Region Description Writing

The lord of a region can add a region description to his region, after he has been lord for a while (to prevent region descriptions of regions that are disputed to be changed all the time).

A region description has no in-game effect. It's purpose is to add atmosphere and roleplaying hooks. The best game-experience results if all region descriptions are good writing and follow the same guidelines. Here are a couple guidelines.

Guidelines

A good region description must be:

• Factually correct
  • it should not mention geographical features that aren't present on the map
  • it should not mention region features that the region doesn't have (buildings, bars, etc.)
  • in short, statements about verifiable facts must "check out"
• Neutral and objective
  • it is a description of the region, not a praise of its lord or the realm.
  • it also should be written in an objective style (avoid "we" and "you")
  • it does not assume actions on behalf of the reader - e.g. "as you walk through the city center looking for a tavern you notice..." will sound strange to an invasion force that came to loot the city to the ground. :-)
• Lasting
  • it should focus on unchanging facts, not on short-term news.
• Stylish and fitting
  • it should fit into the BM style (no tourism advertisement language)
  • it should be long enough to create atmosphere, but not so long that it gets tiring.
• Informative
  • it should contain new information, not repeat the information readily available on the region details page (e.g. population numbers, etc.)
  • ideally, it explains those game facts instead of just repeating the numbers.

Gathering Information

Look through the various sources available to you for ideas of what to write about.

• On the command page, you are told the weather region, region type, and normal population of the region.
• The region page (or scout report) will show you a map of the surrounding areas, including rivers, mountains, forests, etc. It will also list the resources available in the region, and the relative levels of gold and food.
• The region pages for the regions bordering yours may have offered good descriptions of the people and culture of the area, and may have already named the nearby geographical features. Don't be afraid to crib from them in the name of consistency!
• Try treating your men to some entertainment in your region to see what options show up. If an "ordinary bar" is listed, go ahead and name it. (If there are no bars, though, don't invent them.)
• Talk to the old-timers in your realm; see if they remember what other reams controlled this region in the past.

Hints and Ideas

Here are some ideas to flesh out the region description:

• Add some pure flavour info. Invent a local drink, folklore, custom or other things that add atmosphere
• Explain some of the oddities of the region - why does it border on region X? Why does the woodland region contain a slip of rural? Why does the city expand further than other regions? Why is it marked as a badlands type?
• Explain the origin of the region name -- does it mean something in the old tongue? Is it named after a local landmark or an ancient hero?
• What's the weather like? Does your desert region suffer from dust storms, is your coastal region humid?
• If the phrase "welcome to (regionname)" appears anywhere in your text, you should almost certainly re-write it.

Style

• Use adjectives to liven up the description. "The tall, white spires of..." is a much better description than "The fortress of ..."
• Don't overdo it with the adjectives :-) "tall, white spires" is good, "tall, white, bewildering, grey-marble spires" is almost certainly too much.
• Again, use a descriptive language, as you would expect in an encyclopedia. No "we are also" or "the greatest place on earth".
• Check your spelling and language. In some regions, double-check the spelling of the region name, it's very embarrassing if the region lord can't spell the name of his own region correctly.