Building Flora&Fauna, the simplest way
Since I want to work with Ganu region during the Summer Camp, I did some extra homework. I already have a geography and administrative map, so I went around the questions about nature.
First I decided the different regions inside of Ganu. (Leave the map here for future guidance.)
The River Xig cuts in half most of it, so there will be a northern and a southern part of the desert and the savanna. I have two mountains with rainforests and barren mountain ranges on the western border. I also have three riverbeds and a lake, which have different wildlife than the others.
First I decided the different regions inside of Ganu. (Leave the map here for future guidance.)
Next, I write a brief outline about the plants.
- Foothills: barren; shrubs, low water demand, and succulent plants.
- Desert: cacti and plants with tuberous roots. Moss and fungi in the caves.
- Savanna: wild cereal plants, grasses, and trees with low water demand.
- Riverside: lichens and sedges, aquatic plants.
- Jungle: broad-leaved, thick-trunk trees, ferns, creepers.
As for the animals, I have used this (6x6) table since I first made it.
| Animal | Bird | Reptile & fish | Insect & worm | Magical | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apex predator | |||||
| Prey | |||||
| Predator | |||||
| Other prey | |||||
| Tiny creatures |
The first row has only one 'active' cell since every region has one apex predator. The second row is all the food the first creature usually hunts for. Then all the smaller/weaker predators and prey animals, or at least a few, were noted. Tiny creatures, like butterflies, ants, and even mice are cosmetics, but if you want to add some special or new species, it's good to add to the list here.
I present you my Foothills table, for example, it's pretty simple since it's busy with all the military bases of the AUN.
| Animal | Bird | Reptile & fish | Insect & worm | Magical | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apex predator | Giant Brown Bear | ||||
| Prey | Mountain Goat | ||||
| Predator | x | Snakes and lizards | |||
| Other prey | Rabbits | x | |||
| Tiny creatures | Rodents, Bats | Snakes and lizards- | Spiders, cockroaches |
I put the 'X'-es where I don't decide about the specific species. I'm usually wary of magical creatures because they can seriously upset the natural balance. So I haven't added any until I see the full Ganu region's tables - I have 7 in total, because I made different for each river, and added an extra for the Blackwater ocean shore.
It's so interesting to see how other world builders organize their ecosystems! I just recently went about making icon and terminology variables to better present my species myself. Getting into the different trophic levels, social behaviors, habitats ect. Easy to get lost in the details, I might just try to make something similar to this for myself to better organize it all! Wish I could share those variables with other people to use too though, idk if it works like that. Can't wait to see how your world develops for summer camp!
Thank You for the feedback! I really like to see your process too! My idea is only to record the first steps so that "the oppressive force of a blank sheet" does not weigh on me. Like the impact of the different humanoids and the civilization will only appear later. Working with trophic levels sounds like a great idea, I will consider it when a more dense region takes place.
Yeah my process is both organized and a choatic mess simultaneously! I normally start with the geography and habitat, basing it on a real life biome and then adding magic to it. Then I work out all of the species both plant and animal, humans and their societies usually last. All of this is mostly just lists at first before trying to consolidate all of it, often in actual notebooks before I start pulling stuff together for articles. All the while doing rediculous amounts of research on species and geography before deciding on the magic of these species. Probably a disproportionate amount of work for a few article tbh which is why I ought to organize better like you have!