Get people excited about your fantasy/scifi setting in 30 seconds | Worldbuilding

[@CoffeeCupKat]

Super helpful! An elevator pitch is so tough - summarizing a whole world in a few lines.

[@WorldAnvil]

Thanks!

[@Arkay24]

I have to admit. The "mock-up" Sci-Fi pitch at the beginning already had me hooked and ideas buzzing.

[@WorldAnvil]

FANTASTIC.

[@Steam-n-Steel]

Thats a great advice, thank you! Here is my elevator Pitch. Please excuse that i let GPT translate it, i am a German native and it is a pitch for my personal role playing game Steam'n'Steel: In the endless expanse of our solar system, countless adventures await you. The planets, unique and aligned like dazzling, colorful pebbles, are waiting to be discovered by you and your crew! Set sail with your aetherite-powered steam spaceship into the flux currents between the stars and journey from planet to planet. Explore the barren Mercury, firmly in the grip of the trading companies, traverse Venus with its shimmering magical forests, or revel in wild orgies amidst the rings of Saturn. Your spirit of exploration and heroic courage know no bounds! Whether you choose to fight alongside the rebels against the dark Commonwealth of the Inner Planets or make a fortune in the shadows of the trading companies, rest assured-there is always one more discovery lurking in the forgotten places from Mercury to Neptune than you ever imagined!

[@WorldAnvil]

Sounds amazing!

[@ChrisLontok]

This is great advice, that I've obviously followed since my elevator pitch is featured in the blog link! Thank you for including me and as always, thanks for the great video.

[@WorldAnvil]

You're very welcome!

[@e.christopherclark7367]

Pitch as it stands today is "The Blood of Seven Queens is an ongoing comic book series by E. Christopher Clark about how Little Red Riding Hood becomes the Queen of Hearts." Going to leave that here so that I can go away, revise, come back and compare.

[@WorldAnvil]

Intriguing!

[@Jszar]

I’d read that.

[@SecondhandWorldAnvil]

In a WORLD GONE MAD...

[@WorldAnvil]

Like this one! 😆

[@boswcheydoesart1314]

YESD

[@ashley-r-pollard]

Against all odds.

[@Silas_MN]

I think a good companion piece of advice would be to have different versions of your pitch for different contexts! something like the example in the video would be great for contexts like email or documents like a worldanvil article, but might need some tweaks when you're, say, describing your project to someone you're chitchatting with at a social gathering

[@WorldAnvil]

Good advice!

[@NuclearSnailStudios]

great video, thank you!

[@d1j16]

Excellent content and presentation. Thank you!

[@WorldAnvil]

Happy to oblige!

[@WorldAnvil]

Happy to oblige!

[@mieralunarlunishion]

Thank you for the opportunity (and formula) to write this pitch, Janet! 😃 Here's my try: The Defenders have fallen, all but one. Their shields lay broken, as does their oath. The dragon has won, it is over, the princess is dead. Only Derrick remains. And in his grief and desperation, the last Defender joins forces with a fallen Star Constellation, in a world where constellations lose their light once people stop seeing them. What does she want from him? Derrick doesn't care. Ira just smiles. The super short pitch (and thing I keep in my head when writing): this story is a power metal ballad! 😃 By the way, I recently made a video (on my channel) about the pitfalls of writing on a (computer)screen. Check it out if you're a writer too! ❤

[@WorldAnvil]

Nice!

[@ShinGallon]

I've honestly not done a whole lot of worldbuilding for my graphic novels beyond "bare minimum to explain something in the moment" because the story isn't a grand world-spanning epic despite being set in a fantasy universe, the story is much more small-scale dealing with primarily the main characters lives. They all started out as D&D characters I decided to make comics about, so worldbuilding wasn't really a concern since that part was already done. But now I'm playing catch-up developing the setting because it's now taking place in a different, legally distinct universe (I want to make print copies to sell, so I can't just use WotC-owned settings, obviously). I have some ideas for neat elements, but haven't solidified anything yet, but here goes: In this world there are not only dragons and elves and other typical fantasy trappings, but also other wonders: The airships of the Trade Guild, the great mines of the dwarves that extend miles beneath the surface, the roaming cities of the mad mage-engineers, the floating islands where none have ventured and returned for centuries. Into this world walked Nails the Catfolk barbarian, with little more than just her grandfather's warhammer and her reflexes to survive. When she arrives in the walled city of Cale, she meets a monster hunting kobold named Ravani, and sets off a chain of events that pulls her into a fight to save the city from destruction. That's book 1, which is finished, I'm now working on book 2, which explores Nails' past and why she left her homeland, as well as what happens when both her and Ravani's pasts catch up with them.

[@WorldAnvil]

Sounds awesome!

