The concept of an RPG being able to support any world you want to create isn't really anything new. What has sparked interest and questions back to me has been about how does the system really work. Because of conversations I've had, I got a group of five additional players, four of which were not part of the initial review process to see how they dealt with the concepts and what they came up with.
They had all seen the review I had written about Arium Create (link) and we had talked about it before we settled in at the table to create our shared world, our Arium. We reviewed the process as outlined before we put on our "creation" hats.
We went over the first step and determined what was out of bounds. This group is rather open and has a broad background base. The only things we said would be out of bounds for this Arium would be the use of gratuitous violence and sex.
We completed all of the rounds except the creation of items during the time we had in creating our world. And in each round of creation, discussion, collaboration, and voting we had at least a dozen to choose from in each round. As we progressed through each layer of creation, we decided to keep a few more aspects than maybe in a regular role-playing setting because most of the people in this group are writers and we decided we also want to use the Arium as a launching point for a collection of stories. We'll see how that comes together, and possibly even see if we can do more with them besides just sharing them around our little group.
So here are the Arium concepts we kept and then a more detailed presentation of what we talked about at the end of our session.
Universal
We narrowed our world down to a theme of crime families with magic.
Big Picture
We decided there is more than one crime syndicate and there is a war brewing between at least two of the organizations. Along with this brewing war was the additional fact these groups of underworld power are run by dragons.
Culture and Organizations
A major aspect of what is happening deals with the next generation of dragons who are coming of age. A problem is the dragons are not rare (Dragons? You mean fantasy-pigeons? was the concept as written). There is also a concern within the dragon community. There are purists who believe that only dragons of a pure blood line are acceptable, no cross breeds. This has led to separation of the different organizations and an attempt to remove the cross-breeds from dragon society.
And, although dragons are able to change their appearance so they can blend in, there is an organization devoted to hunting dragons and ridding the world of them.
Landmark
For our landmarks, we ended up on a broader scope and took in some concepts of the world, along with a couple of well-known singular locations.
The broader locations came down to three "places" that have designs specifically for dragons. In business towers around the world there are some that have the top floors secured so only dragons may enter. This is either done by magic, or bio-metrics. There are also large parks that have been cultivated in many cities with landscaping which blocks the view from the streets of the interior of the park. There are also locations for young dragons to practice their human forms in places of relative security doing activities they will need to learn when in the company, or view, of the lesser species.
The two specific locations are The Moldy Crow Inn and the Crimson Palace. The Moldy Crow Inn is a neutral territory. The Crimson Palace, also known as the Red Riot, is a popular night club that is operated by red dragons.
People
I am sure by this time you are already coming up with a character and where you would fall into this scenario. We ended up with 16 characters and based on our discussion, there were many more attempting to be a part of this scenario.
Instead of going through who we came up with, I'll leave it up to your imagination of who you would have populating this world.
The Final Roundup of Ideas
Here is a general view of the conclusions we arrived at.
In our current world there is a culture underneath the human societies that few know about. This culture may be considered the world of gangsters by some, and by others a controlling elite, or illuminati. What sets this sub-culture apart is it is controlled by dragons. Different races of dragons live in different parts of the world with their own cultural values that set them at odds with each other. These are not merely clans of dragons, they are organizations with many people involved, but the power rests within the families.
Part of the power that is available to the dragons, and their minions, is magic. It is an undefined measure that only a few people understand a bit about. This could be because in comparison to the dragons, humans have short lives and not the time to master the arcane arts.
Dragons must now only concern themselves with the other dragon clans. There is also an organization of humans that knows about dragons. The organization trains to identify and eliminate dragons from the Earth. But through the ages the dragons have been able to maintain their position of power and control. Many humans have found it is a capitalistic idea to work for and with the dragon clans.
Those working for the dragons help them to fit into the society and culture of humans. (The dragons most likely have another view of the role the people play.) Through the work of the humans and the wealth the dragons have been able to accumulate over their long lives, the dragons have been able to build on their places of power. They have used their wealth to secure homes, businesses, and places of relaxation for themselves. Places where only they can go due to the protections of magic, technology, and natural landscape.
The dragons advance their wealth by preying on the desires of humans in many forms. One example of such a place is the Crimson Palace, known by regulars as the Red Riot. This popular night club is a place to see and be seen in. It is where most aspiring humans of one type or another will frequent. It is a place of indulgences. It is a place where the Red Dragon Clan makes the rules, and enforces them. It is a place of many deals, both above board and below. But it is only one such place that is run by a dragon clan somewhere in almost every major city where humans seek to climb a social ladder.
But there is also a place more for dragons. Secreted away in and usually only known by humans in rumor is the Moldy Crow Inn. The name is an old name, but the place may not be. The Moldy Crow Inn is a place where dragons can go and maybe not set their troubles behind them, but at least know that no other dragon will act upon their desires of harming another within its walls. For dragons this is neutral ground that is maintained for a place of negotiation and respite.
Overall
This is what we were able to bring together in a short time of brainstorming and creating ideas. I am sure it is going to become more interesting as we bring forth the characters. There are many adventures to be had in this world. There are many stories to create and to share.
I hope you enjoyed the Arium Creation we came up with. I am interested in hearing what other worlds groups create.
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Taken from a Pinterest page (link)
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