The Glowing Mushrooms - An Interlude for Dragonbane and Fifth Edition

This is a short interlude for Dragonbane and Fifth Edition where the adventurers find some strange glowing mushrooms in the forest. They are not suitable for eating but have other uses for those willing to experiment.

(Click the images to download the zip files.)

Dead Man's Sword - An Interlude for Dragonbane and Fifth Edition

This is a short interlude for Dragonbane and Fifth Edition where the adventurers find the skeleton of a long-dead warrior and a sword nearby, seemingly untouched by time. It is a brief encounter without danger for the adventurers, but it plays on their paranoia. Maybe they will suspect a trap and just walk away, or they will get a nice sword for free (how nice is up to the GM).

(Click the images to download the zip files.)

Classic Creatures: The Axe Beak

The Axe Beak, a Tough Old Bird.

This flightless bird with the very literal name axe beak can be traced back to the earliest era of tabletop roleplaying games. It was created for AD&D by TSR in the 1970s, and after more than 45 years it is still around. Despite this long history, it is quite obscure compared to most other D&D creatures with a similar pedigree.


Publication History

The axe beak first appeared in Gary Gygax's original Monster Manual, a supplement for the then-brand-new Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. This book was first printed in 1977, only three years after the release of the very first version of the original Dungeons & Dragons game.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual from 1977.

After this first appearance, it would take 12 years before the axe beak was in print again in a new version for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (in Monstrous Compendium Volume III - Forgotten Realms Appendix in 1989, and later the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Two in 1995).

Monstrous Compendium Volume III - Forgotten Realms Appendix from 1989 and the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume II from 1995.

The axe beak appeared next in the 2003 Arms and Equipment Guide for 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons. It never appeared in the relatively short-lived 4th edition, but instead returned in the 5th edition Monster Manual in 2014.

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition Arms and Equipment Guide from 2003.

Description

The description of the axe beak in the original 1977 Monster Manual is, as is true for most creatures in this book, quite terse and we are basically only told that these flightless birds are fast runners that aggressively hunt during the day. The stat block shows that they are encountered in small groups of 1 to 6 animals.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition Axe Beak.

In the AD&D 2nd edition book Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix from 1989 the axe beak gets its first lengthier description and while they are still described as flightless, carnivorous birds that appear in small groups of up to six animals, it is now also stated that they are four feet tall at the shoulder, and that their legs resemble those of an ostrich. We also get an in-depth description of how their loud honking voice can be heard for half a mile, that the males make a drumming sound like a bass violin during mating, and that the birds hiss during combat.

Furthermore, we are told that the axe beaks make crude nests of stones atop rocky outcroppings and that hatchlings can be raised as guards, hunters and mounts. This is the first mention of the fact that the axe beak can be tamed and used as a mount. This fact also explains that the axe beak eggs are worth 50 gold pieces and that the hatchlings are worth 80 gold pieces. It is also mentioned that the long plume feathers of the wings and tail are worth 2 gold pieces each, but we are not told what exactly they can be used for.

Axe beak in the AD&D 2nd edition Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix from 1989.

The Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Two in 1995 was part of the revised version of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition ruleset (the release with new front pages that matched the Players Options books) and this book kept the stats and description from 1989 unchanged, but with a new image added.

The new image of the Axe Beak from the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Two in 1995.

In the Arms and Equipment Guide that was published in 2003 for the 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons, the axe beaks are described as omnivorous, and for the first time, the beak is both depicted and described as having a prominent axe shape that can be used as a weapon. Before this the name seems to have been more symbolic, indicating an animal with a dangerous beak. The text in this book also adds the peculiarity that axe beaks are attracted to shiny objects such as jewellery or polished metal, to the degree that people would refrain from polishing their armour if they planned to use them as mounts.

The axe beaks in this version are the fastest they have ever been. Their base movement speed is higher than for any horse, but in addition, they also run five times their normal movement speed, while horses only run four times their normal speed. They also have keen eyesight, but only in daylight.

Another new feature in 3rd edition is that the axe beaks can be trained as adults. In the AD&D 2nd edition version they had to be trained from they were hatchlings, but now a Handle Animal check (with DC 18) is enough to turn them into mounts. It is however still much easier to train the young ones (DC 11).

Finally, the stat block reveals that the axe beaks live, or at least move around, in larger flocks of 5 to 20 animals.

