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Year 2 · Project 02 of 5

Worldbuilding & Pre-Production

6 WeeksTerm 1, Wks 5–10
Hand-out5 October 2026
Deadline20 November 2026
Duration6 Weeks

Bridging concept and production, this university-style project asks students to create an original IP, resulting in an art bible, concept sheets, modular planning, and a greybox prototype. Skills learned include lore writing, architectural and material language design, faction design, and production planning. Weeks 5 through 7 focus on inventing the lore, deriving architectural rules, and compiling the art bible. Weeks 8 through 10 translate those concepts into modular plans and a 3D greybox prototype, ending with a formal peer review and submission.

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Full brief opens

Focus, deliverables, software, the week-by-week breakdown and covered units unlock on the hand-out date above. Tutors can open it early.

Focus

  • Original IP, lore & architectural language
  • Faction design, material language & production planning
  • Self-directed invention — no given brief

Deliverables

Art BibleConcept SheetsMaterial StudiesGreybox Prototype

Software

PhotoshopPureRefMiroUE5
Unit 10 — Engaging with an Audience
Sequence of Learner Information

Project Outcome

Students will conceptualize and develop an original Intellectual Property (IP), culminating in the production of a polished "Art Bible" and a functional, playtested Tabletop RPG rulebook. The final document will contain comprehensive worldbuilding lore, visual concept sheets defining architectural and material languages, and clearly written game mechanics designed for a specific target audience.

Week by Week

Project Breakdown

How the 6 weeks are structured, stage by stage.

Week 1: The Hook, The Rules, and The Audience (Unit 10 Focus)

FocusCore premise, implicit rules, and audience identification.

Week 2: Lore, Factions, and Conflict

FocusNarrative design, faction motivations, and driving conflict.

Week 3: Visual Language and Concepting

FocusArchitectural language, material language, and concept sheets.

Week 4: Mechanics and Explicit Rules

FocusSystems design, math, and technical writing.

Week 5: Blind Playtesting and Iteration (Unit 10 Focus)

FocusAudience engagement, feedback loops, and balancing.

Week 6: The Art Bible and Final Presentation

FocusDesktop publishing, layout, and professional presentation.

Theory

Knowledge, Theory & Context

Audience Engagement (Unit 10)Understanding how to tailor narrative tone, visual aesthetics, and gameplay mechanics to engage a specific demographic, and testing that engagement through user playtesting.
Implicit vs. Explicit RulesDifferentiating between the narrative constraints of a fictional universe (implicit rules, like gravity or magic limitations) and the rigid, mathematical systems that govern gameplay (explicit rules, like dice rolls and health points).
Ludonarrative SynthesisThe theory of ensuring that the game's mechanics perfectly align with the game's story and lore (e.g., if the lore states magic is exhausting, the game mechanics should penalize players for overusing it).
Industry LinkThis project replicates the crucial "Pre-Production" phase of game development. Before any 3D assets are modeled or code is written, studios build extensive Art Bibles and paper prototypes to prove an idea is fun, visually distinct, and marketable.
Practice

Technical & Practical Skills

Technical WritingThe ability to write clear, concise, and unambiguous instructions and rule sets that players can understand without external help.
Visual CommunicationCreating moodboards, concept sheets, and layout designs that quickly communicate complex ideas about culture, architecture, and materials.
Desktop PublishingUtilizing software like InDesign, Illustrator, or Canva to lay out a professional document with strong typography, visual hierarchy, and readability.
Paper Prototyping & PlaytestingRapidly testing game mechanics using dice, paper, and tokens, observing player behavior, and iteratively fixing broken or confusing systems.
Why This Matters

Industry Link

This project directly targets the roles of **Game Designer**, **Narrative Designer**, and **Concept Artist**. While previous modules focused on the *execution* of art, this module focuses on the *creation of the idea itself*. It gets students ready for the industry by teaching them how to pitch an original IP, build a cohesive rule set from scratch, and document their ideas so clearly that a development team could theoretically take their Art Bible and start building the video game version.

Key Terms

Glossary & Key Concepts

Original IP (Intellectual Property)
A brand-new fictional universe, cast of characters, and narrative concept that is legally owned by its creator.
Art Bible
A comprehensive master document used in studios that dictates the exact visual style, lore, history, and design rules for a game to ensure consistency across the entire team.
Paper Prototyping
The process of testing a game's core mechanics using physical materials (cards, dice, paper) before spending time programming it digitally.
Playtesting
The crucial process of having a target audience play a game in development to find flaws, balance issues, and confusing rules.
Ludonarrative
The intersection in a game between its gameplay elements (ludo) and its story elements (narrative).
Faction
A distinct group, organization, or tribe within a fictional world, usually possessing its own unique culture, visual identifiers, and political motivations.
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