Worldbuilding | Fix Your Factions

[@mapcrow]

My buds. Listen. I am an rpg and art channel. My statement about Power being a means not an ends, it about what I think makes and interesting story. Please stop trying to debate me on real world motivations of power. Sheesh.

[@crusadr_4966]

LOL sorry to hear that happened. Very interesting video and love your style of illustrating while talking.

[@MartijnVos]

Even in the real world you're right. Although it's certainly true that means to reach an end can turn into an end in themselves, and even end up corrupting their original goal and end up aiming for the exact opposite of what they originally set out to do. Look at some political parties and systems for some great examples of that. But even if they do want power, they still have some idea of how they intend to get it and what they're going to do with it once they have it. Even if it is merely to solidify the power structures that got them in power. Real or fantasy world, it's always more than just power, and power is never the most interesting or meaningful part. Anyway, I love the video and it's giving me a ton of new ideas for my next campaign. Thanks!

[@3choblast3r4]

Have you considered writing? Few people can quickly built some lore like you did in this video. I imagine you'd be a pretty good fantasy writer.

[@MrKoalaburger]

Pedantic nerds love nothing more than being the "Well, actually" guys lol

[@aluinoc.tsalani3600]

Hehehehe, norma; people cant seperate between Real and Fantasy. It's funny and utterly mortifying when you think about it. Anyway, sorry to hear that... Those people exist, who bounded by the chain of reality too hard, they forgot the real purpose of Fantasy... to escape or bend reality....

[@amongstus4418]

"Write situations not stories." If there was only a single piece of advice you could give a new DM, this would be it I think!

[@ampage6439]

Yeah, just like The Alexandrian says, "Prep situations, not plots"

[@neferpitou1788]

What’s a DM

[@imbombur]

@@neferpitou1788 Direct message

[@deseanlothian]

@@neferpitou1788 Delicious Morsel

[@kunai9390]

@@neferpitou1788 district manager

[@marigoldcameron]

I think that Matthew Colville was right in his video "Everyone Loves Zombies" to say that, for games like dungeons and dragons at least, it's a good idea to have one unambiguously evil faction to put next to all of the intricately ambiguous ones. You want to challenge your players to proactively define their characters' morality throughout the main story of the game, but you also want to give them moments where they can fight monsters without having to ever consider whether or not this is a good thing that they're doing.

[@mapcrow]

Yup! I agree! I just people do that already.

[@Redlady1917]

Avoiding the implications of violence is a terrible idea of a rich and coherent setting, but for a system as mediocre and combat focused as DnD I can't blame you.

[@ВиталяКекс-ц6е]

@@Redlady1917 it’s usually about players wishing to turn their brains off and relax. Additionally it’s a contrast, if everything is morally grey and uncertain, nothing is, but if every few sessions you hunt a rabid dog of a man, it puts more weight into the actually uncertain scenarios

[@daroaminggnome]

@@Redlady1917 That was my thought as well... Like If I'm playing something like Stars Without Number I would never want my DM to make one of the factions full on chaotic stupid just so we can have a punching bag. DND is a game built around murderhoboing, the combat is sort of the end all be all and it makes more sense to appease players in that regard. To stick with the SWN contrast, that game is built from the ground up around factions and politics. In DND(Mostly 3.5 and up but even in 1st/2nd to a lesser extent) that stuff is just tacked on at the end as an extra.

[@valerieblackwell5765]

Yknow I agree with this in concept totally, and indeed matt colville was my main source to listen to when becoming a DM, but in practice this has never been true for me. Ive run 12 (on my 12th) campaigns over 6 years (some lasted 3 months, others 2 years). And I love telling stories of moral ambiguity and political turmoil where the players become pawns to greater powers then eventually being the power themselves. I always have reasons for my enemies being enemies of the party but the bad guys my players fight are never just, evil. The only just evil enemies I have are the ones in the history books. When I teach DMs at my club I always tell them to have just evil bad guys sometimes, but it hasn't happened yet that players had an issue with the moral ambiguity. I am always sure to say at the beginning of my campaigns: I run a world with consequences for your actions. The people in my world can be cruel and serve their own purpose. So maybe that affects it as well

[@cameronlapp9306]

I find it really helpful to use John Truby's "four-corner opposition" making factions. Essentially you just choose 2 thematic statements/values and plot the opposing positions into a square matrix - makes it really easy to see potential allegiances and conflicts between factions, and to identify space where you could create additional factions.

[@luskarian4055]

Please no more political compass

[@baitposter]

@@luskarian4055 Life is politics

[@luskarian4055]

@@baitposter I greatly enjoy discussing politics and ideology, it's just that the political compass is the worst possible system to represent them.

