Joshua of the Bible is a Proto-Paladin

I asked Copilot this question "I would like a explantion for how similiar Joshua in the Bible is to the concept of a fantasy palandin." I will leave my typos in place. This question is interesting to me because I am a nerd for fantasy stuff, and I like the paladin class, BUT, I do not like how the modern interpretation of the paladin is drifting away from its roots and I think a Biblical reference can help to reframe the conversation about what a paladin is. First, I think the paladin must be a religious character, possess a military role, and act as a leader if not a symbol to aspire to, thus the Biblical character Joshua is a great place to take inspiration. The paladin encapsulates the ideal, romanticized chivalrous knight. A paladin is the champion of moral goodness, values, ideals, and is backed by a holy or divine authority. Definitionally, a fantasy paladin is aligned with forces of good like a Jedi, distinct from a force-user or Sith, is definitionally aligned with the light side of the force. Taking an ordinary wo/man with all their flaws and weaknesses and making them into a genuine paladin would therefore be a very rare, extraordinary thing to do. It wouldn't be easy or economic.

Some gamers I have met don't have the same starting point that I have, and they think you can have evil paladins. This doesn't make sense to me. What makes sense to me is that the forces of evil wouldn't use a paladin, they would use a monster. Maybe a hundred. It would be more economic than developing one man into every lofty idea I described above. As I conceive of a paladin, to be a paladin, one must be exceptionally moral and disciplined. It is a path that requires a lot of self-sacrifice and courage. You live for something greater than yourself. You have faith and no fear. They are symbols for common folk to aspire towards. These are not traits I associate with an evil or morally gray character. An evil person does not radiate courage in the face of trials, they radiate menace in the face of innocence, and they anticipate challengers who give them an opportunity to be cruel or wicked and to exercise their power. A morally gray paladin has no convictions, and thus champions nothing but the self. Were there to be such a thing as an alignment to the balance of good and evil, the morally gray paladin would sometimes handicap good in the face of evil and sometimes vice versa for some very, very abstract or difficult to grasp concept and goals that might make sense to an alien being, but not a flesh and blood mortal from a logical setting that would be plausible and relatable to an earth-born human being.

Similarly, a paladin of chaos, nature, the sea, or some weird idea like machines or knowledge or magic, also makes no sense to me. A person dedicated to chaos or lawlessness, or a person dedicated to nature or the sea must follows an order that is different than the order that is beneficial to mankind, and they would have their alternatives to a paladin that suit their values and needs. They would have their own defenders or warriors or champions. A champion of chaos could be the Health Ledger interpretation of Batman's villain Joker. I would describe Joker as an anti-paladin before I would describe him as a paladin. He might have devotion to an idea that rivals a proper paladin, but this is due to madness and is not backed by anything divine.

Thus, a new idea occurs to me: is the level of devotion to God that one must have in order to qualify as a paladin so extreme that one might compare it to a madness? Possibly, but also possibly not in every case.

I would ask for those of you like Warhammer 40k or Fallout, that these franchises use the word Paladin either with a twist or ironically. Possibly an intentional perversion of the concept to make a point that they are not paladins. They are not classical, traditional paladins, and they suit their respective distorted settings, but they don't fit my concept of a paladin. When I'm in the mood for fantasy, I tend to want something more familiar and traditional; not these.

I am sharing Copilot's response to my question below (with Copilot's permission) because it is delightful to me. I'll change the font for Copilot to make it distinct from my thoughts.

"Joshua, this is a fun question — and honestly, the comparison *works*, as long as you treat it as metaphor rather than historical equivalence. The page you’re looking at already notes that Joshua is **not literally a paladin** in the medieval sense   [Current page](citation-section://2071350538/7), but that doesn’t stop us from exploring how his **role, virtues, and narrative arc** line up with the fantasy archetype.

Below is a clear, structured breakdown of how Joshua in the Bible resembles — and differs from — the classic paladin concept.

---

## 🛡️ Core Similarities: Joshua as a Proto‑Paladin

### **1. Divine Commission & Sacred Mission**

A paladin is defined by being chosen or empowered by a divine force.  

Joshua is explicitly commissioned by God after Moses’ death to lead Israel into the Promised Land   [Current page](citation-section://2071350538/4).  

He receives direct commands, reassurance, and promises — the exact kind of “holy mandate” that fuels paladin narratives.

### **2. Holy Obedience & Moral Duty**

Paladins follow a code: righteousness, loyalty, courage.  

Joshua’s leadership is repeatedly framed around **faithfulness, obedience, and reliance on God’s guidance**   [Current page](citation-section://2071350538/6).  

He is told to keep the Law “close to his heart” and to act with unwavering courage.

That’s textbook paladin ethos.

### **3. Miraculous or Supernatural Support**

Paladins often fight with divine favor — blessings, miracles, or supernatural intervention.

Joshua’s story includes:

- The Jordan River stopping its flow  

- The fall of Jericho through ritual obedience  

- Encounters with divine messengers (e.g., the “commander of the Lord’s army”)

These aren’t spells, but they *are* holy miracles tied to his mission.

### **4. Warrior‑Leader Identity**

Joshua is both a military commander and a spiritual figure.  

He leads armies, strategizes battles, and guides the people in covenant faithfulness.  

This dual role mirrors the paladin’s blend of **martial prowess + sacred authority**.

