I need help making a world where multiple parties can play in the same world.

[compact lichen]

I am making a world where multiple parties can play at the same time. That is not all, because i want it to be more role play oriented and i want to record all of it as if It were being kept as lore. i want it to be permadeath, so that if a player dies, they may not play the world again, but they can pass their spot on to another person who plays. I want the characters people use to be significant in the worlds story, so that the next generation of players in the world can travel the world and see the things the previous players have done. I want the players to be able to do their part, and either retire their character, or keep playing to change the world further. The world isnt done yet, and i need help with making it. I have the idea, but i dont have the creativity or the ability to describe anything well. I need people that want to be lore masters, so that we can record lore, as one of the POI's is the grand library where the stories of the previous players are stored, along with all sorts of other things to come. Im here asking for people to help me create this world, and to sign up to play it when its done. I have plenty of spots for players, but not infinite. I also need some DM's, to be assigned to the parties, and some world builders to build the world, and work with the lore masters to create the POI's. I hope some people will see my thoughts the way i do, and decide to help me, but if you dont, thanks anyways. (dm me for invite to server)

[lavish stratus]

I think the first step is figuring out actual playtime. How many sessions per week/month are you capable of running. How many simultaneous parties do you want in the world? How many players are interested? I feel knowing the scheduling logistics and player roster are crucial to knowing how to proceed. Though obviously you can build the world without those details. Another thing to consider is what kind of stories you and your future players are interested in. For a long-term permanent living/evolving world, I'd tend to suggest something that is either very general d&d vibes or something that can encompass multiple themed areas so your players can have the game they want. I'm also currently working on a similar project. #1253841337233576009 is my lore-dump channel if you'd like to look at how I'm handling things so far.

[young gulch]

There's lots of resources out there about running a Westmarches style game. Definitely do your research cause there's a lot that goes into it. There are also servers (like the official D&D server) that allow you to advertise Westmarches games.

[compact lichen]

To answer some of these questions, i want as many parties as possible, but i know this will be difficult, as the rests are a huge problem, not to mention i have never played dnd in my entire life, ive read a couple books, read some of the wiki, and made a few characters, but i really want to do this idea. I know ill have to pretty much recreate the entire system to make this world, and i want it to be able to be played, even when other parties arent online. The player roster is hard though, as ive never played, i have no experience in how big the average party is, so right now the party limits are 6, but once a party starts, they cant add someone to the party until they find them in the game. so either they start together, or they meet up in the game somehow. I want it to be very realistic, in a sense, having to eat, drink, sleep. things that are crucial for their survival. I want it to be set in a medieval era, but magical, of course. My main problem right now, though, is the resting system. I dont know how ill work this out, but i had an idea until my friends said it was horrible. This message is really all over the place and im sorry about it. My other thing is, yes, i want this world to be ever evolving, and when a party dies, another new group of adventurers can take up the reins. They will be able to see all the things the players did, because i will have a couple people recording everything they do, into some "books". These people are my lore masters. obviously they have other work too, like creating the stories for all the npc's (yes, i want every single npc to have an individuap life). But i have an idea to help them with that.

The idea for the time was that it was going to be real time, in a certain timezone, depending on where most of my players are going to be from. The thing is, sometimes itll have to be night, so ill have a POI that can change the time, ingame, so that they can do what they need too for an hour, before it reverts to real time again.

[lavish stratus]

This sounds interesting, I'm curious what your main goal with this is. Are you looking for live D&D sessions or is this more about communal storytelling, generating emergent lore? The first, I'm not sure I can help much with, if you're having players jumping in and out depending on scheduling and then permadeath, I'm not sure what advice to give to manage that. However.... maybe this works well as a play by post thing. Let's say you arbitrarily decide that 1 month IRL is a session and equates to 1 year in gametime. You maybe plan some plot hooks that could be going on for that year. All the players post as they can over the month, you adjudicate where necessary. People can contribute as little as they want or as much as you can DM through and join or leave as they like (or permadeath). At the end, you narrate how everything interacted, and prep another month-long event/chapter in the world's history, building on the last. If you want to add some die rolling, you can, but that could be a lot of rolling to oversee, depending on how much time/effort the players put in. Maybe every combat is just d20 opposed rolls, best 2 out of 3 wins. You can give a bonus for good rp description and creativity or whatever if you like.