[@baitposter]

@@a.wadderphiltyr1559 Thanks, random internet stranger, your contrarian statement with zero elaboration and all the vitriol of 4chan has convinced me. It absolutely is. Politics affect and permeate every aspect of our lives. Ignoring what you conceive politics to be by hiding out in the woods doesn't just make the bogeyman go away. Any conflict of private, utilitarian, or ethical interests between persons is inherently capable of being escalated into a broader political issue.

[@frocco7125]

Like a political compass?

[@MumboJ]

My man FAR too casually just invented "bone golem spiders" like it was nothing. Seriously. Though you did follow it up with "ghost farmers" which is kinda adorable.

[@Nyx_2142]

Lol. If you think he invented them or was original about it, you are hopelessly naive and gullible.

[@lynchie2073]

this makes creating a big rich world or plotty novel so much easier holy shit. this breaks down the process in a way ive never seen. i know "heres a setting, what groups live in that setting and what do they want?" seems super easy on paper, but its so so easy to forget or not know how to start. this simple walkthrough of the process is really simple but easily creates really intricate worlds. what a game changer!!

[@johanmilde]

Great and inspiring video! I love how the “minion factions” that serve the Centimane and Cottus all have their own, slightly tragic motivations that each contain an opportunity and a method to turn the faction away from the Big Bad. All of them *can* be slaughtered wholesale by a party of murderhobos, but a smart party can improve conditions for the underclass through political and social play, put the bone spiders to a final rest and end the eternal servitude of the wraith keepers - genius examples of motivations and the opportunities they bring!

[@mapcrow]

Heck yeah! There is a lot more to say about how to RUN factions, but I'm really happy you are getting the gist even in this brief video! Thank you for the kind words!!

[@InkyIsScared]

One thing I love to add is having each faction have a single big plot event or setpiece they are working towards and a rough timeline of what happens when they all go off without a hitch. Faction A does their big thing X now which means faction B does their big thing two weeks later as a response etc. You have a clear map of what happens without the players' input. Then you have some clear time pressure or at least time CONSEQUENCES for what the players choose to do/not do. Just a vague outline helps feel like the world is moving and being alive outside the players and having clear concise plots that the factions are attempting or reacting to makes it an easy entry point for players to grasp where they can apply pressure to change things. It's easy to say; okay so the players destroyed this magic necklace the cultists needed so that pushes their plan to summon the demon servant Baogirim back four months as they have to find the sister necklace instead (which the players can also try to stop.) And maybe pushing it back four months means the summoning overlaps with the mayoral election that the criminal enterprise is trying to influence to get a corrupt candidate in. Suddenly, thanks to the players, now there's intersecting conflicts going on and maybe the cultists don't have Baogirim's mind control to get THEIR candidate the win so it's an actual race. Etc. Etc. Clear cause and effect for players when they change things or fail to change things! Not sure if this made sense at all haha. Also started following about a month ago and loving your continued videos! Keep it up!

[@captainofspace]

Minecraft

[@paultapping9510]

perfect sense. It was this concept of using actual, measured, time that convinced me I need to use a calendar in my next campaign.

[@JustinKownacki]

Write this novel. We need to find out if the criminals or the cult win the mayoral election while the heroes are trying to get the sister necklace before the zealots do

[@BouncingTribbles]

This is what he was talking about at the beginning. What they want, how they'll get it, and what happens if they don't. That said, it looks like you have the start of your own campaign right here

[@AxiomDelver]

All chopped off and discarded hands have found their way to the Overlord Cottus, and have formed an abominable monstrosity. I think there's one aberration from an old D&D edition, that is comprised of hundreds of hands and arms...

[@mapcrow]

Yeah! That's another thing that could happen!! Maybe the Coin Guard's oppression is a forbidden rite unto Cottus!!

[@Nyarlathoteplol]

@@mapcrow I like the idea that the cruelty and oppression of the Coin Guard happens to have *accidentally* fulfilled the conditions for a rite to Cottus. Cutting off so many hands, atop the temple of an evil hand god...whoops.

[@NickHendriks]

@@Nyarlathoteplol I actually kinda like the idea that this is an ancient law whose origins were forgotten long ago, but really originated from the law's roots in the Cottus cult! So while nobody is intentionally fulfilling the goals of the Cottus cult, it does stem from an intentional decision made long ago. Makes it feel less coincidental imo.

[@Nyarlathoteplol]

@@NickHendriks That makes a ton of sense, and is satisfying on both a thematic and practical level.

