Throughout 2023 I took part in City23 (a variant of Dungeon23) and created The Goblin City with a new entry for each day.
I was thinking of taking a break this year, but I enjoyed that project and so decided to continue building the city for another 366 days with Lore24.
The whole idea is fairly simple and straightforward:
Lore 24
- Come up with a general concept for a new campaign setting or take any setting you already done some work on and want to expand upon.
- For every day in 2024, write up a description of one thing that exists in that world. Could be a place, a creature, a spell, a character, an item, a deity, an event, or whatever you can think of.
- The purpose of it all is to practice turning vague ideas in your mind into concrete words that can be shared with other people. The entry of the day should of course be something that you’ve written up on that day, but the idea that you’re describing does not necessarily have to be a completely new one. It can just as well be an old idea that you never got to properly put into words before.
- The entry of the day can take any length or format. Could be as short as a post on Mastodon, or a full page description with stats for your game system of choice, or anything in between.
Here is my first week of entries from Lore24.
The Goblin City ‘Ports
Arrival from afar to The Goblin City typically happens through a combination seaport and airport. International flights are accommodated with three runways and a wide range of passenger ships can dock at the seaport.
Both the seaport and airport have a shared, efficient entry screening process in the Entry Complex. The city permits entry of any nationality without visa, but restricts visits from anyone identified as having participated in crimes on democratically determined lists. Telepathy and other magical means are employed in screening and communication, so delays entering the city are rare.
The Station Parade
Commons Station bustles with activity at any time of day, but something special happens just before sunset and just after sunrise. Buskers parade around the station as daytime and nighttime buskers swap in and out of performing spots in The Commons. Most buskers incorporate aspects of their performances into the parade, creating a lively moment that attracts a crowd in addition to momentarily distracted travelers. Contortionists, shape shifters, living statues, musicians, puppets, illusionists, and jugglers rush by and dazzle onlookers to draw people out to see their acts.
That Hill Racing League
Weekly races between sledders are held on That Hill. Each week a new course is created down the hill and sledders compete to earn points and finish atop yearly rankings. An annual championship is one of the biggest broadcast sporting events of the year and stars emerge from the competition.
The perpetual winter of the plateau allows for serious training year-round and locals have embraced the sport. Building mundane and magical sleds has become a cottage industry, and competitors take pride in having extraordinary sleds.
Fast Art Record
Members of The Runners Collective have a special ongoing project to record the ever-expanding public art throughout the city. Geolocated photos of the many art pieces are shared daily, and enthusiasts work to add details to records to acknowledge artists, materials, and context. Tips are shared by members and non-members alike to plan routes around the city.
A Landlordless Place
An overwhelming social movement in the city years ago ended the financialization of housing within it. Single-household buildings can be owned by families, but co-ops, community organizations, and civic public housing initiatives run all multi-family buildings. Citizens take pride in the city’s unshakable commitment to universal housing, and no serious opposition to that guarantee exists. New arrivals are offered temporary housing until permanent lodgings are secured.
The Ambulatory Sips
Residents of The Ambulatory Neighbourhood have a weekly tradition of serving drinks on their lots and traveling around the streets to sample what others are sharing. Coffee, lemonade, ciders, teas, and dozens of other drinks are served as a community-strengthening activity. Homes frequently rearrange in this neighbourhood, and The Sips create an opportunity for people to familiarize themselves with the new locations of homes.
Cloud Flicker Folk
A strange quick-rising cloud has been seen suddenly surrounding flickering individual people as they walk about in public spaces. The cloud and flickering will quickly disappear and the person will continue on as though nothing has happened. One odd similarity is that none of the affected people are recognized by any witnesses, leading to speculation the clouds indicate some kind of magical effect that allows them to be present in the city while normally being elsewhere.
