Blown away by the worldbuilding of CCoD!
I'm going through City Council of Darkness at the moment, absolutely loving the characters and moments so far. Not all the way through yet!
But one thing that really struck me is the worldbuilding of the setting of Purpee. I'm absolutely fascinated and I'm super curious about it, but haven't seen anything so far of Brennan talking about how he did the worldbuilding and manages it.
In short, there are two directions I keep thinking about:
- Deeply Prepared Worldbuilding: Mapping out NPCs, factions, locations, and fleshing these out in detail with intricate connections between their wants and goals. However, it means significant time to prep for all possible scenarios, and some may not get used.
- vs Improvised Storytelling: Giving the Players the map, allowing them to explore the map like a sandbox and discover threads, threats, and hooks as they freely explore. This also allows them to direct the story and change directions based on what they are interested in. This leaves the story more open, but requires a lot more for improvised storytelling in the moment.
But so far I've been blown away by how Brennan manages to juggle both. As players have explored certain threads, it was like he'd prepped for every location and NPC and faction, as there was a clearly defined history for them and intricate relationships of their wants and goals, and the tension points between them. There is so much going on under the surface in Purpee! Especially giving the players access to the map and asking them where they want to explore, that part is so intimidating to me as a DM/GM, as that depth requires a lot of time.
Has anyone else been as fascinated with this side of it? I've found a few videos and interviews where Brennan has talked about his worldbuilding in the past, but the way he has done worldbuilding for Purpee feels like something really new and different. Does anyone know any interviews or videos where this side of it is discussed with Brennan for this campaign?