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition Axe Beak with its prominent beak in 2003.

In its latest version of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition Monster Manual from 2014 the description of the axe beak is again very short and without an illustration. The animal is described as a flightless bird with strong legs that has a "…nasty disposition and tends to attack any unfamiliar creature that wanders too close." 

To find a recent official illustration of the axe beak, we have to go to the supplement Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden from 2020. In this book, the animal is presented as a potential mount and here it seems as if the birds are also commonly found in cold climates: "An axe beak's splayed toes allow it to run across snow, and it can carry as much weight as a mule". It is of course possible that this is a different, but closely related species to the standard axe beak that has adapted to cold climate in the same manner as polar bears. The depiction does look quite different from the earlier images of the animal, showing a bird with predominantly white feathers covering most of its legs. It is also evident from the text that adult domesticated axe beaks are common enough to be purchased for 50 gold pieces, which is actually cheaper than a normal riding horse.

Axe beak from Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden published in 2020.

Inspiration 

The axe beak was obviously inspired by real flightless birds. Already in its first appearance in the 1977 Monster Manual, the ostrich is mentioned as a comparison, but it is also likely that inspiration came from the various species of now-extinct carnivorous Phorusrhacidae, also known as terror birds. The different species of these giants could be up to 3 meters tall and were in periods most likely apex predators, at least in South America, until they eventually became extinct between 100 000 and 20 000 years ago.

One famous example of such a bird is the Titanis walleri, from which fossils have been found in present-day Florida, Texas and California. The first finds of this species were made in the 1960s and these discoveries would still be new and interesting when the axe beak was first envisioned a few years later.

Reconstruction of Titanis walleri (image by Dmitry Bogdanov).

Behaviour

The description of the axe beak varies somewhat over the years, but a few things remain constant. They are always described as aggressive, fast-moving flightless birds that eat meat (but maybe not only that), hunt during the day and live in small flocks.

In later versions the focus shifted somewhat towards the possibility for the axe beaks to be domesticated and used as mounts. The different published versions of the animal have given us several interesting details and behaviours that can be used or ignored as one sees fit.


How to Use the Axe Beak in Practice

While being aggressive and dangerous, the axe beak does not have to be just another monster. They can definitely be used as a threat, especially if they attack in numbers and in a somewhat organised manner, but they are not only that. Axe beaks are unaligned and in no way inherently evil, and they can be used as both colourful background elements, a source of food and, maybe most interestingly, as companions and mounts.

From the 2nd edition AD&D in 1989 and onwards axe beaks have been described as potential mounts and companions for hunting and guarding. In that version, they had to be reared from they were hatchlings, while 3rd edition opened up for domesticating them as adults. I think that it should be possible to tame an adult axe beak, as you could with a wild horse, but it should also be a difficult and dangerous task. As with most things in life, the danger and difficulty will make success even sweeter for the character that attempts this. 


The 5th Edition Axe Beak

The 5th edition version of the axe beak is if you look at the stats unfortunately slightly underwhelming as a mount. Compared to an ordinary riding horse the axe beak is slower (50 feet movement compared to 60 feet for the horse), and has lower Strength as well as slightly lower Wisdom and Charisma. It has a bit higher Dexterity, but that is of little use since its attack is Strength-based. For some reason, the horse's hooves attack also delivers more damage on average than the bird's beak, and the higher Strength of the horse makes these attacks both more likely to hit and to deliver more damage. In earlier versions as a comparison, the axe beak was at least as fast as a horse and sometimes (as in 3rd edition) much faster.

If someone wanted to house-rule the axe beak to be a bit more formidable like it used to be, one way could be to increase its movement speed to 60 feet and maybe also increase the base damage of its beak attack to 2d6. This would give the attack the same damage as the claws of a brown bear. Alternatively, the axe beak could get Multiattack with two beak attacks per round, or even one attack with the beak and two with its claws, as it used to have in earlier versions. In the latter case, the claws should probably inflict relatively little damage, for example, 1d3 slashing for each attack.
Another thing that could be considered is to give the axe beak a special rule that it sometimes can be unpredictable and aggressive as a mount. Normally any controlled mount in 5th edition can only use the actions: Dash, Disengage, and Dodge, but an aggressive hunter such as an axe beak could have Attack as a fourth option. To balance this you can add an Unruly trait that is triggered if the creature has recently been injured and a creature that is not the rider or another axe beak comes within 5 feet of it. In such a situation the rider has to make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check with DC 15 to prevent it from attacking.

