WBM V3I6 Trades and Occupations

December 2019
With special guests Sean Fallon, CEO of Smunchy Games,

and Kevin Catalan, Illustrator and Concept Artist.
Analysis • Art • Interviews Prompts • Stories • Theory
A Community Publication
10 33 54
Thinking Sideways Ask Us Anything
The Profession
About Exploration of Adventuring 57
Letter from the Editor
36 58
CONTENTS Meet the Staff:
ARTIST Ahmed ElGharabawy
SHOWCASE:
KEVIN CATALAN Cover: deïficat
Logo: Tristen Fekete
The fonts Adobe Garamond Pro and
Futura PT are used with permission.
19
Prompts
04 20
SHOWCASE EXCLUSIVE 41
INTERVIEW: INTERVIEW:
JAY HOWARD'S SEAN FALLON OF Staff Picks
FUTURE FRONT SMUNCHY GAMES
42
28 Blood For Money:
Thirty-Three Tales The Origins And
Of War | Stories Five Evolution Of
Through Seven The Mercenary
Profession
December 2019: TRADES & OCCUPATIONS
a ruthless guardian and a beast of burden, above
SHOWCASE INTERVIEW: INTERVIEW all else. Much like how Mongolian culture treated
horses, the Wagupi was a holy animal. Abusing or
JAY HOWARD'S FUTURE FRONT

stealing it was a crime considered punishable by
death.
Indian aesthetics and cuisine and Hinduism

Interviewed by Aaryan Balu
heavily inspired the garb and food of the Varrocks.
I also had fun with their deification of celestial
bodies in their solar system, even translating it into
J ay Howard has been creating Future Front, a

science-fiction universe set thousands of years in our
future. This is how he describes himself and his work.
Virgo Alliance, prompted her to launch a crusade.
She was so brutally effective that she slaughtered
the Evons' queen, freeing them, but she continued
Terran Soviet society.
Varrock philosophy is built on themes of non-

the killing. The other four powers that rise out of permanence, which actually causes conflicts during
Hello! I'm Jay Howard, I am the author of Unit-1, this are descendants of differing A-unit models that later eras.
a story that takes place in the Future Front universe. Unit-1 made and of Evons who survived Unit-1's
This is a universe that I've been working on since I hate-fueled crusade against them. What about their physiology?
was 7 years old, so it’s about 20 years in the making.
Who is Unit 1, and why do they have such a focus in Alli "Skirtzzz" White Varrocks evolved from a herbivorous, endoskeletal
Future Front is a large world, taking place around the world/story? arachnid. Their ancestors basically spun plants into
and about the Virgo Supercluster, the patch of What can you tell us about the Varrocks? a silk sack, injected them with venom, and drank
space our Milky Way galaxy inhabits as a sort of Unit-1 is an A-unit, a human based life form that their nutrients before they went to sleep during the
intergalactic neighborhood. It starts in the 3600s mimics just about every conceivable facet of human I used the idea of "primitive people thrust into a night. They can't eat meat very well, despite the fact
[CE], following a nuclear apocalypse on Earth, the biology, but with strictly inorganic components. stellar civilization." Prior to their enslavement by the that their bodies assumed a humanoid form over the
rebuilding of society, a Fourth World War, This cybernetic biology was developed by the Terran technologically superior Lakura clan [of Varrocks], eons, and overhydration was a very serious issue for
and eventually war with an alien race known as Soviet Union to be an ace in the hole against the all- they were maybe an early bronze age society at most. them.
Varrocks. Though, after a galactic collapse and organic Evons. Evons can assimilate just about any How the Lakura got that tech is unknown, and
dark age, the Terran Soviet Union forms out of a form of life that is organic, and their developments many Varrock historians (and conspiracy theorists) Why did the Lakura subjugate them? What was that
reconstruction effort across the galaxy. in countering robotic lifeforms have made repelling suggest someone gave the Lakura lasers, guns, and phase of their history like?
the invasion very difficult. Unit-1 was designed to bio-modification systems.
What are the Big 8? solve this problem, which she did. Ruthlessly. Her A portion of a Bronze Age society has the power
actions alone change the course of intergalactic In terms of their inspiration, I used the Mongols to subjugate entire peoples with impunity thanks
The Big 8 are the major intergalactic superpowers history forever. and their nomadic lifestyle, as well as Polynesian to vastly superior tech—and they don't want to
that formed and gained power following the end religious influences and Indian culture and society. work. That was their justification, anyway. It was a
of the Evon war and the Markone Crusade. Unit-1 The other A-unit models she creates also develop dark time for the other Varrocks, and their tribal/
[the titular character] figures out how she was galaxy-spanning civilizations of their own. Unit-1 What kind of elements did you draw from those clan cultures survived only in secret. Resistance was
made and makes trillions of "children" based off is responsible for about half of all major historical sources? very difficult and took nearly a century to pull off.
of her own DNA. Initially, she wanted to just live events after her activation. The Lakura were so dependent on the slaves and
in peace, but mental health problems, and the Varrock clans build these "movable cities" where their tech that they stagnated too much and their
fact the Evon swarm was making gains against the they can pack up and move as "the tides of the slaves overthrew them. The Varrocks have been
desert" make an area less desirable. This was inspired extremely anti-authoritarian ever since, and very
by Polynesian culture, which had a huge emphasis pro-decentralization.
1
The American empire forms after the American people resist and repel European occupation. However, Europe is gearing up for a full
scale invasion. Siberia is invaded by a rogue general from the confederacy of China, and the Western Pacific is getting worried. Japan and on stellar navigation. The Varrocks also valued
Manchuria side with Siberia for security. The Middle Eastern states are on their own side, and the African Union is desperately trying to the Wagupi, an apex predator that served as both
maintain the peace with banking muscle and giving Europe phosphorus. But it all fails and the world descends into war. During this war,
Kitov makes a name for herself as a premier armor general against invading Chinese forces.
2
A swarm of alien creatures with unknown origins. There's a very wide range in what Evons look like. The overminds are humanoid with bio- 3
The Lakura Clan had previously subjected the rest of the Varrock race using their advanced tech. After a revolutionary war, the Lakura were
suits, their skin is a grey-green color mixed with acute jaundice, and their eyes are yellow irises within orange sclera. The drones are bulkier, deposed, and forced by a newly formed confederation of tribes to atone for their sins by performing great service to the rest of the Varrock people.
encased in bio-suits, and their appearance depends on what species the drone belonged to before it was assimilated. Recon droids have scanned They were sent out to go investigate a world the Varrock religion spoke about at length, claiming that it would be a friend, or an enemy, one
twenty-three different galaxies behind Evon lines, and all except for two are devoid of any life whatsoever. It is theorized that the Evons invade, day. Lakura explorers usually played it safe and never interfered with human activity. However, a more extremist faction began raiding humans
assimilate, and consume everything in a galaxy and move on to the next one, like locusts. to rebuild their empire again.
4 Worldbuilding Magazine 5
Going from there, how does humanity get embroiled wealth that she could buy out the properties of an How does that system work out for the Varrocks? vessels for the hive to see if there is a large enough
with the Varrocks? entire star system. biological presence to warrant an assimilation effort.
Pretty good. The Varrock Confederate Council
Most Lakura just studied the Humans from afar While humanity went to war with the Varrock, did the was pretty good about addressing problems that How does that come about and develop, and how does
and tried to control information so that they were Lakura watch from afar? How did this war fare for could result in catastrophe, but if an issue was non- it get us to Unit-1?
in control of the Varrock species' first contact event, both sides? essential or low-priority, nothing ever got done.
hoping it redeemed their clan. The laws were so lax, though, that most citizens Evon scout vessels probe the galaxy for a few
The Lakura were immediately pursued by the could just do the tasks themselves. The economic decades. The Terran Soviet Union's intelligence
During the American Expansion into space, rest of the Varrock clans, and many were killed boom following the reconstruction was so big that links up with the intelligence community of the
Lakura extremists started raiding Earth ships and or imprisoned. The Varrocks lost the war, but the it was said that one single market grew to planetary Jidoro Concordat (another member of the Virgo
using their passengers as slaves or subjects for Americans deployed to the Varras system were too proportions. Alliance) after their war with each other ends,
experimentation. Lakura explorers were rather far exhausted to care that they won. Civilians on both and they discern this mystery force is also landing
removed from Varrock society geographically, sides were not happy, but the veterans were just glad What causes the peace between humanity and Varrocks, on planets with contacted primitives, right before
so it was quite a few years before American forces to be done and played a crucial role in mending and where do they go from there? How do Evons play said primitives just vanish from their own planet.
found a Varrock that wasn't Lakura. By that point, relations during the reconstruction. Varrocks into this? The Evons then start sending "emissaries,” mutated
the American public and most of its government retained independence on the condition they release women designed to look like the sexualized ideal.
were clamoring for war. The emperor didn't want Lakura inmates and hold proper individual trials Evons are much later, like 4100's, but there is These women emit pheromones and spew lines of
to declare it, but he was afraid that by maintaining for crimes against humanity. Varrock society didn't some foreshadowing of them during the Peace Era propaganda about how their race, the Evons, are
peace he'd be forcefully replaced with someone a lot like the trials part, but the absence of imperial of the late 3600s. totally fine and just want to contact alien peoples.
less restrained. occupation or control was a relief. However, one of the emissaries gets pregnant, and
The Human-Varrock peace was at first an absolute her body is consumed by mutation. Her spawns,
Eventually, the Imperial Senate voted to declare Can you elaborate more on Varrock philosophy? quagmire. Extremists claimed the emperor had with voracious appetites, eat her from the inside
war, the emperor approved it, and America sent lost his spine and that the Confederacy let itself and run amok, spreading the infection and forcing
its forces to invade. The war dragged on for fifteen Yeah! So there's this idea of impermanence that be conquered. The counter-insurgency was pretty the Concordat to let the Terran Soviet Union nuke
years, with Varrocks utterly confused as to why these guides everything. If times are good, feast; if not so extensive, but they were overwhelmed by piracy, the place.
aliens were attacking. The Varrock Confederacy's good, be frugal. The idea is that life has no schedule, who saw the insurgents' raids as a move on their
elite special-ops units started searching caves no deadlines, and can change at any moment. turf. About half of all insurgents just signed on as At that point, the Evons are deemed hostile, and
that American hostages were rescued from. The planet will change on its own terms, and thus mercenaries for the Confederacy and empire. after 6 years of war, John Gregorson's Cybernetic
The Americans noticed the clan responsible for the you must make do rather than make the planet Very generous trade legislation made peace between Biology project is approved for final development
darkest period of slavery in history, the Lakura clan, submit. Even impermanence is impermanent, as the the two species so absurdly profitable that post-war and implementation by the TSU Defense Congress.
was responsible for the raids and kidnapping. winds of life will not always blow, and stability is a racism just faded out in about 40 years. Thus Unit-1 is born, and our story begins!
time of learning and preparation for storms ahead.
What about after the war? A big boon for their peace was the introduction Can you tell me a little bit about Unit-1's story and
There's a sort of optimistic stoicism to Varrocks. of Marijuana into Confederate markets, as well as her relationship with Gregorson?
After relations had mended between humanity and Some cultures confused it for ignorance or stupidity, a certain type of fruit that could be distilled into
Varrocks, and reconstruction completed, a golden but the Americans fighting them knew it meant that a spirit with medicinal effects into Imperial stores. Yeah! So, Gregorson is her creator, and the two
age of prosperity and development bloomed. if you didn't kick their ass sufficiently, they would Both products were so lucrative that they often form an overt father-daughter relationship. As she
New species were found, and some even contacted still think they had a chance. The biggest effect that lobbied against war-hawk politicians. Most of those struggles to pass the early entrance exam for the
the human and Varrock civilizations pre-emptively. the Varrocks have had on Americans—post war—is companies were veteran-owned, so when they spoke Star-Fighter Pilot program, she goes to him for
During this time, however, a woman known only pushing them to democratic structures with frequent against inflammatory rhetoric, most Human and personal advice as well as to learn how to adult
as "Xenia" made a notorious name for herself as a elections. Power is a temporary thing, and the winds Varrock voters/citizens tended to side with peace and find herself individually.
ruthless pirate. She particularly targeted European of law must reflect the winds of life, lest they collide ideologically.
vessels, causing Imperial and Confederate forces and create great storms. Gregorson's experience as an airborne
to pursue her religiously. She had amassed enough Where do we start seeing the shadows of Evons and the infantryman and biologist means that, in terms
next challenge for humanity? of the worldbuilding, he makes tons of technical
developments for various armies in this universe.
4
After the 4th world war, the Imperial Federation of American States started colonizing the stars. The Emperor hoped that through more
expansive mining and resource gathering operations he could stabilize Earth's resources enough that politics would calm down. It took two The shadows of it start during the end of the peace His work on crops resulted in a special property of
decades, but Europe's phosphorus crises ended and Earth stabilized. However, unidentified vessels started attacking trade ships and haulers, era. Organic ships pop up on the outskirts of the jackfruit that another team of Terrans figured out
often kidnapping the people inside. The Imperial navy tracked these raiders down over 70,000 light years to a small cluster of very primitively galaxy, but they are very small and they leave after could be used to make cheaper, more production-
colonized worlds, watching the transport ships land and empty cargo into caves. about a week each. It turns out they were scouting friendly Kevlar. The Terran Soviet Union and Jidoro
Concordat didn't use it since the armor didn't meet You learn a lot about how warfare actually
the specs demanded by their war doctrine. The
Orasians and Humans loved it, and they're seen
wearing vests made of jackfruit Kevlar in books
works while serving, and I went absolute ham
with that aspect of my world. Later on, the Virgo
Alliance has gotten so synchronized militarily that
THINKING SIDEWAYS EXPLORATION
HISTORY
two and three.
Unit-1 becomes an ace pilot, and she's sent