[@ShinGallon]

@@WorldAnvil Thanks! The characters mean the world to me so I'm compelled to write about them and draw them, I really do owe it to them to flesh out the world they inhabit.

[@Crazylittlehobbit]

In a town gripped by a mysterious illness, Emberlyn Coalhaven races against time to save her grandfather and uncover the secrets behind the Miner's Madness. With Grim Night approaching and a dark cult lurking in the shadows, Emberlyn and her friends must confront an eldritch horror and expose a sinister plot that threatens to consume their island home. Through courage, sacrifice, and unwavering determination, they battle the forces of darkness, ultimately emerging victorious and ushering in a new era of hope for Potter's Harbor.

[@WorldAnvil]

Very intriguing!

[@belverkungol]

"they battle the forces of darkness, ultimately emerging victorious and ushering in a new era of hope for Potter's Harbor." did you just spoil the plot?

[@Crazylittlehobbit]

@@belverkungol ... Ahh... I think I just did.. .woops

[@criprevolution4596]

The end should be more of a will they succeed or fail type of thing unless you want to give away the ending

[@Crazylittlehobbit]

@@criprevolution4596 true

[@Draegn]

Where the brave survive through darkness using skills, faith and luck.

[@WorldAnvil]

Nice! Very succinct.

[@akashambatwamiller6924]

thank you

[@WorldAnvil]

You're welcome

[@iaz8737]

Lets goooooooo

[@WorldAnvil]

Yay!!!!!

[@Alcarinqu]

This is my first try: In a world that is strikingly similar to ours, the Dinoids live in a late medieval world. Due to their different physiology, the gender roles have been reshuffled, but that does not mean that they do not have similar daily worries and major conflicts. And these do not only consist of fighting bad fantasy clichés.

[@WorldAnvil]

Interesting!

[@ray_banana]

i actually have two pitches, but machine translation cannot quite grasp it as the native language does. ONE: Container World A whole world shaped to be a space container port. A world lost in space. A world lost in time. A world full of lost things, lost people, lost lives. Container World takes place on a planet lost in space and time, remodeled into a titanic trading hub. Rust, decay, destruction to the horizon. And there, rising into the sky, blinking lights of lost technology. In search of the old technology, or the next container with food, the descendants of scientists, administrators and the military fight and join forces. And the last natives who pay homage to their fish god. Will you discover something lost in the deepest depths? Will you be involved in restoring contact with the outside world? Or do you even have to rediscover your own past as one of the lost? TWO: Forgotten Horizons Secrets. Around you, inside you, the whole galaxy. Will you go in search of yourself, of reasons, of the truth? Or will you just go ahead, ignoring what you don't know and leaving behind? Who is waiting for you, what is looking for you, where is your path? Many questions inside you, even more paths ahead of you and all the answers - where? Forgotten Horizons takes you deep into the galaxy, in search of everything you have lost or away from everything you never want to experience again. And your ship, the Amnesis, can take you to all of these places.

[@emanuelosorio9610]

I like the premise of the first pitch, and the second pitch sounds more like themes characters from the first pitch would explore. So, it all sounds like one story.

[@ray_banana]

@@emanuelosorio9610 thx for the insight. those are actual two different worldbuildings. maybe i made them not different enough.

[@WorldAnvil]

Both sound fascinating, tbh.

[@ray_banana]

@@WorldAnvil 🤩

[@etinarcadiaego7424]

My setting is very genre-blending so I'm not sure if it can be broken down so simply

[@WorldAnvil]

Worth a try?

[@virtuadept]

Great video, and thank you for all the useful links. Now I need to go get me some Triboomium... if you know what I mean, and I think you do, giggity, giggity.

[@WorldAnvil]

Glad to help!

[@woldry3083]

Two pitches for fantasy novels: "Twenty years ago, two children emerged from the ashes of a forest fire that ravaged their town and killed 14 people. Now Peg sleepwalks, revisiting the victims' death sites. And Jonny finds the ruins of a cabin in the woods. Both are haunted by memories of an old woman with a house full of sweets. As the town readies for a memorial ceremony, Peg and Jonny must face their hidden pasts and learn who haunts them--and why." "Ellyll's mother, a deadly lich, murdered everyone he knew before an elven necromancer slew her and took him in. Since then he's dedicated his life to healing, and found love with the grim dwarf Oghor. But now the necromancer, bound by dark oaths, seeks to raise Ellyll's mother again. Can Ellyll betray the one who fostered him? Or will he be forced to watch his mother rise again, risking another massacre?"

[@WorldAnvil]

Scary!

[@Tygertyger8008]

This is what I wrote for an rpg I wrote called _Immaculate_: "The world is not what you think it is. Evil is real, demons walk the Earth, and Hell hungers for every human soul. The ignorant masses are powerless against the hordes arrayed against them - but you are not. You dare to stand up as a force for good in a world of corruption. You are Immaculate... and all the powers of Hell shall not prevail against you!"