If you are interested in seeing a modified version of the axe beak for 5th edition, or a version of this classic creature adapted to Free League's Dragonbane RPG, you should take a look at this earlier post:

The Axe Beak - A Creature for Dragonbane and Fifth Edition

The Axe Beak - A Creature for Fifth Edition and Dragonbane

This is a reimagining of the classic D&D creature for Fifth Edition that incorporates elements from many of the earlier versions (the axe beak has a history that goes back more than 45 years over several editions) and makes it more useful as a mount for brave adventurers. The text also introduces a few adventure hooks describing how the creature can be used in a game.

I have also converted this reimagined creature to the Dragonbane roleplaying game, for those who prefer this excellent system.

A couple of support images can be downloaded as a separate zip file. They include a circular token for use in VTTs (Virtual Table Tops), the same token sized for printing (25 mm in diameter), and a 28 mm-scale standee that can be printed, cut out, folded and used instead of a miniature.

(Click the images to download the zip files.)

The Wild Dogs - A Free RPG Encounter for Dragonbane and Fifth Edition

This is a very short RPG supplement with versions for both Dragonbane and Fifth Edition. It can be downloaded for free and used by a GM/DM as a quick encounter for just about any fantasy campaign.

In this encounter, the adventurers are approached by a small pack of hungry and aggressive wild dogs that may or may not attack them on sight.

The support files can be downloaded as a separate zip file and include five circular tokens for use in VTTs (Virtual Table Tops) as well as a sheet with the same tokens sized for printing (each token being 25 mm in diameter) and five 28 mm-scale standees that can be cut out, folded and used instead of miniatures.

This is a test of how the format and practical things work and there will likely be more of these small downloadable supplements for Dragonbane and Fifth Edition (and maybe for other RPG systems as well) in the future.

(Click the images to download the zip files.)

The Importance of Stakes in TTRPGs

The Duel

What's so Special with Roleplaying Games Anyway?

Personally, I like, and play, most types of games in one form or another. 

Computer games, board games, miniature games and card games have all given me countless hours of joy over the years, but tabletop roleplaying games have a special place in my heart. Those are the ones I long for, and always come back to play.

When done right they are for me the most immersive, emotional and engaging games, but why is that?

There are of course many answers to this question.

One is that tabletop roleplaying games employ a human game master that allows for almost any action imaginable to be attempted and, at least in an ideal situation, creates unique and unpredictable stories. With a good GM you will never hit any invisible walls in your game.

Another answer is that roleplaying games to a large degree employ "theatre of the mind" and therefore make use of the full power of the players' imaginations to create worlds with unparalleled "realism" and depth.

But there is another aspect of TTRPGs that makes them stand out from most if not all, other games, and that is the unusually high stakes. In a computer game, the player can attempt even the most insane things, well aware that a new attempt is only a loading action away. Even games that do not have a save system, such as board and miniature games can still be replayed with relatively small consequences. This encourages exploration and experimentation, but it also creates a carefree, almost disposable attitude towards the games.

In most tabletop roleplaying games this is not at all the case. The characters only have one life and if it is lost, they are gone forever. This can be bad enough in a one-shot adventure, but in a campaign, it is often devastating, especially if it has been going on for a long time. Many games try to mitigate these high stakes by giving players fate points, death save mechanics or magical/technological abilities to resurrect the dead, but despite this, the risk of irreversible death is always there. Even generous resurrection magic often requires parts or the body to be preserved, and usually some extraordinary sacrifices to at all work, and in any case there is always the risk of a "total party kill" where there will be no one left to save the day.

Such stakes are scary, but they are also part of the thrill! A battle in a roleplaying game is rarely without risk, and therefore the players will always feel a bit uneasy when the dice start rolling. Everyone knows that a couple of mistakes or a string of bad luck can be the end of a beloved character. 

There are of course other possible stakes than death. Some unfortunate players have seen NPCs and animal companions they had a strong connection to die, and characters have permanently lost arms, legs and eyes in battle. Such stakes all work in similar ways as the threat of the character dying, and provide gravitas to the game. 

