The SUPREME RPG Worldbuilding Method

PROPHECY & POWER | SUPREME worldbuilding, creating legendary creatures, puzzles, two 5e adventures, and more!
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If it's March 2023 or later, get this issue of Lair Magazine on the DM Lair Store here: the-dm-lair.my...
___
Game masters often love making their own RPG worlds or campaign settings. Worldbuilding serves as a creative outlet for GMs and is often tons of fun. However, how does a game master ensure that their setting is fun and interesting for their players, too? In this video, we'll go over the SUPREME method for creating and fleshing out game worlds so that they are not lifeless and dull, but instead are amazing, fantastical places our players will love to adventure in.
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1:26 Social Structures
2:43 Underworld Influence
4:19 Political Activities
5:59 Religious Experiences
7:09 Economic Impacts
8:38 Military Actions
9:26 Environmental Factors
10:50 Implementing SUPREME at the Table
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[@theDMLair]

PROPHECY & POWER | SUPREME worldbuilding, creating legendary creatures, puzzles, two 5e adventures, and more! In January and February 2023, get this issue of Lair Magazine by becoming a DM Lair patron here: www.patreon.com/thedmlair If it's March 2023 or later, get this issue of Lair Magazine on the DM Lair Store here: the-dm-lair.myshopify.com/collections/lair-magazine

[@Hardymovies]

"Where yours and your friends imaginations live for 4-6 hours a week" - god that sounds like a luxury

[@BigCowProductions]

Right? We're lucky to GET 4 lol

[@AflacMan13]

Or you get into a Discord Text Chat game with a sandbox open world and 5 DM's all running different areas of the same world... and you get to be one of those 5 DM's... and your imagination lives in that make believe world for 8-14 bours a day, 7 days a week, for a year and a half... until you and the other DM's hit burn out and you become the last DM running anything, and instead of quitting, because you *really* like DM'ing, you transition your 3 parties you DM and 2 parties you play in, to 2 live session parties you DM on alternating Saturdays. :-P I gained literal years of DM'ing experience in just 6 months... after 3 years now, I have *still* not learned enough to whet my appetite for DM'ing. :-D And I'm still (in my opinion) a novice at best. :-P

[@theadventuresguild6514]

I have 3 sessions biweekly lol

[@LucasMarques-im8pw]

It is!

[@Puzzles-Pins]

For real! Scheduling is rough between kids and different jobs etc. Adult responsibility makes it surprisingly complicated to get everyone around a table on a regular basis. I know a guy in 17 different games at once though last I checked. Most only happen every other week so that helps balance, but even with that I've no idea how. He GMs some of them too, and it's multiple game systems. He's a madman.

[@ianjohnson3546]

@1:27 Social Structures @2:45 Underworld Influence @4:21 Political Activities @5:58 Religious Experiences @7:10 Economic Impacts @8:38 Military Actions @9:26 Environmental Factors

[@bernatsaenz5100]

Thank you

[@goliathcleric]

For the underworld elements: the underworld doesn't always mean bad guys. Robin Hood would have fallen into the umbrella of the underworld, but most of the popular depictions of Robin Hood have him as a good guy or anti-hero at worst.

[@Shindenize]

This is good advice. In my homebrew setting, I designed one of my biggest "underworld" orgs after the Japanese Yakuza, which were techically, started out as merchants who does not wanted to be tied to the rigid merchantile laws and wanted more "openness" on what they sell, and how they sell it. They eventually evolved into an "underworld" industry over the years because of how they conduct their business (through protection taxes, coercion, "loaning", and even intimidation), and what they "peddle" (which is mostly, stolen goods, drugs, illegal stuff etc.).

[@goliathcleric]

@@Shindenize The same thing is true for the mafia. In its original, truest form, the mafia was a form of law *enforcement*. They were hired by land owners to protect the land from lawless conditions that existed in Sicily. Even when Sicily was conquered, the mafia persisted as law enforcement because of how oppressive the regimes were; of course, none of that came for free and thus they gave birth to the first protection rackets.

[@KermodeBear]

"Is your game world just as alive to you as the town you grew up in?" Me, the Hermit Who Stayed Home All the Time: *cough* >.>

[@jtjr26]

As a player, I appreciate games where these elements are sprinkled in but not overwhelming the game we were playing. I always liked times when if there was a lull in the overall campaign the party might take a job from a local priest to deal with bandits that trouble a nearby temple or to escort a merchant traveling from one town to another, or other smaller activities. This gets the players more involved in the local community and can be a great way to increase the profile of the party. Also if the DM is on the ball these smaller activities can provide other avenues into the overall campaign or metaplot.

