Using Flat Earth Theories To Fuel Your Fantasy Worldbuilding

All right, let’s get one thing straight here. The Earth is round, and always has been. If it wasn’t, then artillery troops and snipers wouldn’t have to calculate for the curvature of the planet before sending their deadly care packages to their targets. However, while the things flat-Earth-believers (or FEBs for short) say are absolutely bonkers, they do make for some interesting world building.

Especially if you’re looking to put together your own fantasy setting for an upcoming adventure.

Things are about to get wild, my friends...

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What Sort of Things Are You Likely To Find?

I don’t recommend jumping too far down the rabbit hole of flat Earth ideas, but just skimming the surface you will find some absolutely wild explanations for normal, everyday phenomena happen that would be otherwise impossible on a flat world. Just off the top of my head I’ve heard:

- Colossal ice walls sheathe the rim of the world, making it impossible for you to travel beyond and fall from the edge (double credit for a game world that’s experiencing global warming and endangering this ice wall).

- Massive, magnetic mountains at the poles that create the illusion of a compass functioning (which has all sorts of implications for a world where steel is still the weapon of choice, but which might be more and more difficult to use the further north or south one travels).

- Mysterious dark energy propels the world in a single direction, and the force of this constant, forward/upward movement is what creates gravity (double points for the world being some variety of spaceship hurtling toward a long-forgotten destination, or a weapon that is on a collision course with some sort of cosmic enemy).

The math is... well... doing something interesting...

These are just a few of the beliefs you’ll find out on the Internet (and there are dozens of lists you can check out for additional inspiration, just like this one), but part of the worldbuilding challenge this offers you as a Game Master is taking these various “truths” and attempting to incorporate them into your fantasy setting. For example, is there a cult who believes human sacrifice is necessary in order to maintain the dark energy propulsion and keep the world moving as it always has? Are they right, or simply mad? If there are ice walls around the rim of the world, what happens if one seeks them out and climbs them? Will they find other realities waiting beyond? Will they hear the whispers of Outsiders begging to bargain so they can be let in past the wall? Are there leylines across the world that carry the charge and polarity of these magnetic mountains, allowing some variety of lightning train to move at rapid speed along these charges, even if it is only from north to south?

If you’ve been looking for a new and unique inspiration, I’d recommend making your own disc world (Pratchett reference very much intended), and seeing just what kind of bizarre and unique twists your mind takes on it!

Just remember… this is meant to be a fun, creative exercise. If you find yourself falling down the rabbit hole, go outside, touch some grass, and perhaps watch a documentary about The Round Planet. Then, when you’re feeling a little more centered, dive back in!

And for some additional world building thoughts and advice, check out:

- 5 Tips For Creating Fantasy Towns and Cities

- 5 Real Underground Cities To Inspire Your TTRPG Campaign

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