Fiction and RPG settings within various genres often share tropes… but which tropes each setting uses varies.
Fantasy settings often include aspects reminiscent of medieval Europe… but sometimes other eras or regions. A single setting can include areas with different historical or mythological influences. Some of these influences are easily identified, some are more obscure. Each of these settings can have markedly different feel, to the point they can be described as ‘other worlds’.
Science fiction, on the other hand, can be even more wildly different. Heinlein wrote, in his Future Histories, a world that was a not-unreasonable extrapolation of our world. Even when literally traveling to other planets (can you get more other-worldly than that?) they mostly stayed to something recognizable. Spider Robinson stories are mostly set in a world recognizable as our own, with a few unlikely elements. e.e. smith, in the Lensmen books, hurt my science-loving heart (“IT DOESN’T WORK LIKE THAT!”) until I learned to let it go.
Horror, be it Gothic or Mythos or other, is often set in a world that looks somewhat like ours… but is distinctly not ours in many important ways. At least, I certainly hope they aren’t like our world!
On top of these different worlds, there can be different metaphysical realms to explore, visit… or escape. Dream realms, other planes, entirely different universes with different laws… Mythos stories highlight just how small and meaningless our world is, in the grand scheme of things.
There are so many places to explore in fiction and in roleplaying games. There will be similarities, there will be differences. Some differences small, some so large as to make things seem alien.
So many worlds. Let’s share some of them. Share about your worlds.
Taking Part
Like all RPG Blog Carnivals, to take part is quite simple. Write a topical post on your blog, and add a comment below with a link to the post. At the end of the month I’ll do a round up of all the posts, getting them all together with my thoughts.
I encourage everyone to explore the links added below, and feel free to comment here. Or even better, if they spark ideas that you want to explore, follow up with more posts that link to those ones (and add those links here!)
Here’s my stab at this years RPG Blog Carnival my first time
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Neill
Thanks for jumping in and leading us off, Neill. I am intrigued and very interested in seeing where you take this. Your first post describes some of the philosophy behind the posts I have planned, in fact.
Let’s see how it develops post 2 to come
I have that a lot. “I have an idea, and I have a keyboard. Let’s bring them together and see what happens.”
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-b6d?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Day 2 – Portals
I very much like this. I have been focusing on what is on the other side, but this is a great reminder that the transition itself can/should be distinctive and memorable. Thanks!
Hope this is what you’re looking for as I seem to be the only one posting comments
You’re doing hero’s work here, Neill. I’ve been tied up with the workflow implementation (and getting great results) and haven’t taken time to write… :/
And now the Dreaming
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-3af?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Artifacts the keys to other worlds
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-05b?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Hazards at the Threshold
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-996?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
I wrote about twisted Beleriand
https://vdonnutvalley.bearblog.dev/feleriand-first-age-in-a-distorted-mirror/
Rolling On – 2 posts for the price of one (forgot to press the send button on yesterday’s post)
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-fe9?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-c01?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-a85?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
and so it goes on
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carrnival?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-51b?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Time on other worlds
How magic changes on otherworlds
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-b98?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Ecology of other worlds
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-34f?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Pingback: Magic Rock Blog Carnival Wrap-up – WobbleRocket
Strange New Worlds
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-798?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Weather
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-693?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
World’s Within Worlds
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-3c4?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Finally I have my second post (first with content) in this blog carnival!
Neill’s outwriting me by an order of magnitude… but I am delighted to see it.
https://www.kjd-imc.org/blog/other-worlds-planar-trappings/
Hi I posted about this on my Substack
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/the-lone-daily-poster?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Heritage over Ancestry
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-d8e?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Perhaps at a slight angle to the theme but broadly in line I hope: https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2025/10/16/hellions-and-the-gold-blooded-tieflings-and-aasimar-for-the-sea-of-stars/
Hey, Sean! How’s it going? Been a while since we’ve chatted.
A slight angle from what I’d planned, perhaps, but one of the greatest values to these events is how people bring their own take to them.
Pingback: Hellions and the Gold Blooded (Tieflings and Aasimar) for the Sea of Stars | Sea of Stars RPG Design Journal
Third post! This time, a bit about what planar trappings look like, and what the seven grades mean.
https://www.kjd-imc.org/blog/other-worlds-trapping-construction/
And so it goes on – Exiles from other world’s
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/exiles-from-elsewhere?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Natives of other worlds
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-1a6?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Predators at the gates
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-a7b?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Merchants and Trade
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-3d6?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Diplomacy and War
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-6e8?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Considering how to make different worlds feel coherent within the same campaign – what are the dials you twiddle and what stays the same?
https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2025/10/setting-up-coherent-other-worlds-for.html
Death
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-8fc?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Religion and Cults
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-816?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Languages and pulling it all together into my version of the World of Greyhawk
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-242?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
A further development of language as it applies to my game
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-ed6?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
and now dreams – I use dreamscapes and dream prophecies a fair bit in my current campaign
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blogcarnival?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Hello! Here’s my contribution for the blog carnival, about my attempts to reinvent the Feywild: https://advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/making-it-fey-making-it-wild/
By the way, I wasn’t sure what pronouns to use for you; I’ll update the post if you let me know. (He/him/his would be a good choice for you to refer to me.)
Homeward stretch now
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-636?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
On the return journey from my exploration of other worlds
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-174?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
The players perception/memories
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-073?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
and it’s over!
https://open.substack.com/pub/neillwhyborne/p/rpg-blog-carnival-932?r=nd69p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
I realise I’m the only person who posted every day but I have discussed this on my substack and I would like to thank Keith for approving my posts.
Now please visit neillwhyborne.substack.com for more content