The Referee as Creator

In the Beginning...
So we are going to build a game world, but where do we start? As referee, I have started several games over the years. Each of us who acts as referee, game master, etc. has experienced this a number of times over. A new "campaign" or even a one-off game is in the making and before play starts many decisions must be made. This can be done incorporating input from the prospective players or it can be a solo endeavor involving only the referee.
Before the game begins, before the players create characters, the referee has some designing to do. What is the game going to be about? There are a number of ways to address this question and the answers will determine much of what is to come. Does the game fit a genre? Is it expected to be long term or a single session of play? What is the theme? What about power level?.. technology?.. magic? These are often quick questions that are addressed by the choice of game system or inspiration being used. Are we recreating a setting from a book? Or using the default or implied setting of the rule system? If so, many of our decisions are made for us in advance.
Setting is one of the most important decisions in role-playing. The players need to know something, many things actually, about the "world" in which the characters will be adventuring, investigating, or surviving. The world setting or milieu is the stage on which the players act out the developing story, but it is also the assumptions which guide player decision making. Do things work like they do in our real world? What tools and resources can be expected to be available in this fictional setting? How much knowledge of the "world" do the characters have?
As a referee I tend to treat the setting as my character in the game. I imagine the setting as a real place filled with real beings, weather, terrain features, deities, magic, technology... The list is long, but the better idea I have of the fictional setting where the game action is taking place, the better able I can be at describing the milieu and answering player's questions. Rule #1 for the referee is to know your setting!
As referee, you draw your map, leaving blank areas for ideas that will come to you as play evolves, you flesh out the world you create with beings, some people, some monsters, some divine, some mortal, giving some thought to how they survive, organize themselves and what motivates them? What are the sources of friction, conflict or struggle in this world? How are the player's characters expected to fit into this world and what opportunities might interest them? A short list of creative tasks might include:

1. Think about where the players will start. What is the first scene you will be describing to the players?
2. What do the characters know about the setting? What questions are likely to be asked...even before play starts? This will involve fleshing out a lot of the large scale details of the setting with a focus on what the characters will know. Of course, there will be much that is unknown.
3.  What can be expected to happen during the first session? Try to imagine what the players are somewhat likely to do, and be ready for it. That may consist of a pretty well defined setting like a dungeon or spaceship, or it may be a couple days march on the world map.
4. Prepare to go where your players take you. These days I referee most games in a sandbox/ quasi-open world style allowing and encouraging players to follow their interests. This requires that I have a pretty firm mental concept of the character of the world setting, at least in the immediate environs of the opening scene.
5. Have an idea where you might like for the game to go, if the players cooperate. I find it helps to present players with some options rather than just to give them no direction. Rumors are great for this sort of thing. 
6. What is the goal of the session? Is it the start of a longer campaign or the first of a multi session module, or just a one-off single session of play to provide an evening of shared entertainment? Having a goal may help everyone know when to end play for the day.

That's it, my short list of creation. The details come out of answering these questions and from ideas brought about during play. World creation is an ongoing task, some occurs before the game starts, some occurs during the game, and if a second session is planned, some will occur between game sessions. World creation is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a referee and I am finding there will never be enough time to explore (during play) all the worlds I can imagine.