Kyrinth world map

[Llannagh]

Gee golly whillikers! Do I ever disagree with that! I don't know how many good fantasy books I've read or how many good, bad and indifferent gaming modules I've seen over the years that place totally illogical aberrations of magic in an otherwise geologically, geographically and biologically logical and realistic world. One could start with Prof. Tolkien and continue from there along that fantasy road that goes ever on.

I heartily agree with Mark here.

If thew volcano is god powered, it may as well be not affecting the rest of the world, because, you know, god-stuff. I get Chick's point though: why bother with realism if anything goes anyway?

Apart from that discussion my advice would be not to overthink the details of tectonics and geography. I usually go with the flow and outline the continent and put in mountains in what feels right to me. When that's done is when I start going to a bit more detail regarding biomes.

In the end I think it's the story that should mostly dictate what you need where. If you want a desert next to arctic regions come up with a reason for it. If you do not NEED a desert next to an arctic region, put it where it belongs. To get a better grip on the natural placement of biomes I like to just look at google earth.

Hope that helped a little.

[Mark Oliva]

Apart from that discussion my advice would be not to overthink the details of tectonics and geography. I usually go with the flow and outline the continent and put in mountains in what feels right to me. When that's done is when I start going to a bit more detail regarding biomes.

Essentially, this question deals with both the issue of who is doing what and getting down to the essentials of what is important.

Some guild members are quite involved in producing reality maps, and that's an important part of guild activity. They should keep doing so. We all can learn a lot from their work, and, in fact, I think we do.

When I look at the maps that are posted here, I find that a substantial majority of them are not reality maps at all but rather maps intended to illustrate fantasy tales or fantasy RPG adventures. Fantasy, I think, really has proven itself to be the flagship of the guild, which, quite happily, also has lots of space for reality mapping.

Fantasy is fantasy because it inserts non-reality into a virtual reality, which only to varying degrees corresponds to reality itself. In a fantasy environment reality usually is nowhere near as important as believability. For things to be believable in a fantasy setting. one needs some comprehension of the rules that apply in this alternate realty. The real world non-realities that then are introduced into this alternate reality must live up to those rules rather than our own real world rules. If the rules of the alternate reality are unclear or if elements are introduced that violate the alternate reality's own rules, then believability will be difficult to attain.

Shanrakk has placed a god-made floating volcano into his/her fantasy setting. He/she has to do some things now to attain believability, if he/she wants to be successful and credible. However, one thing he/she should not now do, Chick's suggestions notwithstanding, is to then forget the rest of reality. We fantasy readers and fantasy RPG gamers still live in the real world with reality ... perhaps unfortunately, as some might suggest. The less that we can understand the alternate reality of a fantasy world, the more likely we are to interpret it in terms of the real world. Therefore, we need to begin building fantasy worlds with the realities of the real world as a foundation, and then give the game master or reader or whomever the ability to understand why some things in the fantasy world are quite different from those in our world and by what rules those things function.

Shanrakk, as far as I've seen, has not yet told us why the god has blessed, cursed or whatever his or her world with such a strange thing as a floating volcano. Nor is there any particular reason why he/she should do so at this stage of development. But the why really is the point, not arguments that if you create this one unreal thing, you might as well ditch all real things. Answers that Shanrakk still has not given us and by no means is obliged to give us at this point (or perhaps at any point) are the proper criterion for judging his/her floating volcano. If the rest of his/her world or even substantial parts of it correspond to reality, that's not only not dispensable, but it also is commendable.

Let us not get too carried away in demanding that people who are involved in fantasy should adhere to reality. I think most folks who understand a thing or two about mountains would agree that Prof. Tolkien's right-angled mountains of Mordor are ridiculous, as far as reality is concerned. However, they have a reality of their own in his Middle Earth, which otherwise, to 95%, mirrors the realities of our own real world. It matters not whether one likes Prof. Tolkien's works. The nonsensical Mountains of Mordor have provided more people world wide with a successful fantasy experience made clear by successful fantasy maps than anything else published to date.

People who demand reality with no exceptions allowed fail to understand an important thing or two.