member nations have entire divisions dedicated
to performing joint operations with each other's
military. Over time, I imagine species-wide (or even
ABOUT EXPLORATION STEAMPUNK
around the Alliance as an elite trainer for both nation-wide for more inclusive civilizations)
by Robert Meegan
Terran and foreign star-fighter pilots. Her exploits gene-mod sets will be created and implemented Art by Anna Hannon
even inspire a young Terran woman to enter the just to make their populace more biologically fit for
Army Air Corps: Air Superiority division, something service according to their strategic doctrine.
that was closed to women for years due to the
physical requirements. When Unit-1 begins her
Crusade against Evons, however, Captain Isandra
For instance, the Terrans carry heavy weapons but
also need to have enough speed to keep the pressure.
So, they get modified to have much more pink
T he very first explorer was almost certainly
some pre-Cambrian creature who wondered
what was on the other side of the pond. Sadly, its
“The plan is simple. We'll start by moving across
Africa, with particular emphasis on coastal caves in
the south and some bits in the northwest. After that,
Devaire must face her childhood hero in the air, muscle development, as opposed to straight twitch name and what it found have been lost to history, we'll be moving out across Asia Minor. We plan on
to the death. or red muscle separately. as it appears that few, if any, of the denizens of splitting the team at that point, with one group going
that era kept journals. The spirit of adventure that into Europe and the rest going east to Asia. The Asian
Another interesting thing: a scientist named Any other aspects you want to touch on, or last tips this pioneering individual displayed, as well as its team will spawn satellite teams to tackle Australia
Doctor Nicollo Galt has been reverse-engineering you want to give to some worldbuilders with a bit less disdain for documentation, persisted as one of the and Polynesia. We're also hoping that they will get
some of Gregorson's work so that the Human experience up their sleeve? Whatcheeriidae crawled out onto dry land roughly a to the Americas in the later stages, but that will be
Conservatory Armada can make its own A-Units. hundred and fifty million years later.1 While we laud driven by time and budget constraints.
His plan is to use the Herpes virus that causes For worldbuilders with less experience, I would these feats as great achievements today, it’s likely
cold sores to act as a carrier for a genetic override, say, take things to their logical conclusion, even if that the peers of these early adventurers expressed “Speaking of which, there have been some questions
turning all of humanity into A-units bit by bit until it's small, subtle stuff. Technical depth in how your skepticism regarding the value of their endeavors. about the schedule. We're looking at a nominal
the Evon swarm can't assimilate, or even compete, world works is where you find the craziness that duration of about a million years, but that could
with the HCA. He also may or may not have makes your world special! The next major outbreak of exploration, at least extend to a million and a half, depending upon
aspirations to depose and change the HCA high with regard to humanity, took more than three how many ice ages we hit. Our intention is to use
command with a more male-friendly government, hundred and forty million years to organize. Anyone crowdfunding for the initial phases, but we hope to
among other...non-consensual government changes who has ever attended a project kick-off meeting can be revenue-positive with the media rights. Any of you
across the universe. This interview was edited for Worldbuilding imagine the pitch: who want to help, but aren’t really keen on walking,
Magazine. could do us a big favor and invent written language.
What's your favorite aspect of the world, and some of "We've been sitting in this rift valley for far too long. That would go a long way toward moving the book
the inspirations you draw from? Thanks to Jay for joining us! If this band is going to evolve and stay ahead of the deal forward."
other australopithecines, we need to branch out and
Honestly, my favorite aspect has to be the If you would like to be a Showcase interviewee, click fill other niches. I've talked with some of you and I And thus began the most successful project in
asymmetrical nature of warfare in my world. here to apply! know that most of you are on board with the concept, human history. Any bit of land that seemed even
I drew a lot of inspiration from Command and so today I want to focus on the overall plan. remotely inhabitable was discovered and settled.
Conquer, and my experience in Military Intel. Not only was this accomplished without any
While not as extreme as the "Rapid Brute Force" “It's summed up rather nicely by our mission navigation tools—such as compasses or sextants—
doctrine of the Terran Soviet Union vs. the statement: To boldly go where no hominid has gone but all evidence indicates they were able to do it
"Adapting Overwhelming Numbers" of the Evon before. The goal is to send out exploration teams all without a single white board or sticky note.
Swarm, real militaries have entirely different war that can find new places for us to live. We've seen it Historians and project managers are united in their
doctrines that highly depend on their history and before—all it takes is one lousy star falling out of the distress regarding the lack of records as to how this
environment. For example, the USA relies on air sky, and boom, the whole species is wiped out. If we was achieved.
superiority as a form of artillery so that spec ops can can get some range between our tribes, we'd have a
neutralize strategic targets, while Russia depends on lot better chance of surviving. This period of prehistory is fascinating, but its
mobile, amphibious ground assaults to push you out use as an example of worldbuilding is probably best
while using air power as a mostly defensive posture.
1
To be fair, any creature whose first experience of dry land was What Cheer, Iowa, for whom the family of tetrapods was named, would probably
crawl back into the ocean and never speak of the incident.
left to those authors who aren’t all that good with Later, in 986 CE, Erik the Red explored and simultaneously at peace and under the rule of a If all that happened was a few explorers wandering
dialogue or to gamemasters who have players with settled Greenland. Once again, the island had competent king. What’s more, this king had a around already populated areas and then quietly
a strong aversion to the interaction side of role- been previously inhabited by Inuits, but Erik took surfeit of sons; the third of whom was particularly leaving, the process would have been reasonably
playing. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that Jean Ingólfr’s lead and went one better by enlisting the intelligent, interested in maritime matters, and (as a acceptable for most of the native inhabitants.
Auel did pretty well with the end of this era in her help of a marketing team to help with branding. third prince) not required for matters of state. Unfortunately, exploration was just a polite term
Earth’s Children series, for those who are looking for Erik looked at the desolate landscape around him This man, Infante Dom Henrique—or as he is to describe conquest, looting, and exploitation.
a challenge. and decided that “Greenland” was going to sell known to the English-speaking world, Prince Henry This epoch of pillage gradually shifted in focus to
much better than “Slightlyicefreeland.” the Navigator—changed the course of human colonization and genocide—a period that gradually
The idea behind thinking sideways is that we have history by creating a fleet of ocean-going ships built trickled to an end with decolonization in the latter
the vast toolbox of the history and science of our This final burst of island exploration largely for the purpose of exploring the west coast of Africa. half of the twentieth century, leaving behind vestiges
Earth. If we bend and twist that information, we brought an end to the discovery of “new lands.” that still remain today.
can build rich worlds that still feel real. A little Obviously, there was continued expansion into In doing so, Portugal started what is unironically
knowledge is a dangerous thing, but so are most previously uninhabited areas, but these were known as “The Age of Discovery.” The fact that So where does that leave a worldbuilder?
power tools. The advantage of reaching into our generally driven by population pressure, climate virtually all of the places being “discovered” were If you’re starting from scratch, it would be possible
toolbox while worldbuilding is that we’re far less changes, or political expediencies. The territory that already inhabited made very little difference. Even to say that your world has vast areas that remained
likely to cut off a finger or lose an eye. As we was being occupied was not terra incognita, but in the most benign circumstances, being the first completely uninhabited until the present. Based
think about how to make exploration a part of the rather terra minus desiderabilis—land previously European to discover the Mississippi River is a little upon our sample size of one populated planet, that
framework of our world, we’re going to use one of unwanted. like being the first Texan to attend the Hook Norton seems highly unlikely. Virtually every corner of our
the best tools available: the vast library of books Film Society’s annual potluck dinner. While the world was explored and occupied before we even got
available in the public domain. Many of these can be It was at the start of the fifteenth century intruder might have a story to tell upon their return around to agriculture or metalworking. Clearly, the
found through Google Books or Amazon Kindle for that something unusual happened: a reasonably home, the locals would just as soon forget the whole drive to know what’s over the horizon is wired very
little or no cost. prosperous western European nation found itself affair. deeply into intelligence.
TIME AFTER TIME ICE, ICE, BABY
Once the initial bout of exploration and If we think a bit sideways, there were two parts
settlement had wound up with the arrival of of the Earth that were still virtually unknown
humans in the Americas, the exploration industry and unpopulated as late as the beginning of the
slowed significantly. There was a steady expansion twentieth century. The north and south polar
as the map of the world was slowly colored-in. regions maintained their uninhabited status by the
A long period of forgotten adventures followed simple virtue of being uninhabitable.
as Polynesian navigators sailed across the vast
Pacific Ocean, discovering its myriad islands. In the north, permanent residency ended at the
Even a region as inhospitable as the Tibetan edge of the Arctic Sea. The Inuits, Aleuts, Chukchis,
Plateau was settled over twenty thousand years and other indigenous people of the region might
ago, demonstrating that humanity was intent on hunt or fish among the floes or on the ice pack,
finding and populating any place available. but they dwell on solid land. The northern ice is in
constant motion and offers no nutrients for plants
The last two leaders of exploration into the or animals. Even thick ice might fracture at any
unknown were two Norsemen. Ingólfr Arnarson point, opening a lead that dumps a tent into the
sailed to Iceland in 874 CE and established the freezing water. Ice floes crash into each other as
settlement of Reykjavík. Actually, there is good well, raising walls of ice as high as ten meters that
evidence that there had been Norse visits prior to impede travel.
Ingólfr, and that the Irish had been there even before
those excursions. However, Ingólfr had the foresight Even today, the region is only accessible for part
to discover what they had not: the value of a good of the summer in ships strengthened against the
publicist. While the others may have gotten there ice, and all attempts to tap the oil and minerals that
first, they had not taken the extra step of making lie beneath the sea have been foiled by the whims
certain that their names were written into the sagas. of nature. Building a drilling platform that can
It’s in the details that the stuff of legend is made.
withstand a hundred kilometer-per-hour wind for of humanity. There are always those with the need Upon his return he—like many explorers—
hours on end is no trivial matter, but it has been to be first, to test their limits, to go where no one partially financed his next expedition by writing an
done. Building one that can survive being struck else has ever been. It’s a silly, crazy explanation, but account of the expedition. In the days before reality
by a hundred-thousand-tonne iceberg driven by the it’s the reason why our ever-so-distant ancestors television, these memoirs were enormously popular.
same wind is a feat that has yet to be accomplished. explored the world before they even bothered to For a modern reader, they offer a rather unusual
domesticate an animal. insight into how a 20th-century European viewed a
Given the conditions and the lack of obvious virtually neolithic hunter-gatherer society. While a
value, what inspired explorers to head north beyond HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO few passages are cringe-worthy in 2019, Amundsen
the frigid coasts? Two practical reasons accounted for was largely impressed by the locals that he met. His
many of these expeditions: the first, and foremost, To the eternal joy of worldbuilders and memoir of the south pole is equally entertaining.
was the desire to discover a passage that would be storytellers, the polar explorers were a wonderful In it, he explains how he heard the news that the
navigable by ships either northwest, along the North collection of characters. There were national heroes north pole had been reached by Robert Peary and
American coast, or northeast, along the shores of and utter scoundrels, and the two categories were that Ernest Shackleton had failed in his attempt
Russia. These would greatly shorten the trip between not mutually exclusive. Most of them were born to reach the South Pole. With this information in
Atlantic and Pacific ports. Even if they were only adventurers. If they hadn’t gone to the poles, they hand, he decided to take his planned exploration
open for a few months each year, the time saved, not would have found some other place to wander. of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and go to
to mention the avoidance of tropical climates, would They came from all over the social spectrum, but Antarctica for his own race to the pole. He did this
allow for the transportation of goods that spoiled mounting an expedition was an expensive task. without telling his backers, Robert Falcon Scott
quickly. The possibility of moving armies and navies It required government support, wealthy sponsors, (whom he knew was planning his own mission),
more rapidly didn’t escape the attention of those or both. or any of his own crew (with only a couple of
nations with interests on both sides of the globe. exceptions). He delightfully hand-waves away the
Many people are familiar with two examples of the rather negative opinion among polar professionals
A second reason was the belief that there was solid heroic polar explorer, but it’s worth examining them and the public with the excuse that Scott’s
land in the region of the north pole. This belief was and their careers to see how we could use them as expedition was a scientific endeavor, so Amundsen
driven by those who felt that there needed to be a archetypes for an adventuring theme. The first is the wasn’t really stepping on his toes.
counterbalance to the recently discovered Antarctica dashing Captain Robert Falcon Scott, of the Royal
Robert Falcon Scott
as well as the records of those who had ventured into Navy, who is best known for arriving second at the
the north and had seen the rocky cliffs of the great south pole and then dying on the return journey. Roald Amundsen was at the other end of the
island on the horizon (ice ridges that had been raised The second is Roald Amundsen, who is remembered spectrum. Born into a family of sailors and
a hundred meters or more above the water). as the man who beat Scott to the pole, but whose shipbuilders, he had taken to the sea in search of
Any land discovered would certainly make polar exploration spanned both ends of the Earth. adventure. The Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen
establishing a permanent settlement easier and was his personal hero, and he was fascinated by the
might even have valuable resources. It’s important to note that Scott is always referred loss of the Franklin Expedition which had attempted
to as Robert Falcon Scott, because saying that Bob to find the Northwest Passage. With relatively little
In the south, the situation is reversed. Scott was the leader of the second expedition to experience and no resources, he set out on his own
Instead of a frozen sea surrounded by barren coasts, reach the pole and that he bought the farm on the expedition for that purpose in a small fishing boat
there is a frozen continent surrounded by both a sea way back changes the tone from heroic tragedy with six other men. While Scott had vast resources
of ice and some of the most treacherous stretches of to low comedy. Scott’s reputation, while he was for his explorations, Amundsen begged and
storm-tossed ocean. As a result, there are even fewer alive and for decades after his death, was that of borrowed money literally until the day he sailed.
practical reasons to venture in the region. Unlike the ultimate British officer: good-looking, brave, The expedition took three years to make the
the arctic, there were no obvious economic benefits possessed of a stiff upper lip, and with all the passage, but that was a result of the team collecting
to exploring Antarctica. Even today, it’s unknown right connections. Since then, that reputation has scientific data for two years in the region of the
what mineral value the continent holds, and there is experienced more ups and downs than he ever did. north magnetic pole. This research turned out to be
little potential for economically extracting anything. The most reasonable way to think about this is that more significant than the passage itself and it had
There is precisely one respectable deepwater he was every bit the hero, but that he wasn’t all the additional benefit of exposing Amundsen to the
anchorage on the continent, and in a good year it the best at tying up the loose ends. When you’re native Inuit people who lived in the area. From them
might be accessible for three to four months. going to trudge 2,500 kilometers across a frozen he was able to learn a great deal about how to handle
wasteland, somewhat vague instructions aren’t dog sleds, construct snow houses (igloos), and most
The one highly impractical excuse for why anyone sufficient. importantly, how to dress for life in the arctic.
would explore either polar region is the very nature
Roald Amundsen
So, how do we, as worldbuilders, make use of After multiple adventures collect tidbits of highly focused on transportable wealth, the initial of the Saharan and sub-Saharan regions. At this
deliciously flawed heroes braving incredible dangers information, the evidence could point to a exploration of the African interior by Europeans was point, it’s necessary to note that Barth possessed
in places that are far outside the bounds of where previously unknown island deep in the arctic much more random, almost meandering. a magnificent mustache and mutton chops, while
most average people would voluntarily live? Dan ice—perhaps at the pole itself—setting off a frantic Richardson was clean-shaven, providing further
Simmons turned the failed Franklin Expedition race to discover, recover, or destroy the source of the For the period that we’re interested in, many of the proof that the proper facial hair is of critical
to find the northwest passage into a master class mysterious emanations. Terrible, blinding blizzards, first explorations were concerned with the Sahara importance when taking up the exploration
in horror through his novel, The Terror. To make cold deep enough to freeze alcohol solid, and Desert and the regions immediately to the south. business.
our world different, we’re going to go sideways in perpetual darkness can all factor in. The European nations naturally felt that if there
another direction. were commercial opportunities, the shortest and Further east, there was a grand search for the
Sadly, there are no female archetypes to draw simplest route would be across the desert. After all, source of the Nile. This was every bit as intense as
WHERE EAGLES DARE from, as polar exploration in the heroic era was various tribes of Bedouins, Berbers, and other native the race to the poles—and every bit as pointless.
fundamentally a male pursuit. The prevailing peoples have been traversing the area for centuries, Whatever the value of knowing the Nile’s source
What we want is a genre that can handle the zeitgeist was that gallant men of iron will set out and whatever these “primitive” people could do, might have been, it certainly couldn’t have been
Victorian and pulp eras, without being too to conquer the vast unknown, while dainty women modern Europeans could do better. Accordingly, an worth the effort and lives that were expended.
constrained. Something that looks a whole lot like stayed home to practice more lady-like pursuits. expedition was funded by the British government, Nevertheless, it was an all-consuming passion
steampunk. Not feeling it yet? What if I told you To twenty-first sensibilities there is no particular under the leadership of James Richardson. for men like David Livingstone, Richard Francis
that Amundsen made the first aerial crossing of the reason why this should be so, considering that Richardson’s claim to fame was that he had traveled Burton, and Henry Stanley. Eventually, they decided
north pole, flying from Norway to Alaska on an Inuit women got along quite well (and I can attest south from Tripoli to Ghat, a city in the middle of that the source was Lake Victoria, ignoring both
airship built by an eccentric Italian genius? Yeah, from personal experience that women have been the desert, and made it back alive. His account of the obvious question of where the water in the
I thought that would do it. very successful as scientists and support staff in this trade center on the trans-Saharan caravan routes lake came from and the obvious answer of “all the
Antarctica for many decades). The only obvious piqued official interest and his survival implied a rivers that flow into it.” One secret to successful
The first thing that we need is a reason for people reason for their absence in the early expeditions hardiness that would no doubt come in handy. exploration is a certain ambivalence when it comes
to be wandering around the poles. I mean, sooner appears to be their lack of facial hair. Virtually to inconvenient details (see Frederick Cook, Robert
or later someone will get around to it, simply
because that’s what people do. But, it’s more
all of the explorers had truly righteous mustaches
that undoubtedly provided great moral support in
Virtually all of the Peary, and Robert Byrd in the polar division
for further examples). The British government
interesting if there is a reason other than random trying times. Robert Falcon Scott was one of the few explorers had truly was willing to fund these activities because they
curiosity. Despite my lifelong fascination with
Antarctica, I think that the arctic offers more room
exceptions and Amundsen had gone clean-shaven on
the fateful rescue mission that cost him his life. You righteous mustaches supported the primary British interest in Egypt and
east Africa, which was maintaining the trade routes
for worldbuilding because it’s dynamic, with the can draw your own conclusions. that undoubtedly to its far more profitable Indian territory.
constantly shifting ice pack opening and closing
passages, potentially making any anchorage into a THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND provided great moral Central Africa was of little official interest, but
trap. The thousands of islands provide diversity that
an endless ice sheet lacks. The possibility of actually “Okay,” you might say, “polar exploration is fun,
support in trying times. there were a goodly number of explorers whose
contributions can best be summed up by the subtitle
walking back to civilization, if beset by some but it doesn’t really satisfy dreams of empire.” There of the 1894 book, Daring Deeds In The Tropics:
disaster, allows for complications to be thrown at isn’t the opportunity to employ vast armies and Richardson took along a German named Heinrich “A Thrilling Narrative of Remarkable Adventures,
your characters without guaranteeing their untimely fleets. The characters are writ large, but the scope Barth, who had traveled across North Africa and Terrible Experiences, Amazing Achievements
demise. is somewhat limited. Was there some other period in the Middle East and spoke Arabic fluently. They and Important Discoveries of Great Travelers in
of exploration that we could add to our steampunk set out from Tripoli in January of 1850 and became Southern Climes, Richly Illustrated. Giving Graphic
A good starting point might be vague hints at world to make it make it a bit more grand? the first Europeans to cross from the Mediterranean Accounts of Great Mysteries for Thousands of
some sort of aethereal anomaly. Perhaps there to central Africa in March of 1851. Richardson Years Unsolved, Terrible Experiences of Starvation
could be reports from fishing and whaling vessels After the Age of Discovery and the period of died a few days before reaching Lake Chad, which and Death, Torturous Overland Journeys Through
of strange changes in the aurorae. Various scientific overt slave trading came to a merciful end, the marks the southern edge of the desert. Barth sent Grand Primeval Forests, Describing the Wonderful
and arcane societies could sponsor research missions. European powers spent about a half-century falling Richardson’s journals back to London and proceeded People and Customs of Strange Countries Unknown
Some of these could disappear mysteriously, while over themselves to claim huge chunks of Africa as to continue the expedition on his own for four and a to Civilization.”
others come back with bizarre accounts of what colonies. While the earliest efforts were limited to half more years, returning to Tripoli in September of
they’ve found. This would be an opportunity to establishing trading ports and coaling stations for 1855, having covered more than 19,000 kilometers. (Seriously, how could you not want to read that
introduce new creatures or intelligent species, with naval vessels, exploration opened up the center Barth was a brilliant observer and obsessive note- book?)
the otherworldliness that frozen environments offer. of the continent to European interests. Unlike taker and he published a staggering five-volume
the conquistadors in South America, who were treatise on the geography, cultures, and languages
of Africa had not found great wealth. MAY BE A PRICE TO PAY of old men and women gather in a circle and begin
The resources that we know Africa to chant. It’s a song older than language, one passed
to possess today were both unknown We can certainly give our world endless deserts down through ten thousand generations. And while
and unappreciated at that time. Crude to slog across and vast jungles to cut through. That they sing, ancient things begin to waken.
oil hadn’t been found and was in would provide some variety from just wandering
little demand. Gold and diamonds around on ice sheets. It’s not absolutely necessary to The scientific and philosophical societies of the
had not been mined in any quantity. actually have anyone act upon the things that they world would undoubtedly fund expeditions to learn
Commercial production of uranium, find. Everything could remain trapped in a golden more about these previously unknown phenomena.
platinum, nickel, cobalt, and the age of random meandering. Will the explorers seeking knowledge and power
rare earth metals were a century in survive the searing deserts, the freezing wastes, the
the future. The exportable products But let’s go full sideways. Instead of ignoring the steaming jungles, and the peaks where the very
were timber and ivory, with the first racism and exploitation of colonialism, why not use air abandons them? Is even the most magnificent
suffering from relatively low value and it to force our characters—and by extension, our mustache enough to save them?
the second from limited supply and players or readers—to confront moral dilemmas?
demand. The only thing that Africa The best worlds are those that challenge our REFERENCES
had in abundance was land. The expectations and provoke thought.
problem was, and still is, that this land Auel, Jean M. The Clan of the Cave Bear. Crown
is not particularly fertile. Unlike the What if Richardson dies when he accidentally Publishers, 1980.
Livingstone was one of these great travelers. deep topsoil of the American Midwest disturbs an ifrit in the desert heat? Perhaps
Despite being a missionary, he was not particularly or Ukraine, the earth under the savannah is thin and Barth’s volumes include sections discussing the Amundsen, Roald. The North-West Passage.
good at religious conversion. As an explorer, neither holds water nor allows for deep roots. Large- necromancers who resurrect the dead to do Constable, 1908.
his record was decidedly dubious. Livingstone’s scale agriculture using 19th- and even 20th-century their bidding. That would go a long way toward
recordkeeping was terrible, his navigation spotty, practices was simply not practical. explaining the Voodoo cults on the Carribean Amundsen, Roald. The South Pole: an Account of the
and his attention to detail best left unsaid. He also islands where African slaves had been settled. Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the Fram, 1910-
had the misfortune to spend his time among people Despite this, King Leopold II of Belgium looked 1912. Translated by Arthur G. Chater, John Murray,
who found themselves caught between Arab slavers at all that space and saw the one thing that his tiny The recently translated Rosetta Stone allows a 1913.
to the north and Zanzibari slavers to the south. country lacked: land. He contracted with Stanley team of French, English, and Egyptian archeologists
Admirably, he did what he could against these and used him to gain the trust of the local leaders exploring the Great Pyramid of Giza to read an Simmons, Dan. The Terror: a Novel. Little, Brown,
raiders, but he had little leverage beyond righteous in the Congo region. This trust was used to get the inscription that tells of amulet of great power buried 2007.
indignation. Africans to sign treaties giving Leopold control of “where the waters of life are born.” This sets off a
their land. Through clever diplomacy, Leopold was frantic search for the source of the Nile as the three Richardson, John. Narrative of a Mission to Central
Henry Stanley was an interesting character. then able to get international affirmation of his new countries each seek to claim the prize. Africa. Edited by Bayle St. John, Chapman and
Born in Wales as John Rowland and orphaned empire. Of course, now that the dam had burst, so Hall, 1853.
while very young, at the age of seventeen he to speak, everyone wanted in. What became known On the Serengeti, a handful of hunters return with
traveled to America and changed his name, as the “scramble for Africa” took place as countries the news that elephants aren’t the only creatures Barth, Henry. Travels and Discoveries in North and
claiming to be related to a family of cotton traders vied to seize as much of the continent as they could. with tusks, and that some of the others are more Central Africa. Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans,
from New Orleans. After being hired by the New In the end, the Berlin Conference of 1888 formally than willing to hunt humans. Others talk of natives & Roberts, 1857.
York Herald for the express purpose of finding divided the spoils between the major powers of riding on the backs of lions and of apes that use
David Livingstone, which he rather famously western Europe. weapons. Headley, J. T., and Willis Fletcher Johnson. Stanley's
accomplished, he went on to lead an expedition that Wonderful Adventures in Africa. Hubbard Bros.,
explored most of the length of the Congo River. He Following this, it would be eighty years before the It’s hard to imagine that the colonial powers— 1889.
was successful in proving that it could be used as a last of the African colonies gained independence. who were so eager to squeeze every last bit of blood
transportation artery from the Atlantic coast deep As the European countries soon learned, governing out of the native population when the stakes were Bradbury, James A. Daring Deeds in the Tropics.
into the heart of the continent, but he was no Ernest this territory would cost far more and the returns rubber and lumber—wouldn’t be even more greedy John H. Potter & Co., 1894. (This book is often
Shackleton and roughly half of his party died in the would be far less than expected. In particular, and cruel when the potential gains are exponentially attributed to A.G. Feather, but the title page has
effort. Nevertheless, by 1878 Stanley had painted in Belgium’s grab of the Congo proved to be a financial higher. As the “civilized” nations build airships, Bradbury as the author.)
the last blank spaces on the map of Africa. and moral disaster. The colonial period across the dreadnaughts, and land cruisers to carry men and
continent resulted in tens of millions of deaths and weapons to use against these new threats; a group
This news had a profound effect that echoes to indescribable suffering.
the present. It’s worth noting that the exploration
PROMPTS
RESOURCE
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: INTERVIEW
TABLETOP GAMING
SEAN FALLON OF
SMUNCHY GAMES
Interviewed by Adam Bassett
• What problems exist in your world that require
special skills to resolve? For example, if magic exists,
what industries or institutions form around it?
• What is life like in rural parts of your world? How

