For the third Worldbuilding Summer Camp 2020 Preparation Challenge, we’re talking LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!

Worldbuilding a whole setting at once -whether for a campaign or a novel – is tricky and can be overwhelming. And after all, the devil’s in the details when it comes to worldbuilding – that’s where the unique flavor of your world really shows! Adding boundaries to the breadth of your worldbuilding will really help you during Worldbuilding Summer Camp!

In this challenge, we’re getting you started with scale, scope and location!

Why does limiting worldbuilding scope and scale help?

Very few world settings actually span a whole planet. For example, Middle Earth is roughly half the size of the USA according to some calculations. Westeros, the setting of Game of Thrones, is a smaller planet than Earth, and the known world is about the scope and scale of medieval Europe.

There’s a reason that these famous authors, and hundreds more, limited the scale of their worldbuilding to a continent. After all, limiting the scale of your worldbuilding can help in a number of ways. It will make your worldbuilding richer by helping you develop more spicy, unique details! It’s easier to keep track of connections between different places (even if you’re using a worldbuilding tool like World Anvil!) And of course, limiting the scope of your worldbuilding can prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.

 

How do I take part in this Worldbuilding Challenge?

In this challenge, we’re encouraging you to limit the scale of your worldbuilding. Depending on the scope of your world (Space Opera will be different from medieval fantasy, for example!) draw a line around your active worldbuilding area by creating an article. This doesn’t mean you ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT write outside of this area during Worldbuilding Summer Camp, but we recommend that you start by trying to answer the prompts within this space. It’ll make for a more detailed, unique and connected world setting!

  1. Consider your worldsetting. Is there are part you’ve been hoping to build out on? Is there an area you’re excited to explore?
  2. Create a World Anvil article using the Geography Template, detailing the scope and scale of your active worldbuilding for Summer Camp. It might be a solar system (for a space opera) or a continent (for an epic fantasy setting) or maybe even one city!
  3. Add some of the details you already know about this area, but don’t create secondary articles (that’s what Summer Camp is for!). Remember you can always use the World Anvil notebook if you want to keep notes about some of your initial thoughts!
  4. Post the URL of your article into the comments of this blog post!We always recommend checking out other people’s entries too, to get more ideas!There are no prizes and no judging for these challenges – it’s just a super chill assignment to help you get yourself and your world ready for Worldbuilding Summer Camp! We’ll show off a few of our favorites on the next Worldbuilding Summer Camp Preparation Livestream, on 28th June at 7pm UK / 11am Pacific time, on our Twitch and Youtube channels!If you have questions, why not tune into our Tuesday Webinar live streams (Tuesdays at 7pm UK / 11am Pacific time), where we’ll answer you live!

Want to catch up on our previous challenges? Find Week 1 and Week 2 here!

^^ Wanna check out some of that sweet, Summer Camp Merch? Find it here!