[@ckl9390]

Sort of like the [trope?] of "the dormant or hidden eldritch horror was running the show the whole time and you just played into, or were part of, their plan". A variant could be that the hidden and scattered relics required for some rite or power-up for the Big Bad was conveniently brought to it by the heroes who thought they required them to destroy said Big Bad. But the Big Bad themselves wrote, and had their minions distribute, the arcane legitimate looking "instructions" for destroying it just so that the fairly reliable stream of adventurers would "inadvertently" bring the resources it required. Perhaps the undead minions you are cutting down on the way in are dressed suspiciously like fellow adventurers would have a few centuries ago, if anyone would think to ask such a question.

[@NunyaBiznessss]

I've been struggling for ages to think of how to worldbuild for my stories. I've watched so many videos, read so many books and blog posts and articles, and I've got a lot of great tools . . . I just don't know how to apply them. This is the first video I've seen that has actively walked me through the process of worldbuilding a fictional setting with factions and history. I can now look at what you've laid out and see where I can apply the tools I've already learned. Thanks so much, man.

[@mapcrow]

Thank you so much for the kind words and for watching! I really want my videos to be useful, so this means the world to me!

[@kmg9763]

0:30 That's a pretty good circle!

[@EchotheAndroidNeko]

Great video! I would like to add a bit of advice re: implementing your factions in your game. What I tended to do is try to flesh out the individuals in each faction and make them a complex and fully realized organization before the PC's ever engaged with them. I speak from experience when I say DON'T DO THAT! Its more often a waste of time and not as actionable as you'd hope it would be. Of course, do it if that faction is the only faction the PC's are going to engage with, but for multi-faction play (political or otherwise), you are far better off having a singular representative of a faction embody the ideals and goals of the faction that the PC's can talk too. Its far more approachable, both as a DM and as a player to have that well realized point of contact, rather than a menagerie of characters to wrap your head around right off the bat.

[@mapcrow]

Yes! Absolutely! Maybe plan 1 NPC for each faction, and then just keep a list of names handy for the rest until you find out if your players actually want to dig any further into one factions characters!

[@evanhoffman7995]

I 100% agree with this, and I would even say that players never interact with fractions at all - they only interact with NPCs. So the faction has to be represented by an NPC, someone who distills everything about a faction. Whatever that NPC believes and says and does, is what the faction believes and says and does, because they are the single point of reference for the entire group.

[@otrjustin]

A faction can have a spitter group, wanting to change things about. Make things spicy so that would be another NPC to flesh but I agree. As nice as it would be to have the detailed life’s of every person they could ever meet… that would be exhausting and you would never play the game since you would be building it for a centuries. That’s the nice thing about factions, everyone in them can practically be counted as the same person, short of a splitter group. Does not really matter why evil death cult 528 is killing a farmer in the name of their god, just that they are and needs to be stopped.

[@mathsalot8099]

I was running the DnD module "Princes of the Apocalypse" and this is one of the things I had to spend a lot of time fixing. There are 4 cults of earth, fire, air, and water, and all of them want to release their elemental ruler to cause the end of the world, but it never says WHY they want to do that. All 4 were exactly the same with different elemental "flavoring" and with no motives of any kind. So, I added goals and philosophies to each of the cults to give them an actual motive for unleashing their elemental lords. It made the game much better to oppose an ideology rather than just a bunch of mindless minions.

[@papaUrabrask]

To think of factions as "not stories and instead as situations" that should be interacted with how the player's choose is probably wholesale the best advice if anyone happens to be a newer DM with factions. I've been an avid fan of guilds, factions, and alliances in all of my campaigns, they add a lot of breadth and depth to your worlds. But they were tricky to pull off at first. That's why advice like this is a lifesaver, because once I could understand that all the other pieces fall into place a lot easier, there's no "clashing of narrative" because they are disparate pieces until the players want to connect them. Absolutely stellar man, thank you so much for videos like this.

[@leonthelad3208]

I have no idea who you are, but I would DIE for this video. I stopped playing D&D a while back to make room from my all-consuming passion of writing epic fantasy novels. While drafting my current book I've been slowly working through the worldbuilding/outline of my next book, procrastinating as one does. Three groups, or... FACTIONS are needed for the main location of the book, with lots of conflict, politics, etc, and this video is making me think about base-level things that tend to slip away when one get too far in the trenches with their worldbuilding. You spoke so casually as you were coming up with these groups and world interactions, and it made me remember that coming up with something cool is what drove me to writing, first and foremost. The logistics are for future me. Don't worry, he loves that stuff. Whether you truly made this up on the fly or had a rough idea before you filmed, I commend you either way. This little glimpse of a world is very interesting, and the perfect base for expansion and extrapolation into something greater and more unique than it already is. This was basically a long and convoluted way for me to thank you for giving me the inspiration to write and worldbuild. I was ten minutes away from closing my laptop and giving up, but luckily I spent those ten minutes watching this. Thank you

[@MonarchsFactory]

This is such a good format, I'll never get over it

[@mapcrow]

Thank you so much!! I’m a big admirer of your videos!!