do opportunities for residents in small towns differ
I had the pleasure of speaking with Sean Fallon,
also known as Smunchy. His team at Smunchy
Games are working on multiple titles now with several
from those in cities and metropolitan centers? releasing in 2020, and more in the pipeline. We
spoke about the origins of his company, of his flagship
• What events have upset the status quo throughout title Paths: World of Adia, and worldbuilding with
your world’s history? These might be revolutions, characters. Here’s what he had to say:
technological breakthroughs, or economic booms or
busts. What were the consequences of these events? I'm Sean Fallon, also known as Smunchy, and the
founder and CEO of a tabletop games publishing
• What’s the strongest liquor available for public company called Smunchy Games. We publish
consumption in your world? What’s the strongest tabletop roleplaying games, card games, board
one unavailable to the public? games, and miniature wargames. We also have a I had been writing and said, “Smunchy, you need to
community that connects a lot of the development, publish this. The entire world needs to know.”
• How do religious groups involve themselves with design, publishing, and writing talent together in
the public sector, if at all? Aside from leading the tabletop industry. Naturally, being the business guy that I am, I
people spiritually, do they participate in society, immediately began quickly validating the world I
operate on their own, or govern the people? I'm married to my lovely wife and co-founder had. Every single person that I spoke with (over
of Smunchy Games, and we have four awesome 300) said that my world needed to become a game.
• How are craftsmen viewed in your world? Are children, two girls and two boys. We live in the At that time, however, it wasn't a tabletop RPG, but
artisans, such as silversmiths, highly regarded—or beautiful central Texas area, and I really love instead, a card game.
Eduardo Prim on Unsplash
are they just cogs in the machine? chocolate, peanut butter, and chicken nachos. Not
always together at once though. Smunchy Games was formed.
• Who works for the government? Are there layers • What kind of social mobility exists in your world?
of professional bureaucracy, or are decisions made Can the child of a farmer go on to learn a new I’d like to first hear about how all this began. How did You mentioned “quick validation.” Could you explain
by a group of citizens who hold other occupations? profession, or are they destined to work the fields? Smunchy Games get started? what that is and how you went about it for this world?
How would one obtain one of these positions— What barriers exist to making this kind of transi- Also, how did you find these 300+ people to discuss it
through a vote, appointment, hereditary succes- tion? Smunchy Games was founded initially, funnily with?
sion, or some other means? enough, by accident. It started off with a world that
was built by myself, my wife, and my brother-in-law Quick validation is when you have an idea or
16 years ago (roughly around this same time, too). something that you want to sell but need to know if
We poured our hearts and souls into this world people are interested in purchasing it in some shape
as we would regularly sit together late at night, or form. Typically you want to have a good idea of
chatting about a world we had only visited in our what type of product or service you're pitching first,
imaginations. unlike me, where I was taking a large risk and only
pitching a world and nothing more.
Want more writing and worldbuilding prompts? Join us on Discord or Twitter! Every Wednesday we release a It wasn't until January of 2015 when I got truly
new prompt for worldbuilding and writing. Work on it in private or share your responses with us. serious about Smunchy Games as an endeavor. It was
when a few of my friends found some of the things
A lot of these people were found in coffee shops, had loved growing up and still regularly take part in Necromancy was never supposed to be a thing in the ever walk the lands of Mavaydan and the world of
game stores, restaurants, social media, the place today. We were now the ones to pass on the things first place, until The Abyss had His way and stole Adia. Great food, family, and friends—that is where
where I had worked, conventions, conferences, and we loved, to the next generation coming into age. Death's scythe. With it the craft of Necromancy I would want to be.
meetups. Everyone with their own thoughts and While we knew it would still greatly influence our was born and assigned to His Lich, the generals of
opinions. More or less, you're really only trying to peers, friends, and family—we hadn't thought about His undeath and demon armies. When they were So, as you began to develop this, I believe you said it
aim for 10 people to say they're interested or would how much influence this would have on younger released upon Mavayadan, the Liches slaughtered was a card game? Paths is certainly not that any longer,
buy something along those lines. In my situation, generations. the people of Adia, turning the once peaceful land so can you tell us a bit about that early development
I went an extra 10 miles to really confirm this, as it into nothing more than a battlefield of death and process?
would be a 7-10 year journey to where I wanted to That’s awesome. Before we get to development, though, mayhem.1
be. I'd like to explore the world of Adia a bit. Can you It started with a good year of development and
share some inspirations for creating it? At first, they didn't know what to do. It wasn't until playtesting. We had at the time 50-100 playtesters
So what came up during this early validation phase the Fire Eternal spoke with the Dwarven king and playing the card game formerly titled PATHS. It
for what would later become Paths? Did you get any Yeah! A lot of the inspirations for the world of Adia told him to pick up arms and fight that Mavayaden was more or less a dueling card game, similar to
feedback that affected how you produced it? were mostly pulled from the things I love to read fought back against The Abyss. When they did, a Magic: the Gathering or Hearthstone. Through every
and play. Some heavy hitting examples were: The Death Angel was born, retrieving Death's Scythe iteration, we had more and more asking to have
Yeah, there was a ton of feedback that greatly altered Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Narnia, The World of for Death himself and acquiring the power of the world and story of PATHS involved in the card
my original thoughts on producing it. Some of the Warcraft, Diablo, Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Necromancy for the Fire Eternal. This new power game.
feedback blew me away, because they are things I Dragons, and Warhammer. allowed the Fire Eternal to create his Necromancers,
would have never thought about ever if I didn't who could raise their spectral undead to fight with We introduced a bidding system, story cards,
share this and validate it with people. However, the inspiration pulled from these sources free will, and with it, use Death's spirit magic as a hero characters, event cards, scenery—everything
were interpreted with reactions from “This is weapon. and anything you can think of that would be in a
Some of the most consistent feedback I had received amazing” to “Let's break some tropes,” which tabletop RPG put into a strange battle card format.
was the following: is partially why Adia feels familiar while being One of the darkest secrets that people don't know
extremely different from a world perspective. I about Adia is that the Liches regularly walk the While it worked, it wasn't exactly fun. Until finally,
• “My children would love this. When can I buy mean, what if there were Orcs that aren't barbaric, planet, blending in like normal people. we had multiple people telling us that they love the
this?” strong, or savage? Instead, we could have Elves that cards, but they just want to play an RPG. The story
• “My kids would be so into this. Maybe they will are barbaric, strong, and savage! That’s not ominous at all. Of all the places in Adia and world were too good to hide (their words). This
actually play a tabletop game with me.” you’ve created, what is your favorite? is how we naturally transitioned into what you know
• “My son hasn't stopped asking me for three days We, purely as fans of fantasy, have grown tired of today as our "GM-in-a-box" modules.
to read a book about Paths. Is this going to be a the same old thing. Yes, we still want our magic, we I would have to say my favorite place in Adia,
thing? How can I buy it? Apparently necromancer still want the adventure, we still want familiarity, if I had to hang out there every day, would be And what’s GM-in-a-box?
elephant people get him to do his homework. I'm but there comes a time when you can only see the the Fire Crest Elves’ port city of Shamradaer. It's
fine with this.” same elf, dwarf, human, and goblin in the same both beautiful and comforting, to me. It is a city GM-in-a-box is a story adventure that more or less
• “This is magical. Why is this world so magical and scenario time after time after time. It's important as where promises are important and family means replaces the traditional Game Master telling the
different? Why do I like it? I don't know. But I worldbuilders to be a little adventurous, especially if more than life itself. You can often smell different story of an RPG game session.
want it.” you plan to go to market with your story or game. meats cooking over a fire, hear metal armor being
• “This has to be a game. You can't just settle for a Knowing this, we kept some familiarity, broke some hammered out by blacksmiths, or see beast hasters Like a game master, the GM-in-a-box adventure has
book. Think about the new generations coming tropes, and introduced some new concepts into the training with their hydra and other pets they've everything you need to play solo or with a group
up, Sean, remember when we were kids? What's world of fantasy—such as a form of necromancy tamed. Hymns and water drumming can be heard of friends. We even gave the GM-in-a-box its own
going to be their go-to games?” which isn't seen as evil, but is instead viewed as from the fishermen and women at the south port, Game Master guide, named Boxie. He will pop up
• “So. When can I buy this?” (This cracked me up.) good. where many different races of people come and go. from time to time throughout the cards, just like a
The river and cool breezes will keep you cool on a Game Master would through narration. With this,
Children, between the ages of 13-17, were Necromancy in Adia is rather unique. While warm day, or put you to sleep sloshing against the you are still free to create your own characters from
constantly brought up when it came to what we now you still have your typical forms of undead and banks at night. the Player Guidebook, just like a traditional RPG,
know as Paths: World of Adia, and I was shocked by necromantic crafts, death itself and undeath were offering both new and familiar experiences.
that. Especially because it wasn't something I had never created originally by the Fire Eternal, the deity The people of Shamradaer are friendly, and the
thought about, but it had made a lot of sense. of this world, to be “evil.” Death was meant to be Chieftain—Dathmar Andeoshen—is one of the GM-in-a-box modules are optional, so you by no
a means to an end, a hero if you will, to rescue the kindest forms of royalty and upper status that will means have to use them unless you absolutely wish
I didn't see it, but I, my wife, and my brother-in-law living from pain and suffering. By Death rescuing
had created a world from the worlds and stories we the living, they were meant to live with the Fire
1 Mavayden is a continent in the world of Adia.
Eternal in the heavens.
to. Paths: World of Adia brings a lot of flexibility Europe can be insanely expensive, but this was too We will continue to use Kickstarter, for sure. This From here on out, we've been able to get a release
compared to other tabletop RPGs in that way. You far over the top for me to justify. experience has dramatically affected future releases schedule under us, something that we are regularly
are free to experience both the familiar and the because there is a shift in price that many may not tweaking in order to make sure that not only are
new. After receiving a tremendous amount of feedback know about. From the cost of material to the cost deadlines are met, but that we don't kill ourselves
from Europeans on shipping and price costs in of shipping. Planning for these to shift and change while doing it either—reducing that crunch.
I'd like to touch on more recent happenings. I know general, we took that feedback seriously and every year will help you in the end when planning
you had a Kickstarter recently, but the game is still canceled the project, letting everyone know we out your kickstarter accordingly. So for anyone considering a kickstarter, what advice
in production as of now. Can you tell us a bit about would re-release at another point in time. While would you give them? Obviously some of what you
that? this was a big reason for us canceling, there was Most importantly, it proved a validation theory that learned was specific to Paths, but what did you learn
more that was locked away in my mind as I felt we most marketers don't really consider true until it that could apply to other crowdfunding efforts?
These last two years have been an insane roller were missing something or that I could have done happens to them—and that is the theory of honest
coaster, to be honest. Everything from appointing something better. So even with all of these lessons feedback. The purest form of feedback that someone There is a lot of crossover for sure. I'd say one of
new development and writing teams, growing those learned, we had realized that a lot of the classes, will give you about your product is when you're the biggest lessons learned here, especially when it
teams, and developing the company—all the way system, and gameplay at that time—while tested— asking them to pay for it, especially if that person comes to kickstarter—don't do it alone. I'm not
to gaining some serious traction in the tabletop clearly weren’t tested well enough. This forced us to doesn't know you. saying this because people feel like they may not
roleplaying gaming space and taking Paths: World re-develop all of the classes from the ground up and be able to do this on their own
of Adia from a small hobbyist game to an extremely even change some of the very core rules. due to marketing or business
serious contender. It was only recently that the knowledge—no. I'm saying
team and I finally received some time to breathe. Kickstarter, while we canceled, was stressful this because if you're alone, it's
April of 2019 was when we launched the kickstarter planning and allowed us to get the exact feedback going to be extremely difficult to
for Paths: World of Adia, and while it was going to we needed. Honest, brutal feedback from the public, get out of your own head.
fund, I had actually canceled that project for many which otherwise they wouldn't have given to us if
different factors—major factors in some cases, but we weren't asking them to purchase our product. Now, to be fair, if you're
one in particular that was deeply concerning to This helped tremendously. Setting us back on track someone who has been doing
me. We all know that the shipping cost on items to allowed us to re-shape the game to be better, and marketing for 10 years and
more fun. It has even know the ropes, that's fine. But
given us more time to understand that depending on
chat with retailers and your goal, it's really important
distributors across the to check with a peer that knows
globe. their stuff too.
Development through I'd say for those that plan to