[@f.a.santiago1053]

I use the three Rs of Geopolitics: Resources Routes Relationships But I will DEFINITELY add SUPREME to the list.

[@scrapperlock9437]

Worlds Without Number has some great world-building advice and features. One of the best is the Faction system. I have not actually run it in game yet, but the whole idea is to create factions (nations, cults, religions, etc), give them assets and wealth, and then play a "mini game" every game month or so to see what happens. Then you seed the rumors and news of these factional events into the world just as Luke suggests at around 12:15 or so.

[@Hedron-Design]

Implamenting this immediately. Of course I had already considered much of this but having it organized the way you explained it is a great help.

[@chickadeestevenson5440]

*Closes eyes* vauge feelings, a few flashes here and there. Quickly replaced by the fantasies I escaped to. One) I'm not good at mentally picturing IRL things. Two) I think my brain deleted a lot of stuff from growing up I feel like my rpgs are more alive to me.

[@bonzwah1]

So true. It's tough, cuz for many of us, we are simply consumers of fiction, not creators of it. Gm'ing puts us in the creator position and we quickly find out we haven't paid enough attention to real life to properly make the fiction we create feel real to other people haha.

[@atomicnectar]

I really love these vids. My best advice for world building is start with what’s most interesting to you and branch out from there. Ask yourself how does this one piece interact with the rest of the world

[@thecurmudg3on]

This video comes at the perfect time. I'm currently working on a new campaign world for Pathfinder. I think you've done a great job breaking the process down into its most relevant parts. Great work as always!

[@chazzerine7650]

Random eavesdropped conversation: Hey, did you hear of the going on at ? Players: This must be a plot hook by our DM, we should go there NOW DM:

[@PilotSun-rg9bh]

Great timing on this! On just started working on my own world for next time. Thanks!

[@psimobius1273]

Well timed video for my benefit.

[@BerlinRams85]

THANK YOU for this video! Easily one of your top 3, IMO. When I will have more time starting next month, I will spend hours based on this video rewriting the world around Icespire Peak. THANK YOU!

[@alphastark8883]

Absolutely amazing timing that I saw this in between classes, this will be great for the game I just started running.

[@wilsonclark9009]

This has all been useful definitely for the book I am writing. Thanks for the info.

[@jeffbangle4710]

My group has already had several dealings with a local gang leader. However, since none of the party know Thieves Cant or have the Criminal background, they are blissfully unaware... ;)

[@valasafantastic1055]

Great video and very useful, thanks!

[@davidmc8478]

Great video, jammed pack with information. You really packed it in for this one (in a good way 😅)

[@BiologyIsHot]

Woah the super loud background music is toned down. thank you!

[@paulmacdonald5135]

I had an idea during the video for another quest for the adventures to go on after they got back to town a forest fire was started and an Ranger wants to know if they could help find the culprits that did or if it was natural in effect

[@trioofone8911]

Perhaps you do a video on each of these supreme elements?...

[@nathanrumm9092]

I like the acronym approach this makes sense. I have touched on similar items but not in that format. I break down each country or city state with basic info. Government, racial demos, religions, alliances/enemies, factions, and 2-3 sentence summary of recent events

[@guilhermemeireles6587]

Great video

[@epicsage16]

Great stuff

[@wizardsofthetower3802]

Funny, we just did a world building episode on our site, A 2 part series posted last week

[@princesskanuta3870]

Great Video!

[@prmLBlss]

Sweet, a world building video

[@aqacefan]

LIked for the SUPREME acronym alone... but where does bacon figure into worldbuilding?

[@cadenceclearwater4340]

Bacon is SUPREME

[@lesouth0348]

B: build A: A C: Cool O: Off-putting C: crab How to build the perfect world using bacon

[@strawberrylotlizard]

I think I've done a pretty good job on building my world, Nala, put in a couple of years of effort into it. My world is also not static so when the players can't get together for say 6 months my world moves on. They went into a tower on request by Prince Falk, then couldn't play for six or so months after like two sessions in the tower so I made the played experience only 2 weeks in the tower but two years passed outside. The mostly peaceful world that they left, had exploded mountains internal winter in the area and and the prince lot lost his bride-to-be in a war eitb the frost giants that he single-handedly won somehow that players haven't figured out yet. Best part is they saved young Frost Giant that was being attacked by a dragon before they got to the Tower and have they gone with him instead of going to the tower they could have either join the frost Giants to take over the captial city that they came from or you know stop the Giants in their tracks.

[@goldensun441]

very interesting. simply implementing seasons which shift over time could make a huge difference in the world. never really considered it.

