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Post by Ross Warren on Jan 11, 2011 21:21:16 GMT 1
Working on a novel Idea for a James Bond inspired fantasy. Anyone have any tips on creating a fantasy world.
I'm thinking primarily about how to create a functioning city.
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Post by benedictjjones on Jan 12, 2011 12:33:49 GMT 1
map it out. think of what a city would need; power, food, water, entertainment, residential areas, market/shopping area, transport/roads etc. - and a reason for being! most cities are what they are for very specific reasons e.g London has the Thames which made it an important port etc., Istanbul is the gateway between Europe and Asia (and also on a river), coastal cities often have natural harbours etc. Rivers are a big theme and most major cities are on a river.
then look at how the city is run; type of government, level of beaurecracy, taxation, crime.
what time period/tech level are you aiming at??
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Post by Ross Warren on Jan 12, 2011 12:43:36 GMT 1
Kind of a mix of medievil with a bit of steampunkery for the gadgets.
I have a sheet of A3 card that I have been drawing a bit of a map. It's a walled city with a harbour.
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uath
Full Member
Posts: 134
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Post by uath on Jan 12, 2011 13:21:31 GMT 1
You can take fantasy literature as a starting point.
Most fantasy I read (I’m reading a Terry Brooks right now) is kind of a mish-mash. It pretends to be medieval, but in the real days of feudalism, common people were all but slaves. Most people lived and died as slaves within a twenty-mile area. Vagabonds and wanderers were put to death the moment they entered a village or town. Metal was so expensive that having a sword would be the same as having a Cadillac. Castles were more to oppress than protect.
To make fantasy interesting, most settings are a cross between societal norms of the 1700’s and technology of the Renaissance. You can almost include Tolkien in this.
Where would James Bond be in a place where strangers were nonexistent and travel was by invitation only.
If I were you, I would look to the Enlightenment (late 1700’s). People had relative freedom to travel and yet out-of-the-way places could be truly barbaric. You might imagine a steam-powered helicopter, who knows, yet horse and carriage would be more the rule. Religion wouldn’t be the all-consuming rule of the land and educated men were experimenting with a very persuasive agnosticism.
We can understand this kind of environment. A walled port city in 1780 would be a very cosmopolitan place.
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Post by benedictjjones on Jan 12, 2011 13:25:25 GMT 1
a few more things:
Industry - what is the town known for?
Religion - what is it? does everyone follow the same god(s)
immigration - are there any minorities in the city?
law and order - remember police as we know them have only been around for 200 odd years before that it was city watches, militias etc.
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Post by benedictjjones on Jan 12, 2011 13:27:00 GMT 1
ross have you read 'perdido street station'? that shows how you can 'build' a city
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Post by Ross Warren on Jan 12, 2011 14:06:34 GMT 1
Got it but never read it
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