[@WorldAnvil]

Exciting!

[@vodostar9134]

Well, I came up with: "We are not the first to walk this world. The great cities of the High Elves have fallen to dust - the Elves, themselves, retreating to dark caves. The Dwarves rebuilt the world, and some remain among us. Now, we stand up, we Humans. We shine not as bright as the Elves nor as sturdy as the Dwarved, but ready to rise, to strive, to adventure. The king grows long in the tooth with no heir and once rebellious cities grow restless. Nocturnal raids on farm steads ramp up every month. Rumors flow in every tavern: cities sacked and burned... Sea People raiding the shores. Will you defend the kingdom? Fall in with the rebels and fight for freedom? Maybe you'll join and expedition to delve the caves and hunt Devils... or repel Sea People." Yes, I stole the first line of the example. I feel like the conflicts part isn't punchy enough... and maybe my conflicts are too weak. Oh, I hate PR work, lol.

[@WorldAnvil]

Way to take the example and run with it!

[@Jszar]

Everyone dies sooner or later, even a synthetic digital sapience like Ink. One moment, a Butlerian smashed her final hiding place. The next, some bureaucrat with a halo was saying life wasn’t done with her. She’d already been a few buildings, so they were going to reincarnate her as-a dungeon? Really? Like a _video game_ dungeon? Oh, no, the angel assured her. This was as real as reality gets. But that’s exactly what one would say to keep a digital creature from trying to break out of its cage.

[@WorldAnvil]

Sounds like LitRPG?

[@crasyperson123]

This is the description I have for my manuscript, as copied from the page. I'm still a developing author, but I hope it does well. The Seer of The Maker has spoken, the fate of The Allied Kingdoms of Stogh is sealed by their negligence. But deliverance shall come to the faithful by way of flame. It's been fifteen years since this proclamation, and for almost nine the forces of Krundíl have ravaged the lands, destroying many of the human kingdoms in their wake. Those that remain are beginning to wonder at the nature of this deliverance as they reach their final hours. Unknown to them, a trio marked with power are coming together on the other side of the continent, among whom is the illusive ukitu rumored to be the Spirit of Fire. Will this ukitu be able to overcome themselves as they navigate a world that stands against them? YOU DECIDE! Choose your tale in this long-form story and see the difference as The Spirit of Fire fights their inner demons and overcomes those that would destroy humanity. Decide for yourself their fate. Will they become Man, Myth, or Monster?

[@WorldAnvil]

We love a choose your adventure style story!

[@crasyperson123]

​@@WorldAnvilhopefully it will be great once it's done! I'm almost beta reader ready for part one of five... AKA 1/15 novel-length stories... as someone who never wrote a book before... queue "what have I done" face.

[@DireTacoman]

I never want to have a world without cheese....

[@MinorLG]

Genre is such a hard one for me because my world falls almost perfectly between medium fantasy and high fantasy. Magic is an awe-inspiring thing that certain individuals are capable of, but their understanding of it is inherently flawed and based upon incorrect interpretations and translations of an ancient precursor race. So we're exploring the development and proliferation in advances of magic, but it's not an all-magic world. to contrast with the real world, think alchemy versus chemistry.

[@WorldAnvil]

Sounds like you have the specifics really nailed down. Not a bad thing at all!

[@lapiswolf2780]

Valley of Emperors The bronze and iron ages have become mechanized, and new technology is made by ancient societies. Armies march with both spears and guns in hand, supported by horse and train. You'll find ancient cities lit with brilliant light bulbs and the brimstone of enemies. When all your neighbours want your head and land, anything goes. While the methods may be new, the lifestyle has persisted to the latest of a long line of empires millennia in the making. Grand palaces, overtaken ruins and walled cities are ripe for the taking. To survive, many seek refuge under the strength of grand armies. Even in this world where tradition and innovation have merged, there are many that seek to burn the history of what has come before, decreeing the dawn of a new age at the price lives and of everything the region holds dear. Whatever happens, it's up to you to decide how you survive and if you'll leave a lineage after your passing. Ruin seeking, farming the hinterlands, conquest of cities, trading luxuries, piloting airships, smithing the next weapon, engineering a new machine, maybe even racing for prestige and money. Anything is fair game.

[@francoisfortin4693]

Votre famille n'a pas survécu parmi ces créatures préhistoriques. Armé de votre glaive pour vous défendre.🦖 Vous cherchez les murs d'une communauté civilisé pour offrir votre savoir afin de survivre.

[@darrenmchaffie553]

It's got cheesy halflings and whiny elves...

[@WorldAnvil]

Ha!