2019 has been amazing run a kickstarter for the first
since then. It’s even time, make sure you've quick
more amazing knowing validated whatever it is you're
we're continuing into doing, and before you upload
2020 with the release anything to kickstarter—start
of an official playtest, learning about marketing and
and we’ll launch the how to do so effectively.
finished product in the After that, I would immediately
third or fourth quarter jump into trying to understand
of next year. your audience—the people that
you're trying to sell to.
That's great to hear.
How will this experience Kickstarter has changed a lot
affect future releases? over the years, meaning the
Will you continue to quality that you're beginning
use Kickstarter, and if to see on kickstarter is at an
so, how will your tactics
change?
Entrance to Shamradaer by Anton Ninov
The Port of Shamradaer by Anton Ninov
all-time high. This unfortunately means that anyone new, seemingly undiscovered planet called Yunsertia.
coming to Kickstarter with a few sketches and a On the spacecraft, the Bone Cults of the Nahcronim
couple of paragraphs will more than likely be looked were formed. The Nahcronim, or Necromancer in
over if you're unknown or new. English, were created through a new chip board
threaded with magic called "The Hollow." From
Beyond that, make sure not to overwhelm those here, the human bone cults were surprisingly greeted
looking to back your project. Too many pledge tiers by an ancient civilization known as the Vampen Ires,
and too much information is a cognitive overload or for short, Vampires.
that will make people
quickly turn away from you.
Be sure to reduce that page
for better results in the end.
That's great advice. Thanks!

Now, could you tell us a bit
about what other projects
you're working on beside
Paths?
We have quite a lineup

to be honest. Let's start
with Fray since it's such
an awesome and, honestly,
rather addictive little card Akkenta with his Death Magic Skeletons Chasing down Jungle Uwakuun by Leonardo Giordano
game. This card game can be
played standalone, or within That’s a wide lineup. Congratulations! Now, before we Any worldbuilding tips for us?
the world of Adia during a head out, is there anything else you’d like to share with
Paths: World of Adia RPG us? I always start with a character. This character allows
session! This card game has me to understand their emotions, who they are, why
truly blown my socks off I think the last thing I'll touch on is worldbuilding. they are what they are, why they do what they do,
at how simple it is to pick While I believe a lot of the readers will agree with and how they do it. From there, it allows me to start
up when learning the rules Chieftain Statues of Shamradaer by Anton Ninov me, some may not necessarily know or feel how branching out into this new world that my character
and how much depth and important it really is. lives in, and really lets me develop everything else as
strategy there is when playing it. Wars have been waged on the humans by the I go.
Vampen Ires. The Vampires see humans as savages Worldbuilding is the absolute center and life source
Parselings is what we like to call a "deck-building for making tools, or homes even, out of their to any form of entertainment you know to exist A little known fact, but Adia actually started with
word magic RPG" system and setting. The words once loved ones’ bones and for their pure lack of in the past and today. I say this because while my first character, Akkenta—a Tuskaar merchant,
you use in the game are how you—and your fundamental technologies, where they are so far storytelling is important, without worldbuilding, now Necromancer, chosen by the Fire Eternal.
teammates—are able to create magical things that behind as an intelligent race. The Vampen Ires plan there would be no story to tell. You see, even in
happen when playing through a setting. More to extinguish humans from the face of Yunsertia. some of the most basic forms of story, there is still a Alright, I suppose you’re going to make me ask: what
importantly, while dice are still a thing the game This is where the call for Vampire Hunters is made. world that needs to exist. Even here in our everyday was the story of Akkenta about?
master will use when playing, a deck of cards Surprisingly, not only humans have answered this lives, we are continually building our own micro-
are used for skill checks and other mechanics. call, but some Vampires have, too. worlds and telling our stories in a larger world that The Tuskaar are essentially elephant people that live
Leo Cheung has done an incredible job in both has already existed. This, to me, is both incredible in the Tassradan Jungle. Both a quiet and rather
designing this game and illustrating the amazing Fray, Parselings, Tide Breaker, Shadow Tantrum, and also daunting to really take in and to convert scary place, if you're not a Tuskaar.
artwork that he has for it. Trafaultree, Rift Shifters, Necromancer 3086; each into a formal train of thought—and I don't think
project currently in development. Some will be I'll ever truly know everything there is to know Akkenta, like his father and brother, was once a
Necromancer 3086 is a Dungeons & Dragons 5th launched on Kickstarter next year (2020). about this as I am just one person, but gosh, I am part of the Trader's Colony in Half-Tusk village.
Edition module setting all about humans losing ever thankful that I get to be a part of this world
their lives on Earth and traveling through space to a and story. Don't stop worldbuilding!
Akkenta's mother and father both

died to a Paradisian attack near the
end portion of "The War of Tusk and
Feather" and the beginning of "The
Great Faction War."2 Thus, both
Akkenta and his brother Bongani
were left to continue their family’s
mercantile trade.
Many years later, Half-Tusk village

was ambushed by Courser Knights
and Warriors, slaughtering the village
and burning it to a crisp. Bongani's
life was taken as a Courser arrow
pierced his heart.3
This was the same night when a

demon was executing his plans while
disguised as a Tuskaar elder, knowing
that the Fire Eternal had chosen
Akkenta. If the demon got to him
first, he felt that Akkenta would
turn from the Fire Eternal. Instead,
Akkenta gained new Necromantic
powers from the Fire Eternal, slayed
the demon, and raised his people
back from the dead as undead
spectrals with free will. Although, Akkenta's transformation into Necromancy by Jamethy
not all were able to come back as the
Fire Eternal is the one to choose who
does and who doesn't.
This ambush, however, was an act of war and could

lead to much bigger things in the end.
You can learn more about Smunchy Games on Sean’s

website, Twitter, or join their Discord server to meet
the team. Keep an eye out for Paths: World of Adia in
2020!
This interview was edited for Worldbuilding Magazine.
Special thanks to Sean for taking the time to speak

with us!
2 Paradisians are a race of avian people in Adia.

3 Coursers are a race of canid people in Adia.
the candle. She placed the bundle in the palm of a of a small bowl of bone broth and a slice of hard
THIRTY-THREE TALES
HIGH FANTASY worn leather glove. bread. Sometimes, they’d forage for berries and wild
vegetables. On her nameday, Osya had gifted her a
DARK FANTASY "Rest now, sweet children, and be at peace, for in fist-sized hunk of hillwalker cheese. It was the most
OF WAR | STORIES FIVE CULTURE

hope the shards of your soul ran to Her, She who will
set them free."
delicious thing she had ever tasted, but she managed
to make it last three months. They mended their own
THROUGH SEVEN
dresses and shoes. Sometimes they’d mend things for
A divine pulse shuddered across the valley. the others at the price of one tadril per seam. They
Gradually, the fog thinned until it was nothing more were rarely choosy with their clients, only refusing
than crisp autumn air. The priestess stood. Hundreds ones with diseases or bad reputations. Anything to get
by Emory Glass of spears and work-hardened swords quivered up to out of here before war came.
their hilts in the bloody ground. How lucky were
they to no longer suffer. Hundreds fell here, but this The prostitute pushed all their coins into a pile
T hirty Three Tales of War is a collection of flash

fiction pieces that follow thirty-three anonymous
individuals living during the Candrish Civil War.
In the burlap sack at her side she collected things
for the dead: beads and talismans, iron tadril coins,
scraps of tattered banners and cloth. She kissed each
battle did not end the war. Thousands had drawn
their last breath the two years past. Thousands of
souls, shattered. Her countrymen, her friends.
and began stringing them along a cord. Zoldonmesk
was their motherland; they’d never been outside its
borders, or even very many places within, but the
Stories One through Four appeared in Volume Three, item and set it delicately in the bag. A quiet joy region had never felt like home. Even less so now that
Issue Two: Technology of Worldbuilding Magazine. quelled the mournful murmurs of her soul. Here laid Yet, the priestess lifted her arms to the sky. The its mountains were stained black with the blood of
her altar. So many souls returned to their mother, the Seamstress' mercy was a gift to them all, no matter her sisters and brothers.
Seamstress of Souls, here in this very field. How lucky which side they fought and died for. And, for that
was she to be Her priestess. How lucky were they to alone, she was thankful. She didn’t understand much of what was going on,
V: PRIESTESS find their path home. but the Upperbirths she serviced sometimes let things
VI: PROSTITUTE slip. Pillowtalk was great for learning—probably
FOG had gathered in the valley overnight. It clung At the tenth turn of her pacing she paused and better than a fancy education. The only bit that
to the trees, the ground, the air: a blood-white raised her candle skyward. The flame trembled. IT took one hundred and fifty tadril to get out mattered to her was knowing that the Red Queen
cloud so thick it choked the morning sun. A village Searching for the stars beyond the fog, the priestess of Kandrisev. Could be Rendroxja. Or the Brisian was ransacking every settlement in Zoldonmesk for
stood beneath these mountains once. Mavska. bowed her head. Empire. Or wherever else the both of them could young women to fight in her war. Whatever ended up
Most knew it as the sole settlement for spans and afford, as long as it wasn’t here. Since the war came, happening, she didn’t care. As long as she and Osya
spans. A lantern in the gloom. It, like the sun, had "In anger you called to Her, She who avenges your nowhere in Zoldonmesk was safe. Any woman with were together someplace that didn’t run the risk of
succumbed to darkness. wounds." two good arms and legs would be conscripted to getting both of them killed, politics didn’t matter at
the Red Queen’s army when the Rosehearts passed all. There would always be work as long as there was
A priestess stood where the village once had. Tendrils of fog slithered across her lips. through on their way to Chovrek, and neither she loneliness, no matter if they had to go to the ends of
The fog curled away as she whispered to the Void, nor Osya intended to fight. the world to find it.
revealing a field of flattened wheat to her north. In "In sorrow you prayed to Her, She who felled your
her hand, a red candle. On her lips, a prayer. friends and foes." The prostitute counted out their savings, squatting She finished stringing the coins and tied the
on the wooden floor of the brothel’s cramped cord to the inside of her underskirt. Osya had an
She walked amidst broken bodies and the shafts A hole in death's cloak. She cast her sight to the sky. sleeping quarters. Mostly, they had saved onepieces: appointment tonight. The moment she was done, the
of spears, lone shoes with no feet to wear them, and "In death you came to Her, She who ends all things." little rings of copper with holes punched in the two of them were leaving. She reckoned they could
scattered, dented shields. The ground, glutted with middle. A trio of fivepieces—silver triangles with get as far as Yaroshev if they walked through the
filth and blood, threatened to suck her in with every Red wax pattered against her feet. The candle hissed the same sort of hole—rested quietly under her foot night. From there, they could decide where to go.
heavy step. Yet, she carried on. as it melted onto her palm. She knelt and set her sack so the nosy ones wouldn’t get any ideas. The true
at her knees, reaching inside to find the first offering; prize was a circular, silver tenpiece punched with a The Mistress wouldn’t be happy to lose two of her
Nine times she paced the field until black blood she kissed the helmet she collected from within, triangle. It grew sweaty clutched in the palm of her whores, but neither she nor Osya were the best on
saturated her leather turnshoes. Black blood, not pulling sticky blood and tissue away as she withdrew hand. offer, anyway. Lately, the boys had been getting more
red. All this had begun with the redbloods. Then the her lips. "In her sight," she whispered. visits. Even the most expensive girl hadn’t been called
caste-whore queen. The priestess turned her mind There they had it. One hundred and fifty tadril on in almost a week. It was a good thing Osya had
from such treacherous thoughts. There was work to One by one she drew their possessions from her bag coins. This small fortune represented two years’ started making them save up when she did.
do. and arranged them on the ground. When each item savings, but not all her own—over half belonged to
laid about her in a circle, she took a bundle of sage Osya. They’d skipped breakfast and lunch every day The prostitute sat on her bed, folding the skirts of
from her skirt pocket and lit it with the last flicker of and shared most dinners, which mostly consisted her dress underneath her as she did. Part of her knew
she’d always miss this place, dingy as it was, but the centre aisle, where her mother and father waited. "From when we were born, forged in His brilliant Slowly, she extended her palm, looking only at it.
mostly she was excited to explore the world. All she’d They each took one of her arms and led her to the light." He took the knife and gently, gently pressed it against
known was her little town. altar head. her skin, dragging it all the way down to her the base
That was her cue. She drew the brush from its pot of her middle finger. She sucked air through her teeth
The door opened and a girl came in. It wasn’t Osya. Her heart thumped. The husband they chose and dabbed it against the unpainted half of his face at the sting. Drops of black blood beaded from the
The door opened thrice more, and each time it sent for her, a whiteblooded man named Bancak, until it was thoroughly coated in white. He winked, wound and landed on her thigh. He handed her the
her heart aflutter with anxiety. None were Osya. seemed kind, if a bit bland. He was Ålsian nobility, or she thought he did. She hurriedly stuffed the knife, blade pointed at himself.
They just went to bed or to bathe. Finally, finally, apparently, and wanted to be a scholar. That was all brush back in the paint.
that sweet moment came when Osya poked her she knew. They had only ever spoken once through an "And who will follow this man's soul on his path
beautiful head through the door. opaque screen. Her stomach lurched as they came to a The priest spoke next. "And where will they wait from Father Sun?" asked the priestess.
stop in front of the altar. She kept her gaze firmly on until night drives them apart?”
“Coming?” she asked with a grin. the altar, not daring to look anywhere else. What if he Her breath caught in her throat. This was her duty.
was mean, or ugly? "To the Moon, to rest until we may be united She had been born for this very thing. Chosen for
The prostitute hopped off the bed and scurried off. again." it. Marrying now meant her family didn't have to
A priest and priestess—the man in gold, the woman send her off to war. They weren't important enough
VII: NEZHDOYA in blue—stood behind the altar. Two pots of face Bancak placed his brush against her face. The paint for their nezhdoya to be safe from conscription. The
paint sat atop it: one white, one black. Her parents was cold and thick. A little shiver raised gooseflesh Yellow Queen needed bodies. She was young and
BRASS mirrors told no lies. Her snow-white hair withdrew to the light side of the altar as Bancak's on her arms. He took great care with his brushwork, healthy. Better to bear children than a blade. She
was plaited, a crown of flowers placed upon her parents led him down the aisle. Her heart beat in making sure to keep the paint off her hair, lips, and glanced up at the priest. Her feet begged her to stand
head. A golden shawl embroidered with navy blue her throat when she saw him. He was as attractive as nostrils. up and run.
thread rested upon her gently sloping shoulders. A she could have hoped. Locks of hair black as pitch
matching black-and-gold gown handcrafted by the stopped just short of his upturned ears, and his The priest and priestess said at once, "You have "I will."
finest weavers in Chariv completed the ensemble. sea-blue skin was flawless. His nose left a bit to be united your hearts in the Sun's white light; your
Half her face was painted white, as was the custom. desired, but that wasn't the end of the world… union is forged in the brilliance of His gaze. Bring She cut his hand the same way, only his blood was
Everyone would tell her she was beautiful, and she your bodies together in Moonlight and your union white. They clasped their palms together and let the
was. Mirrors always told the truth, yet in her heart "Let us begin." The priestess raised her hands to the is sealed amongst Her stars. Together, let the glorious blood mix into grey.
she felt ugly as a pig-herder's wife. ceiling. "Who is the Sun, giver of life?" Mysteries bring harmony to your minds and souls."
The priest and priestess spoke together again. "Rise
She had jewels. She had money. The ritual blade As they knelt, she and Bancak replied in She swallowed. Now for the bloody part. Less now with the Sun and Moon as your witness, and
was buried safely in the folds of her wedding gown. unison,"Sila, whose white light we kneel under as we bloody than a battlefield. That was her sole together be woman and man."
Very shortly she'd have her very own husband, and commit our souls to His brilliance.” She glanced at comforting thought. She slid the ritual blade from
then it was off to Tizan, Ålsia as soon as the reception him. He kept looking ahead. her pocket and placed it in his hands. They stood to jovial cheers and applause from
ended. There was no need for her to fight in the war. their guests. She and Bancak walked down the aisle
She was doing her duty in other ways—ways she The priest raised his hands. "Who is the Moon, "Who will follow this woman's soul on her journey together in the autumn sun.
was more capable of surviving. She was no fighter. giver of death?" to Mother Moon?" the priest asked.
Besides, was marrying someone she’d never met not There. The hard part was over. Now it was just her
also brave? "Yusri, whose stars we ask to bless this union." "I will," Bancak said. He gave her a reassuring and him, man and wife, until the Moon reclaimed
Their voices melded into one. look. their souls. Still, a part of her called for something
Still, something felt as if it were missing. She that wasn't there. She slipped away from the greetings
couldn't quite put an image behind the thought. The priestess took the pot of white face-paint and Trust. That's what relationships were built on. and congratulations to take a moment and think.
Nevertheless, she let the maidservant standing at handed it down to her as the priest gave Bancak She wasn't trapped by this. Her parents had chosen There wasn't much more that she could ask for, at any
attention near the door lead her into the temple's the black. Her knees ached against the rough stone a good man, and she knew she could trust their rate. He was a powerful Ålsian nobleman. It was her
main hall. The side she entered from was painted floor. She looked to him for some sign of suffering in judgement. They never beat her, never condescended, duty to her family and nation, and at the very least
deep shades of night-blue. Silver ornaments and solidarity, but saw none. The sound the ceramic pot never treated her as anything less than their daughter. she would never want for anything material again.
mirrors dotted the walls and ceiling. The other of facepaint made on the tile floor between his knees Perhaps they weren't the upper crust of Upperbirths,
half was yellow as the sun with golden baubles to rang in her ears like the shwing of a sword drawn from and perhaps she should have been fighting in the She looked across the temple courtyard to see her
match. Six rows of benches rested on either side of its sheath. Yellow Queen's war because of it. Once he cut her husband talking and laughing with some Ålsian
the temple. All of her betrothed's family sat in the hand, she would no longer be nezhdoya. She didn't women who appeared to be his younger sisters, or
night-half, while hers took up the sunny side. She "How long have your souls searched for one need a queen to free her. She wasn't chained. Besides, maybe his aunts. Curious, she made her way to them.
left the maidservant at the door and walked alone to another?" asked the priestess. only she could help herself.
"Sister," one of the women said, nodding. "I am for when he got bored? How could her parents betray
THE PROFESSION
Ozbekar." her like this? No one ever mentioned to her that the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
whitebloods took more than one wife. Never, not
"I am Judit," said the second. once. She excused herself and hurried off toward the TABLETOP GAMING
"Florkos,” the next woman said with a grin.