Stakes are so important that many computer games actively try to raise them. They either punish the player with lost progression (this is true for roguelikes and games with limited saving mechanics such as Dark Soul) or by permanently taking your gear away when you die (such as Escape from Tarkov), but even then the main character is still there after a fatal mistake or an unlucky firefight. 

Gone forever…

It is true that if you lose a character in a roleplaying game, you are allowed to create a new one, but it will not be the same exact person. All progression is lost, but even worse are all the stories, background lore and emotional investment, especially if the character has been part of a campaign for months or years. The game does not have to stop, but the character is no longer part of it.

The Necessity of Risk

While I as a GM never enjoy killing off player characters, and of course really hate it as a player when my own character dies, it is a part of the game that I think is important. In truth, the death of a well-established character can often be a monumental event worthy of songs. In other cases, it might be stupid, but even then it is probably still memorable.

Only a handful of characters with long campaigns behind them have actually died while I was the GM, and I remember every single one of them. A few of them were truly heroic, one was stupid, another one strange and yet another quite tragic, but they all enhanced the story in their own ways and made the players appreciate the risks and consequences of their actions.

There are of course games and campaigns where the threat of death or injury is not relevant, but in those cases, the stakes take other forms that can be just as devastating for the player. In a political drama, the disgrace of a character can end in retirement or banishment, but the practical consequences of this in the game would be virtually the same as death.

So to summarise, most roleplaying games have higher stakes than any other games and even if you dislike when player characters are maimed or killed, this very real threat provides weight and a hint of realism that other games usually lack.

Modell Making: Creating realistic tarp

I recently came across a couple of older historical wargaming tutorials about modelling tarp using tissues and PVA-glue and since the results looked quite realistic I decided to give it a try. The technique is certainly not new, but I could only find a couple of places where the process was described, and those were not very detailed.

Test pieces.

After some experimentation and a couple of test pieces, with varying results, it started to look interesting.

Wooden boxes covered by a large piece of tarp.

The process is simple enough. Just take a normal face tissue (Kleenex-type) and cut it to the desired size. You can then either first carefully dunk it in a 50-50% mix of PVA-glue and water, or put it dry on the model and then gently dab it with the watered-down glue. The tissue should become completely soaked and you will have to be careful to not rip it when you try to create the shapes and folds you want.

The process of soaking the tissue with watered-down glue is then repeated a couple of times more, letting the model dry between each pass. It is no problem if the tissue becomes transparent in places since it will all be covered with paint anyway.

The painting process is pretty straight forward. A couple of coats of acrylic paint in the colour of choice until it covers completely, a grey drybrush pass, a dark wash and finally a very light drybrush pass with cream or off-white.

Some people seem to have had problems with the glue dissolving during painting (especially when using washes or very watered down paint), but I found that this could be easily prevented by covering the "tarp" with a final layer of Mod Podge before painting. Mod Podge contains varnish and is quite water-resistant, in contrast to many normal PVA-glues.

As can be seen on the first test pieces, the washes have a tendency to pool a lot in all the folds and wrinkles and create a dirty look. If this is not what you want it can be easily fixed by avoiding very dark washes, and by carefully picking up the wash from the worst areas of pooling with a clean brush before it dries.

After a layer of matt varnish, the final result is a realistic-looking cloth or tarp effect. The tissue is now completely stiff and perfectly safe to handle on a wargame or RPG-table.

Final model from another angle.

A nice bonus with this technique is that all or most of what is under the tarp can be modelled very quickly using just about any material since it will not be visible. In my final model, I made everything except the half-exposed wooden box from cardboard. I added two thin strips of cardboard to one of the covered boxes to give the tissue something to fall around and create the illusion that more wooden boxes are sitting below the tarp.

Another great benefit is the versatility of these models. Boxes covered with some form of tarp or cloth to protect them from the elements have been around for thousands of years and can be found almost everywhere, from army camps to farms, harbours or city markets. If you do not add anything very time-specific, a model such as this can be used as scatter terrain for everything from early historical periods to modern times, or even in science fiction settings.

Creating fantasy RPG maps in a hand-drawn style

The different stages of the map.

I am currently working on a new continent that is an addition to one of my old worlds. This is really some unpretentious worldbuilding specifically aimed for playing D&D 5 without the need for too much fiddling with the game rules. This means that a lot in the world is given and for the most part this comes in the form of old fantasy clichés. As a consequence, the world has a polytheistic pantheon as well as elves, halflings, dwarves, orcs, powerful wizards and honourable paladins.