[compact lichen]

i see what you mean, however, i want it to go on, for some time, then stop, so i can get the next generations ready, like, the first generation, second generation. but i also want some world changes to happen through these generation switches, like i agree with the month playtime thing, i already had that thought, and now i see that its not just me that thinks like that. i want it to have at least a 1 month interval between the generations, where some time has passed, like it excelerates, faster than the normal breaks. I dont plan on DMing because i want to play in the world, but im beginning to think i wont be able too, because the players shouldnt know anything about the world, except for basic knowledge of the POI's and such. and if i help create it, i cannot play because i will have too much knowledge. My main goal is to create a world that can be passed on after me and my fellow players are done with our lives. I also have thought about the function to retire your character, so that they dont die, and when the game gets passed on, if the players run into you, you can tell them your story, or trade with them, or gift them your old armor. I want this to be role play oriented, and also story oriented, but still feel like a game. I know that this is difficult, because i haven't even scratched the surface of the work that will be required.

Another thing is i would like to have new players, along with veteren players, to spread out the skill level. This way they all arent going to live forever, even though i will instruct my DM's to make this game brutal, with no bias whatsoever. Ill have monitors to watch over this, so i dont get fooled, and one of the DM ruins the game for the rest.

[lavish stratus]

I mean, as long as you don't metagame, you can have a LOT of fun playing even with complete world knowledge. You just have to limit yourself a bit around the edges. Another option is to find other DM's who can manage certain worldbuilding. You might handle the big stuff yourself if you want, or everyone collaborates somewhat. But you can let other people build/roleplay a faction or create a cool themed city. Just outline the borders of what they can create as needed and let them go wild. Not much different from PC's story adding to the world lore. And definitely take breaks between chapters to plan. Probably one month on, one or even two months off depending on how dense the game gets. Everyone (players included) plan and get ready and then it all goes down in either a casual or frenzied pace, player choice.

I think the difficult decision is how much of a ruleset to implement and why. Maybe find some people and do a test run or two. Even in a different world, something wacky or generic that you don't need to prep much. See how people participate, how much you need to prompt, what comes up that could need rules application to make it work better. In general, playtest the concept a bit. Sounds like this is a longterm (ideally longer than your life) concept, it's worth taking the time to start right. And maybe that approach is something that lets you get moving and trying it on for size in a consequence free learning environment instead of putting excess time into analysis and prediction vs gathering data.

[compact lichen]

I have an idea to have world builders, but the thing is, i don't know if i can find enough people to play in this game, it might take a month, and off the top of my head, my player count that i want, would be at least 24, which is 4 in each group, at least 2 but hoping for 4 lore masters, a whole bunch of world builders (i want this thing to be thorough, like i want everything to be tightly woven together, connected in some way, and each with its own story), and i want at least 4 dms hoping for 6.

[lavish stratus]

Could just start with what you get, try to build it. Once it gets going, it'll pick up its own momentum if it's good.

But again, something like this probably does exist. As said above, there's good research to be done. Just gotta weigh that vs actually getting to the good stuff and starting something just to get it started.

[compact lichen]

Yes! i completely agree, i was having the same thoughts, ill make a new world, a quick one, not too big, and get some players, probably like 12 or so, and have them try it out. idk how ill get the people, im sure as hell not descripptive enough to make the world, or do the lore. thats why id like to play. I have an idea, to let people who played in the first generation know about the POI's, because i want the world builders to be able to play on the first chapter. And yes, i want this to go on for a long time, longer than id live, if it could. I know there are things out there like this, but they aren't ever as meticulate as id hope. i want something that I'm actually going to have to worry about, being murdered by other players, not knowing if ill be able to eat, things like that. I want the ultimate role play DND game. I want it to exist and i think if i just keep trying i can do it. Im sure i can, and if i do, I'm definitely sharing it to anyone i can, so that they can use the same preset or modify it, so that other worlds can come from mine. I think that what I'm thinking of could literally change into its own game, if it does take off.

