Comments on: Building a fantasy fiction world: cultures

By: Promoting racial diversity in RPGs - Paths of Adventure - Exploring RPGs through play and design

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:28:03 +0000

[...] and magical races are a staple of fantasy fiction, both as heroes and enemies, so it only makes sense that fantasy roleplaying games (RPG) would [...]

By: Fantasy fiction theology: David Eddings - Pens and Swords - Talking shop with fantasy fiction author Kameron M. Franklin

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:25:12 +0000

[...] details related to religious customs and rites. I’ve since become a strong proponent of using religion to add depth to your world, as the story [...]

By: Fantasy fiction theology: Chalion - Pens and Swords - Talking shop with fantasy fiction author Kameron M. Franklin

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:38:08 +0000

[...] gods. Not all fantasy worlds include deities (or spirituality, for that matter), and those that do have their own unique twists. This series will look at the use of gods and religion in fantasy fiction I’ve read and [...]

By: The dwarf-elf-orc cliche - Pens and Swords - Talking shop with fantasy fiction author Kameron M. Franklin

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:33:27 +0000

[...] Fantasy fiction writers who stick to the Tolkien interpretations are doing themselves a disservice. Unique cultures are an integral part of what makes your work stand out from anyone [...]

By: Lukahn

Lukahn — Fri, 30 May 2008 20:42:29 +0000

Ah, and here I thought it was actually supposed to be linking to the added trackbacks for the article. Never mind then. Lukahn's last blog post was Fantays World Building, pt 3

By: Kameron

Kameron — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:25:01 +0000

Good points, Lukahn. I tried to use the difference of styles, fashions and looks between Ythnel and the people of Luthcheq in Maiden of Pain to emphasize her feelings of isolation.

The trackback link just displays the URL to use (in the status bar at the bottom of your browser when you mouseover it) so my blog will recognize and include it in the comments. It’s basically the URL for the post with “trackback/” appended.

By: Lukahn

Lukahn — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:55:03 +0000

One of the biggest things I’ve often seen overlooked is style/fashion. Do men shave their heads/faces, or do they let their hair grow long? Do the women wear loose or tight clothing? Do they hide certain parts of their bodies (such as their faces)? Establishing a look for a culture will help immensely when you go to describe the characters in your story.

Geography and lifestyle can also say a lot about the average look of a person. Is the population generally wealthy (resulting in overweight citizens who indulge), or is it poor (and thus there are many lean looking beggars)? Since we’ve already established climate, how does that affect the skin color of the citizens (as well as their dress)? What impact does this have on the overall culture of the society (is it a mixed color society, or is that considered taboo)?

Additional conflicts outside of religion and social behaviors are plain and simple prejudices. Are men and women treated equally? Are those with different skin types? What about non-human races?

Culture is probably the biggest and most important point to tackle in world building, there is a lot of variation and detail that can go into it. What kind of holidays are celebrated, when and why? What is the average coming of age for boys and girls, and are there certain rituals around that time? Is marriage common (or even known)? Are children cared for in a typical family unit or by the community at large (as many tribal societies may do).

By the way, Kam, your trackback link doesn’t appear to do anything…

Lukahn’s last blog post was Fantasy World Building, pt 2.