The final set of prompts for WorldAnvil Summer Camp 2020 have now been released. Here’s my unpacking of the new prompts, and I have also updated WorldAnvil SummerCamp 2020 to cover all of the prompts.
48 hours to go! Entries close at 7pm UK time on Saturday 1st August.
Submitted articles can be amended/updated/developed after that as long as they remain public and at least 300 words long. Final prize stream towards the end of August.
31. Material: Describe a material in your world that is used as a source of fuel or power
This could be fuel power, economic power, military power, etc
- Dark matter
- Psychic power stored in crystals
- Coal
- Oil
- Uranium
- Strontium 90
- Storm power, water power, solar power
- Biofuel
- Gold – source of economic/political power
- Spice in the Dune novels – both actual power and political power
- Lunar/tidal power
- Controlling a resource can be source of political power
- Food
- In a land which runs on magnetic clockwork, the magnets could be the material
- Only country able to produce steel – bigger buildings, better ships, better weapons
- A material which causes hate in someone thereby controlling them – need to be careful that it really is a material
- A material which generates light
It doesn’t have to be tangible – think solar/wind power for example.
It doesn’t have to be scientifically rigorous – hand-waving is perfectly fine
There was a question as to whether slaves would could – it was felt these weren’t really a material.
32. Document: Write about a famous agreement, contract or treaty that shaped the history of your world
- Treaty of Versailles
- Magna Carta
- US Declaration of Independence
- A law
- Poster: martial law declared from now!
- Magical safety act forces magic users to register
- Doesn’t need to be signed – it could be refused and burned, which triggers a revolt/revolution
- Does not need to be recognised by both parties – c.f. US Declaration of Independence
It doesn’t have to be a manuscript:
- Stone tablets
- Carved stone blocks
- Video
- Recording
- Painting
- Hologram
- Quipu (knotted cords used by the Incas)
Question: could it be an oral record – answer it would need to be recorded somehow
For inspiration, dig into the relations between different parts of your world and dig into how that came to be – there will probably be multiple documents codifying it.
33. Conflict: Describe the events of a conflict that started due to an unusual or unforeseen circumstance
This could be a conflict of any size – major world war to minor family argument.
Ideas for triggers:
- Natural disaster
- Unexpected death/birth
- Someone picked up wrong salad fork
- Assassination
- Plague
- Famine
- Eclipse
Example of a minor battle from Janet from last year’s Summer Camp: The Pudding War: someone spilled dessert on someone else at a high-up diplomatic meeting which triggered a major food fight between the attendees. It just lasted 45 mins until someone brought in the coffee and distracted them.