As can be seen, this is definitely not a world built with originality as the main priority, but convenience of play. I wanted it to be a world where a new player quickly could feel at home and where I could use premade adventures without having to spent days adapting them.

This does not mean that the world is totally void of anything interesting. The cultural and technological level is rather late for a D&D-world, more early Renaissance than High Middle Ages, and when the world "starts" the great war to defeat the evil overlord has recently been fought and won by the good alliance, but at a high price. The world is now in a post-war era where people are happy for the victory, but also mourns the terrible losses and destruction they have suffered. Player characters can be old war veterans scared by their memories, or young ambitious people eager to reconquer the devastated lands and stamp out the remaining evil presence once and for all. Always however a question lingers in peoples' minds, "Was this it, is the dark lord really gone forever?".

Anyway, at the beginning of the specific campaign, I have in mind the player characters will make a sea voyage from the old world to the new continent. It is a long passage and I thought that some interesting things could happen on the ship, but for that, I need a map of the ship. Since the world is set in the early Renaissance a carrack-like ship made sense. These ships ruled the waves in our world during the 15th century and the most famous example is probably Columbus' flagship La Santa María.

Woodcut of La Santa María from Columbus' letter (1493)

When drawing maps for worldbuilding, and specifically for fantasy RPGs, I am very fond of a hand-drawn look. For some reason, the "not perfect" feel of hand-inked maps really appeals to me. Drawing everything by hand, compared to using a computer, can however be very time-consuming. Luckily some shortcuts exist.

My preferred method is to avoid trying to create a totally finished map on paper, but instead draw the basic outlines, as well as all the elements I think I need for the map.

First I sketch everything lightly with a hard pencil (2H - 4H) and then ink over the lines with a Pilot G-TEC pen or a Staedtler pigment liner (with the finest point I can find). I try to draw everything in roughly the same scale, but small variations are not a problem (if the variations are big the final lines will, however, vary in width and look strange when I scale them correctly in the computer).

Almost fully inked drawing.

I then erase any still visible pencil lines and scan the ink drawing in relatively high resolution (at least 600 dpi).

In Photoshop (or Krita) I use levels (or sometimes curves) to turn the paper really white and the ink lines really dark. I erase anything that should not be in the drawing (remaining pencil marks, mistakes and dust marks) from the scan, but I try to not fix too much. It should look hand-drawn after all!

In Photoshop I can then duplicate, mirror, cut, and paste the elements as I please and can relatively quickly build a map, while still maintaining the hand-drawn feel. Remember to change the objects a bit (scale or rotate them very slightly) when you copy them to hide the fact that every detail has not really been drawn individually.

Cut and paste in Photoshop.

If I need a few new lines and do not feel that it is worth scanning a new drawing, a pencil brush in Photoshop can usually do the work without affecting the hand-drawn feel.

When I have finished the basic drawing I merge the line art layers, set the blending mode to multiply and add a nice paper texture as the background. In many cases, this black and white ink drawing are good enough as the end result.

Final ink drawing on paper texture.

Other times I continue and add some colour in a layer between the ink layer and the paper texture to add more interest and clarity. This does take some time though, often more than the rest of the process together. I use various blending modes here, usually "Multiply" and "Screen" and sometimes "Color" as well.
 

Colouring on the computer.

I try to use quite desaturated colours, partly because I like the result and partly so that the map's colour scheme does not compete with the attention of any tokens, miniatures or dry erase markers that are supposed to go on top of it.

Finished coloured map.

The final step is to add some text and numbers for the room descriptions. I also add a square grid at the very top of the layer stack (I make the grid lines thin and lower the opacity of the layer to make it less obtrusive).

Map with grid, text and numbers.

Flesh out your NPCs with memorable quirks

Long John Silver, illustration by N. C. Wyeth from the 1911 edition of Treasure Island.

The idea to make a non-player character in a role-playing game, or for that matter a supporting character in any literature, stand out from the crowd by giving him or her a quirk of some kind is certainly not new. In my experience it is nonetheless something that is easily forgotten in between piles of game stats and the plot of a scenario, especially for NPCs created on the fly, and it is definitely a trick worth remembering. 