[@dgg1224]

I am so happy I get to see your videos the minute they come out. As always, very good video!

[@mapcrow]

I'm so happy you watch them the minute they come out!! That's so encouraging!! Thank you!!

[@darksev.6468]

Damn, this is way too good. As in "considering making a _major_ change to my world" big. Essentially overhauling. Also, can you talk about making/using gods?

[@mapcrow]

Thank you! As it happens, tomorrow's video is all about building Pantheons! Haha!

[@spacelem]

I recently listened to the D&D Is For Nerds podcast, doing a story called "Jarren's Outpost Hustle". In that, the GM (Adam) outlined the scenario, with a macguffin, then introduced the PCs, and while doing so introduced 2-3 different factions for each PC who all wanted the macguffin and had some leverage over the PCs. I think there were about 9 or 10 factions in total. It was very clever, Adam did a great job of juggling the different factions and jockeying for control, and it really made me want to run a game dominated by factions and the PCs' relationships to them.

[@jeffbostic6660]

Great overview of faction, love the visual mapping. Not my skill set, but the ideas and method were very valuable to me.

[@Micsma]

This boils down factions to their very essence. It also spawns a lot of NPC placeholders. So good. I love everything about this video. Really really excellent work. Edit: I've been struggling recently with creative work and this sparked something back up inside my head. So thank you.

[@miked6667]

This is fantastic. You're like literally giving a rundown of a current situation in my world with the City of Crtestvale. In your vid, Crestvale would be Felden.

[@percivalgrimm6447]

Was looking for ways to expand the world of Mörk Borg and this video has been really insightful! I especially appreciate your illustrative mapping out of the different elements. :D

[@davidtrujillo8239]

Your art and imagination continue to impress me! I also completely agree with what you said about letting the players make their own moral judgements. I think it's perfectly fine to have pure good vs pure evil every now and then, but it's fun seeing players realize that the bad guys actually have good motivations, even if their methods might be extreme

[@calunio]

I’m usually not a fan of “look how cool my homebrew setting is!” videos, but this was surprisingly clever and insightful.

[@dreddbolt]

This is quite a bit of fun to do, and can help to reverse engineer what an area and/or adventure could be like. I like the city of gangs archetype, where there's those in the slums, as well as the ivory towers.

[@VerbenaComfrey]

Thank you so much for this! I have recently split my nomads into two groups that herd different animals. They mostly coexist and there are marriages between bands, but there is also friction and some towns respect the rauschenia herders but not the cattle herders or vice versa.

[@colinwhitlock5148]

World anvil unironically dope for anyone that hasn't used it. Takes a minute to get used to and learn, but even the free version is really extensive. You'll prob run out of free articles (basically lore cards) to write if your world is really expansive, but itll take a while.

[@square_hare]

those three questions to be answered by faction presence are very valuable, much appreciation. keep it simple, keep it safe.

[@loganmcgee18]

I completely disagree on avoiding clichės, and to suggest someone NOT have their factions be seeking power... I mean, of course, they are? I think you have it backward when you say "Power is not a goal, power is a means to a goal." I think power, or rather having power and being powerful, is definitely the goal. They want the power to do the things they want to do. And realizing this universal truth about groups in power, actually helps you create and understand factions better when you focus on the fact they all want power. Especially when it comes to creating factions that will be natural foils and antagonists of your players/heroes/etc., which normally are those that oppress others with their power. People that would very much like to keep that power if not gain more(I'm aware I am speaking in generalities about a system that allows infinite possibilities). How much power does this faction hold? Over who? Who holds power over them? How did they obtain this power? How do they gain more power? How can they lose this power? How far does this power stretch? Among the reach of their power, is it absolute or does it fluctuate? If so, what are the epicenters of power in the faction - areas where the power is strongest before diluting outward from that point? And those questions can be as macro or micro as you need. from the entire kingdom to the vassal states, to the thieves guild of the capital. To be honest, having your faction's goal be wanting power, or rather staying in power if they are an established faction already, is simply redundant. Hardly a clichė someone should worry about having.

[@mapcrow]

Yes, my point is not that factions don’t want power, but that they want power for a reason. Power to do what?

