So I am working on an idea for a collaborative world creation with about five people to start. I want to combine two different ideas for structure.

First is Dawn of Worlds - an free online "system" to help people work together (and against each other!) to come up with the basics of a world. It happens in stages (Geography then Races then Conflict - my own summation of each stage), with each having rounds of play. There are powers that are used, costing points that differ based on the stage (easier to create land in Geography than to make a race, for example). Each player can mess with the efforts of other players, so it can create some interesting outcomes. Once we get through all these steps, we would have the broad framework of the world with which to tinker.

That leads to the second part, from a history writing game I remember, but I cannot find anywhere now (and the name of the setup is just not coming to mind - I remember it being something VERY unusual and not entirely suited to being a name for a system). It is composed of a series of rounds where each player must write up a set number of entries for the setting's encyclopedia. After the first two rounds, each new entry must connect to two others from the rest of the group's previous entries. So as the game progresses, an ever expanding, and intricate, web forms. There would be defined categories (but very broad ones - more to have a standard set of entry formats than limiting ideas - so People, Places, Things, Religions/Deities, Events as a beginning set of categories).

I would think the first half would be about fifteen to twenty rounds, and the second would be as long as we all wanted to keep going.

Would there be any interest in this idea - I know I saw something like this once before on here, but it didn't get very far.

Great idea, I'm always down for these kinds of games. Are you planning to keep an updated map as things change from turn to turn? That's something that Dawn of Worlds encourages.

Yeah, I would do one in Photoshop, then update it after each player's turn (if their action affects the map), so that would let things move a bit slowly, so players can develop ideas fully before writing them down.

Have thought about adding a wrinkle that each player runs as a god/dess in the first part, so would have each start with a primordial focus, then as the rounds progress, they add in new traits relevant to their actions (and thus slowly become more complex gods with diverse portfolios.

Is the second part called Microscope?

No, it is a weird name, like a history book title or something (a made up one). What is Microscope?

Anyways I'm game if we get enough interest.
This message was last edited by a moderator, as it was against the forum rules, at 15:05, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

The second game sounds very much like Lexicon: https://rpggeek.com/rpg/26851/lexicon

That is it, thank you!!!

Sounds cool, I'm in!

Assuming Anders is in, that would make four - one more and we can start a game, and work out some of the details there. But not putting the effort in until we have at least five solid yes votes.

Five.

It's a crapshoot, I know, and it isn't something I am familiar with regarding each system you're using.  But it has my interest.

Five.

Anders, are you in? If yes, then I will start the game. If not, the waiting continues... LOL

If not, or if you've room for a spare, then I'm in

Definitely interested in the Microscope aspect of this game. I've never played Dawn Of Worlds, but it seems interesting as well...

http://www.clanwebsite.org/gam...ds_game_1_0Final.pdf

The one problem I see with trying to combine these two "games" is that they both create rules, events, races, etc. Part of Microscope is the allowing or forbidding of certain things/aspects/tropes. This will be hamstrung or curtailed greatly if the world is premade via Dawn Of Worlds. One of the first things I do when "playing" Microscope is ban Steampunk entirely (hate steampunk fantasy), which would be impossible if a race of mechanical beings is already in existence due to the DOW portion of the game. I think for this proposal to work smoothly, the Microscope aspect of the game would be used only to work out various periods in the worlds history rather then do the entire pallet aspect of the game.

Regardless of bumps in the road, i am totally interested in this as I was just thinking of doing a Microscope based world creation game.

I think the OP opted to use the Lexicon system for the second portion.