Advice/Help Tips for Sci-Fi World building and creating original concepts?

[monxmiracle]

As of recently due to watching Guardians of The Galaxy and films like Star Wars and Dune I've been toying with the concept of creating an entirely original Sci-Fi roleplay. I've mainly done fandom roleplays, and only have ever once tried to develop an original idea. It was less about larger intergalactic space adventures and more so about vampires and werewolves, as well as tackling morality. Sci-fi is such an expansive genre, and I'm not sure where to even begin so if anyone has any tips to make the planning process easier I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Beckoncall]

Check out this random generator that makes whole sectors of starsystems:

Sectors Without Number

Revised edition compliant Stars Without Number sector generator

sectorswithoutnumber.com

 

[logos]

Auguste Rodin, a famous French sculptor (known for The Thinker and The Kiss), once said, "I invent nothing, I rediscover." I am building a hard sci-fi world that draws inspiration from many different things. If popular sci-fi films have piqued your interest in developing an equivalent world, take the elements you like the best from each of them. Hyperspace is a pretty cool concept, so make hyperlanes and hyperspace travel your method of FTL in your universe. Do you think ancient historic families like those in Dune belong in power? Have them find a throne in your universe. Do you want quirky and exciting alien species? Draw inspiration from the many examples in Guardians of the Galaxy.

You are entirely correct when you say "sci-fi is expansive" because often, sci-fi stories are on a galactic scale. Populating an entire galaxy is very difficult. Just ask Hello Games, Bethesda, or Cloud Imperium Games. The universes have been carefully cultivated and curated over decades for these big and rich worlds, like Star Wars and Dune. Frank Herbert spent six years writing and researching for Dune. My advice is to start small. Focus on a relationship between Earth and Mars or two fictional planets and expand outwards into the solar system and the galaxy. Don't rush the process!

Again, draw inspiration from your favorite sci-fi worlds. You'll find things that you don't like or want to tweak and make your own. You can develop a rich and storied world if you use these worlds as guides instead of crutches.

Good luck!

 

[apocalypse tv]

yeah, i definitely second using the sf media that inspires you as a guide! identifying common themes, motifs, and storylines in your favorite sci-fi settings is a good way to build a foundation. the trick is to find a cool premise that interests you ("what if humans lived on huge starships instead of planets?" or "i want to tell a story about an intergalactic mercenary corps") and building out from there. as you move through and elaborate on that kernel idea, questions will naturally pop up ("why did humans leave earth?" "how do they persist in an inorganic environment?", "why is there a demand for mercenaries in this world? what do they do?" "what do they get paid in, is there a stable currency?") and you can answer them as you go along. imo, there's no way to build a whole world in a structured and truly organized way - it's much more intuitive than that! kind of like picking at one specific thread and following it until you unravel the whole tapestry.

edit: OH and another thing - a lot of worldbuilders think solely in the god's eye view (top-down) instead of at the individual level (bottom-up). it's always important to keep in mind how the denizens of the world would engage with the lore and premises you've built at a person-to-person place, especially if you want this to be the setting for an rp instead of a nationbuilding thing. sure, it's cool that there's an intergalactic war for ore going on or maybe there's space mutants running loose, but how does that affect your average citizen or a main character in your setting? or perhaps culture and society at a broader level? these are good questions to keep in mind.

wishing you the best in ur worldbuilding journey!

 

[Jannah]

Really depends which kind of sci-fi you're going for. It's a pretty broad genre in itself.