[@elnekosauce]

You just contradicted yourself.

[@mapcrow]

@@elnekosauce I'm trying to say that, in my opinion, it is more interesting in games to have NPCs motivated to do something with the power they are consolidating.

[@deadly_artist]

Magnificent video. Crystal clear explanation using a highly unique and interesting visual example. It got my thoughts running. Thank you.

[@zipben1]

Hey Kyle, I absolutely loved this vid. Came to your channel by way of your podcast with John who I already adored. Your content is really amazing and the point you made about power not being an end in itself is already paying huge dividends in my own world building. It just adds so many hooks and so much depth to members of a faction when you think of their motivation beyond just becoming more powerful. I know some are concerned about not having an "evil" villain to send the players against, but I've found that unpacking my villains/evil factions deeper motivations can actually allow for more monstrous big bads since their motivations being something more personal than "get money" can allow them to rationalize horrible things in service of their complex goals

[@mapcrow]

Howdy! Yeah, what does a group want with money. Do they want to just live in luxury, do they have to bribe people to keep operating the way they want, are they commissioning a profaning cathedral. It just helps flavor the world a bit.

[@ACPritchard]

Well done, this reassured me for my world building for my first contact novel. (Humans come and find factions that want things)

[@makpat]

Amazing video, very much not just for D&D, great for understanding world building in a story too

[@Warbandit100]

that was a nice vid, it's actually similar to what i do, so it was easy and smooth to listen to, great stuff.

[@ernstschmidt4725]

this is not only an excellent world-building lesson, but also a wonderful lesson in elemental core of political science right from the start. excelent job!

[@dintedarkspear1862]

Developing Factions is one of the things I enjoy about world building areas, I made a metropolis city that suddenly got run over by the undead that came from nowhere, I made a reason why the undead came, then the factions in the city were those who had the ability to hide or resist the undead in little pockets scattered around looking for supplies that could work with the party or be antagonistic. Groups were the police force, A rouge guild who loved stealing priceless works of art, A gang boss in the slums, another kingdom looking to take over the weakened city who are being held back by the undead and what remains of the city guard in the area.

[@JPCoovert]

Love this so much! This advice works great for NPC's too. Maybe a video on that? Could listen to you inventing fun scenarios and characters all day!

[@josephgentile2990]

This is a brilliant video and I appreciate it a lot! Charming art style by the way!

[@paulh3892]

Hell yeah! More Map Crow vids. Fellow DMs, don’t forget a short list of names for your factions. 9 times out of 10 players will enjoy the drunk goblin NPC you made up on the spot more than Sildar Hallwinter 🤣

[@Chadventure_Animated]

This has been super helpful. This really showed me other ways to make the world feel more alive. Everyone has their own agendas and such, sometimes they conflict and they all operate autonomously outside of the PC's influence. Super cool stuff, loving the channel dude

[@n.l.g.6401]

This is probably the most succinct and helpful video on factions I've seen so far. Having an example scenario and some adorable doodles to go with it really helped engage all parts of my very scattered brain.

[@mapcrow]

Thank you so much! I'm glad it's helpful! I really need visual aids as a learner, so it's good to know I'm not the only one! Cheers!

[@opalaa5874]

Damn. This is the best video I've seen on youtube in a good long while.

[@artxroyalty]

I don’t know how I came across this video…but I’m so glad I did

[@christophermiller8589]

This is really well structured and enjoyable. Love it. I’ve never had any problems creating lore, but even for me, the way you organize the process into bite sized pieces increases my productivity. And stops me from feeling overwhelmed. Thanks! Adding this to a playlist.

[@TheWickedSir]

Halfway through and this is gold!

[@mapcrow]

Thank you!!

[@TheWickedSir]

@@mapcrow the world building I’m working on has 20+ factions so I really ought to draw it out like that, especially since I’m a visual learner

[@jamesmoyon5264]

That was a really fascinating video! I feel like I can take those tips straight into my next adventure.

[@LeighHammond_wb]

Looking forward to this stage in my world.. great video 😀👍

[@altabdo1541]

glad to find your channel, since I like MMORPG a lot, I really like your contents enjoy watching it on my free time. keep it up man!

[@valkordarkmoor9108]

The fun fact of this is that this video works for every single storytelling medium. Great job man you earned a new subscriber.

[@Knight_Loki]

I’ve DM’d for a long time. This is a great resource to add to my tool belt. Great video

[@bsgaming3773]

In World of Darkness/Vampire remember seeing this done for Factions in a city, and Individual characters and there interactions with the other character and factions. I always liked how it made it easier to "See" what was going on narratively. Just wish there was a Template for it.