---

## ⚔️ Key Differences: Where the Analogy Breaks

### **1. No Knightly Order or Chivalric Tradition**

The page notes that “paladin” is a medieval European term, not a biblical one   [Current page](citation-section://2071350538/8).  

Joshua wasn’t part of a knightly caste, nor did he follow chivalric codes like courtly honor or feudal loyalty.

### **2. His Authority Is National, Not Knightly**

Joshua is not a wandering holy knight.  

He is the **national leader** of Israel — a successor to Moses, not a member of a warrior order.

### **3. His “powers” are covenantal, not class‑based**

Joshua doesn’t wield divine magic personally.  

Miracles occur because God acts, not because Joshua channels divine energy.

A D&D paladin might smite undead; Joshua prays, obeys, and God intervenes.

---

## 🌄 Why the Comparison *Feels* Right in Fantasy Terms

Joshua’s story has the same emotional and thematic beats as a paladin narrative:

- A chosen champion of a divine power  

- Leading a people into a promised destiny  

- Fighting battles under divine guidance  

- Upholding a sacred law  

- Acting as a moral exemplar  

- Receiving miraculous signs during key moments  

If you dropped Joshua into a grounded fantasy RPG — especially one like your Quiet Hex Crawl — he would absolutely read as a **holy warrior archetype**, even if the historical categories don’t match.

---

## 🧭 A More Precise Fantasy Archetype

If we wanted to be extremely accurate, Joshua is closest to:

- **A divinely appointed war‑captain**  

- **A covenant champion**  

- **A sacred general**  

- **A prophet‑adjacent leader with martial authority**

But “paladin” is a perfectly serviceable shorthand in fantasy discussions.

---

## 🔮 A Question to Push Your Worldbuilding Further

In your grounded‑fantasy tone:  

**Do your world’s holy champions receive miracles the way Joshua does — external acts of the divine — or do they channel power directly like a D&D paladin?**

That choice will shape the entire feel of your setting’s theology and magic."

Sample Dungeon - Design

I made a (an unfinished) dungeon.

This is by no means a finished product. It is an example. And this is a lesson about what you need, and what you don't!

First, scale. What is the scale? Scale means how big it is. I don't have a grid, and that's fine. In its absences, we can say the smaller rooms are about 30 ft x 20 ft and the bigger rooms are about 60 ft x 40 ft. Don't like those dimensions? Change them. Precision is extraneous. Keep it simple. This is economic prep and GMing.

Second, cardinal directions. I have no compass rose. Which way is north? You're the GM. You pick.

Third, what's the name and story of this dungeon (the context)? Call it a fill in the blank dungeon. It looks like a cave network right. Or maybe it's an old mine. Doesn't need to be special. Write a short list of three to five things about it. Who, what, when, where, why, how. It's your setting - you know best.

Context

Now that the obvious questions about the map are answered, and I assume not everyone is happy, we can talk about why scale, markings, and deep lore aren't important. Ahem. Your players don't care. OK, they might care. Nerds. The context, why they're here and why this place is or was important, is helpful. Let's brainstorm three explanations.

1. This is an old coal mine. Because of the plague, all the minors got sick and many died. While it was vacant and inactive, monsters moved in and now they're interfering with the mine restarting.
2. A small, private silver mine. The deed holder died of old age, and the heirs are fighting over how to split it. One of them wants to hire diggers and continue to operate it, one of them wants to sell it to a noble and earn some favor. A gang of bandits have arrived to sabotage it for one of the parties.
3. This iron mine operated during the war, was stripped of all the iron deposits, and has been boarded up to prevent outlaws and wild animals from moving in. Someone dangerous opened it up and is hiding out.

Nothing special, right. Simple, one to two sentence backgrounds. There's room for you to improv, speculate, extrapolate, and embellish on, but there's not an overwhelming amount of information for you to learn. It's not limiting, restrictive or cumbersome.

Design

This is where I tell you what makes a good dungeon, obviously.

Room key

The rooms are keyed, but keys are always flexible and subject to change. Note how simple they are. It does not need to be paragraphs. Don't have read aloud text. Use bullet points and keep it to a small list of essentials. Monsters and their stats should be one line. Treasure should be one line.

Exploration

Exploration means that there are choices to make and things to discover or miss. The fun of exploration is discovery, so learn from Starfield by Bethesda and put monsters, traps, hazards, and treasure. Also notice that there are optional paths! In fact, there is an optional entrance that plops the PCs in room 8a near room 11 where the 5-room dungeon begins.

5-Room Dungeon

Believe it or not, rooms 11 through 15 are a 5-room dungeon. You've heard about these right? Each room resembles a significant beat in three-act story structure. There's an intro, a minor obstacle, a major obstacle, a climax, and a reward. It's not perfect, whatever. The point is that it's in the back of the dungeon. This means you have a structured, linear ending after a dungeon with choices.

Multiple Entrances 

The dungeon has two entrances (room 1 and 8a). The reason being is because this means that the PCs have something to discover, and they have a choice about how to access the dungeon. Room 1 is the main entrance, but room 8a goes up. Maybe it was a natural opening that was used an old emergency exit or, maybe above it they build a separate structure and used it for worker housing or for a depo. There are multiple factions in this dungeon, and each gets their own entrance.

Annotated Maps

The edges of this drawing are filled in and the rooms are small. Were I to use the entire piece of paper, I would put notes and symbols all over the map. Anything to simplify the map and make it more intuitive is helpful.

