Personally I’m really obsessed with the lore in Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Disco Elysium.
At first, I thought it was nothing more than a parody of Europe. But then I started talking to the corporation rep on the boat about the world you’re in and holy shit. It’s nuts how they give you all this insane exposition about how the world works, how physics are different, how there are literal swaths of VOID called The Pale that separate the isuldas and is described almost the same as how crossing space in Warhammer works. Like you need special tech and special protective suits to not lose your mind or be erased, and even then you want to limit your time in the pale. There are fantastical creatures that exist (you may even see one depending on how you play), incredible technologies, and even differences in real tech that become fantastical in the way they are different (like how they have something like the internet, but is dependant on using an actual phone to talk to an actual operator).
I am so dismayed at the fact there are like 3 or 4 Disco Elysium spiritual successors in development right now, but NONE OF THEM are actually going to be set in Elysium, because the world of Elysium would be amazing to continue to explore. 😮💨
Dark Souls
I’ve never played any of the games, but the wikis have so much reading material I can stay engaged for hours.
It’s a universe populated by unfathomably evil undead beings. They farm humans for their flesh and their souls, and there is no chance humanity will ever free themselves.
It’s an incredibly dark setting, but it’s hauntingly beautiful. What kind of society would these creatures develop? Architecture, art, religion. Their civilization is an anathema to us but that’s why it’s so alien and captivating
MALAZAN
I’m only on the 5th book but the world building is Tolkien level of detailed. Writer Stephen Erickson is an anthropologist who brought he and his achaelogist friend Ian esselmont dnd world to written reality. Esselmont has books in the series too but not that far along yet.
It makes it difficult to pick up other books afterwards. Major caveat I didn’t know what the fuck was happening until the second book. Then it clicked.
Wonderful writer and world building.
Question for you. I’ve tried getting into Gardens of the Moon a couple times, but I find it’s just endless dialogue. Are all of the books just constant dialogue? I found I was missing Tolkien-style descriptions and scene setting.
The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. Though, I guess what really hooked me was the idea that the future could be predicted, and guided toward an outcome that would benefit people. That, uh, doesn’t seem to fit with reality. But it sounds real nice ☹️
Vampire The Masquerade.
Hands down best depiction of vampires, and what unlife is like for a vampire.
On Cinema at the Cinema.
Where my Gregg heads at?
I consider lore and worldbuilding to be related but different concepts. Lore is the details of your world, worldbuilding is the way you deliver those details.
My favorite example of worldbuilding is The Dark Crystal, both the film and series. The lore is standard fantasy stuff, but the intricacies of the world are so rich and they unfold so naturally. It felt like a real world, and I felt like very little of what I learned about that world was simply narrated to me. The world was built through tiny details, interactions and observations, throwaway lines of dialogue, and effectively so.
Kipo and the World of Wonderbeasts is entirely underrated in so many ways. Worldbuilding is one. Music is another.
It was a short story, but I really like Faun by Joe Hill. The way the two worlds interact was really fun, and I’d love to hear more about it.
The Expanse.
I love the idea of sovereign nations Earth and Mars, and the political conflicts of not just diferent people, but different people living in different atmospheres, unlike different nations on earth, the difference between a Earther’s and Martian’s live is so different: Gravity, Breathable Atmosphere, the Ocean.
Also there are people that live outside of the planets in space stations that have never experienced a planet’s gravity and their bodies and unable to survive on planets. The story expands to other star systems.
Its originally a book series but it has been adapted into TV, although they canceled the TV series before it was finished :(
But still worth a watch tho, the politics is more fun than irl politics.
I only realized after I finished the series and reflected on it, that one of the reasons I enjoyed The Expanse so much because I was enjoying the complex and intricate politics between sensible actors with different motivations. It helped me cope with the real world’s politics being full of sadistic fools.
I haven’t seen the TV show so I don’t know where it leaves off, but if you haven’t read the books, the last 2 books into the ending was a hell of a crazy ride. And it wraps up with a conclusion that I didn’t foresee as possible. I highly recommend the books.
You know, I’ve always liked the Avatar:TLA’s worldbuilding
I really loved Magnamund, the world setting for Joe Denver’s Lone Wolf adventure books and their later novelizations.
Most recently, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, had great world building and character development.
Delicious in Dungeon/Dungeon Meshi by Ryouko Kui.
It has wonderful world building introducing it slowly over time without info dumping, or better said, there is a nerd in the world info dumping on his friends, who don’t always appreciate it =D
Magic: the Gathering.
It churns out a ton of unique settings and ideas for worlds.
BAH GAWD IT’S UNIVERSES BEYOND WITH A STEEL CHAIR.
for anyone confused, the company behind magic recently pledged to have sets from all sorts of IP in all competitive formats.
Your legolas can shoot down an Optimus prime, only to be replaced by a wolverine.
Yeah, I’m not happy about that.
