The World of the Fay is typical of many settings for fantasy role-playing. It developed in fits and spurts with each adventure and each session. Some parts were planned but other parts were created on-the-fly after players asked awkward question or unexpectedly headed-off into unexplored (and unwritten) territory.

The world draws heavily on the classics of fantasy literature - Lord of the Rings, Conan, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, as well as Greek and Roman mythology and more modern worlds such as the Discworld. A fair amount is unashamedly a copy of the real world. The setting also owes it debts to the great RPG fantasy worlds such as Greyhawk, Castle Blackmore and Glorantha. There is nothing that is truly original about this world. It is an unassuming backdrop against which the Game Leaders and players can act out their great adventures.

Rather than attempting to create a complete world in every detail, this setting has three main parts. The first is the ancient history of the world, its creation myths that provide an epic backdrop to the setting. To the average adventurer the myths are irrelevant until they find strange ruins and wonder who built them.

The second part describes in very broad terms the state of the current world. It focus on a single continental landmass and the two main civilisations that occupy it. These are only lightly described to leave plenty of space for your own civilations and cities.

The final part focuses on a single city, Twill, and describes in some depth. This is designed to be a base for adventurers. It is a city on the edge of great, unexplored wilderness areas with trade routes to exotic lands. The city is also a hot bed of politics and there is plenty of scope for adventures within its walls.

One aspect of The World of Fay originated in an abandoned project called Twitterville. Organised on Twitter, anyone was allowed to add tweet-sized nuggets of information about the city. Each week there was a different theme and over several weeks thirty or more people contributed to the city.

The project ran out of steam after a few weeks which combined with Twitter.com taking a more aggressive approach to trademarks, ensuring the city of Twitterville was consigned to history. But Twitterville was not forgotten and it has been integrated into the World of Fay. Many of the original ideas and contribution have been kept, some going on to feature in adventures and shape the entire world.

This setting is provided for Game Leaders in a hurry who want something they can just pick-up and use. Feel free to ignore any or all of the setting's history or geography. Add your own towns, cities or continents. Change anything and everything as you see fit.

Remember that a Game Leader's priority is to ensure their players have a great time. Do not let what is written here restrict your imagination or your enjoyment.