[lavish stratus]

It's a solid idea, you seem to have thought it through, keep at it, make a plan, worst thing that happens is people probably have some fun.

[compact lichen]

i will be doing my research, as soon as i can im going to start stockpiling the information im gonna get, and take it to make my own entire world

[compact lichen]

yeah, and if i fail, i can just try again. change what needs to be changed.

Truly, i cannot put what i want in this game into words, the idea to me is amazing

[lavish stratus]

So since you're someone who doesn't want to DM, just organizing the thing is a huge chunk of work. Creating the structure through which your future DM's and players interact with the campaign and the evolving lore as the history grows. That's more than enough for one person to be responsible for. Lot of DM's will LOVE being able to go nuts on worldbuilding without having to think about the logistics. Same for DM's to adjudicate the stream of play. Or artists to help with content. Different skillsets.

[compact lichen]

Really? i didnt think anyone would want to help me build the world.. I dont want to build the world, per say, but i want to be instrumental in it somehow. i do want to make some certain POI's, and let the DM's or world builders create it for me, but it sounds rude to ask for someone to build your POI for you. i was going to offer to let them be able to add in 1 thing into the world, whether it be a person, a legendary weapon, or a structure, and let them do it, as long as it fit with the theme of the world, if they agreed to help make it.

[lavish stratus]

A world is a big thing to build. Lots of room for collaboration. But the bigger the scope, the more centralized worldbuilding needs to be. Meaning a few trusted people get to make the gods, the laws of magic/physics, the grand plot of the season. But a lot more people could be told "build whatever you want, just stay within this stated reality and avoid dealing with these stated things"

People are doing this kind of thing in minecraft. There's experiments out there that've been done, data on how to manage this.

[compact lichen]

i have seen these on minecraft, never looked into it even though id have liked too.

[compact lichen]

i want this world to be massive, and to have no major plot, at least not at first, ill have Game masters who will make random world events happen, like 2 kingdoms go to war, a greater demon has come from the pits of hell to torment the world, stuff like that.

[lavish stratus]

There was one 2hr youtube thing I watched once, guy set up (and slightly managed) a civilizational experiment. Another video breaking down the behind the scenes. Worth watching on its own, but maybe especially for how it relates to this

[lavish stratus]

Well what you're describing as events, I think of as major plot lol. I suppose the difference is if they're motivated intentionally vs random? But then we're just talking emergent plot.

[compact lichen]

by massive i mean colossal, like bigger than any ever created before.

[lavish stratus]

End of the world things, never the same after, whole campaign changes

I agree, it's best to steer clear of that. If the goal is longevity, you need forces that ABSOLUTELY keep the world in balance. And honestly I'm in the middle of building something very similar, just for my own small group, our "forever and then some" campaign setting #1253841337233576009 if you're interested, but it's long. Feel free to steal anything you like

[compact lichen]

yeah, thats what i mean, but i only want like 1 to 2 major events per generation, and that be it for their gen, if they are done with both early, they have time to do other things, dungeons, kill dragons, idk.

[compact lichen]

i will look into it, for my research. if you ever want to play, or dm, let me know.

[lavish stratus]

Agreed. You just need a few major conflicts that world factions and pc's may or may not take part in.

[compact lichen]

for how much you helped, youve pretty much guaranteed yourself a spot if you want it

[lavish stratus]

Definitely interested to see how it develops, no idea if I'll have time available, but I probably can't help but at least help brainstorm a bit if there's some shiny worldbuilding discussions going on

[compact lichen]

i wont make the major events change the world, unless they arent stopped before the time is up, then they could maybe, but not in a bad way, in a way to make it different for the next generation.