temple doors. There was a sword atop her father's
fireplace. She could take it. She could go to war if it OF ADVENTURING
meant this marriage would be annulled. Her heart
The fourth barely looked at her, but said skipped a beat. by Psycho Romeo
"Emezyal." Art by Emily Harrenstein
No. She couldn't. All her belongings were being
"Naqlora," the last said with a smile.
The bride took her husband's arm. "So many

brought aboard Bancak’s ship at that very moment.
With the setting sun she’d be aboard that ship, sailing
away from anything she’d ever known.
O ne of the things I learned from my RPG groups
was that the players loved when I—as the
Dungeon Master (DM)—named the things that
HOW DO WE MAKE CHARISMA
MORE APPEALING?
sisters. Did they all grow up with you?" they've done that I considered impressive. I found While designing and running homebrew RPGs,
that awarding bonus experience at the end of a session I often dabbled with the idea of bringing social
The women burst into laughter. Bancak chuckled, based on these events would incentivize the players to conflicts and violent conflicts equal in terms of
but said nothing. try to do more cool things in the future. But can we importance, such that all characters could feel like
insert this incentive and gratification into the game they were getting something useful by investing
"She's like you, Florkos, so innocent," Ozbekar mechanically? Instead of bonus EXP, can we reward in a social stat. I tried having more frequent social
giggled. "We're Bancak’s other wives." the players with something real and tangible in-game? encounters, giving each of them more tangible and
We'll be answering these questions as we explore the lasting effects, but this made the party want to pump
Her cheeks flushed as the world crumbled beneath topic of the Profession of Adventuring. up and hide behind the “speaker” even more. I tried
her feet. Her grip on Bancak's arm loosened. She things such as forcing a “non-speaker” into a conver-
stared at Ozbekar, praying it was a joke. "W-wives?" sation more often. (“You've been quiet back there,” I
Instead of bonus EXP, would say to our less socially inclined players, “what
"Oh, Ozbekar, you've scared her to death." Judit do you have to say about this?!”) However, the party
took her hands. "Don't worry, young one. I know it can we reward the started leaving everyone else behind and having the
must all seem so strange to a Candrish girl, but it’s speaker go alone. Both of these approaches achieved
not so bad. We aren't catty about it. Ozbekar was his players with the opposite of what I was aiming for. I even tried
first wife, and you won't be the last. Some men in designing systems to elevate a social encounter to that
Tizan have as many as ten!" something real and of a combat encounter mechanically; however, this
ended up being too taxing to prepare for every session
"Ten?" she asked, barely loud enough to be heard. tangible in-game? and too complex to work with on the fly. Defeated, I
let this topic go for several years.
The
Judit said, "We'll have many celebrations at
home—tournaments, a wives' day, a week of feasts One of the least interesting stats I see in RPGs It wasn't until I started developing a bronze-age
and drinking. You'll get used to this, I promise."
Writing ends up being the diplomacy, charisma, social, or
charm stats. Characters that invest in charismatic
RPG with a coworker that I had reconsidered this
topic again. We were talking about what kind of
"Gods know I had to," Naqlora said.
Cartel. stats often take it because it happens to also be the
stat that increases their combat ability or because
activities a party of adventurers would engage in
when they visited a village. This was new territory for
"Naqlora is Məzhaq," Ozbekar clarified. "They A group of writers trying to do the they've been designated as the official “speaker” for me, since my work predominantly had been within
only take one spouse, like you Candrish women. impossible—actually fi
fin
nish a project. a party, handling most of the social interactions that the sci-fi genre. Space travel was rampant and people
She’s a special case." they encounter. These stats are almost seen as a waste would visit new worlds all the time; and these worlds
•Discussion Channels. to have on other characters as it can likely be covered were ready to receive, feed, and house travelers.
•Weekly Critiques.
All she could think was to run. How could Bancak •Critique Exchanges. by the more specialized ones. On the other hand, However, for a world of isolated villages that rarely
ever love her when there were five other women that •Optional Word Count Tracker. this is not the case with combat stats. Generally received visitors and mostly stuck
came before? A tear slid down her cheek. She cast •Seasonal Events. speaking, an entire party will be asked to participate to themselves,
her eyes upon Bancak, who looked more amused ...and Lots of Writing Sprints! in combat, and the entire party will benefit from any
Join us .
than apologetic. This wasn’t funny. It was the exact number of them being stronger—there is no covering
and total opposite of funny. Ten wives? Nine more in these situations.
how would they react to a group of battle hardened And how would the adventurers themselves act in do it to get real, tangible in-game rewards from the
strangers walking down their street? The conclusion response? Imagine Keagor the Berserker, seven feet villages they come to: “Great story Keagor! With 13
we came to was that this would be the most exciting tall with biceps the size of pumpkins, seeing seven- charisma and +2 storytelling, you gained 10 plus…
thing to happen to them all year. These strangers year-old Leo, wide-eyed and staring in awe. Keagor [rolls]...5 fans and earned the rank of Budding Star
would be like celebrities. might sit on a bench against the well, beckon little throughout the country. You enjoy a night of the fin-
Leo over, and place him on his knee. “See this one?” est pleasures the village can offer and wake up feeling
ADVENTURERS AS he asks, pointing at an old wound on his left cheek. rejuvenated.”
CELEBRITIES? “This one was from the Old Hag of Greenwaters. She
conjured blades of bone and had I been a hair slower,” In the same vein, this is what makes charismatic
The villagers live simple and boring lives. They he gestures with his hand to slit his throat, “she would stats worth something to Keagor the Berserker.
see the same faces, play the same games, and solve have taken off my head.” Investing in a non-combat stat might make the fight
the same problems in the same way year after year. against the Old Hag harder, but boy would he be
Enter a group of adventurers, with their battle scars, We realized that this is part of what the Profession of able to blow the minds of the village folk when he
gigantic axes, monstrous boar tusk jewelry, and their Adventuring would be. An expedition into the danger- came back with her head. The gash he earns from
scent fresh of blood and flesh. Everyone would leap ous wilderness as the party moved from one village being slightly weaker in that fight would only make
out of their homes to see what these new people from to another. And when the adventurers arrived in each that story even more incredible, and potentially earn
the outside world were all about. Children would new village, they would sit around a fire, weave a greater rewards down the road. What I had previously
gawk—starstruck or frightened with curiosity—at story of their exploits, and amaze the townspeople. In considered an underwhelming stat had become inte-
how awesome these guys look, dreaming of growing exchange for the bronze-age equivalent of premiere gral to every character in a party as they step into the
up to be just like them. movie night, they would be given provisions, lodging, light to brag about their exploits. This drove out the
and status. I realized this had been the answer to the problem of the one singular “speaker.” Besides, I've
problem I gave up on a few years back. As questers, always loved the concept of things like battlemages or
the players want to finish the job quickly and effi- evasion tanks and similar oxymoronic archetypes, so
ciently. But by inserting the expectation of needing being able to provide a mechanically sensible way to
to entertain the village, the players' focus changes to play a charismatic berserker was a huge plus.
wanting to make a spectacular show of what they're
doing. They become excited to regale the tale they'll Finally, it was great to see the players in the
have of the battle, and it becomes as fun as battle storytelling seat. The subject of these events already
itself. And best of all, it was coming through as a transpired, taking a lot of the pressure off the players
social interaction. as they worried less about being sharp-tongued or
figuring out what to say. Instead, they can focus on
HOW DOES THIS telling everyone how cool they saw themselves, which
HELP A DM? is easy and fun to talk about. So if you're looking to
give your session a little extra kick, or want to let your
Role-play makes a tabletop RPG interesting, and players drive your content for a bit, consider leverag-
it’s why we have human DMs instead of machines. ing their own desire to be awesome.
It's satisfying when a player becomes so immersed in
their character that they begin making the decisions
the character would make, instead of what may be
the more intelligent decisions the player might want
to make. And when we see this behavior as DMs,
we typically must conceive of a way to reward it. As
mentioned before, my solution to this was to award
bonus experience to player characters that did awe-
some things at the end of the session. However, with
the Profession of Adventuring, the players start making
more sub-optimal choices in the interest of creating
a cooler story, such as using a less damaging but
flashier attack or by spending inventory space on kill
trophies instead of more worthwhile loot. And they
So this world would ideally be for some kind of
ART SHOWCASE: ART

RPG. The player gets to choose from a list of classic
RPG classes like warrior, fighter, mage, cleric, etc.
For me, I'd love to expand on various aspects from
KEVIN CATALAN
INTERVIEW some of my favorite games like Dark Souls and The
Witcher. I'm making more types of magic, new kinds
FANTASY of biomes or levels to explore, and of course—my
favorite part—unique enemies. It would be a hostile
Curated by Zaivy Luke-Aleman
world but still habitable with towns, cities, and
castles. And a certain concept I'm playing around
with is the presence of the ruins of a Mycenaean- or
Atlantean-like civilization. It would be cool for the
player to explore underground dungeons and learn
about what happened to these people as well as earn
artifacts, weapons, and armor.
The last, somewhat unique aspect of this world are

