THE BEGINNING

Project Gio is a worldbuilding endeavor aiming to create an expansive, shared science fantasy setting. Currently, it is the campaign setting for The Sphere of Gioventù, an ongoing 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons game. The hope is that in the future Project Gio will become a complex universe created through extensive tabletop play as well as through the contributions of various worldbuilders.

Project Gio is made up of a collection of galaxies, known as spheres. The sphere that is currently being explored through play is called Gioventù. This blog is going to discuss the many elements of this growing sphere, starting with what has already been created and documenting new ideas as they come.

To begin, let's look at the introduction that was given to the current players:

"Welcome to the Sphere of Gioventù, a galaxy on the brink of intergalactic colonization. Here, one will find star-pilots drinking away their misfortunes at one of the many taverns found in wildspace. Relics of lost civilizations can be found scattered amongst the many asteroid clusters, hunted down by foreigners from spheres abroad. Magic, being young and previously unspoiled, holds a power ripe for exploitation by the newly introduced principles of wizardry. Although this world is young, only being created a few millennia ago by the primordials who rule it now; it stands at the crossroads of military conquest and industrial progress."

Thematically, Gioventù is a world where technology has been replaced with magic. The campaign takes place during the equivalent of Gioventù's industrial revolution; known as the Age of Exploit. It is also a representation of the California Gold Rush, with outsiders from across the spheres flocking to Gioventù in hopes to manipulate the sphere to their financial gain.

Heavy inspiration has been drawn from the Eberron and Spelljammer settings. At the moment, the campaign takes place in a homebrewed version of the Rock of Bral and many of the factions are pulled directly from the Spelljammer setting. With it's current iteration, this does not pose an issue but as time goes on these stolen elements will most likely need to be reworked.

Thank you for taking the time to read about this ambitious creative undertaking! Next we will discuss the planets found throughout Gioventù as well as the races that call them home...