One thing I'm pretty sure of is that the setting needs to support the existing rules framework. From the most basic stand point we are talking about setting and adventure modules for a roleplaying game. While we may be looking for a more mythical, nuanced feel, it's important to keep the end in mind and create something people can actually play.
Precisely. Just wanted to make sure everyone understood something like this isn't like getting together to play the weekend game. If it's an 'official' setting there will be a baseline freelancers would be given to work from.
Okay, let's start a real fight.
"Elves" What is an elf exactly? We've already ruled out definition by origin.
This is why I posted that link earlier.
http://www.realroleplaying.com/rmsmf/index.php?board=327.0
It wasn't in hopes of having anyone adopt it. It's to give you a guide to a lot of "oops, I just realized we'll need to decide this too" type things. And keep in mind, by using Earth as a basis, I saved myself immense amounts of "oops, I just realized we'll need to decide this too" type things. You know, all that stuff done by the real geologists and climatologists, it's Earth, I didn't have to make any of it up or decide any of it, I just had to find it and write it down.
And even with that, and having the D&D/Tolkein/RM "standard fantasy" to work off of, there's still lots of little details. And that's "lots of little details" while still at the "broad brush" stage, too. Things like how magic works, and why. Where dragons come from. That kinda stuff.
One of the things I thought I couldn't avoid was the creation of a new Academic/Scientific skill, Thaumatology. I just can't see the idea that humans exist on a world where magic works, and yet there are no scientists trying to discover the nuts and bolts of
why it works. Humans, at least, are too curious to let it lie.
Which in the end, is why multi author story projects that resemble this usually start off with a core bible of immutable laws that-are-not-broken. . .
...which is what I meant by "some sort of Kyoto Accord"...