the angels. While I'm still in the process of writing
the creation story, all that is left of the divine beings,
which may include gods, are the angels. And these
are really Lovecraftian, cosmic beings whose nature
is mysterious. But I still want to play with the classic
imagery of winged humanoids. We'll see how that
goes.
K evin Catalan is the artist behind the cover of Cover illustration for Azarinth Healer
Azarinth Healer by Rhaegar. We met up to talk Sound like fun! I’m looking forward to seeing how that
about his artistic process and upcoming projects. What are some of the worldbuilding ideas behind these develops. I also want to talk about the technical aspects
illustrations? of your art. What tools do you use to craft your work?
Hello, my name is Kevin Catalan, and I am a
freelance illustrator and concept artist. I'm from a Overall, I tried approaching my world mostly This past year, I've been working almost
small city in Georgia called Rocky Face and have from a visual perspective. The initial idea was to use exclusively in Procreate, an app on the iPad Pro.
been drawing my entire life. I have a passion for it to make a portfolio with art that is all part of the Before that, I made all my digital artwork on
fantastical art and aim to create worlds that can same project so it would be consistent. I quickly got Photoshop CC using a Wacom Intuos pen tablet.
immerse the viewer. I have a BFA in Illustration so excited while making it and decided to try and I don't really do any kind of traditional drawing
from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and build a world completely. I'm designing my world as anymore except for occasional sketching in my
most of the art I make is digital. if it would be for my dream game. It takes elements sketchbook. I work mostly in graphite. I've just
from several of my favorite video games and book gotten so used to digital art, and its efficiency and
I've always had a fascination with stories of other series as well as my own ideas. I love gritty, realistic flexibility are what really matters to me.
worlds inhabited by unique beings and creatures. dark fantasy, so that is the overall vibe of this world,
I grew up playing games like Legend of Zelda and which will be filled with all sorts of dangerous And when you’re creating your art in your tablet, what
Metroid, and I would always go and try to draw creatures and hazards. And it will have a balance of is the process like?
my own creatures that would fit in those worlds. realism and high fantasy. I'm still pretty early on in
With the internet, I'd spend hours just reading up all the writing, so what that means exactly, I have yet I always start out with a line sketch. Depending
lore on the wikis. But for me, there was something to figure out. on how comfortable I am with the subject, it'll
about making worlds that don't exist and being able either be really clean and detailed so I don't mess
to offer anyone a story or a visual experience that What are some things unique to this world that you’re up during the painting process, or it will be really
they just wouldn't be able to have in real life. Giant building? The Ferid Reborn quickly comes to mind, but fast and loose because I can paint confidently. I have
monsters, dragons, dinosaurs...they're all just so maybe you could elaborate on these qualities. somewhat of a classical painting process; I don't
cool, so I wanted to draw them as much as I can. really use different layer modes like 'multiply' or
'overlay,' and I paint as if I were on canvas using
the eyedropper tool to help blend my colors. The Sure, one of my personal favorites is the three-eyed
process also lets me work on fewer layers so it all mage, Martinson (above). I made the first sketch
doesn't get over complicated. I have a pretty large of him back in 2016 and ended up liking it so
library of art from lots of my favorite artists that I much I made several more sketches of him until I
always refer back to when learning how to render finally decided to create a full illustration. He's a
certain textures or items. necromancer that has gone mad and is somewhat about dark fantasy is that it can sometimes get very idea I want to play around with. And then there's
immortal. The skulls that wrap around his neck dull and bleak very quickly. And I would like to also all the stuff going on with the Angelic church
What advice can you give to people looking to do work don't really have a purpose, and the third eye is a be able to use color to offset that and to add some in the capital, Raendor. The church is starting to get
similar to yours? mutation he mysteriously had. The painting was flavor to classic fantasy tropes. The fetid reborn, involved with some pretty dark experiments in their
made in Photoshop, and my aim was to practice for example, are very iridescent, and I plan on goal to achieve transcendence. But we'll see how all
Study your fundamentals. I know that's incredibly making a full, card art style image (which I don't do making more creatures similar to them be even more that develops.
vague but when I say that, I mean when you have an as often as I should) and to practice lighting, hence saturated with color.
understanding of how to draw things in perspective, the bright magic coming off his hands. I'm hoping I I think what excites me will be getting to the
render light on form, or imply texture, it really can make another painting like this soon. Oh, that sounds like a fun twist to classic dark fantasy. unique areas and encountering the various foes that
makes all the difference in the world. It doesn't I’d love to see how that turns out. I know you’re still in would stand in the way of the player on their quest.
matter how good you are at shading and rendering; And he wasn't originally going to be a part of my the beginning of creating your story, but would you care The "late game," if you will. There's something
if your initial drawing of a fish isn't done well to world, but as I develop it more, I think I might be to describe the storyline a bit more? about my process where I feel like I have to start
begin with, it won't look good. But if you know able to fit him in. He's around 10-12 feet tall and simple by designing stuff like the common people,
what you're doing, a simple sketch of a fish will look that would make for a cool boss fight. I kind of start making this world by creating some soldiers, small enemies, and the "tame" locations.
fantastic. Another example is anatomy. You can't characters, creatures, and sketches of locations. I I'm excited to get to designing the dungeons, ruins,
fix anatomy with all the shading in the world. So I It seems like your world has this balance between these just created places where a player can explore and really powerful creatures and villains, and, hopefully,
think that would be a good place to start for people bright landscapes and dark, mysterious places. Why simply fight stuff. I'm still in the process of writing some crazy cosmic entities that don't make any
aiming to create realistic work similar to mine. That don’t you tell me a bit more about that. How does it an actual narrative. But I'm hoping that while I flesh sense.
being said, I still have an incredible amount left to relate to the story of your world? out the world, it'll be easier to write a story from it.
learn myself. One potential idea is that there is a fallen angel in
I think, over the past year or so, I've been really a sunken, Atlantean city that spreads a corruption
Solid advice. Are there any pieces featured in this issue liking bright saturated art, and it was something that known as the Rot all around. It's pretty cliché, and
you’d like to give us some more insight to? I wanted to implement into my own art. The thing I wouldn't want it to be the main story, but it is an
Awesome! Thank you so much! Is there anything else

you’d like to say to our readers?
Thank you very much for showing interest in my

Kevin Catalan can be found on his website,
Instagram, or Behance, where he posts his artwork.
STAFF PICKS
art. It really encourages me to continue pursuing
this project. It's all very exciting. I'm always open to This interview was edited for Worldbuilding
talking about art if anyone wants to or if anyone has Magazine. Title Name: The Title Name:
any questions. Thank you for having me! Wolf of Wall Street Endurance
Special thanks to Kevin for taking the time to speak Director: Martin Author: Alfred
with us and share a bit about their work. If you have Scorsese Lansing
an illustrated world of your own, apply for one of our Media: Film Media: Book
future art features. MPAA Rating: R Picked by: Robert
Picked by: B.K. Meegan
Bass
Not merely the
The Wolf of greatest adventure
Wall Street is the ever written, this is
amazing true story the true story of how
of Wall Street trader Ernest Shackleton
Jordan Belfort, set out in 1914 to
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the autobiography crushed in the ice.
of the same name, this film is so over the top Through amazing navigation and sailing skills, as
you might think most of it was embellished. In well as limitless courage, all twenty-eight members
fact, Belfort’s rise to power and the life of 1990s of the crew managed to return to safety. Lansing
corporate decadence is mostly true! If you’ve ever used the original diaries and interviews of the crew
wanted a peek behind the closed doors of the stock to write a book that will keep you reading well past
market, don’t miss this movie! your bedtime.
Wendover Productions, run by Sam Denby, works

to explain how our world works through short and
informative videos. Extremities, a podcast that first
aired in June 2019, explores the most extreme places
people live. Season one explored Pitcairn Island, a
remote island in the South Pacific with a population
of about 50 people. Season two discussed Svalbard,
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Title Name: Extremeties international laws. As Sam discusses the history of
Developer: Wendover Productions / Sam Denby how people came to settle in these remote locations
Media: Podcast and how they live today, worldbuilders may find
Picked by: Adam Bassett inspiration in these seldom discussed locations.
ANCIENT SPEARS
BLOOD FOR MONEY: HISTORY
WARFARE
FROM EASTERN LANDS
THE ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION

The earliest recorded references of mercenaries come
from the Amarna Letters, a series of three hundred
POLITICS
OF THE MERCENARY PROFESSION
and fifty tablets dating as far back as 2500 BCE.
The first of these were discovered in 1887 CE in the
ancient Egyptian city of Akhetaten. Archaeologists
by B.K. Bass discovered the letters were correspondences between
Art by Adam Bassett leaders of Egypt, Babylon, Hatti, Mitanni, and
Assyria; among others. These cultures controlled
“Diplomacy without arms is like music the eastern Mediterranean, ranging from modern
without instruments.” day Egypt to Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. In the Amarna
Letters, a group of mysterious nomads from the far
— Frederick the Great, east are described by various individuals from across
Prussian King (1712-1786) the region. There are numerous references to them
ranging throughout the area. 4
E verybody has likely heard the phrase “the world’s