[@Tvalfager]

I love that you're using mind maps to map this out

[@mapcrow]

I’m a visual thinker, so everything is a map to me! Haha

[@Andrewtr6]

This video lightly touches on something I haven't been sure how to incorporate into my fantasy story: dungeons. Idk why they exist yet or where they come from; my only solid idea is that monsters come from them (like spawners in a video game).

[@arthas4870]

always loved your narration. thank you for all the effort you put into these videos!

[@mapcrow]

Thank you very much!

[@shatteredoverse]

in my opinion worldbuilding is quite fun, it was because of world building and being inspired by things like DnD, LoTR, and alot of other things which led me to starting to try and make my own TTRPG it's been a blast to do and your videos have helped me in developing intricate worlds and characters. Thanks Map Crow for your amazing content.

[@QuentinLars]

this video came at perfect time for me! great info ... delivery and presentation! thanks so much!

[@timirons5479]

This video is amazing, I just made one of these for a city in my world and I've never felt more prepared for an arc in my campaigns.

[@alexanderstobbs2263]

I absolutely love the videos you have made, and this is definitely one of my favourite, so far! My problem is figuring out what level of detail I need to have as a GM, versus how much players would need to be able to prep character creation. Any suggestions?

[@cameronframent8976]

Neverland RPG does amazing job with its factions. I could see a party allying with ANY faction. There are no good or bad factions.

[@masondevries4482]

Love this video! The diagram layout really fits well with how my brain likes to process information, and it immediately gets my gears turning about all the potential conflicts that could arise between these factions! Well done! Keep up the great work!

[@gabrielgutierrez1419]

ok, I've became a sub of your channel because it was a cool content, but now I'm activating the bell, your content its not only cool, but its awesome and really helpful, keep it up!

[@Royalscriber5633]

Love how fast you made a story while coming up with good symbols to represent them. I've been looking for that momentum/inspiration again. I've actually been looking back on a old story I've been writing and I can see the similarities in how you did this but instead of factions I made nations. Some monopolized the resources as well as take advantage of slavery and slave trade towards criminals as well as those not among their nations, leading to the outside nations wishing to free their kin. Wars and rebellion spread due to this amongst all the nations except 1 that remains a wild card that no one ever returns from or can't get to for some reason or another and all the nations are being influenced by a demonic force rising to power that's only briefly mentioned in the story as you learn that there is more to know about uncharted lands across the waters of the ocean. As of now this story is broke up into 3 maybe 4 parts

[@ardynamberglow3124]

Another great way to plot out some worldbuilding is using a 4 step process that I call "Expand, Complicate, Connect, Blur." 1. Expand the worldbuilding. Think of an idea, or immediately relevant idea that you have, and flesh it out. Think of a character, faction, or item that has significance. What purpose does it serve? The Codex Mortis is a powerful tome of all undead secrets. 2. Complicate the plot. How is this idea relevant to the story? Or world? Why does it exist, and who knows about or why is everyone after it. Codex Mortis can break the fundamental rules of necromancy, and bring the dead, once thought to be lost back to life. 3. Connect the dots. Connect the idea to as many central plot threads as you can. The Lich wants the codex mortis because he wants an unstoppable undead army and wants to attain near unlimited power. 4. Blur the Line of morality. Find ways to make the situation ambiguous, or at least give pause to motivation. The lich wants the codex mortis because he also wants to resurrect his brother that he lost so many years ago from an accident that he blames himself for. He doesn't want to destroy the world, he wants his brother back.

[@scoobiusmaximus6707]

I really enjoyed this! Making the distinction between writing stories and creating situations was pretty insightful and was not a way I had thought of it before. Also I adore the drawings!

[@Skoda130]

Power IS a goal.

[@Azure-Witcher]

Sir undead being combined into one monster to make an undead spider terrifies me... thank you I never knew my arachnophobia could get worse, also I'm going to use this concept of an enemy thank you.

[@nosywendigo592]

2:22 "You wake up to find yourself in a strange, mysterious place..." *Strolls toward the big two towers near a portal* "You see a dead person propped up against the wall. Could this be your mentor? Or could this... be you?" *Hours into the game* "You've gained Brouzouf!" Yeah, that drawing reminded me of the beginning of E.Y.E. Cybermancy.

[@xTxCxMx]

But are my legs ok?

[@marcusjones6098]

They hold their pencil with the death-grip like I do

[@Trivial_Whim]

Happen to build on top of an ancient lost city? Nah. We do that all the time in the real world. Half the bricks making up the bustling city were probably stolen because it let them make the foundation fast.

