Designing a Fun Game Setting

What kind of world the player characters explore depends on the nature of the game. Most fantasy RPGs are quasi-medieval, meaning that they use the more interesting bits and pieces from Europe’s Middle Ages, Baroque, and Renaissance ages for reference but are not entirely accurate depictions of Earth’s past. These games are resplendent with castles, princesses, and soldiers. Some RPGs are steampunk in nature, meaning that—although the game appears faintly historic, it contains fancy technology that is purely imaginary; think of the biomechanical spider tank seen in the movie Wild Wild West, starring Will Smith. Technology in a steampunk universe does not have to have any real scientific basis and can even be said to be powered by magic crystal energy. A few RPGs are modern but steeped in fantasy, like the urban zombie panic games that have become popular recently. And still others take place in a galaxy far, far away, which is almost as fantastic as the medieval ones, except the elves are replaced with aliens, and the steampunk technology is replaced with futuristic technology, like spaceships and laser swords. Regardless of what time period or place RPGs occur in, the writers and artists almost always take artistic license with them, making the locales appear more bizarre or alien than the humdrum Earth we occupy. One reason they do this is for entertainment value. People like to be swept away. Role-playing games, after all, are a form of escape. And what better way to escape than to escape the ordinary world we all live in? In this fashion, games are comparable to theme park rides or exotic tourist destinations—and game designers are closely akin to tour guides.