oldest profession” associated with prostitution.
However, that phrase originates from the 1889 short
occupation in Western cultures throughout the ages,
and identify some landmark trends from the history
of this profession. Then, we will look at how we can
These people were referred to as the Apiru by the
Egyptians, the SA. GAZ (one who smashes sinew)
story “On the City Wall” by Rudyard Kipling. While apply what we learn in our worldbuilding. by the Sumerians, and the Habiru by the Akkadians.
there are ancient references to the occupation of The word Habiru is closely related in Akkadian to
prostitution, such as brothels in ancient Rome and WHAT IS A MERCENARY? terms for plunderer (habbatu) and murderer (saggasu).
biblical references like King Solomon’s “three hun- The Akkadian saggasu is derivative of the Sumerian
dred concubines,” there are even older references to From the rogue sellsword to companies of trained SA. GAZ, and typically referred to small bands of kings hired Medjay Numidians for the same purpose,
another profession: the mercenary soldier.1 soldiers fighting to fill their pockets, the term men who would sell their services as warriors.5 This and by the time of the New Kingdom from the
mercenary can bring a lot of images to mind both connection may be circumstantial at best, but a fifteenth to eleventh centuries BCE, the Medjay had
What if prostitution isn’t the world’s oldest from our own history and the fictional worlds we word is a powerful thing. In a time where organized become the police force of Egypt.6
profession? One could assume that as far back as the enjoy spending time in. What is the line in the languages were still developing and people were trying
paleolithic era, individuals would engage in violence sand that separates the greedy scoundrel from the to make sense of the world around them, naming an By the fourteenth century BCE, the Habiru
not to ensure their own survival, but rather for a professional soldier? According to the Encyclopædia entire culture of nomads wandering into your land once again appear in the historical records. By this
share of the spoils resulting from said actions. The Britannica, a mercenary is a “hired professional would not have been done without some thought time, they had established themselves as recognized
same could be said for trading intimate favors for soldier who fights for any state or nation without behind it. mercenaries and fought for many kingdoms in the
food, shelter, or other gains. So, the mystery of the regard to political interests or issues.”2 Middle East. Even the renowned biblical general
world’s oldest profession may be lost in the shroud We can also assume from the other monikers David was said to be a member of the Habiru tribe.
of the past. What one cannot deny is that as long From this, we can say that our lone sellsword is as associated with the Apiru (plunderer, murderer) that By 1050 BCE, mention of these people ceased and
as mankind has existed, we have been killing each much a mercenary as a member of an organization their arrival in the Middle East was not a pleasant they seemed to have disappeared.6 However, some
other for a variety of reasons; be they the protection specializing in warfare-for-hire. There are quite a few event for anybody. Likely, instead of suffering these believe that the Habiru did not disappear from the
of our own property and communities or some sort synonyms for mercenary in the English language that warlike nomads to wreak havoc on their own lands, face of the earth, but rather these plunderers and
of personal gain. would apply to the individual: gun for hire, soldier of rulers would have sought out opportunities to direct mercenaries settled into an agrarian existence in
fortune, and so on. When it comes to organizations, the aggressions of these nomadic marauders towards the region of Jerusalem. The similarities between
Some may argue that killing for personal gain the term mercenary company comes to mind. Another an enemy state in exchange for the promise of reaping the names “Habiru” and “Hebrew” are remarkable,
is nothing more than murder. While this is an common term from history is free company, used from the spoils of war. The first documented account of and there are other aspects to consider as well. The
interesting question to explore, we’ll leave that the 12th to the 14th centuries CE for private armies such an occurrence dates to 2350 BCE. King Sargon settlement of the Hebrew is thought to have occurred
aspect to the philosophers. Rather, we will be who sold their services to various entities. The word of Akkad hired upwards of five thousand men from around 1200 BCE, which would coincide with the
exploring the history of the profession, and how free in the name refers to the fact that they were free the borders of his kingdom to police his own lands. last mention of the Habiru just fifty years later. Also,
it evolved from an ad hoc phenomenon in the of any political allegiances.3 No matter what they are He did not wish to quell uprisings with his own there are several references to the Habiru as being
bronze age to an international establishment by called though, a mercenary can be considered any troops, which would have led to his own people fugitive slaves, a narrative that is strikingly similar
the fourteenth century CE. We will establish what entity which fights for profit rather than allegiances or fighting amongst themselves. Rather, he chose to task to the Exodus story of the Hebrew people.7 Many
defines a mercenary, explore the history of the ideals. outsiders with the grim work. Likewise, Egyptian do not wish to consider the origin of the Israelites to
be a marauding band of nomads pillaging their way can make better lives for themselves. On the other
through the ancient world for over a thousand years hand, they could simply wander into a land that is
before settling down, but the evidence to support this unsettled and which provides the necessary resources
theory can not be discarded out of hand. for them to support themselves without pillaging
others. This cultural shift in itself would make for a
SWORDS AND SANDALS fascinating narrative.
For anybody developing a setting with a bronze age PHALANX FOR SALE
society, there are a few key take-aways here that can
help us consider mercenaries in a swords and sandals As ancient history gave way to classical antiquity,
setting. They can also give us some insight into the kingdoms grew and their borders began to press upon
interactions of political entities during this era. one another. Warfare became a more common part of
life, and the need for professional soldiers increased.
First of all, we see more than one example of Nowhere was this truer than in classical Hellas
leaders not wishing to set their own people against (modern-day Greece), where the various city-states
each other. Hiring foreign mercenaries to put down were at almost constant war with one another.
rebellions, or even simply to act as a police force,
makes sense in a lot of ways. Preventing infighting Indeed, it is said that every man in the Hellenic
among the populace is one advantage to this, and the world was required to be either a soldier or a sailor in
impartiality of a policing body that is not interacting addition to his primary occupation. Even the famed
with their own neighbors and families would be poet Homer bore a pike at the Battle of Delium in
another. 424 BCE. This resulted in an entire populace that
had a secondary occupation to fall back upon should
Secondly, one might take the example of the Habiru times become tough, and so they did for the ancient
as the birth of a mercenary society being one born Hellenes. First inspired by economic pressure and
out of the need to divert a hostile force. Faced with agricultural hardships, and later from the political
the encroachment of violent nomads into his lands, ramifications following the First Peloponnesian War,
a leader may see the only way to preserve the peace many fled their homeland in search of opportunities
in his own kingdom may be directing these people abroad. Hellenic men sold their services as warriors
against another political body. Perhaps he will even in lands as widespread as Persia, Egypt, and even
provide them with the means to victory, or simply Syracuse.8
promise greater spoils in other lands.
Yes, Hellenic men fought for Persia despite
We also see more of the political landscape from the generations of conflict between the two cultures.
example of the Amarna Letters. Despite being small, Even in the fifth century BCE, when all the Hellenic
remote cultures that have been newly established and world lived under the shadow of encroaching Persian
that speak different languages; there is a historical aggression, there are records of Hellenes serving with
precedent for diplomatic discourse between them. their cultural rivals. Aesop, Herodotus, and Aristotle
Not only did these leaders engender peaceful have all written of these warriors who fought for
relationships between one another, but they also the enemy. The result of this situation varied for
used these letters to spread news across their growing the participants. Oft times the profession of the
domains and share information with their neighbors. mercenary was respected, and those who survived
battle could return to their old homes with their
Finally, the possible evolution of the Habiru people newfound fortunes. Other times, such as with the
into the Hebrew culture is an example where an entire case of the mercenary general Xenophon, those who
nomadic warrior culture might undergo a dramatic fought for the enemy would be exiled from their
transformation and settle down into a more sedentary homes.9
existence. Perhaps they might be tasked to deposing
the enemy of their patron and find themselves We can see from these disparate receptions that
suddenly occupying a space in which they feel they the profession of the mercenary during the classical
period was not universally recognized or respected and herders to suddenly leave their homes and fight according to Marcus Junianus Justinus Frontinus of ended the war illustrates the reason why the Romans
in the Hellenic world. Indeed, it was not until the in distant lands for a foreign army, there must be a Rome. The city grew into a central hub of trade for would later call it the Truceless War—a moniker
campaigns of Alexander the Great from 334 to 323 motivating factor more powerful than simply the the western colonies of the Phoenician Empire over given to the conflict because there was no desire by
BCE that both the armies of Alexander and the accumulation of wealth. The threat of starvation, the next two and a half centuries. After the fall of Tyre either side to negotiate a peace. Hamilcar Barca,
Persians used organized units of mercenaries in great political ostracization, or simply the lack of no other to Babylon in 575 BCE, the colonies were cut off and father of the famed Hannibal Barca who would later
numbers. Even then, there was still not a specific options would all be more plausible reasons for an Carthage became the center of the empire’s western march his own mercenary army over the Alps to
word to represent the profession. A common term individual to willingly face the hardships of warfare holdings; the heart of a new empire in practice, if not invade the Roman heartland, trapped 40,000 men
used was mithophoros, which simply means “one who and put their lives in danger. in name. Over the next three hundred years Carthage of the rebel army in a canyon called “The Saw” in
serves.” Other terms used were epikouros (guardian) would support the former colonies, and what began 239 BCE. Here, he starved out the rebels until they
and xenos (foreigner).10 Also, and potentially more importantly, there needs as a disparate collection of isolated settlements grew surrendered. Following this, he had every last man
to be a demand for these men. While desperation into a de facto empire. While the city remained executed; then defeated the remainder of the turncoat
If the mercenary was not a recognized profession, might be the catalyst to drive men to sell their services focused on mercantile endeavors, they fought wars mercenaries at Tunis.15
why did so many Hellenic men choose to take up as soldiers, war is the environment which provides the over the years against the likes of Syracuse, Sparta,
the spear abroad rather than simply settling new opportunity for professional warriors to attempt to and Epirus.13
lands? Many argue the only thing needed to create better their situation. Constant war, more so, causes
an environment for mercenaries is the threat of war, situations where populations have been depleted and What may have lead to the prominent use of ...THERE ARE TWO
men desperate to better their situation, and someone armies cannot be reinforced from their own citizenry. mercenaries by Carthage? It was likely caused by
willing to pay them to fight. The Hellenic region What other reasons might there be for a state to hire the dichotomy of a mercantile city focused on trade PRIMARY FACTORS
is one of rough terrain that is not ideally suited to mercenaries in your world? This could be a great way finding itself at the heart of an empire constantly at
widespread agriculture, and during the classical age to flesh out a culture or create an interesting narrative war. By the time of the First Punic War with Rome in THAT CAN GIVE BIRTH
bred a population that the land was unable to sustain. element. Are the people a pacifist culture, and 241 BCE, the Carthaginian armies consisted of large
This led to an abundance of wage-earners who were therefore unable or unwilling to fight? Is the location numbers of hired soldiers representing a broad variety TO THE MERCENARY
unable to support themselves and their families. of the war unsuited to the citizenry of the state, such of cultures, languages, and backgrounds. The system
Perhaps more than this, the constant state of war both as some sort of off-world crusade in a science fiction for hiring, training, and controlling the mercenary POSITION: DESPERATE
from within and without the region created a need setting? forces was all handled by the Carthaginian generals;
for professional soldiers. None were considered more leading to a generally hands-off approach and little PEOPLE AND A NEED
professional or desirable than the Hellenic hoplite Combining these two factors, a perfect storm of direct supervision of the hired soldiers. Their loyalty
phalanx. This demand created opportunity for the supply and demand created the first professional was ensured in part by the promise of plunder FOR MORE SOLDIERS.
desperate to better themselves not only through daily soldiers for hire in classical Hellas. In our own from successful battles, and by retaining hostages
wages, but through plunder. Indeed, a man who worlds, should we wish to birth the profession of the in the form of family members of the mercenaries
survived several years of service as a mercenary might mercenary, a similar combination of desperation and themselves. This informal system of control failed After the end of the Truceless War, Hamilcar Barca
find himself enriched enough to live comfortably for necessity would be an ideal environment to breed our in 240 BCE and lead to a mercenary uprising that set about reforming Carthage’s system of recruiting,
the rest of his life.11 own fledgling mercenaries. would last three years, conquer much of North training, and overseeing their mercenary forces.
Africa, and nearly threaten the security of the city of Rather than administrating solely through the central
BORN OF NECESSITY THE NEW CITY Carthage itself.14 government and generalship, Hamilcar established
a Carthaginian officer corps to decentralize these
In studying the classical Hellenic world, we can see While the Hellenic poleis were fighting amongst The conflict that ensued would come to be tasks. Each group of mercenaries would be assigned
a situation that was ripe for the development of the themselves and staving off repeated incursions by considered one of the most brutal of its era. An a commander who would not only lead them on
mercenary profession. In our own worlds, perhaps the Persian Empire during the Peloponnesian Wars, army of 20,000 mercenaries had been victorious in campaign, but also oversee distributing their pay;
the profession of the mercenary is likewise not a another culture was growing in northern Africa. Sicily against the Romans, but returned to Carthage which would help to solidify their loyalty to their
widespread or recognized establishment. Drawing Called Qrt-ḥdšt by its Phoenician founders in Tyre, after the treaty was signed to end the First Punic commander. He also ensured that they were occupied
inspiration from the stories of the Hellenes, we can the name translates to “new city.”12 From this name, War. The coffers of the city were already strained at with constant battle far from the center of the empire
see that there are two primary factors that can give we can assume this far flung colony was likely seen as this point, and after paying war reparations to the thanks to his conquest of Iberia. Through these
birth of the mercenary occupation: desperate people a new Tyre in the west. Romans, the Carthaginian senate found that it could reforms, Hamilcar ensured the mercenary armies of
and a need for more soldiers. not pay what was due to the mercenaries. The army Carthage were well organized, loyal, and had their
Romans knew the new city as Carthāgō, and today openly attacked the holdings of the empire, and aggression directed away from the Carthaginian
For some, throwing their lives into danger in we refer to it as Carthage. Contemporary historians over time other malcontents joined their ranks. The heartland by the outbreak of the Second Punic War in
return for the promise of coin might—by itself—be place the founding of Carthage in the late ninth rebel army swelled to 50,000 men by the height of 201 BCE.14
a worthwhile prospect. For most however, self- century BCE, around 814 BCE according to Timaeus the war. Although there were a number of atrocities
preservation is a very powerful motivator. For farmers of Tauromenium (a city in Sicily) and 825 BCE committed by both sides of the conflict, the one that
COIN, ALLEGIANCE, of the mercenary contract. This could be an item of the Roman military and served under the politician- EVERYBODY WANTS
AND PACIFICATION value or perhaps even a certain amount of currency. generals of the Republic in the same way as soldiers TO RULE THE WORLD
from Rome did. They came from lands which had
There are a few lessons to be learned from the Finally, we might wish to consider the consequences been absorbed by the Empire, and the men were Rome faced a situation similar to that of Carthage
Carthaginian’s early experiences in fielding a large should the system break down. The story of the taught the Roman ways by their commanders during The Truceless War, but on a titanic scale.
mercenary force. It may not be enough to simply say Truceless War is an incredible tale of brutal warfare. and peers; or Romanized. In essence, these former Eventually, their mercenaries turned on the state.
our fictional culture employs mercenaries. Rather, we Exploring a similar idea in our own narratives would foreigners were now members of the Roman Empire Why even bother, then? Again, the mercenary
should consider how they are paid, how their loyalty make for some gripping storytelling. On the other and were fighting for their new political overlords.17 profession was born of necessity. Rome simply
is ensured, and what the consequences may be should hand, what might be the consequences should a became too large; an empire consisting more of
the system break down. group of mercenaries fail to carry out their end of the Over the next two hundred years, Rome would foreigners than actual Romans.
arrangement? Would they then be hunted down by continue to enlist foreign warriors into the ranks
While it is obvious that paying mercenaries is the armies of the state? Also, if the state is relying on of the auxiliary, but it would also begin to employ If we want to include a massive empire in our
important, the type and manner of payment is an a large mercenary force, are they able to field a citizen foreign mercenaries. As the Empire reached its own worldbuilding, we need look no further than
important topic to consider. The promise of plunder army large enough to achieve what Hamilcar Barca extreme northern border with the building of the Roman Empire for an important lesson in the
was not original to the Carthaginians. Looking back did? Could the employees become the conquerors Hadrian’s Wall in Britannia circa 122-128 CE, building of our imperial army. There’s not going to
at the Habiru and Hellenic mercenaries, we see that instead? we see the first evidence of this. There have been be enough citizens from the heartland to maintain
this was a common method of remuneration for archaeological artifacts found across England in an effective army across this wide swath of territory.
military service. The mercenaries were also due a THE GLORY OF ROME Bicester, Burgh-by-Sands, Carrawburgh, Cirencester, Even if every able-bodied man had been handed a
salary, however, and it was when this could not be Glossop, Hexham, Manchester and Papcastle weapon and sent to the frontier, there would have
paid that the army rebelled. Will our cultures rely According to legend, Rome was founded by the of Frisian soldiers—natives of the Germanic not been enough manpower to effectively secure the
more on payment of a set salary or the promise of brothers Romulus and Remus in 753 BCE. The city Rhineland—who fought in and occupied this land. borders and police all the land within them. And, this
plunder? Will men willingly risk their lives on the quickly grew to become an influential force in the The empire had never successfully conquered lands would have effectively gutted the heart of the empire
chance of fortune, or would they be more likely to central Italian peninsula. Contact with the Etruscans east of the Rhine River, and the Frisians were known of farmers, craftsmen, theologians, scholars, and
serve for a steady income? around 600 BCE brought with it cultural influences by the Romans as transrhenana gens, or “the people politicians.
and advances in trade, and from these Rome would on the other side of the Rhine.” These were foreign
This branches out into another factor to consider: quickly grow from a trading town into a thriving fighters who had not be subjugated by Rome, but Let’s take a hypothetical empire and call it the
what is the economy of the employing state like? economic powerhouse. In 509 BCE the last Roman rather had volunteered to fight for the Empire in Hykorian Empire. When developing the history
Carthage was a mercantile empire focused on trade, king—Tarquin the Proud—was deposed following exchange for pay and plunder.18 of it, we can assume that Hykoria was once a city-
and therefore had at its disposal a healthy economy a tyrannical twenty-six year reign, dominated state or small kingdom. Let’s say the empire grew
from which to hire foreign soldiers. Looking back by constant construction projects that taxed the As the Roman Empire grew, it became impossible by conquering the land around it over a thousand
again to Hellas, where the economy was so poor that citizens of Rome both in coin and labor. Following for the citizens of Rome to provide armies sizeable years. Perhaps the people from the early campaigns
many citizens hired themselves out to the enemy of this, Lucius Junius Brutus established the Roman enough to police and defend territory spanning from now consider themselves Hykorian, but what of
their homeland, we see a need to rely upon the native Republic, a political body that would soon change the England to Egypt. During the rise of the empire, those recently conquered? Do those in the land
population rather than mercenaries. If we’re to say our face of the world.16 Roman citizenry contributed around sixty-five of Jurani, subjugated just a hundred years ago,
fictional state is hiring mercenaries, we need to ensure percent of the imperial soldiers. By the fifth century consider themselves Hykorian or Juranian? How are
their economic situation enables them to compensate For most of its early history, the Roman republic CE, this had been reduced to around one percent. the Juranians viewed by those in the heart of the
those that fight for them. relied on a citizen militia for waging its wars of While Romans still lead the armies of Rome, the empire, who can trace their lineage back a thousand
conquest over the other Italic tribes, and even soldiers consisted of Germans, Goths, and other years to its founding? Like Rome, Hykoria will need
As far as securing the loyalty of the troops, one through the Punic Wars. When Gaius Marius foreign soldiers. Some were Romanized members to enlist Juranians into their army. The larger our
would hope that steady payment might be enough. was appointed Consul in 107 BCE, however, he of the auxiliary, while others served as mercenaries. empire, the more “foreign” troops will be part of the
However, Carthage’s early attempts to ensure this reorganized the Roman military in what is known This reliance on foreign soldiers became part of the army. Whether they be mercenaries, conscripts, or
through taking family members of the soldiers as as the Marius Reforms. The military became a force downfall of the empire. When Clermont was besieged volunteers is up to us to decide, but the ramifications
hostages opens a door to considering other options. of full-time professional volunteers, who served in by the Goths in 471 CE, there was no Roman army of a multi-ethnic and multicultural military force
The short leap from here would be any assortment of exchange for a regular wage. As the territory of the to defend the city. Sidonius Apollinaris, Bishop of must still be considered.
threats of reprisal, from the direct family member to republic expanded, it had to rely more and more Clermont at the time, chronicled the siege and the
even an attack on the mercenaries’ homelands. We upon volunteers from conquered lands to bolster its city’s rescue by the arrival of a small cavalry force lead
might also consider some other form of collateral to ranks. These auxiliaries, although drawn from people by Ecdicius. He did not have to ask in his chronicle
be held by the state and returned upon completion not of Roman heritage, still served as members of what had become of the Roman army that was
supposed to be defending Clermont, because the
Goths were the Roman army.19
1* For more about the feudal system, see my article "Feudal Economics" in Volume 3, Issue 5 of Worldbuilding Magazine.
RISE OF THE makes Robert of Flanders one of the first professional If the kingdoms or states in your world are waging Farmers, potters, and cobblers do not face a regular
MERCENARY COMPANY mercenary contractors in history.21 small local wars, there may not be a need for a risk of death in the pursuit of their work. Mercenaries
mercenary contractor to provide an entire army. On do. War is an ugly, exhausting, and dangerous affair.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe was cast For over five hundred years, the medieval knight the other hand, should a peaceful nation be suddenly Death in battle is often slow and painful. Worse,
into what would become known as the Dark Ages. ruled the battlefield. They were armed and armored invaded they might encounter such a need. Does this death after a battle could result from weeks of
During this time, tribalism grew to dominance once with the best equipment money can buy, trained happen often enough that the mercenary company suffering from lingering infections. Anybody who sees
again and military organization was focused more on their entire lives for battle, and fought astride massive already exists, though? Is there a demand for this mercenary work to be “easy money” should consider
local events than the global stage. Individual warlords warhorses. In the fourteenth century CE, all of this often enough to keep them in business? While it’s these things, and we as worldbuilders should also
would rally those who lived near them, and armies changed when gunpowder grew to more prominent easy to simply say yes, we also need to say why. To bear them in mind when deciding whether to include
consisted primarily of farmers who would trade the usage in battle. While the common man could hardly say there are free companies readily available for hire mercenaries in our fictional worlds.
pitchfork for the spear in times of need. compete toe-to-toe with a knight, a cannon or musket in our world requires us to set a political landscape
could easily even the odds. No longer was wealth and that necessitates their existence in our worldbuilding There are three sets of questions we need to answer
This tendency to organize military efforts around training the deciding factor on the battlefield. It was before we establish the immediate need for them in if we want to put believable mercenaries in our
local militias rather than professional soldiers now firepower. For the next two hundred years, war our narrative. worldbuilding:
continued into the middle-ages, and eventually would change drastically. By the Military Revolution
grew into the feudal system which governed both of the sixteenth century CE, armies had grown from FROM SELLSWORDS First, why do these men willingly put their lives
the economy and military of Europe for nearly a thousands of men to tens of thousands, and cavalry TO GUNS FOR HIRE on the line? What economic, sociological, or
thousand years.1* Under the feudal system, wealthy charges had given way to ranks of musket-armed personal situation has propelled them to the most
landholders were expected to arm themselves with infantry as the primary force on the battlefield. As We can see from this brief history of the mercenary dangerous and unpleasant pursuit of a wage? How
the best equipment they could afford, often including battle demanded more men, and war transformed that the profession has evolved slowly over time. At often do these circumstances occur?
horses, and provide service to whichever lord they from short local affairs to international struggles of first, there was not even a name for it, and tribes of
swore allegiance to. The peasantry who lived under attrition, professional mercenary companies were nomads who pillaged the land to sustain themselves Second, why does the state have need of them? Is
the rule of these landholders likewise were expected to founded in a new market where nations offered were directed to other realms. Soon, men of the the standing army not large or skilled enough? Or
take up arms when the lord called them to do so. This contracts for thousands of men at a time. During Hellenistic world found themselves in a situation is there simply no standing army? Why are they at
system created a core force of well-armed and well- this age, the Swiss, Germans, and Italians all became where their only marketable skill was holding a shield war, and what do they stand to protect or gain that
trained soldiers consisting of the nobility and their purveyors of entire companies of professional soldiers and spear. As time moved on, great empires grew justifies the expense of paying the state’s treasure to
own household guard, supported by a more numerous for foreign powers.22 and found that their own citizens were not enough these independent soldiers?
citizen militia. As there was no central organization to maintain their armies. Eventually, new wars of
for training troops—and each man was armed with It’s very appealing to insert companies of thousands conquest arose that led to the hiring of mercenaries Finally, what can go wrong? What happens
what he could afford—the majority of the armies of of mercenaries into our fantasy worlds, even should so that a duke might conquer a kingdom. Finally, when the mercenaries aren’t paid, or the plunder
the early medieval period consisted of poorly-armed they be set in the Bronze, Iron, or Dark Age-inspired the military revolution caused by the prevalence of promised doesn’t live up to their expectations?
men who were more skilled on the fields of a farm societies. The Unsullied and The Golden Company gunpowder—and even larger global empires during What if they decide that attacking their employer
than the fields of battle.20 of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series the colonial age—bred an international market for would be more lucrative than carrying out their
immediately spring to mind as examples of organized large numbers of professional soldiers. contract?
This focus on local allegiances changed in the mercenary companies and contractors in such a
tenth century as state leaders started turning their fantasy setting. There’s a common theme permeating all of this: If you answer these questions, rather than simply
attention to more global affairs. The Norman invasion necessity. The Hellenes needed to leave home and inserting mercenaries into your world based on the
of England provides one of the first documented However, we should take a moment to reflect on work to survive. Carthage was cut off from Phoenicia “rule of cool,” you will end up with a more detailed
examples of mercenary service since the fall of what birthed the formation of such companies in our and needed to rely upon foreign warriors. The tapestry of a political and economic landscape that
Rome. Duke William of Normandy hired soldiers own history. Romans needed more men than available to man justifies them. I advocate that exploring our own
from Brittany, Flanders, Champagne, and Italy in a growing frontier. William the Conqueror needed history is an essential guidepost to creating believable
preparation for the invasion. His son, William II, Warfare throughout history was dominated by those more men to invade England. The imperial powers of settings, and I see speculative fiction as a lens through
would go on to be referred to as “militum mercator with skill at arms. Lifetimes of training were required the colonial age needed thousands of men to further which we might study the human condition. By
et solidator”, or “a great buyer and purveyor of to become a competent warrior, and those with little their wars of attrition. studying our past, we can better establish living
soldiers.” The shift from hiring individual warriors to skill in these matters rarely had a long career at it. worlds for our readers and/or players to immerse
organized contracting of mercenaries may have first Also, what necessitates a large force of mercenaries? While one would expect the birth and evolution themselves in. And through that immersion into these
occurred in 1101 CE. Robert of Flanders provided Massive battles across an international stage fought of any profession to simply rely upon supply and fictional worlds, we might learn more about our own
Henry I of England with 1,000 Flemish knights for by men who could be trained in months rather than demand or the opportunity for wealth, the profession world and ourselves.
service in England and Normandy, for which he was years created a shift in military history that birthed of the mercenary is another affair entirely. This
paid a fee of five hundred pounds sterling. This likely the modern mercenary company. difference lies in the inherent risk of the profession.
WORKS CITED 11. “Medieval Mercenaries.” Weapons and Warfare. rush-limbaugh-calls-sandra-fluke-a-prostitute-is-

