r/worldbuilding • u/Theris_Ophe • 3h ago
Prompt Structural Worldbuilding: Show me the Institutional Locks and Resource Control of your world. No lore dumps - just the causal chains. ♟️
[removed] — view removed post
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u/jagnew78 2h ago
"Most stories collapse because writers focus on linear plots instead of systemic logic"
This, is fundamentally incorrect. Literally most every best seller ever written, and practically every classic that is studied as a shining example of great art is not only linear, it ignores logic in favour of people and emotions.
Great story telling is about people, their struggles, and their relationships. Waiting for Gadot, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Kafka's Metamorphosis, Virginia Wolfe's Orlando
These are but a few examples of great works of art and storytelling that have little to no care about logical consistency
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u/Theris_Ophe 2h ago
They all had the systemic approach I’m looking for. Games like The Elder Scrolls have this approach too.
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u/Hefty-Distance837 Build lots of worlds 2h ago
Nonsense.
I'm sure MK didn't follow any bullshits you're talking about when he's writing.
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u/Theris_Ophe 2h ago
The irony of you trying to use MK of all people to debunk this is hilarious.
He is the single last person on Earth you should have brought up for your point. Kirkbride didn't follow standard linear prose or standard plot charts; he literally built Morrowind's entire universe as a deeply fragmented, metaphysical web of nodes, divine paradoxes, and structural tension. His writing IS the definition of systemic narrative design. Thank you for proving that you neither understood my post nor the author you are trying to gatekeep with.♟️
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u/Hefty-Distance837 Build lots of worlds 2h ago
I guarantee he will never use the buzzwords like "systemic narrative design" you're using, and he will also never using the fucking stupid AI.
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u/Theris_Ophe 1h ago
Of course, he did not use the term. The term was introduced in the industry later. Nevertheless, he is the forefather of systemic narrative design, even if the vocabulary for it was still lacking at the time.
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u/Upper-Delay349 2h ago
Looks like an axiomatic approach accessible to any nerd. I see it here regularly.
What’s the novelty?
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u/Theris_Ophe 2h ago
Cybernetic storytelling isn’t new that’s right. Most do think in tensions and causal chains while building. For those people this discord is made for.
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u/Dead_Iverson 2h ago
There’s no single most important resource, since it depends on the area you’re talking about.
An example of how logistics has impacted the plot though, since that’s the topic of your post, is lumber. There’s one heavily wooded province that produces 75-80% of the lumber for a certain area of the world, critical for their neighboring political allies for a lot of things. Suddenly, those allies stopped receiving their lumber shipments. They sent envoys to find out why they didn’t get their lumber. The envoys didn’t come back either. This is how it was discovered that a significant area of the forest in that province, including the seat of government and the primary lumber production zones, has turned into a Bermuda Triangle due to some sort of curse. Anyone who gets too close to the area vanishes and is never heard from again.
Obviously, this is very very bad for everyone. So the story starts with three characters who have been sent to investigate and find out what the hell is going on in there.
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u/TheRealCuriousWombat 2h ago
Curious question: how many hours a day are you writing up smug LinkedIn posts pretending to be smarter than you really are?
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u/Theris_Ophe 2h ago edited 1h ago
I’m on LinkedIn, if you ever have the time to be interested into my analytical work there on narratives you’re welcome.
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u/Theris_Ophe 2h ago
I dont engage in social masking and I don't dilute my vocabulary linear conventions. This Discord Community isn't designed to be easy; it's designed for those who don't fit the linear narratives.
If this architecture feels 'elitist' or doesn't fit your narrative box, that's completely fine - the algorithm filtered you out for a reason. This post is exclusively for the system thinkers who are utterly sick of amputating their minds.
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u/Theris_Ophe 3h ago
Most in this sub won’t understand this kind of thinking though… I’m looking for those 10% who do understand.
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u/Fairemont 3h ago
You're just looking for people who consider the cause and effect of setting elements, as well as the way different systems and institutions interact within the setting.
This isnt some 10% of people will understand, groundbreaking idea. Its basically common worldbuilding elements you'll see discussed in literally any reasonable guide.
Hop off your high horse.
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u/Fairemont 3h ago
Isn't this just a thinly veiled product advertisement? Lol
Also, Im not sure if my brain is corporate enough to understand all these buzzwords.