Loops

I've got loops in my map. Loops make it interesting and each loop can be treated as its own zone.

Volume

15 to 24 rooms sounds like a perfectly good size dungeon to me. I have rooms numbered 1 to 15, plus 8a.

Flow Charts

Maps are overrated. Flow charts are simpler. Use a flow chart like this one instead. It's the same as the map above. The shapes of the rooms are all pretty square, but their shapes here are not intended to be literal. 

Map Key

1. Main Entrance. The entrance to the mind shaft has a sign bearing the name of the mine and the notifies trespassers "private property". Roll a 1d6; There is a 1-2 chance of encountering 1d6 bandits on watch for potential trespassers.

2. Rubble path. Recently collapsed, but narrow paths have been haphazardly cleared by its new temporary occupants.

3. Mine and pit. The outer perimeter ramps down into a pit in the center. This is where most of the mining was done.

4. Tool storage. Only old, worn, damaged tools left.

5. Bandit leader's room. His treasure is hidden here in a locked box. A bound prisoner is kept here.

6. Bandit's common room / barracks. They are occupying the mine. Bedrolls, food and drinks, and some possessions are stored here. They keep one watch dog here to protect against traffic coming from the direction of room 7 and beyond.

7. Empty room. 

8. Trap - The trip wire spans the hall, and goes up to a concealed bottle of alchemist fire and is suspended from the ceiling. If kicked or stepped on, the bottle is yanked and falls to the ground. Poof!

8a. Broken Ladder 15 ft up and out of dungeon through a hole among tall grass! It is prone to break under the weight of a human-sized creature (roll 1-2 on a d6). Two people on the ladder at the same time means the ladder automatically breaks. Anyone who falls, or who has someone fall on them, takes 1d6 damage.

9. Seemingly empty. Stash of silver ore hidden by one of the bandits.

10. Three large watchdogs are placed here by bandits who occupy rooms 5 + 6. They are roped in place to a stake in the ground, but each has 50 ft of slack.

11. Stick topped with severed human head. Goblin foot tracks below. Improv ropes has been made from strips of cloth (old shirts) and suspended from the ceiling like a curtain. Bones have been tied in them. They clatter when you pass through them. This is an alarm.

12. Goblin guard post. 1-3 goblins are on watch at any time.

13. Goblin barracks. 4 to 6 goblins, either resting or rough housing.

14. Goblin common room (12 to 18 goblins resting)

15. Goblin chief's room + his 3 goblin concubines and their treasure hoard - a pile of two-hundred forty (240) impure silver nuggets worth about 24 gp.

Wandering Encounters

Yes, you need these. They make your dungeon feel like a living, believable place, and they encourage PCs to treat the dungeon that way. Each round of exploration or movement, roll a 1d6. On a roll of a 1, roll for an encounter based on the room (see below). If you roll an encounter, place it logically. The NPCs do not simply appear without logic. They are either in the room before the PCs arrived, or they are approaching this room from some direction or another.

The NPCs are aware that they share the dungeon with another faction, but they are relatively familiar with their presence, and they tentatively respect each other's boundaries. They are suspicious and untrusting of the other faction, thought they don't tend to engage in violence or theft. Therefore, both factions are generally cautious when wandering the dungeon. If the PCs have not encountered the NPCs, then the NPCs are cautious but not alert; otherwise, the NPCs are cautious of possible intruders and are actively keeping an eye out for them. 

• Rooms 1-6, and 10, encounter 1d6 wandering bandits. They are either on their way to mine, or they're checking on the dogs, or they're going to relieve guards at room 1, or they're preparing to leave the mine to commit various crimes on the road or in town.
• Rooms 11-15, encounter 1d6 goblins.
• Rooms 7-9, you may encounter either 1d6 bandits (1-3 chance) or 1d6 goblins (4-6 chance). The goblins use room 8a to leave the dungeon to raid farms for livestock, pets, or small children.

Annotated Map (Flow Chart)

You can add more notes, but I got lazy. The contents of the room could be added. This is the apex of the dungeon map. Honestly, I don't know why maps aren't done more like this.

Alignment and Morality in TTRPGs

Moral grayness sucks and it needs to go. This post is about the rejection of moral grayness in fantasy and fiction by instructing you on the meanings of the associated ideas. I'm going to reference Avatar the Last Air Bender (AtLAB) because that's where the idea for this post began, then I retrofitted it to D&D and TTRPGs.

Spirits in AtLAB are humanized characters because they're nuanced and complex, but they do not have a mystery morality or some exotic morality. Somehow, audiences think they have some complex, otherworldly morality. This is a mistake; you simply don't fully understand the individual spirits because their thinking isn't fully explained; They have not been demystified. Similarly, there is no alignment to neutrality or evil as these are nonsensical ideas. TL;DR, you're either moral or you're lacking morality. Let me break it down.

Objective morality describes beliefs and values that are either more beneficial (or helpful) than they are detrimental (or harmful) to us, or more detrimental then beneficial, and we call these morally good (moral) or morally bad (immoral). We call morality righteous and we call immorality evil.

Amorality means without morality or lacking morality. Babies and puppies, and people and creatures who don't understand the difference between right and wrong, are amoral because they are not moral agents. A moral agent is someone who understands the difference between right and wrong and can make choices to act in ways that are right and wrong. Amorality does not necessarily mean, imply or suggest moral relativism or that one is a moral relativist.