https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2019/04/13/ prostitution-really-the-worlds-oldest-profession.html.
1. “Carthage.” Livius. June 10, 2019. https://www. medieval-mercenaries/. April 13, 2019. Accessed Accessed October 07, 2019.
livius.org/articles/place/carthage/. Accessed October October 14, 2019.
08, 2019. 21. Wolfe, Robert. “From Habiru to Hebrews: The
12. Newman, Simon. “Military in the Middle-Ages.” Roots of the Jewish Tradition.” New English Review.
2. Encyclopædia Britannica. “Mercenary.” The Finer Times. http://www.thefinertimes.com/ https://www.newenglishreview.org/Robert_Wolfe/
Encyclopædia Britannica. October 04, 2013. https:// Middle-Ages/military-in-the-middle-ages.html. From_Habiru_to_Hebrews%3A_The_Roots_of_the_
www.britannica.com/topic/mercenary. Accessed Accessed October 14, 2019. Jewish_Tradition/. October 2009. Accessed October
October 07, 2019. 07, 2019.
13. Lowinger, Pat. “Fighting for the Enemy:
3. Emery, Kevin Patrick. Carthaginian Mercenaries: Greek Mercenaries in Persian Service.” 22. Wyman, Patrick. “Professional Mercenaries
Soldiers of Fortune, Allied Conscripts, and Multi-Ethnic Discovering Ancient History. April 06, 2017. and Cannon Made Medieval War Obsolete.”
Armies in Antiquity (pp. 7-17). Wofford College. https://discoveringancienthistory.wordpress. Deadspin. https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/
Spartanburg, South Carolina. 2016. com/2017/04/06/fighting-for-the-enemy-greek- professional-mercenaries-and-cannon-made-medieval-
mercenaries-in-persian-service/. Accessed October 08, war-o-1809949992. Sepember 17, 2015. Accessed
4. Faber, Hans. “Frisian Mercenaries in the Roman 2019. October 14, 2019.
Army.” Frisia Coast Trail. https://www.frisiacoasttrail.
com/single-post/2018/03/02/Frisian-mercenaries-in- 14. Plautus. Amphitryon. (p. 210). Harvard University
the-Roman-Army. March 2, 2018. Accessed October Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2011.
14, 2019.
15. Rea, Cam. “Soldiers for Sale: Mercenaries from
5. Frye, David G. “Rome’s Barbarian Mercenaries.” Ancient Times to Medieval Times.” Ancient Origins.
Historynet. https://www.historynet.com/romes- September 24, 2018. https://www.ancient-origins.
barbarian-mercenaries.htm. Accessed October 14, net/history/mercenaries-ancient-medieval-0010745.
2019. Accessed October 07, 2019.
6. “Greek Mercenaries in Antiquity.” History of 16. Russell, A.G. “The Greek as a Mercenary Soldier.”
Macedonia. March 14, 2007. http://history-of- Greece & Rome, Vol. 11, No. 33 (pp. 103-112).
macedonia.com/2007/03/14/greek-mercenaries-in- Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, U.K. May,
antiquity/. Accessed October 08, 2019. 1942.
7. “Habiru/Apiru Mercenaries.” Weapons and 17. Scoville, Priscila. “Amarna Letters.” Ancient
Warfare. July 23, 2017. https://weaponsandwarfare. History Encyclopedia. November 06, 2015. https://
com/2017/07/23/habiruapiru-mercenaries/. Accessed www.ancient.eu/Amarna_Letters/. Accessed October
October 07, 2019. 07, 2019.
8. Lanning, Col. Michael Lee. Mercenaries: Soldiers of 18. Trundle, Matthew Freeman. “What Motivated
Fortune, from Ancient Greece to Today’s Private Military Greek Mercenary Service?” The Classical Greek
Companies (p. 32). Random House Publishing Mercenary and His Relationship to the Polis (pp.
Group. New York, New York. December 18, 2007. 111-178). McMaster University School of Graduate
Studies. Hamilton, Ontario. 1996.
9. Mark, Joshua J. “Ancient Rome.” Ancient History
Encyclopedia. https://www.ancient.eu/Rome/. 19. UNRV. “The Truceless War.” United Nations
September 02, 2009. Accessed October 08, 2019. of Roma Victrix. https://www.unrv.com/empire/
truceless-war.php. Accessed October 09, 2019.
10. Maurice Keen. The Laws of War in the Late Middle
Ages. 1st ed. University of Toronto Press. Toronto, 20. Wickman, Forrest. “Is Prostitution Really the
Canada. 1965. World’s Oldest Profession?” Slate. March 06, 2012.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/03/
people. Society may permit some to practice magic Another aspect of this is the degree of evolution.
but not others, seeing the banned methods as It can be small-scale and local, like the construction
ASK US ANYTHING
RESOURCE dangerous to public order. Certain groups may be of a new type of temple or the introduction of a
denied the study of magic so they do not use it to new musical style. Or they can be culture-wide and
rise up against the state. on a massive scale, like a complete revision of the
by B.H. Pierce society’s code of laws or the death of 1/3rd of the
There you have it. Magic may be limited by its population. It is important to remember that massive,
very Nature. Its Transmission could be limited by it culture-wide evolutions do not happen quickly. Take
T his Ask Us Anything is presented by a senior member of the Amalgamated Order of Interdimensional
Persons, Percival Aluminius Illumnius, Adjunct Professor of Gateways, 3423 WestNorth Street,
Dunny-on-the-Spire.
being an inherent gift or extremely difficult to learn.
The Culture of your practitioners will have rules
and regulations about who may do what. If none
for example, the French Revolution. It cast down
the old feudal regime, beheaded the King of France,
and sparked a war that would consume Europe
of this advice works for you then…send me more for a generation. But at its end, the brother of the
information about it. I am intrigued. beheaded King sat on the French throne. It would be
product of nature, is it a product of reason? Created another fifty years before France would make the full
by the sentient beings of your world to serve their Is 100 years enough time for cultural evolution? transfer from a Monarchy to a Republic.
purposes? Both these examples conceive of magic as — Anonymous
an inert force, but what if it is not? Can magic itself To sum this up, yes, 100 years is enough time for a
think? Make choices? Decide who is blessed with Yes and No. Cultures are forever evolving from culture to evolve, provided it has sufficient motivation
power and who is not? This sort of magic, Active month to month, year to year, and decade to decade. to do so. But 100 years is not enough for a culture
Magic we’ll call it, can make itself hard to obtain by So yes, in the strictest literal sense, but also no in the to change to something completely different from its
its very Nature, unlike magic that is another law of practical sense. Are you keeping up? Good. starting point. From our previous example, France
reality. started the 19th century a Feudal Monarchy and
For clarification, the speed at which your culture ended an Industrialized Republic. Despite these
If you do not have Active Magic, then you must evolves will depend on the lifespan of those who seismic changes, the language, gender norms, and
look to Transmission. How is the power, or the live in it. If the people of your culture are any
knowledge of how to harness magic, passed from flavor of immortal, then it will generally change at deïficat
person to person, if it is at all? One easy way to do a slower rate as the leadership can remain in place
so is to make magic an inborn thing. You either have for much longer. After all, if they are in no danger,
it or you don’t. Along those same lines is Bloodline there is no need to race the flow of time. Also, if
Magic; only those descended from X dragon or Y god the environment they live in is very stable—if they
can wield their power. If magic is far more accessible want for nothing—they will not have much need
than that, then perhaps it can only be harnessed by for change. So, to best answer your question, we
people who make a supreme mental effort, those will assume that humans are the baseline and that
who spend long hours meditating on or studying the the world is earthlike. By earthlike, I mean prone
ACGrad higher mysteries in life. Making magic inherent or to earthquakes, weather shifts, plagues, and other
How do I make magic hard to obtain? earned by extreme, time-consuming effort will go far catastrophes that will send a culture scrambling to
— Anonymous in making it difficult to obtain. survive.
Ah magic, creator of worlds and annihilator of But suppose these two pieces of sage wisdom are A culture is a living thing. It evolves in response to
consistency. Given that magic is such a broad topic, it not enough for you. Your magic is everywhere and changes in its environment. So, if your culture were
should be near impossible for you to receive a useful easy to access by most of the population. There is one to experience a natural disaster such as a famine, it
answer. But fortunately, you asked me. To make limiter left, the Culture the magic is practiced in. would have to change to adapt to the new situation
magic hard to obtain, you must know three things Magic is power, and there is nothing a society likes of having less food to go around. A human-driven
about it: its Nature, its method of Transmission, and more than concentrating power in the hands of the event like a war will force a society to evolve. Nothing
the Culture it is practiced in. worthy few (by their standards at least). If magic can motivates people to change quicker than an outside
be taught to anyone, then it can be denied to anyone. threat. The human-driven event doesn’t even need
Are the powers of magic just another law of reality The vast majority of humanity is capable of reading to be external. New ideas or new technologies from
in your world, like gravity or thermodynamics? Do and writing, but for millennia, that skill was denied within can drive a society to evolve away from norms
they operate on their own until some practitioner to many by anything from explicit policy to the that are now out of date. If you want to know how
comes along to harness them? Or, rather than a simple lack of time for any but the most well-to-do your culture will evolve, look to the forces that are
behind that change.
religion of France was the same in 1800 as it was in As the rings grow wider to dominate the sky
1900. Time and change will force a culture to evolve,
but some very core aspects may remain the same for
longer.
between the equator and the Arctic Circle, a society
could infer many things about them. Perhaps they
would believe the rings are the residence of the gods.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The shadow of the earth on the rings at night would
How would Planetary Rings affect cultures and religions make telling time after dark simple. A culture capable With this issue, we’re putting a close to Volume 3—our 2019 issues. We’ve hit a number of milestones this
of people living on that planet? of travelling long distances from north to south will year, and I feel the quality of our work has never been higher. It’s both a blessing and a curse, as now we’re
— Tristen undoubtedly notice that the rings get thinner and vetting content more intently and striving for this high bar we’ve set for ourselves! So, I’d like to once again
thicker depending on which direction you’re going. thank our staff, guests, and partners who have helped to create Volume 3 of Worldbuilding Magazine. These are
I’ve saved the slipperiest question for last! Cultures As the Greeks calculated the circumference of the the folks who made all this possible, who volunteered their time to keep us going. I could not be more proud
and Religions are extremely varied things and can Earth using the shadows of obelisks, perhaps they of what we’ve accomplished together.
pull inspiration from the strangest places. It is could do the same with the Earth’s shadow on the
impossible to say with certainty what meaning they rings? In high latitudes around the Arctic Circle, 2020 is set to be a wild year as well, as we’ve already got plans in the works for new issues in Volume 4.
would infer from a heavenly body like a ring system. the splendor of the northern lights coupled with the The Arts and Ancestry & Lineage will arrive in February and April respectively, coming with a fresh new
So rather than saying anything for certain, we will low glow of the rings would certainly influence the redesign of the magazine’s layout. We’ve got more on the horizon, and will share that news with you as
examine what rings would look like at different mythology and storytelling of people who live in soon as we’re able to. We expect some of it will be very soon.
latitudes and rampantly speculate. For fun! those areas.
I could go on about all of this. The magazine has been a part of my life for over two years now and it’s easy
Now assuming these rings orbit the equator and As stated, it is hard to decide just how this heavenly to ramble on about it. Instead, I’ll leave you with this vision for the future and suggest that if you would like
are seen through an earth-like atmosphere, they will body would inspire those living under it. People are to get in touch with us, an email or joining our Discord server will do. We’re not too difficult to get a hold of,
be narrow at the equator and grow wider the closer creative creatures after all. and if you’re interested in helping us write, edit, illustrate, or manage content—we’d be very grateful, and will
you get to the poles. Here are some lovely examples absolutely will be in touch. The magazine is run on volunteer efforts and the more help we can get the better
to help give you a visual clue. We can see that when the result will be.
standing at the equator the rings would be nothing
more than a thin line of light arching from one end So, in conclusion for this last issue of 2019, thank you to everyone who made it possible. Thank you to the
of the horizon to the other. Further north or south at readers who motivate us to keep doing better.
15º latitude, the rings dominate the sky, rising high
overhead, but you are still able to see the whole ring Happy worldbuilding, everyone.
from top to bottom. At the tropics, the rings form a
graceful arch with the shadow of Earth slowly tracing — Adam Bassett
across it as the day goes by. At 40º, we can see them
dipping lower on the horizon, but are still quite Vice Editor-in-Chief
impressive. When you reach the Arctic Circle at 60º,
they are nothing more than a glow on the horizon,
never rising, never setting.
Now that we know what the rings look like, let

us rampantly speculate, starting with the equator.
The long thin line divides the sky cleanly in two.
Given that people are very aware that the stars move
through the sky, the astrology of a culture would
likely think it was very important when certain
constellations crossed that line. It would also be a
boon to navigation, as the rings very clearly show
which way is east or west. Even further, the thickness
of the rings would change depending on how far
north or south you go. This would give a seafaring
culture close to the equator an easy way to determine
their latitude.
MEET THE STAFF: CONTRIBUTORS

AHEMD ELGHARABAWY
Administration
Curated by ACGrad
Art by Ahmed ElGharabawy Editor-in-Chief — LieutenantDebug With Special Guests
Vice Editor-in-Chief — Adam Bassett
Jay Howard — Featured Worldbuilder
Editorial Chair — Ianara Natividad Kevin Catalin — Featured Artist
Editorial Deputy Chair — Bokai Sean Fallon / Smunchy — Founder and CEO of
Editorial Deputy Chair — Dylan Richmond Smunchy Games
Editorial Deputy Chair — Jaren J. Petty
Writing Chair — B.K. Bass December 2019
Art Chair — Tristen Fekete

Art Deputy Chair — Anna Hannon
Meta Deputy Chair — ACGrad

Meta Deputy Chair — Dinostompah / Tyler Silva
Please introduce yourself! What is your role for the Meta Deputy Chair — Rose Brady
magazine? What work are you most proud of?
Staff
Hi! My name is Ahmed ElGharabawy. I go by
“Pharaoh” or “Red Pharaoh” on most sites. I hail Ahmed ElGharabawy — Artist
from Cairo, Egypt, and I’m one of the artists for deïficat — Artist
Worldbuilding Magazine. Enya Gomez — Layout Artist
Inky — Layout Artist
My best piece to date, that I’m most proud of, is
the cover art for the previous issue, “Economics.” I Aaryan Balu — Writer
have never done a piece of this scale before, and I B. H. Pierce — Writer
still can’t believe I did it, all thanks to the support Emory Glass — Writer
of the other staff members. Outside of art, I’m most Do you have any suggestions for worldbuilding artists Psycho Romeo — Writer
proud of my progress in worldbuilding/storytelling and storytellers who are just starting out? Robert Meegan — Writer
over the past year.
Being somewhat new to it myself, I don’t have Cat Optimist — Editor
What kind of worldbuilding do you do? What is your much to offer at the moment. But there is one Katrina Schroeder — Editor
world like? thing I had to learn the hard way that I can pass Taylor Frymier — Editor
on. That is to “hold nothing sacred,” no matter how Zaivy Luke-Aleman — Editor, Writer
I’m creating an expansive universe in hopes much you were enamoured by the original idea
of telling a larger story within multiple, or how much time and effort you’ve poured into Chyrses — Project Leader
interconnecting comics. it. Sometimes ideas no longer work once you’ve Sean Mihaly — Project Leader
evolved the areas around it, and no “minor changes”
My world is an Alt-history Earth, with hard sci-fi can make it better. By then, it is easier to scrap
elements intermixed with cosmic horror. The main the idea and start anew with a fresh perspective. It’s a
story takes place in the near future, when artificial hard decision to make, but it’s sometimes necessary.
intelligence is first announced to the world, and the Definitely mull it over though, if you ever feel that way.
events that follow.
With special guests Sean Fallon, CEO of Smunchy Games,

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WORKS CITED 11. “Medieval Mercenaries.” Weapons and Warfare. rush-limbaugh-calls-sandra-fluke-a-prostitute-is-

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