A shared universe would be fun. I'm envisioning it as almost like a Skyrim sort of thing, except as written fiction instead of a game, and all our characters are in there together doing their own quests and whatnot but existing within the same world.

Probably means that we'd want to avoid stories involving massive world changing events, b/c it would screw with everyone else, but yeah. Loads of fun.

Whoever decides to run with it should probably get input on the world building from the forum-at-large, just to make sure it's a good playground for people to write in. Needs rules, but not rules that are too tight, etc.

 

I'd assume we'd want a more broad setting that can fit different kinds of stories. Probably a fantasy world, but doesn't have to be. A lot of people will probably write the standard type characters, such as (1) magical student in town, (2) apprentice magic person, (3) badass magical wanderer, etc. But a good setting would also offer the ability to write something like (1) the thief who steals magical items but doesn't use them himself, and therefore knows how to combat magic, (2) the Warrior who might use only one kind of magic but otherwise uses traditional weaponry, (3) the shopkeeper who is just trying to stay afloat with all this bullshit magic in his town, (4) the family man trying to hide the fact that his child has some particular ability, etc.

I'm participating in something slightly similar on another forum, but that's meant to be a novel with a lot of different POVs where each contributing author writes an individual chapter with a POV character of their own creation.

Anyway. If I was doing it I'd start with two things. The cities and basics of worldbuildings and the magic system (which I think should have a clear cost, to prevent people writing OP characters)

Pick a number/type of cities to have.

1-2 'Big' Capital Cities - If you go with one, make it the center of civilization. If you pick two, put them in competition somehow. Need to have sub-areas of these cities too, like the expensive part, the black market part, etc.

5-6 Cities - Regular sized cities, make them specialized somehow. The frontier city as the last stop before wilderness. The coastal town. The moving city that roams. Etc. Give each city 2-3 specific things to set it apart, at least 1 good and 1 bad.

I'd leave any smaller outposts and/or towns up in the air. If an author has need of a small town at a crossroads, or an outpost beyond civilization, they can add it in themselves.


Magic OR Technology OR whatever else fits the genre that people run with

I think it needs a clear cost, unlike Harry Potter, to make it easier for everyone to play in the same world. Maybe some characters are powerful magic users, but the more powerful you are provides some other kind of downside. Weaker mages avoid the downsides but can't do as much with magic. Maybe there's different kinds of magic with different kinds of downsides, and many only pick one to study.

After that, once the basics of the world are set (will depend on genre) you can probably run with it. Set a few locations (cities), set some basic rules (magic rules for downsides, advantages, etc.), set some basic rules about what exists in the world. Then let authors add things as they need them, but maybe have a thread where they can confirm it 'fits' before adding it. Need to add a new runic system of magic? Just write a quick paragraph to describe how it will fit in without becoming OP, then write your story.

Maybe also add something mysterious that none of us know what it is really yet. Maybe there are some... hell I don't know, odd-looking orange crystals that people find sometimes, but no one knows WTF they are and no one cares. It's just a thing that exists, made interesting to readers (not most characters) b/c it's a mystery.

 

Here's a link, because LC sucks.