[@bergermeistermeisterburger]

I would love a video on designing characters that are non-bipedal! So not humanoid but very different

[@lythnookwemin]

Great video, great advice for those looking, and this comment is mostly so KZbin algorithm is more favorable. I have been enjoying looking into your videos. I also enjoy how you draw in these.

[@djgreyjoy1495]

situation-based background modeling is one of the best techniques to have stories emerge… In rpgs no one is telling a story, that will be the job of future bards recalling the deeds of the characters… In rpgs players and the GM live in an alternate reality or background… Are you telling a story when you woke up every day and live your life?!?

[@mapcrow]

The way I see it, in an rpg people are taking turns talking to one another to make decisions about characters changing overtime often with dramatic goals in mind. If that’s not why you play, that’s fine, but many many people do.

[@williamozier918]

Here's my quick faction maker table: 1) What type of 'warfare': Class, race, alignment, noble house, or religius. So class warfare might mean the faction is all fighters, alignment means maybe they are all lawful good, race warfare is all elves in the faction, etc. 2) There are 3 factions: The Ruling Faction which controls the Boss Room, all surrounding rooms, and th edungeon entrance. The Rival Faction, which controls 3 other rooms in the dungeon. Third Faction, whch controls 1 room, and 1 secret room in the dungeon. 3) Populate by using apporpriate 'Monster Ecology' thinking for each faction. (IF you like to use CR as a metric to help sketch out encounters, you can do a point buy system for each faction, so maybe a Faction CR of 400 for the Ruling Faction, 300 for the Rival Faction, and 100 for the Third Faction.)

[@nyktovus]

This was a goldmine of great info and advice for adventure design. BITCHIN!!

[@GobblinRPGMusic]

Awesome video! Thanks!

[@SenseiLatte]

This whole channel is just inspiration fuel! Gives me motivation to draw as well!

[@mapcrow]

Happy to hear that! Thank you!!

[@prollybee]

um this video fucking slaps??? thank you for making it

[@EvilDMJosh]

Great Video, Kyle! You make it look so easy~

[@mapcrow]

That's because I only show the easy parts! Haha! Running a game like this is a whole different kettle of fish!! Haha

[@EvilDMJosh]

@@mapcrow lol, o so true. But, still you make this part look easy. :P

[@gonzalobarragan8076]

Loved this one! Despite being what I usually do, more or less, it felt really insightful. The idea of making a graphic map is one I'll be taking too :P

[@wahuwant4u]

Great tips! Thank you!

[@julesvanoosterom]

'Power is not a goal, it is a means to a goal.' - Map Crow 'Power is not a means, it is an end.' - George Orwell

[@joaquinbitton5034]

It can be both tho. Some people want power to achieve a certain goal (specially in politics, power is a meand to an end), but other people want power for the power itself

[@mapcrow]

This is not a quotation from George Orwell, it is a quotation from a character from a book by George Orwell, 1984 . The members of the Party are speaking in a heightened and direct way to the protagonist to break his spirit.

[@julesvanoosterom]

​@@mapcrow It's not solely to break Winston's spirit, it's also the actual unalloyed worldview of will-to-power fascism. The endless acquisition of power for its own sake is a motivation for many people in real life, and also for many characters in fiction, and some of that fiction is world-class.

[@rigelblack1584]

@@julesvanoosterom I don’t know that I believe that it’s a motivator in real life, although I’d be interested to see any examples you could give. The way I see it, “power” in and of itself is not a very meaningful concept, it’s just “the ability to do something.” I’d agree that some people or characters perceive pure power (the ability to do ANYTHING) as their motivation, but in reality it’s still motivated by a deeper and more specific desire - avoiding the shame of being ordered around by someone else, or the fear of a more powerful person injuring you, for example. Even dictatorial villains with no actual philosophy governing their choices are still hoping for something from their power, gaining something pleasurable and/or avoiding something unpleasant. Maybe they want an indulgent luxurious lifestyle, or they don’t want to listen to people tell them “no”, or something else, but it’s not just “I want to be powerful.”

[@mapcrow]

@@julesvanoosterom Perhaps so. The point that I was attempting to make is that by giving characters and factions deeper motivations than the acquisition of power and wealth, you make a more interactive space for players to explore.

[@Heimal]

"It's not a fantasy setting unless you know what the dwarves and the elves are up to" Brilliant

[@ethanhorn6093]

Instant thumbs up and subscribe for how you pronounced factions in the first 15 seconds. I don't even know how to make fun of it.

