Gazetteer for the Duchy of the Sept
This is the first of a series of Gazetteer entries for regions of the Basin Kingdoms in the World of the Vault. The duchy of the Sept comprises seven settled hexads (hence, “Sept”) and...
Author: Wallace Cleaves
Magic is Prevalent and Pervasive – Game World Design – The Third (of Four) Principles
The post below continues a series that started with an overview of the four principles Wallace Cleaves used in thinking about his world, the Vault. The first principle and second principle have been covered...
“Come not between the dragon and his wrath” — King Lear (1.1.123)
The Third Sin: Wrath When something goes seriously awry in your game, resorting to the emotion of Wrath can be one of the most dangerous responses, both on part of the GM and the players. Other...
American Geography and European History – Game World Design – The Second (of Four) Principles
If “Fantasy geography is that of the American West,” then what should that setting look like? Answer: It should have American Geography– and European History Aproper fantasy setting should be big–really big. Imagination-capturing big....
Get Medieval: The Town in the Middle Ages
This is the second installment in the “Get Medieval” series, exploring the historical world of the Middle Ages in Europe, particularly in the 13th and 14th centuries in England, as a potential source for...
A Classical Medieval Fairy Tale Western Game World Design: The First (of Four) Principles
Previously in this column, Wallace outlined four “First Principles” for game world design, four things that many would-be world creators don’t get right when they think about how to create a setting for the Dungeons ...
Green with Envy
by Wallace T. Cleaves You must be wary of Envy, both within yourself and in your players. Envy is particularly dangerous as it tends to recursively feed upon itself. Envy tends to spread from...
Get Medieval: The Village in the Middle Ages
Introductory Note: The “Get Medieval” series explores the historical world of the middle ages in Europe, particularly in the 13th and 14th centuries in England, as a potential source for inspiration in D&D and...
Introducing The Vault
What is the Vault? The Vault is a game world designed to reflect the mechanics, character, and ethos of the Dungeons & Dragons game. It is a world created to reflect a game system,...
Clerics of the Force
by Wallace Cleaves Admiral Motti: Don’t try to frighten us with your sorcerer’s ways, Lord Vader. Your sad devotion to that ancient Jedi religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes,...
