Species Module Tutorial
A tutorial for Campfire's Species Module. Learn about how you can use panels to enrich your setting with flora and fauna!
Table of Contents
Species involve all of the flora and fauna of your world. The Species Module helps you keep track of all the creatures, plants, and—if you have them—the sentient species that walk around town!
You must be logged in to access Campfire’s writing modules. Once you’ve done that, open a project, and you’ll find the Species Module is located under the Elements tab in the left-hand List.
Creating a Species Element
To create a new species element, navigate to the sidebar on the left of your screen and click the “+” button to the right of “Species” under the Elements tab. You can rename it in the Details tab or by right-clicking the element in the Elements tab.
The Details tab also includes tools to add a brief description of the element, or a thumbnail image via the Add Image button. Both will appear anywhere this element is referenced, such as in your project dashboard. Learn more about how to navigate Campfire.
Species Element Pages
The Species Module is broken down into three pages by default:
- Overview page: Describe the species’ basic habitat and characteristics.
- Detail page: Go into more specifics about the species’ strengths and weaknesses.
- History page: Discuss where the creature or plant came from.
You may choose to keep these pages as is, consolidate them, or even add to them. Create new pages by selecting the Page button in the right-hand corner of your toolbar and choosing “New Page.” You can also delete pages here, too.
Overview Page
The default template on the Overview page of your new species in Campfire comprises six different panels:
- Attributes: List relevant attributes about the species you’re describing, such as its scientific name, supernatural abilities, or diet.
- Image: A great place to add a relevant image or image gallery, if you have any.
- Description: Write about the species and how it generally appears or behaves.
- Links: Link the other elements affected by the species, or who have tamed it, on this element to quickly navigate to them.
- Skills & Abilities: What unique skills or abilities does this creature or plant have? Can it glow like a firefly, or eat bugs like the pitcher plant?
- Habitats: What kind of environment does the species thrive in? How far away can it go?
Although this is the default template, you can delete it and start from scratch, modify it, or create your own templates! Click Add Panel in the toolbar directly above your culture’s canvas to add new panels. Or, select “Delete All Panels” to start from scratch! Learn more about panels in Campfire.
Learn more about templates in our Templates Tutorial.
Detail Page
The Detail page comes with six more panels by default:
- Physical Description: Write about how the species tend to look.
- Statistics: Keep an organized list of all the stats attributed to this plant or creature. This panel is particularly useful if you’re running a game and the plant or creature has its own stats.
- Strengths & Weaknesses: Write about the species’ greatest strengths and weaknesses.
- Reproduction: Write about how the species reproduces. Does it migrate, take multiple partners, or need to watch over eggs?
- Growth Stages: List the stages of development this species goes through. After all, a baby or adolescent dragon won’t behave quite the same as an adult.
- Common Locations: List the places in your setting where the species are most commonly found.
History Page
The default template on the History page of your new species in Campfire includes just one panel: the History & Origins text panel. Use it to write about how the species was discovered or created, or talk about its place in your setting’s history.
Having a few creative plants and animals in your setting can really help make it feel like a living, breathing world. Consider their role in society too: some plants have been used as remedies or for magical properties, and there are plenty of opportunities for making a monster for your stories. Use the Species Module to explore your setting and how its inhabitants have navigated its natural spaces.
The Campfire team is working hard to make Campfire the best writing software on the market. We are always looking for new ways we can grow and better serve the writing community so if you have any feedback on how we can improve, please let us know!
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