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In this third post in my series on world building (start at the beginning if you are so inclined), I’m going to talk about process. Specifically, how you can build your new world one article at a time using a wiki service.
A wiki is simply a type of web-based content management that employs multiple pages and cross-referencing for knowledge management. In plain English, it’s a way for you to unload all your fancy ideas into a centralized bucket in an organized and easy fashion. Better still, you can share access with friends and players.
There are a number of free wiki services available. I’ve used PBWiki and Google Sites to moderate success, but the one that I’ve settled on for my weekly Dungeons and Dragons game is a site called Obsidian Portal. A wiki provider and Web 2.0-style social networking site all rolled into one, Obsidian Portal is designed specifically for RPG campaigns and is perfect for world building.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, and video is just a whole bunch of pictures strung together, I put together a screencast of my process for using Obsidian Portal for my world building campaigns. Check it out:
World Building with Obsidian Portal from Michael Harrison on Vimeo.
See also: How To Build a World, Part 1: The Basics How To Build a World, Part 2: Questions to Ask