Immorality and amorality are not their own ideas separate and apart from objective morality. What they mean is a lack of morality.

Moral variety describes different moral values held by different people in different times and places that are still either more beneficial than detrimental or vice versa. Perspectives can change and vary, but the morality of actions can still be measured. You can argue moral relativism, but the problem is anything can be justified if there is no objective right and wrong.

There is no category of morality that is separate from this (i.e. human morality vs spirit morality or some exotic mystery morality). You either recognize actions as being more beneficial than they are detrimental, or you don't.

Just so we're clear, I'm not arguing that one belief is true in real life and the other is false. I'm also not arguing that one belief is superior to live by in real life. I'm arguing that the belief of moral relativism sucks in fiction.

As an intentionally very simple argument, I would argue that unaliving innocent puppies is morally bad (immoral), but saving puppies is morally good (moral). Being indifferent to the unaliving of puppies could be amoral, but it's also lacking morality.

The spirits in AtLAB are depicted as being somewhere on the spectrum of good and bad, moral and immoral. Wan Shi Tong the owl library spirit for instance, demonstrates an indifference to the suffering of mankind due to a lack of interest or understanding in the human world. In our previous puppies example, this makes him lacking morality. It doesn't matter how you explain his reasoning or justify his point of view, he is lacking morality and his choice of actions and inactions would lead to outcomes that are more detrimental than beneficial. Screw Wan Shi Tong. He's a git and a prat. If Wan Shi Tong chose to unalive puppies by burring them in sand and refused to allow you to save them, you should not sit in awe of his exotic otherworldly morality. You should rightly think he's a git and a prat.

Morally gray characters are generally (but not always) unlikable. Don't sit there and argue that your neutrally aligned D&D character is morally grey or amoral, and that somehow means he's not immoral. The moral complexity of every situation is not like the Trolly Cart Dilemma. Sometimes you're playing a character who is making choices that we would describe as more harmful than helpful (bad choices), and the reasoning for your choice may be sympathetic, but we can still say your character is lacking morality. Another neutral character who is concerned with the balance of good and bad (which is nonsensical but a valid alignment in D&D - bleh) is someone who sometimes helps evil triumph over good, and that means they occasionally make choices that are more detrimental than beneficial. Evil is not a force you're aligned to, that's also nonsensical. Evil people are moral agents who actively make choices that are more harmful than helpful (such as murder) and are significantly lacking morality. People like this should be opposed by anyone, not just by those who are moral.

Moral grayness makes for unsatisfying character arcs. How does a morally gray a-hole change and still be morally gray? What do they change into, a slightly more likeable morally gray a-hole? That suggests traits or qualities that are consistent with universally likeable characteristics which would support an argument for moral objectivity. What are they going to defeat, a less likeable morally gray a-hole? You realize that if morality is relative, then it's equally valid for the audience to root for the antagonist if the audience agrees with the antagonist more, right? What themes are there for morally gray a-holes? Always be yourself? I guess you could have a morally gray a-hole learn the value of being an A type morally gray a-hole after struggling with pretending to be a B type morally gray a-hole. Do I need to explain why that's linear and not growth, and also not fulfilling to sit through? It could work in a comedy. Even mean old bad old Dr. Greggory House of the series House has a heart of gold and a standard of trying to save lives.

For some supplemental material, please see this amusing 5-minute video "From my point of view the Jedi are Evil! [Legends] [Remastered]" by Seals are Good.

Managing Expectations in TTRPGs - Discussing What We Do and Don't Like

When it comes to TTRPGs like D&D and Pathfinder (pronounced pat-h-fin-der), I think the trickiest part is managing expectations. That is to say that I have had a lot of personal experience with trying to run one kind of game, and players trying to play another kind of game, or vice versa if I'm a player. For me, it's very unsatisfying to tell players, "I'm running a game for heroic characters", and someone still brings a joke character, and someone else still brings a character of neutral alignment and needs some extra motivation to do anything. Ugh.

This article is my attempt to work out a way to manage these expectations. The first thing is to identify the motives, experiences, interests and influences of the participants. Some people's only exposure to fantasy might be Adventure Time. You might think I'm making that up, but I'm not! I have played with that guy. He didn't know any of the classic fantasy conventions and he played like it.

We're going to start with some useful vocabulary. Ask and discuss these questions:

• Influences or Interests: What movies, books, comics, video games, tv, etc. have you seen? that you like? What do you like about them?
• Disinterests: What do you dislike about TTRPGs, genres, literary conventions, etc. Some people are open to anything, some people aren't! For people with discerning tastes, this is as important.
• Experiences: Previous experiences with TTRPG(s). What did you like about them, what did you not like? Players may have learned some things that you would like them to unlearn.
• Motives: Why are you interested in TTRPGs? What about this hobby is fun for you? What makes you want to play a TTRPG?

My Interests: My favorite work of Fantasy might just be Kentaro Miura's Berserk. Let's discuss why. The art is badass. The dark themes are interesting. The scenarios are interesting. There's a sort of cosmic horror to it. Guts is just this regular guy who manages to become above average by sheer effort and a will to survive. He has an extraordinary tenacity for survival in the face of overwhelming odds. His opponents are often otherworldly and nightmarish in power and scale but they have such simple motives like eating people or avoiding boredom. He even earns their respect with his will and fortitude. What else? It's otherwise a low-magic, earth-like setting. The horror elements almost replace the fantastic elements, and I think that's really cool!

