Part 1
I’ve been working in the tabletop RPG field for twenty years, and I’ve contributed to such settings as The Forgotten Realms, Oathbound, and Golarion. Cobalt Kingdoms has existed for approximately six years in a state of on-again, off-again development.
This map shows the northwest corner of the Cobalt Kingdoms, a setting that encompasses the entire globe. The map is obviously in somewhat of a proto-state, with mountain ranges, forests, rivers, and regional borders still undefined. I’m making the map in Inkarnate, because to date, it produces the most professional looking results of any fantasy map making software I’ve seen. I’ve also been paying the fee to get all the features and the license to publish the maps I make professionally.
So what are the Cobalt Kingdoms? Put simply, it’s a 5th edition campaign setting in the purest sense of the word. Back when settings were all the rage at TSR, only small sections of the products for sale would be for rules. The rest would be rich and detailed information about the people, politics, and places contained therein. They were chock full of adventure hooks and suggestions to put you in the driver’s seat for your game. You were free to use whatever rules you and your group agree upon, whether they be from official or third party supplements. This swung a great deal toward rules content during 3rd edition, and it setting products have largely remained unchanged since then. Cobalt Kingdoms will take you back to a format much more reminiscent of those earlier products.
In addition to that, the Cobalt Kingdoms will be an open setting. When I say open, I mean that anyone who wants to will be able to set their adventures, stories, and novels there, and release them commercially, royalty free, under the community logo. You can even release rules modules if you so desire.For right now, Cobalt Kingdoms is an idea. Some portions exist within the text of adventures that are already available for sale, but the vast majority of it exists within my mind. My initial effort is obviously to get those ideas onto paper in a professional, edited, and attractive format. Eventually it will be something that you can purchase and adopt for your own gaming group. But that’s a discussion for later.