A suitable character quirk can often be something relatively insignificant such as a unusual piece of clothing, a frequently used phrase, or a tic. In other cases however a character can become even more interesting if he or she has a great flaw, especially if this is combined with some positive characteristics as well.

As with most similar tips it should not be over done, but if used in moderation it can make NPCs both more interesting for the players, and easier for the game master to portrait. Just beware of anything too annoying, or at least save such traits for NPCs that you know will not play a large part in the story.

I once created an NPC for an AD&D-campaign, a knight (fighter) that suffered from an old head injury. The injury had damaged his brain and made him delusional enough to believe that he was the greatest and noblest knight in the whole realm. He was also generally quite confused, had problems remembering names, and could be distracted by the smallest things. He was however still a capable fighter, loyal to his friends (as long as he remembered them) and extremely brave. It was certainly not the most original idea, but for an NPC in a role-playing campaign it worked well. The brave knight caused the player group all kinds of headaches, but also saved their hides more than once and is fondly remembered for it.

A similar quite famous example is Minsc from the computer game Baldur's Gate. For those that have not played this classic Forgotten Realms game (you should!), Minsc is a Ranger NPC that can join your party early in the story. He is a very strong and capable front line tank, but he also has quite some limitations in the old brain department. Among other things he has a pet named Boo that he claims is a miniature Giant Space Hamster.

Boo, possibly a miniature Giant Space Hamster.

Minsc talks to Boo during the game, and even urges him to help the group in battles (all the while Boo of course sits idly in the inventory, taking up a valuable quick item slot).

"Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the EYES!"

Minsc's inventory with Boo in the first quick item slot.

Minsc is a great example of a character that is more memorable and endearing because of his apparent flaw, especially since it is coupled with positive skills and traits, in this case his honour and fighting abilities.

Now, over the top personalities with head trauma and strange pets are obviously not necessary to create captivating characters, but if you feel your NPCs are a bit boring, try giving them at least a single good quirk of some kind to make them more interesting and memorable.

Who needs worldbuilding anyway?

This blog will mainly deal with worldbuilding and things that relate to this activity in any useful way, but what is worldbuilding at its core and who really needs it?

One answer to this question could be anyone who likes to dream up fictional places and worlds. I personally find it very entertaining to create a complex world with logical geography, an interesting history, and interdependent cultures.

Another answer could be that worldbuilding is relevant for anyone who needs a fictional place for a creative project, be it a book, comic or role-playing campaign. I think that a lot of creative people engage in worldbuilding without even thinking about it.

When discussing worldbuilding it is often more or less assumed that we are talking about the creation of large fantasy worlds in the style of J.R.R. Tolkien, M. A. R. Barker or George R. R. Martin, but this is definitely not the only time worldbuilding is needed.

 Family tree from Tolkien's early work.

Most forms of storytelling except maybe the purest realistic fiction, need worldbuilding to some degree. A large majority of authors that deal with the real world regularly invent purely fictional characters and places, and sometimes even whole towns, companies and organisations.

But the use of worldbuilding is a gradual scale. A few authors have taken it one step further and invent a whole fictional country such as Lilliput in "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift, Gilead in Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale", or Patusan in "Lord Jim" by Joseph Conrad.

Map of Lilliput and Blefuscu from the 1726 edition of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

At this point we come close to what most people think of when they hear the word worldbuilding. Even if the country is supposed to exists in an otherwise familiar world, or in some cases in the near future, it still needs a logical history, culture and political structure to be convincing to the reader.

Gulliver on the island of Lilliput.

The next logical level is the invention of complete fantasy worlds such as Tolkien's Arda and Barker's Tékumel, as we have already touched on. Although fantastic and strange in many ways, these worlds are still easily recognisable to us. Both share many basic concepts with our world and include humans as an important species. In the case of Arda and Tékumel, both even have a back story that at least briefly explains their place in our world.

Consequently it is possible to push worldbuilding even further than this and introduce truly alien forms of life and societies. Such worlds are most often found in science fiction and examples includes the three-gendered alien society in Isaac Asimov's "The Gods Themselves" and the oceanic planet in Stanisław Lem's "Solaris".

Cover of the first English edition of Stanisław Lem's Solaris.

As can be seen, worldbuilding span the whole range of creation from a single made up person or building in a world otherwise similar to our own, to a completely alien universe with it's own societies, history, biology and physical laws.