Games are an important form of ancillary worldbuilding. They create verisimilitude by showing that characters do play games, but can also create a fundamental alien-ness. Think of the Dejarik from Star Wars or the 3D chess from Star Trek.

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Unicorns present an interesting combat scenario. Not only do they lack traditional human biometrics, they have telekinesis. This means that traditional single combat applies even less to them than it does to the other ponies, because their options are much greater and varied.

This blog post is a meandering mental exercise about one possible form unicorn combat may take.

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A major part of worldbuilding is sports and games. Taking something familiar and changing it slightly has multiple uses. It creates verisimilitude by showing that your fictional world still has and plays games. It creates a slight disconnect from the audience, because they can recognize that the mechanics are similar, yet not identical (a smaller version of the Uncanny Valley, if you will). It also gives you a chance to showcase the fantastical elements of your setting and tie them into

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For today’s worldbuilding exercise, let’s look at something that is at once universal and distinctive. Everyone eats food. At the same time, eating unfamiliar food can be a very alien experience. Food is a big part of cultural and geographic identity. Real life cuisine has countless gradations and variations. The ingredients and resources available give each real life culture a distinct history and evolution.

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