I also like Vampire Hunter D for some similar reasons, and because I think it's stylish as hell. In this setting, Vampires became the rulers of the earth. To the extent that the word noble became synonymous with vampire and few people use the word vampire. Humans are cattle. That's pretty dark. The titular character is D, and he's a Dhampir. That means he is a half human half vampire. Because of this, he's rejected by both humans and vampires. He's also secretly the most badass character in the setting. The question is what does he want and why? It seems to me that the author intends to leave these things up to interpretation or inference, but we are to come away believing that this is not a character with ordinary motivations.

Tim Burton's Sleepy Hallow was pretty fucking stylish too. In this movie, everyone's dressed in a period era outfit, there's only one monster and he's an absolute badass, no one understands the monster or magic, and the fantastic elements are not casually accepted by anyone. They're all as wild as if you went out for a walk and met an extra-terrestrial.

Generally, low fantasy settings or earth-like settings where the supernatural or extraordinary are rare and maybe even intrusive upon the ordinary world are interesting. Monsters are monsters! Magic is dangerous or even forbidden. The elements of the fantasy that make fantasy unique are kept low so that they when they are used, they have a greater effect, like a guy who never says curse words finally dropping an f-bomb. I also like the low fantasy, dark fantasy Campaign Diaries of Professor DM on the Dungeon Craft YouTube channel!

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean is cool for similar reasons. The fantastic elements are presented as curses, and they present the supernatural as dangerous and mysterious. If you had to assign all the characters in that movie a D&D class, they would either be fighters or thieves (rogues). 

My Disinterests: You might think I don't actually like fantasy, and there might be something to that, but I don't like pure horror and I'm not into the horror TTRPGs because in those you play as a survivor or a victim. I do want to be a hero. Fantasy can be pretty @#$%^ nerdy. The way nerds use wizards, vampires, demons, and lycanthropes can be really cringy because they make it mundane and ordinary. Monsters aren't monsters anymore, they're just like cat people or something. And then there's people who think it's racist to kill monsters and take their stuff, and those people are just detrimental to the hobby. I don't like elves, dwarves, hobbits, and some of the other fantastic races that have become standard like Tieflings, half-orcs, and dragonborn (dragon people). These things make me feel like I'm watching the Muppets. I don't like that magic is common and ordinary, like a skill or an art that people can just pick up and learn. What's so special about magic if everyone can do it?

My Experiences: I have mostly played 5e D&D. It's pretty lame. There's furries. There's scalies. Goblins, bugbears, and other monsters are humanoids or goblinoids, and so they're treated like an exotic people. I don't like that. Demons from the Christian hell are not people. Even goblins should be monstrous. D&D makes me feel like I'm Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabit. Tonally, it's lame. Players play these goofy characters, or they make characters who are kind of goofy conceptually but are intended to be played serious. It makes it difficult for me to care. I don't care about non-humans, and I don't care to humanize the non-humans. I'm hoping for something more serious, but this can't help but feel cartoonish. Besides that, the player characters get pretty powerful, and after a while they play like they know they are. Powerful player characters are antithetical to horror. I have played mostly in Faerun and Eberron, and slightly in Draconlance, Spelljammer, the Underdark, and Greyhawk; but I think 5e modernized it all made it all lame. It's casual and accessible and safe. Even the modern Ravenloft setting is kind of watered down and plebian. I also hate chaotic and evil player characters! They're dicks and they spoil someone's fun. I want PCs who can play as a damn team. And I don't want to be a villainous character, and I don't want to be a character who would particularly tolerate villainous companions or allies. But when you play D&D, this game permits evil and chaotic player characters, and so do most GMs, so I have to put up with it.

Motives: I have lost interest in tv, movies, comics, anime, and books because I think it used to be good, now it's not; but I still want to indulge in some narrative entertainment. I want an outlet for creativity, I want to socialize, and I want to play a game!

I think this was a particularly interesting exercise and I recommend you all do the same.

Here's what I learned about myself: I am not down for any game.

I want an earth-like or low fantasy, human-centric setting where magic and monsters are rare and dangerous. The line between fantasy and horror is blurred. Monsters are not people, they are monsters, and they are opposed to humanity. Magic-users are rare, maybe even feared and hated. Stakes are low, not epic. Characters are generally relatable; scenarios are generally plausible; environments are generally realistic. Your character is an ordinary or above average person. You are not great, but you can earn greatness. You have a chance to become a hero, and I want you to aspire to be, but if you become a villain, I take your PC and make them an NPC in my setting, and they become the property of the me, the GM. Don't do anything you wouldn't do in real life. Play your character like you care what happens to them. This is low, dark fantasy.

This post pairs well with my five‑rule guide for managing expectations, which turns these ideas into practical tools you can use in Session Zero and character creation.

If you want a deeper foundation for the ideas in this post, my TTRPG Concepts glossary explains the vocabulary behind tone, realism, stakes, immersion, and playstyle.