[@liamcullen3035]

“Centimanus”? Hmmm…. “Stealing liberally from Greek mythology??” Hmmm….! Centimanus = Hekatonchire! The 100-handed, 50-headed giants of Greek Mythology! Definitely got to include at least one of those bad boys in this situation. Edit: And later I realised that "Cottus" is literally the name of one of the Hekatonchires from Greek Myth. You knew what you were doing the whole time :P Greek mythology is weird and awesome. Thanks for the great video! I really like the idea of an ancient “good guy” race coming to destroy the baddies… and a bunch of innocents as collateral damage! Great twist 👍

[@SmolFrogge]

Honestly you can have factions within factions and the bard can just influence those politics. Great for triggering events.

[@PossumMedic]

Another great vid! Thanks! 😀

[@Teethmafia]

Damn I was looking for the episode on faxing my fictions.

[@plaidpvcpipe3792]

An excellent example of morally gray factions along with evil factions is Skyrim. In Skyrim you have the Imperial Legion, the Stormcloak Rebels, and the Aldmeri Dominion. The first two are typically morally gray factions. They both represent good and bad factors of human society. The Legion represents law, pragmatism, and justice but also imperialism, overbearing stubbornness, and inconsistency in thought (known in fancy speak as cognitive dissonance.) The Stormcloaks represent independence, patriotism, and "uncompromising" faithfulness but also racism/xenophobia, political and social short-sightedness, and abandonment of tradition (I could explain why I put that here if anyone's confused). These aspects, all complicated in their own rights, makes each faction interesting to learn about, interact with, and potentially be a part of. Then there is the Aldmeri Dominion, who are totally evil. They represent pretty much everything wrong about the Legion and the Stormcloaks combined (except short-sightedness and abandonment of tradition), along with a plethora more including slavery, genocidal intent, lack of morals, deceitfulness, secrecy, and either an abundance of dogmatic faith or no faith at all (or both!) But because of their lack of morals and deceitfulness, they're able trick and deceive the other factions who they diametrically oppose. While Bethesda didn't do nearly as much as they should've with these factions in Skyrim, they wrote an excellent groundwork for conflict. Having two morally gray factions with both heroic and villainous aspects along with an evil "outsider" faction that works behind the scenes works very well. When you make the morally gray factions have complex and deep issues at their hearts, it can get very compelling when paired with well written history (like in the Elder Scrolls.) And while I personally like the Empire better and think that they're the good guys of the story, you could easily believe the other way around because of how the different factions compromise and promote different values.

[@elderscrollsswimmer4833]

The other Elder Scrolls games (Oblivion and Morrowind) do tend to go by faction a lot. Not all of them are joinable or even all that visible. It's that people of this faction like people in these factions and dislike people in those factions -- more or less.

[@DozolEntertainment]

I find hilarious that the hands of cottus are a bunch of handless thieves. That for sure will be commented by the party haha.

[@FlippinFunFlips]

Thank you

[@small_howl]

This is a very needed discussion! Thank you for your content!

[@NicolasGarciaLanza]

I recently subscribed to your channel because I found your visual style very striking, but I gotta say your obscure references to philosophy, theory and film texts are really great!

[@mapcrow]

Haha! Thank you so much! I really hope this stuff is helpful for folks!!

[@LuckySketches]

Thank you for helping me fix my factions! Now I'm gonna go fax my fictions!

[@yngvildrthevoracious]

I think it's genius to consider monsters "factions" in dnd, after all, they do have some kind of will. There is causes and consequences to them having to be dispatched by adventurers.

[@BlastingXNP]

Dude, you're going to blow up in subscribers soon. I got recommended this video. Haven't played any sort of tabletops for nearly a decade. But it's just so pleasant to watch these seemingly quick ideas for something that's so gripping. Keep pushing, man!

[@Weimer_Entertainment]

Great video!

[@craberrations]

Oh man this video is fantastic. really interesting and unique style with incredible execution, easy choice to sub

[@alderhermit9449]

This Video was an epiphany for me with my current campaign! When writing, I tend to be very tangential and am not good with brevity and simplifying, which can lead to many bottlenecks or tracks that I tend to push more than others. I also have a hard time with getting ideas out and sticking with them, especially with the focal plot. But this way of getting ideas out visually and connecting them in such a way is absolutely brilliant! I will definitely be employing it in the campaign I'm currently making! Also, in terms of future videos I think it would be cool if you could show how you create a campaign, at the very start. It would be interesting to see how you come up with focal points story wise and build off those, or if you set a foundation before even beginning? Anyways, absolutely love your videos, they are incredibly creative and inspiring and always show me a new way of going about things that I am very appreciative of.

[@jj_the_ent]

this video got me incredibly pumped to run my thursday game and i just wanted to thank you for it😊