Creating a Universe Part 1

That’s right, they’re back! And I have a good one that people seem to have some problems with, especially on this forum. This problem is the inability/lack of motivation to create their own game universe, characters, story, and etc. This is the first in a series I call Creating a Universe. The first part will cover creating a premise, and building onto it with a setting and themes.

Now, the first step is coming up with a premise that you want to go with. A premise, as I see it at least, is a summary of the story that your game has. The premise usually includes the setting of the game as well. We’ll use one of my old stories for this. In fact, we’ll use the story of my namesake.

“The elemental spirits of fire, water, earth, and wind have gone berserk due to a surge of power from an unknown source. The goddess of light, Alaina, calls upon a young swordsman named Shinta in his dreams, and deems him as the Guardian. Why he is chosen is unknown to him, but it will soon be revealed in time.”

Now, this may not seem like it has a setting, but think about it. Would something like this really happen in modern times or in the future? Not likely. So it is a good chance it is set in the past, which indeed it is. Yes, the story is very cliche sounding. But to be honest, most premises do sound as such. The point of a premise is to summarize. That is why we build on the characters later, and we will do so later in part 2. First, we must analyze the time period, and select themes that would fit the time period. (This may seem unorthodox, but it helps to develop the story if you know what you are going for.) Themes popular for this time period are honor, love, pride, overcoming extreme odds, young heroes proving themselves and slaying a great evil. All of these were used in my old Guardian game, although love and pride were somewhat absent as the game was bad and unfinished (I admit, I kinda want to pick it up again, and I might if requested enough). Anyway, after we identify the themes, setting, and premise, we try to meld them together in a base story, which is what is usually posted in my threads when I post a game. Below is an example with our premise, settings, and themes.

“The elementals of our world have become enraged due to a large amount of power being built up within them. The goddess of light, Alaina, is unable to calm them, so seeks out a young swordsman by the name of Shinta. She tell him that he is to become the Guardian, the power that is able to quiet the powers of the elements and restore the balance of the world. But the power of the Guardian comes at a high price, which he will soon discover. He must travel with new friends, combat great evils, and find the power within himself to show that the Guardian is the ultimate source of good and light”

That’s all for part one. We will continue this next week in Creating a Universe, Part 2: Characterization