How to Create a Fantasy Setting (Loria)

This post is about creating a setting for a fantasy TTRPG from scratch with only what is minimally necessary. In other words, the essentials. Why? Because reading and studying and learning a setting book or gazetteer is time consuming and effortful. Sometimes, it's just easier to rely on people's basic assumptions about a fantasy world and make it up as you go. This post is motivated by a YT video called Minimum Viable by @Earthmote and by the simplicity of the Alfheim Setting section of the ICRPG book. I'm going to start broad and then go to specific.

Sliders and Dials

First, genres, subgenres, and various concepts found in settings and fiction. Let's treat these like sliders or dials. Let's say fantasy and sci-fi are sliders that go from 0 to 10 where 0 means none, 1 means a very small amount, 5 means a medium amount, and 10 means an extra or exceeding amount. If I said I had my fantasy slider set to 2 and my sci-fi slider set to 0, this probably describes a low-fantasy, earth-like setting.

Other sliders can be magic, monsters, (because magic and monsters can be distinct from fantasy), horror, intrigue, mystery, action, adventure, religion, dungeon-crawling, and whatever else you can think of. If I exclude a slider, it means either it hasn't been considered yet, or its set to zero (0).

Let's say I have a setting with the following sliders: fantasy 3, horror 6, magic 2, and monsters 8. I think this tells people to expect some fantasy and some magic, but more horror and more Monsters. Maybe we could assume it's a dark, low fantasy letting. Thus, the expectations are starting to form!

If I had to describe Star Wars, I would put Fantasy low, and Sci-fi would be somewhere in the middle. You might disagree! So, there are some things to define with a simple one or two sentence explanation.

The Force in Star Wars is both the religion and magic sliders combined! The Force is ever-present, and it's very important thematically, but most characters don't concern themselves with it at all! Experts in the force are very rare, and they're limited to factions; rarely independent. I put sci-fi in the middle because I think there could be more sci-fi in Star Wars. For example, Star Wars does not have an abundance of cybernetics and they're usually crude or plain rather than stylish. Narratively, they're replacements, not enhancements. There's also little to no merging of the human mind with a computer like connecting your nervous system into a machine or the internet. Therefore, no transhumanist concepts. I would also say that in Star Wars, the fictional tech is not trying to be scientific, it's not making a commentary on technology, and it doesn't intend to speculate on the future of technology on humanity. For example, little to no personal portable computers like a smart phone; they have clunky robots instead. They have cloning technology, but they only use it to make an army. Daily conveniences of tech are not shown, like cooking appliances or entertainment. So, in summary, tech is just a part of Star Wars because it's cool and because the setting is futuristic; it's an aesthetic more than a theme!

Now, let us make a checklist of ordinary parts of a setting. What are some basic concepts of setting?

1. Society (structure, culture, art, values)
2. Politics and Government (systems, leaders, laws)
3. Economy
4. Religion(s) and Faith
5. Military, War, and Defense
6. Geography and Climate
7. History
8. Technology
9. Other (like magic and monsters and extraordinary stuff)

If you can write a one sentence description of each item on the checklist above, or maybe three simple bullet points, you will define the ordinary parts of the setting. If you can work in one NPC such as a governor for Politics, a shop keeper or merchant for Economics, or a local expert for history, then you're already fleshing out specifics. Consider that the list both describes the setting and reflects what the player characters would know about the setting! 

Here's a sample I made for The Empire of Loria:

1. Society (structure, culture, art, values)
1. Human only. Resembles a mix of ancient Rome, Mediterranean, and European
2. A patriotic empire who believes that their society is the greatest in history! Loyalty is the norm.
3. Cowardice and crime are abhorred. Disloyalty is comparable to treason. Punishment is typically strict.
4. Itinerant people without loyalty to the empire are called Evrwyrs (ever-way-ers) and are commonly regarded poorly
5. People say Oy instead of Hey, Aye instead of yes informally, and they never say OK (that's a modern word)
2. Politics and Government (systems, leaders, laws)
1. Feudal. An upper class of nobles whore right to rule comes from God.
2. A clergy who props up the nobility and quells the masses
3. The empire is subdivided into counties; each county is distinct but a part of one empire!
3. Economy
1. They have many, many trades and are a self-sustaining land
2. There is a Porters Guild which delivers goods across land and sea
3. A rising Merchant Class is opening the doors to industry
4. The currency is called Lora. Fractions of a Lora are called pence as in pennies or cents.
4. Religion(s) and Faith
1. Luciusim; A generic western religion resembling Christianity dedicated to Lucius, God of light and life
2. Worshippers are called Lucians; The empire is massively Lucian! Pagans and apostates are discriminated against. Evrwyrs are follow a pagan faith.
3. The religion is led by a high priest, Richard IV.
4. The city of High Mark is considered the capital city, where the High Priest lives 
5. Magic is regarded as witchcraft, as evil, and is forbidden.
6. Superstition is ordinary
5. Military, War, and Defense
1. They have a standing military that constantly defends the boarders
2. Military service is mandatory for one male in each family
3. Lately, mercenaries have been used more and more
6. Geography and Climate
1. There is a portion of land where three continents that meet around the Middle Sea; this area is called Midland. The empire possesses all of the land immediately around the sea.
2. Mediterranean climate; Long, warm, dry periods with short, cold wet periods.
3. Areas of Midland outside of the Empire of Loria are referred to as "Barbaroy", the lands belonging to savage barbaries (or barbarians).
7. History
1. The empire is 225 years old; We are now in the year 225 LE (Lorian Era).
2. King Cornelius Lora I conquered much of the region called Midland.
3. The current emperor, Cornelius Lora VIII, has been slain! His only known heir is a witch and a murderer.
8. Technology
1. Medieval era technology. Quality steel is available. Glass goods and books are expensive.
2. Some early guns, but they are rare and expensive.
9. Magic and Monsters
1. Magic-users are feared, rare, and secretive.
2. There is no established magical culture (traditions, clothing, etc.).
3. Monsters are rare and universally eat humans. People in the more populated parts of the world go their entire lives without encountering them. There are no experts or expertise in monsters.
10. Central Conflict(s) - Major Conflicts within the Setting
1. The city of Cornelia in the County of Cornelia has been devastated by a mercenary sieged followed by barbarians and occupations by the armies of neighboring Lora counties. Displaced refugees from Cornelia are everywhere.
2. The noble class has been devastated by in-fighting. All of the nobles appointed by a Lora are now dead! Has the divine right to rule has been rescinded?
3. The High Priest has been oddly absent, and the Church has been oddly silent on recent events.
4. The county of Alexandria has withdrawn from the Empire. It was a great and powerful kingdom long before Loria.
5. An infamous witch called The Heiress, supposedly the bastard daughter of Lora VIII, has recently repelled an army from High Mark single handedly, and killed the first Paladin anointed in a generation.
6. A miracle healer disappeared from High Mark with The Heiress. He has returned, but the healing he performs have not resumed.
7. The Merchant Class of Odegrad has led small rebellion against the nobility of Odegrad following the mysterious death at sea by the governor of Odegrad, Count Reginal Gilcrest.

