and modes of transportation characters use.
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60:
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senses of the word. The design of science fiction worlds, especially those with
1764:
1361:
Media
Franchising: Creative License and Collaboration in the Culture Industries
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developed specifically for role-playing games. One of the oldest of these is
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305:, and history. Prominent local individuals may be described, including their
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31:
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Tolkien, J. R. R. (1983), Tolkien, Christopher (ed.), "On Fairy
Stories",
1359:
1324:
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995:
90:
or be limited in scope to a single small village. Worldbuilding exists in
2336:
2009:
1981:
1942:
1811:
1615:
Space, Time, and
Gravitation: An Outline of the General Relativity Theory
1030:
715:
659:
639:
600:
539:
500:
476:
472:
394:
326:
234:
195:
119:
68:
1947:. Rich Gibson, Jo Walsh (1st ed.). Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media.
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have abilities, described scientifically in-game, which mirror those of
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893:
528:
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294:
255:
150:
Space Time and
Gravitation: An Outline of the General Relativity Theory
115:
103:
86:
The world could encompass different planets spanning vast distances of
2100:
1731:. Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien. London: Allen & Unwin.
878:, including Barker himself, have used it as a setting for such games.
871:
684:
algorithms. Sophisticated programs can apply geologic effects such as
1613:
1396:
Graphic Novels as
Pedagogy in Social Studies: How to Draw Citizenship
782:
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72:
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ring of habitable pressure, temperature, and composition, around a
447:
Diagram of the fictional "Starbase 11 Star System" in the original
350:
302:
298:
251:
202:
would be the first person to create the entire world of his story.
1442:
Paterson, Eddie; Simpson-Williams, Timothy; Cordner, Will (2020).
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229:
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689:
681:
667:
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585:
385:
353:
286:
259:
64:
56:
52:
1445:
1326:
Building
Imaginary Worlds: The Theory and History of Subcreation
850:
Constructed worlds are not always limited to one type of story.
79:, different peoples. This may include social customs as well as
34:, manipulating a planet to make it habitable to Earth lifeforms.
2095:
1441:
1116:
World-builders on World-building: An Exploration of Subcreation
635:
623:
496:
480:
107:
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in great detail, providing a degree of realism to the result.
901:
875:
711:
619:
516:
495:
parameters, such as the length of a day and the durations of
488:
373:
369:
174:
One of the earliest examples of a fictional world is Dante's
91:
87:
75:, flora, fauna, inhabitants, technology and often if writing
279:
1944:
Mapping Hacks: Tips & Tools for Electronic Cartography
1674:(1st ed.). Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. p. 39.
1546:
Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction
647:
642:
and locations of important cities. Desire for control of
51:. Developing the world with coherent qualities such as a
958:
Pages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
874:
well before the advent of role-playing games, but many
534:
Fantasy worlds can also involve unique cosmologies. In
463:
Constructed worlds often have cosmologies, both in the
965: – Narrative genre in modern literature and film
1032:
Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction Literature
944: – Imaginary world created for fictional media
1578:
1165:Building Your Story: A Guide to Structure and Plot
1067:Collaborative Worldbuilding for Writers and Gamers
1759:
1701:
1699:
515:, Niven designed a "freefall" environment, a gas
408:, magic exists, but is explained scientifically.
2364:
1577:
138:The term "world-building" was first used in the
614:of a fictional world is important in designing
402:in fantasy games. In the science fiction novel
1696:
1538:
1536:
1057:
915:is another such D&D setting, originally a
772:
710:, for example, takes place in a world full of
499:. Some systems are intentionally bizarre. For
2116:
1934:
1708:The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays
2012:(1991). "The Creation of Imaginary Beings".
1908:(1991). "The Creation of Imaginary Worlds".
1728:Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien : a selection
650:among its people. Geography can also define
554:has a well-developed cosmology, including a
431:franchise. One subgenre of science fiction,
411:Some fictional worlds modify the real-world
1533:
1266:
1221:The Routledge Companion to Imaginary Worlds
1063:
987:
2123:
2109:
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233:A rendered constructed world as seen from
205:Tolkien addressed the issue in his essay "
67:writers. Worldbuilding often involves the
27:Process of constructing an imaginary world
1611:
1494:Jonathan Lethem and the Galaxy of Writing
1267:Gavins, Joanna; Lahey, Ernestine (2016).
680:programs can create random terrain using
475:societies, usually entails creation of a
163:Edgar Rice Burroughs: Master of Adventure
156:and fantasy criticism since appearing in
1904:
1898:
1161:
993:
603:of fictional worlds is sometimes called
571:
442:
228:
213:with narrators and versions of stories,
2130:
2008:
1844:
1724:
1705:
1542:
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1392:
1364:. New York: New York University Press.
1357:
1309:
1204:
1106:
777:Examples of constructed worlds include
14:
2365:
2044:
1869:
1664:
114:. For example, science fiction writer
2104:
1813:Alternative Worlds in Fantasy Fiction
1270:World Building: Discourse in the Mind
126:. One notable example of such is the
1975:
1940:
1809:
1599:participating institution membership
1322:
1217:
1112:
1000:. Edina, Minn.: ABDO. pp. 8–9.
