Capstone 461 "Making a World."

It's admitted that the main use for wikipedia isn't exactly reliable information.  Though the one thing I find it helps with a lot is nomenclature.  When I wanted to look at "different settings for fantasy worlds" (like steampunk, medieval, etc.) I got answers back for "computer settings".  So I used wikipedia to find the specific words that wouldn't send me to IT consulting.

I found an interesting entry called "world building"  that listed several elements that shape a fantasy world. I figured this would be a great way to solidify the world I want to set my comic to and at the same time create a unique work.

The Elements of World Building:

Cosmology:  
This element applies more to a sci-fi world.  How are the solar systems and stars mapped out?  Are there other dimensions?  How do they relate?
I could include a magical plane with this one, but the comic itself is more down to earth and realistic.  I don't see anyone going to the plane, and even though there is magic in the world, the how's and why's are not important.  To the characters in the story it just exists and people can use it.  Explaining magic is fun, but it's mostly pleasurable for the writer.  I imagine that explaining magic to people in a magical world would be like explaining plastic to someone on the street.  As long as it works, who cares?

Geography and Cartography:
Kingdoms are a large part of the world in my comic.  The one focused on in my comic is the largest in that land.  It takes up most of the continent (roughly the size of Europe) and features many cities but one main one where the King resides. (I'm really just making this up as I type).  The Romans conquered in a manner that was unique, in that they'd replace the rulers of a land they captured but leave the citizens alone, so that their village structure was still intact.  I think this would make a fascinating environment for my fantasy comic since I could include wildly different towns, but still give the characters an excuse to visit them.  An example would be "Sure, you're a troll burrow, but now you're a troll burrow under the name of our king.  We're here to collect your taxes."

Names:
Hmmm... It's still a bit early to start with names.  I was hoping something would come to me once I start sketching the characters.
My usual modus operandum is to take current words, usually verbs, and rework them into something that would make a believable first or last name.  For example one of my favorites is Shye Asher Vidaner.  The character is not shy, but the name is simple and easy to remember.  I've noticed some fantasy creators can get a bit carried away with consonants and make the name hard to pronounce.  So as a general rule if I can't say it in my head, then no one's going to remember it.  Though last names are fair game.

Culture and History:
I want to include different races in with the humans in my comic.  Most of them would appear in the background and a majority would be mixed in with humans.  Some would live outside, but most of the races have long achieved harmony with each other.  There will be some outcasts (like driders and trolls) and will be the common enemy of all the races, but that's not really important in my story.
As for the question of what the races would be, I actually prefer the template in this case.  The fantasy tropes are so well known that you don't have to explain what the species are, everyone knows that elves love nature and shoot bows while satyrs rape nymphs and look like Satan.  So if you know the types, you can work against them.  A character that is a bashful satyr would be much more dynamic since it would play against the stereotype and create interest.
On the flipside, a race of creatures that you just made up would be new to the reader and such a twist would have no meaning.

Human Geography:
I was actually thinking about this one earlier.  I wanted magic to have an effect on the social-economic structure.  Mostly I was pondering on rural-urban relations.  Since most anyone intelligent can use magic, I believe most rural areas would be abandoned.  Instead, large cities would be the focus of the population.  Teleportation can make living on the farm unnecessary while weather control can arrange crops just about anywhere.  The only people living far from civilization would be the ones who choose to, and even then the distance would only be ephemeral.
The setting where my story begins actually be set in a sub-urb of sorts, with a smaller population and a bustling marketplace.  As an area just outside a city but not too far out in the wild, I believe it would be a perfect middle ground to start the adventure.

Physics and Magic:
I really hate big magic.  Floating cities, surreal dimensions, time warping, they're all so sloppy and are usually pulled off in ways that are even sloppier.  Why does this castle float in the air?  Oh, magic crystals.  I prefer magic that is a bit more grounded.
So for my story I grounded the magic!
The magic in my comic works on a consistent level.  You cast a spell it happens, you stop casting it stops working.  You can cast magic on objects (one of the main character uses a variety of magic objects) but the magic isn't limitless nor permanent.  If you want a floating city you better have a bunch of high-level magicians taking shifts or that thing is going to fall (an interesting industrial take on it).  Some objects can be switched on or off, or activated by other magics (such as anti-curse pendants) but they are planned to become obsolete.  It's a comic about tax collecting in a fantasy world, of course there's going to be capitalism involved!

These planning elements are from Francois Dominic Laramee's Game Design Perspectives (2002) as found on Wikipedia.