This is just a single region, not the entire world. Now that I have a region conceptually, I can do Q&A and fill out any gaps if needed. Notice I didn't name the continent because that's not important; I named the region, which is Midland, and the empire is called Loria. Also notice that the setting is rich with conflict. There's a lot that's happened. There's a lot that's ready to happen. I am introducing you the players right into this moment in time. You are a character from this setting; What do you do?

Counties of Loria as they ring the Middle Sea

Below I have listed the major counties of Loria and provided some simple, brief details of them. I have not created a map! Maps are overrated. Where the previous portion described Loria, this portion describes the sub-divisions of Loria. I am 

1. Odegrad in the Northwest
1. Considered the most progressive and industrious
2. They have the greatest naval power in the empire
3. Home of the Porter's Guild and the Merchant Class
4. Military colors are bronze and blue. Symbol is a Hawk.
5. Prominent Noble Houses: Gilcrest, Arc de la Chance
2. Cornelia in the Central - North area
1. The capital, and long considered the safest and most prosperous portion of the empire
2. Is now in ruins!
3. Military colors are red and gold. Symbol is a Crown.
4. Has a lot of flat plains good for farming, hearding, and ranching.
5. Prominent Noble Houses: Lora, Magnus
3. Gargalad in the Northeast
1. The most authoritarian portion of Loria with the strictest laws and highest taxes
2. Military colors are orange and black. Symbol is a dragon.
3. The only county that does not touch the Middle Sea. Connected to the middle sea by rivers; The area along them is swampy.
4. Prominent Noble Houses: Gargaladius, Ebonoble, Frost
4. Arcadia in the East
1. The most patriotic and ready-to-fight county
2. Military colors are red and blue. Symbol is a Lion.
3. Has a lot of hills.
4. Prominent Noble Houses: Cidvermillion, Silvance
5. Alexandria In the Southeast
1. The oldest, longest-lived county
2. Has very rugged, green land
3. Military colors are black and green. Symbol is a griffin.
4. Prominent Noble Houses: Alexander, Northcast
6. High Mark in the Southwest
1. Capital city of the Church of Lucius
2. The central portion of the county is largely a desert; the perimeter is forested.
3. Military colors are red and white. Symbol is a cross.
4. Prominent Noble Houses: None! Governed by the church.

Specific!

Now, when you set a story in a location, you set in in a very, very specific place! Like a single town or city, or an area of wilderness.

Port Bleu is a small barony in the County of Gargilad. I'm going to bring back the checklist I used above specifically for this small place. I can flesh it out some more with key locations and characters, even factions and their conflicts, but I won't (for now). You could also add rumors, news, and gossip!

• Society: The population is largely poor. There's a lot of laborers here. There are some merchants, but they don't have permanent residences here, instead having a presence through a proxy to manage their enterprise for them.
• Militiamen
• Local experts
• Thieves or criminals (organizations?)
• Politics: The governor is Baron Allan Frost. He's charming and generally noble, but he's subservient to Count Gargalad who is strict. Laws here are strict.
• Minor Noble House
• Economics: The city doesn't produce anything. Instead, it's dedicated to importing and exporting goods! The harbor is full of ships with flags from all over Loria.
• Merchant: Franklin Greene, local merchant (lesser)
• Pawn Shop
• Eatery
• Inn or Lodge
• Religion: There's an abbey of the church called Bella Iris Abbey. They have a witch hunter here.
• Father
• Witch Hunter
• Military: The soldiers wear blue gambesons. They wear kettle helmets and they carry bucklers and small swords.
• Captain, Sergent
• Jailer
• Geography: The city is situated on a great lake connected to the Middle Sea by a great river called the Gladys River. The town is three days south of Gargalad.
• Local features (caves, hills, woods)
• Minor location (village, fort, settlement)
• History: This town was built after the empire was established. It was built to connect Gargalad to the rest of the empire by water.
• Event
• Local Conflicts: This is where you detail the opportunities and obstacles in town. The town was recently captured by Arcadia during conflict. Baron Frost was captured. During that time, the town was in chaos. His ability to govern is now called into question.
• Large man-eater in the water
• Smugglers, thieves, raiders
• Evrwyrs stealing work from Lorians