936: – Consciously devised language
2014:Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy
1910:Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy
1549:. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
707:Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire
240:Worldbuilding can be designed from
24:
2047:"The Golden Rule of Worldbuilding"
1845:Laramee, Francois Dominic (2002).
1612:Eddington, Arthur Stanley (2014).
826:Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
753:, whose society resembles that of
258:level, major geographic features,
118:set a number of his novels in the
25:
2419:
2068:
646:in a fictional world may lead to
144:in December 1820 and appeared in
1035:. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press.
971: – Detailed imaginary world
714:based on civilizations in early
666:" features a life form based on
2038:
2002:
1969:
1876:. Berlin: Logos Verlag Berlin.
1863:
1838:
1803:
1753:
1714:
1658:
1640:
1605:
1571:
1484:
1435:
1386:
1329:. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
595:, for example, include maps of
1351:
1260:
1155:
1022:
318:to add detail to their world.
13:
1:
1029:Stableford, Brian M. (2004).
997:You Write It: Science Fiction
981:
692:; the resulting world can be
405:Midnight at the Well of Souls
242:the top down or the bottom up
2342:Lists of fictional locations
819:worlds, the Subcontinent of
793:, the planet Arrakis in the
561:
438:
133:
7:
1064:Hergenrader, Trent (2019).
954:List of fictional universes
926:
773:Types of constructed worlds
336:
128:Star Wars Expanded Universe
96:tabletop role-playing games
10:
2424:
1725:Tolkien, J. R. R. (1981).
1723:#131 to Milton Waldman in
975:Planets in science fiction
726:, a representative of the
699:
565:
459:Planets in science fiction
456:
379:
224:
169:
36:
29:
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2273:
2212:
2169:
2138:
1988:: DOJ. pp. 290–294.
1870:Schult, Stefanie (2017).
1586:Oxford English Dictionary
1323:Wolf, Mark J. P. (2012).
1218:Wolf, Mark J. P. (2018).
1113:Wolf, Mark J. P. (2020).
799:series, the continent of
356:. These species can have
55:, geography, culture and
1976:Long, Steven S. (2002).
1847:Game design perspectives
1810:Lenz, Millicent (2001).
1491:Brooker, Joseph (2020).
1393:Letizia, Angelo (2020).
1162:Lawrence, Kelly (2014).
950: – Literary concept
948:Fictional encyclopaedism
906:Dungeons & Dragons'
30:Not to be confused with
2086:considered for deletion
1941:Erle, Schuyler (2005).
1849:. Charles River Media.
1591:Oxford University Press
1358:Johnson, Derek (2013).
994:Hamilton, John (2009).
433:mundane science fiction
59:is a key task for many
2216:, counties, and states
1774:Dungeon Master's Guide
1543:Prucher, Jeff (2007).
577:
536:Dungeons & Dragons
454:
247:Dungeons & Dragons
237:
2274:Planets, worlds, and
1816:. London: Continuum.
1399:. Cham, Switzerland.
844:The Lord of the Rings
592:The Lord of the Rings
575:
446:
362:constructed languages
232:
215:like a real mythology
69:creation of geography
2408:Narrative techniques
2378:Continuity (fiction)
2304:animation and comics
1787:Wizards of the Coast
934:Constructed language
904:, developed for the
870:originally designed
736:Creating a cohesive
366:hard science fiction
358:constructed cultures
312:fictional currencies
37:For other uses, see
2299:film and television
2265:Mythological places
2132:Fictional locations
2045:Provencher, Simon.
1671:Kingdoms of sorcery
1654:. 11 Jan 2021. BBC.
1589:(Online ed.).
852:Lawrence Watt-Evans
785:, the pseudo-Earth
688:plate movement and
568:Fantasy cartography
77:speculative fiction
2053:. Simon Provencher
2022:St. Martin's Press
1918:St. Martin's Press
1710:, pp. 109–161
1618:. Wildside Press.
1448:. Boca Raton, FL.
919:campaign world by
833:, the location of
807:series of games,
612:physical geography
580:Construction of a
578:
506:The Integral Trees
455:
238:
112:fictional universe
81:invented languages
49:fictional universe
2360:
2359:
1984:Fifth ed.).
1883:978-3-8325-9320-9
1625:978-1-4344-0450-3
1597:(Subscription or
1556:978-0-19-989140-5
1504:978-1-350-00376-7
1455:978-1-351-01427-4
1406:978-3-030-44252-1
1371:978-0-8147-4349-2
1336:978-1-136-22081-4
1280:978-1-4725-8655-1
1231:978-1-317-26828-4
1175:978-1-78279-607-7
1126:978-0-429-24286-1
1077:978-1-350-01666-8
1007:978-1-61714-655-8
898:campaign settings
890:expanded universe
809:Ursula K. Le Guin
664:The Talking Stone
644:natural resources
487:measures for the
417:faster-than-light
211:framing his world
192:Dorothy L. Sayers
18:Constructed world
16:(Redirected from
2415:
2403:1820s neologisms
2170:Cities and towns
2161:Railway stations
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913:Forgotten Realms
835:J. R. R. Tolkien
748:
720:Simon Provencher
291:social structure
207:On Fairy-Stories
184:J. R. R. Tolkien
180:George MacDonald
146:Arthur Eddington
141:Edinburgh Review
21:
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883:shared universe
868:M. A. R. Barker
779:Terry Pratchett
775:
746:
702:
570:
564:
461:
441:
425:series and the
413:laws of physics
382:
364:. Designers in
339:
327:inconsistencies
320:Terry Pratchett
316:fictional books
227:
172:
154:science fiction
136:
102:such as films,
83:for the world.