[lavish stratus]

Exactly, conflict and change is good. The world just has to survive in a playable state, it can self-correct era by era

[compact lichen]

i really havent even talked to anyone, my friend, who plays regularly, does not share my vision, unfortunately.

[lavish stratus]

So d&d is many things to many people. For your friend, maybe it's about dungeoncrawling and tactics for the most part. That's very classic d&d and tons of fun. But that's not really THIS kind of fun. This is a lot of the other stuff.

[compact lichen]

thats true, ill never let them destroy the world, because i will always be watching over it

[compact lichen]

you are right, but i really wish he would've been there to help me on this, i really thought he could help in insurmountable ways.

[lavish stratus]

Well maybe once it starts to take shape he'll see something he can jump in on.

[compact lichen]

he is one of the smartest people i have ever met, and im not lying. when we were in 7th grade, he was college level in everything

[compact lichen]

i play to keep some of the tactics side of things, obviously. I want the world to be brutal, but kind, like a real world would be.

[lavish stratus]

It's good that you're thinking on a philosophical thematic level for the entire world. That's gonna translate to your ingame automatic balancing system. Where your DM fiat power expresses itself. How the world self-sustains internally.

[compact lichen]

yes, i want it to be fun though, so the dms cant make it too hard for the players, just hard enough to add some stress in a "stressful situation" for your character, because it is permadeath.

[lavish stratus]

And my own decision for my world for this is to keep things as broad and generic as you can. Cover all the bases, but do it in a streamlined way. All the intricacies that make the world the world are lower level stuff. I also made my world expandable by nature. If anyone ever wants to insert a new, but different/separate campaign world along the existing one, the macro-setting allows it and explains it.

[compact lichen]

I had a thought, and maybe you can help me with it, i wanted to make it where the player or players who defeat the major events, like the party that fixes it, and stops world calamity or something, will get something special. I want to make them live forever in the world (figuratively). I want them to remain a hero for the rest of the story. I want this world to go so long that i can look at it in ten years, and read a book. by that i mean reading it will be like reading a book, because i want my lore masters to be writers, so that they keep it written in a reader friendly way.

[lavish stratus]

Or you go the opposite route and make a unique, high-concept world "The god of death is dead" and make your worldbuilders explore that theme longterm. But that does somewhat limit the kinds of stories your world will host. And as you get more specific, you lose bits of the d&d vibe that's inherent to the ruleset (if you're using some or all of it), and you attract different players and DM's

[compact lichen]

i want the players to either be able to play in the next generation, or to be made into some sort of pillar, that npc's love or hate, depending on what they did

i want it possible to have statues of the characters after they have long died, so that they will be remembered by new players

[lavish stratus]

I've kind of implemented the same system. The first god-rulers of races are now racial gods. The first adventurers are now gods of their classes. All stories of importance get written into the stars and exist in the cosmic library.

I think I might have actually built your world lol. Or at least something that would work perfectly for the structure of it.

[compact lichen]

i have a library, the grand library.

[compact lichen]

maybe, but i dont think so, i still cant describe it. if i do create it, youll be the first person i share it with, so you can see it, because i believe that the creation of the world would be limited if i were to oversee it forever, i want to pass it on when my character dies, to someone whod be able to change it for the better. you dont have to take it, obviously i havent chosen who my successor is yet, i havent even built the world.

It really saddens me that i am the one making my dream, id have rather played it further on in its life, so that i could see the lore and things players have done.

[lavish stratus]

Well I've gotta crash. Looking forward to seeing how this develops and hopefully helping as I can!

[compact lichen]

alright, thank you for your input

it was helpful

[lavish stratus]

Definitely stuff to research, I think that'd be my next step trying to grapple with how to create it. I've also found chatgpt a GREAT brainstorming/planning partner if you learn how to steer it well

[compact lichen]

fr, i used it befoore i asked questions here

it helped

a little, but it will be instrumental in this worlds creation

[lavish stratus]

You got this, later!