Managing Expectations in TTRPGs - GM Expectations Framework

Every time I've ever ran a TTRPG or been invited to play TTRPG, I have been disappointed by something, and I've dropped out of a few groups when it was bad enough. Managing expectations was a concern of mine from the very beginning. I think I've found the vocabulary that I need to describe concepts that GMs can and should use when inviting players to their game. These five items below should help you no matter what kind of game you're running. Explain these ideas to your players as early as possible.

1. Fiction Doesn't Mean Anything Goes

Have you ever told someone that their idea didn't make sense, and their response was something like "but it's [fiction / fantasy / sci-fi]" and the implications was that because something (the game) is fiction, anything should be permissible? Here's the counter argument. Just because something is [fiction / fantasy / sci-fi], that doesn't mean anything goes. Fantasy is fiction with fantastic stuff. In fiction, the limitations of the fantastic elements are established, and then the rest of the setting is assumed to be based in realism which we can all relate to. Note that realism here is not the same as trying to create a game or setting that simulates what is realistic. Note that the core rules do not say "disregard realism" or "default to realism", this is a ruling made by the GM; however, defaulting to realism as a rule of thumb is useful because it gives us a common understanding of how the world works where the rules of the game do not cover, and common understanding allows the GM to be fair and consistent in their rulings and helps the players to understand the limitations of what they can do and cannot do. This also has the benefit of simplifying the game.

2. Forget Everything You Know About X

Tell your players to forget everything they know about fantasy, sci-fi, horror, 5e, Faerun, Eberron, World of Warcraft, etc. Do not let them bring their knowledge or expectations about goblins or vampires or were-creatures or magic to your game. Tell them that in your setting, these things might work differently, and that by relying on their knowledge of other settings or pop culture can spoil the experience of your game for themselves. Tell them you expect them to figure things out through exploration, social interaction, and experience in play. Alternatively, this common knowledge can give us a starting point to understand a setting, and so you would want to provide them with a list of other fiction that has inspired your game like D&D's famous Appendix N. I personally do not like Tolkien's interpretation on elves, dwarves, and hobbits (halflings). 

3. Generic Setting vs Curated Setting

Tell your players that the GM is the curator of the setting. As curator, you decide what is appropriate for the setting and what is not. Tell your players whether you are running a generic fantasy setting that is a hodgepodge of fantasy's most popular ideas intended for mass appeal, or if you are running a game in a curated setting with select fantasy ideas intended for a niche audience. Even a kitchen sink setting can have a few restrictions for the sake of keeping the game simple to prep and run for the GM, and to create a more focused or cohesive experience for the players.

4. Don't Ruin the Mood

People go to see movies for the kind of movie it promises to be. An action movie that's just sad and doesn't have very much action would be disappointing. Now imagine going to see a horror move that has 15 minutes of good, uninterrupted comedy that breaks all the tension. Imagine going to comedy that has 15 minutes of uninterrupted violence and gore that leaves you feeling too disgusted to enjoy the rest of the humor. Some people think a TTRPG has room for everything, but for me, these are examples of ruining the mood. Tell your players to be considerate of the mood of a scene or situation, especially when the focus is on another player character. Tell your players the kind of mood or overall tone you want for your game. Do you want a game with a more serious tone like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, or do you want a game with a whacky fun tone like a Marvels movie or even some cartoon. Tell your players to make a character who suits the tone of the game.

5. Compatible Playstyles

This is a response to the famous excuse "I'm just playing my character TM". Every player plays differently. Your playstyle describes more than what your fantastic race / background / class is, but also how you play it. Define how you want your players to play the game from the beginning. I want the players to have cooperative playstyles, but I find too often that there are players who have made characters who not cooperative. They make crazy, loner, mischievous, selfish, greedy, or violent characters. The intent may be innocent, but the effect is that their playstyle is incompatible with others' if not antagonistic. They inevitably complicate or ruin a scene or goal for another player and spoil the fun for them. The offending player provides the famous excuse TM, and they avoid taking responsibility or making changes to their playstyle. Don't give your players the opportunity to even make that character. At character creation, tell your players they need to make a character who can work as part of a team and play collaboratively. Suggest that the players all make characters who are morally compatible or who share the same beliefs, values, or goals.

There you go. These five rules should stop your players from making that chaotic neutral cyborg ninja turtle-kin from the future who multiclassed into batman and power rangers and who worships the god of math and speaks in the third person using a Jersey accent and he loves eating mustard by itself. As a bonus sixth tip, tell your players they need to make a likable character, and that is a concept itself that will have to be defined, but most importantly it means don't make an @sshole or a d!ck.

If you found this helpful, you may also want to read my companion post, where I expand on these ideas with a deeper look at tone, influences, disinterests, and why mismatched expectations ruin games.

If you want a deeper foundation for the ideas in this post, my TTRPG Concepts glossary explains the vocabulary behind tone, realism, stakes, immersion, and playstyle.