[@FaoladhTV]

That article which expands on this video's ideas sounds interesting, but I looked and apparently you're asking me to pay 15 bucks for a six-page article since nothing else in that issue looks particularly useful to me (I don't play 5E and don't have much use for articles that only support that style of play; maybe the dreams & omens article might be interesting but definitely not sight unseen and the preview pages weren't particularly compelling). The worldbuilding tools do sound useful, but not 15 bucks of useful. Too bad you don't offer them, unless I missed the option somehow, without the rest of the material in that bundle for a more reasonable price.

[@aguywithtoomuchtime1005]

I was the first. I saw everything.

[@YelloDuzzit]

The imagery for the protest felt biased

[@CooperAATE]

This is a good video

[@branvan3984]

When does Decembers magazine for the Sailing Ships come out on your site? I want it.

[@goliathcleric]

It's out now: the-dm-lair.myshopify.com/products/maritime-madness-lair-magazine-24-december-2022-issue

[@branvan3984]

@@goliathcleric got that bad boy downloading right now. thank you for the update on its posting.

[@Joshuazx]

Every setting has SPERM in it: sociology, politics, economics, religion, military.

[@davidmorgan6896]

We have religious rancour, disagreement and conflict in the real world because, at least some, religions must be false. In a fantasy world we need to factor in that the gods are real and their presence is felt and, perhaps, understood.

[@cadenceclearwater4340]

A bad idea? The masses raising up against it? 🤔

[@Drudenfusz]

Having lots o moving cogs, or even just a moderate amount, is in my opinion not what makes a world feel alive. Sure, it might feel like the cogs are spinning, but it is mere simulation, nothing said in the video gives anything meaning or otherwise makes it worth telling the story of these things. Living in the matrix is too shallow for my taste, things become alive when their is a thematic depth to them. Thus the change is not just cogs turning, but it says something about the human condition, if explores an idea. Then the events become memorable since they are meaningful and not just change for the sake of a supposedly dynamic world.

[@TheThrashKing92]

Comment

[@theDMLair]

Thank you, the algorithm appreciates your comment.

[@TheThrashKing92]

@@theDMLair reply comment 👌

[@theDMLair]

PROPHECY & POWER | SUPREME worldbuilding, creating legendary creatures, puzzles, two 5e adventures, and more! In January and February 2023, get this issue of Lair Magazine by becoming a DM Lair patron here: www.patreon.com/thedmlair If it's March 2023 or later, get this issue of Lair Magazine on the DM Lair Store here: the-dm-lair.myshopify.com/collections/lair-magazine

[@LadyKjell]

"Whereas chaotic societies, there will be rioting and violence" ...Um, not if they're chaotic good people in a society that isn't hyper oppressive. Honestly, if the society as a whole is chaotic, there wouldn't be much to riot against. Chaotic good people are just as peace loving as lawful good, they just care about freedom as opposed to justice.

[@null_error_valuable]

Good timing on this topic, just finished the Essentials Kit adventure for a bunch of first timers and was looking to start taking creative freedoms with the world to keep the group together.

[@KingsNerdCave]

This is a comment for the algorithm to tell YT Luke does not suck.

[@Nexus-11]

So on the one hand, there are people who quickly embrace new ideologies and social changes, having carefully considered there value, and on the other hand, there are people who resist because they resist... Wow... So well said. And well thought out too. I'm glad I'm on the side of the thoughtful intellectuals and not those big mean dumb-dumbs.

[@seanshewey1167]

This is amazing! I personally get too caught up in writing the story and forget a lot of these things! Thank you Sir!

[@neverforged]

"Doing all these things at the same time might be overkill" Way to call out the last 3 years.

[@sturmm1414]

My party is about to embark on a somewhat lengthy travel montage. This really helped me think of a few things to sprinkle in along the way. It's currently deep in winter for them and, while I'd never before considered a blizzard... seems like a good time to try it. :)

[@bernatsaenz5100]

The lair magazine is pdf only, or print upon order code? (If neither, how does it work?)

[@taragonleaf8005]

Resist for the soul purpose of resisting, I resemble that remark.

[@nonya9120]

Geezer here.... Have been putting something together. It happens to include trains. In my setting there are active ley lines (durp de dur, magic works.) some of which are used to run a railway on. Gaming on.

[@vortega472]

I have one specific city that was the center of most of my storytelling - much like Ankh-Morpork - and for that I don't have one thieves guild - but nine - thus you have a mix of different underworld elements, that can be fun when you look at the seedy underbelly of my game.

[@markgnepper5636]

Great stuff friend 👏 👍

[@stevenmiles3038]

Great video Luke! Many excellent suggestions. Thanks.