Guilds are a staple feature of fantasy fiction, especially video games. Players enjoy rising through the ranks by doing missions for the guild, eventually becoming guildmaster. But how did they work in real life? St George's Guildhall, King's Lynn, built around 1428. Funnily enough, fantasy gets some stuff right here. They usually use the terms… Continue reading How Medieval Guilds Worked
Category: Fantasy
Inspiration: How Medieval Towns Worked
A lot of fantasy writers draw inspiration from medieval Europe - or what they think is medieval Europe. This means kings with absolute authority, dirty peasants, shifty merchants, grubby towns and - besides a handful of inept town guards who seem to work directly for the king or local lord - a total lack of… Continue reading Inspiration: How Medieval Towns Worked
Three Basic Rules For Mapmaking
You may have heard by now that I make maps. I've made dozens of them at this point, so I've learned a few things. I wanted to share a couple of basic ways to make your maps look more realistic and unique. I use the word 'rules,' but these aren't hard and fast, iron-cast laws… Continue reading Three Basic Rules For Mapmaking
A Different Way To Do Borders in Fantasy
If you know me at all, you'll know I draw a lot of maps. That's actually how I make my living. I've seen dozens and dozens of them - from sketches that people send to me to maps I look up when I'm trying to learn a new style. Lord of The Rings has no… Continue reading A Different Way To Do Borders in Fantasy
Would Gandalf Be A Good King?
Would Gandalf be a good king? Like many questions about Lord of The Rings, you could answer this a hundred different ways - and honestly I think it depends on what scenes you focus on and which role Gandalf is playing, because he does several things across the books. (source: blackgate.com) So I want to… Continue reading Would Gandalf Be A Good King?
The Similarities Between Writing And GMing
I've written a fair bit of prose. And I've also GMed (Game-Mastered) a couple of roleplaying games - and planned many more campaigns. You know what I've noticed? They're very similar. After all, both writers and GMs are storytellers. They both have plot ideas, things they want to get out of the story. Both are… Continue reading The Similarities Between Writing And GMing
Creating Interesting Post-Apocalyptic Countries
For no reason at all related to current events, I've been thinking about post-apocalyptic settings recently. In a lot of post-apoc fiction, the focus isn't on the apocalypse itself. Most of the time, it sits in the background: sometimes it's ancient history, and sometimes it's been forgotten about entirely. The Hunger Games is a kind… Continue reading Creating Interesting Post-Apocalyptic Countries
How To Start A Complicated Plot (With Examples From Fallout: New Vegas)
No-one forgets the beginning of Fallout: New Vegas. You're blindfolded and gagged, three gangsters facing you. They're arguing about payment, then one of them sees you waking up. The boss pulls a gun out. "I'm sorry you got twisted up in this scene," he says to you. "From where you're kneeling, it must seem like… Continue reading How To Start A Complicated Plot (With Examples From Fallout: New Vegas)
Why Dungeons And Dragons Is Right To Get Rid of ‘Evil’ Races
Let me preface this by saying that I've been a fan of Warhammer forever. I spent my childhood reading books where heroes slaughtered beastmen en masse; I grew up wanting to lead my plucky plastic dwarven armies to battle against the dastardly orcs and goblins. I also want to say that I wholeheartedly enjoy those… Continue reading Why Dungeons And Dragons Is Right To Get Rid of ‘Evil’ Races
How to Write Fantasy Heroes
More than any other genre, fantasy is a place where people like to build big plots. After all, the world is literally yours to make: everything from the mountains to the countries to the person living in that tiny house on that farm - it's yours, built from scratch. We all want to impress people… Continue reading How to Write Fantasy Heroes
Dewi Hargreaves 