61:science fiction
42:
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2069:External links
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1906:Anderson, Poul
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1769:Williams, Skip
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821:Hayao Miyazaki
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724:Steven S. Long
701:
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670:, rather than
563:
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512:The Smoke Ring
440:
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582:fictional map
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314:and refer to
313:
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307:relationships
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268:civilizations
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2182:in animation
2079:
2055:. Retrieved
2051:Worldbuilder
2050:
2040:
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2010:Clement, Hal
2004:
1978:Fantasy HERO
1977:
1971:
1943:
1936:
1909:
1900:
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1779:David Noonan
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1220:
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856:Steven Brust
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791:Conan series
787:Hyborian Age
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656:Isaac Asimov
640:trade routes
609:
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525:Brian Aldiss
521:neutron star
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383:
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344:plot devices
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188:Lord Dunsany
173:
161:
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139:
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124:shared world
100:visual media
85:
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32:Terraforming
2393:Narratology
2388:Imagination
2337:Fantasy map
2177:Settlements
1982:Hero System
1783:Rich Redman
1761:Cook, Monte
1666:Carter, Lin
733:otherwise.
716:Mesoamerica
660:short story
601:Cartography
540:Spelljammer
501:Larry Niven
477:star system
473:spacefaring
395:Mass Effect
368:may design
235:outer space
196:C. S. Lewis
158:R.A. Lupoff
120:Gaean Reach
104:video games
2367:Categories
2332:Continuity
2309:literature
2057:6 November
1892:1021810749
1652:Dante 2021
1601:required.)
1513:1089274366
1497:. London.
1464:1127387835
1415:1153082894
1273:. London.
1240:1004848638
1168:. Ropley.
1135:1151513107
1086:1009182095
982:References
963:Mythopoeia
894:Arrowverse
652:ecosystems
605:geofiction
566:See also:
529:Helliconia
503:'s novels
465:scientific
457:See also:
422:Dark Tower
295:government
264:continents
256:technology
116:Jack Vance
2294:Universes
2276:universes
2253:by region
2223:Countries
2214:Countries
2187:in comics
2139:Buildings
2084:is being
1648:"Inferno"
1634:905652391
1565:608415902
1521:cite book
1472:cite book
1423:cite book
1380:830164533
1345:851971993
1297:cite book
1289:950613576
1248:cite book
1192:cite book
1184:883432427
1143:cite book
1094:cite book
1016:767670861
911:setting.
888:Star Wars
783:Discworld
766:Belgariad
743:Star Trek
729:Champions
632:mountains
562:Geography
453:TV series
450:Star Trek
439:Cosmology
428:Star Wars
134:Etymology
73:backstory
2243:Oceanian
2238:European
2077:template
2018:New York
1963:60860826
1914:New York
1832:46649829
1771:(2003).
1051:54416073
969:Paracosm
927:See also
917:homebrew
909:Greyhawk
864:Dragaera
858:created
813:Earthsea
769:series.
760:Shannara
751:Romulans
694:rendered
686:tectonic
678:software
628:wetlands
622:such as
551:Summoner
337:Elements
303:commerce
299:politics
252:designer
166:(1965).
2398:Setting
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2260:Islands
2228:African
2192:in film
2156:Prisons
2151:Castles
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872:Tékumel
860:Ethshar
817:Hainish
803:in the
801:Tamriel
789:in the
700:Culture
690:erosion
682:fractal
672:carbon.
668:silicon
636:forests
624:deserts
616:weather
586:terrain
497:seasons
481:planets
386:physics
380:Physics
354:species
351:sapient
287:culture
272:nations
260:climate
225:Methods
170:History
65:fantasy
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53:history
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876:gamers
712:tribes
634:, and
620:biomes
278:, and
276:cities
194:, and
108:comics
98:, and
92:novels
2233:Asian
2075:‹The
1595:
902:Oerth
841:, in
747:'
738:alien
676:Some
517:torus
489:orbit
400:mages
390:magic
374:fauna
370:flora
280:towns
88:space
2059:2013
2026:ISBN
1990:ISBN
1959:OCLC
1949:ISBN
1922:ISBN
1888:OCLC
1878:ISBN
1851:ISBN
1828:OCLC
1818:ISBN
1791:ISBN
1781:and
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1733:ISBN
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1676:ISBN
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1620:ISBN
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1551:ISBN
1527:link
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1366:ISBN
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1002:ISBN
896:and
862:and
854:and
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