Yes, I have seen similar views expressed by other Game Moderators who’ve run the Sentinel Comics RPG. I suspect that this is because Environment creation is significantly less structured. You basically have to create everything from scratch (more or less), compared to the option-choosing that Hero and Villain creation is.
I don’t think that I personally find Environments more difficult. Although I have not actually created many Environment for use in games, so my data may likely be skewed somewhat.
This sentence has given me the tangential idea of making a Villain that has no Action Abilities, full stop. Maybe I’ll do that eventually.
You need not look forward any more, intrepid reader! For here it is!
Realm of Fantasy
Government: Feudalism
Law Enforcement: Knights
Majority Occupation: Farming
Technology Level: Pre-Renaissance
Mana Level: 300%
This is a land of magic and monsters. At first glance, it appears similar to Europe during the Middle Ages, but further inspection will reveal that it is in fact quite different.
Here, magic is commonplace. It has largely eclipsed science as humanity’s primary tool. Additionally, savage and fierce monstrosities prowl the dark night and the deepest dungeons — Dragons, Trolls, Goblins, and more. But all in this land is not evil; for there are companies of shining knights, chivalrous and true, who patrol the countryside and mete out justice to any vile evildoers who would threaten their liege lord’s peasantry.
Realm of Fantasy
Fantastic Beasts 
Land of Magic
Medieval Society 
Green
Minor Twists
- Ambient Mana: This land is flush with magical energy. Roll the environment dice. Boost all targets taking actions using magic with the Min die until the next environment turn.
- Scientific Antithesis: This land is innately very resistant to science and technology. Roll the environment dice. Hinder all targets taking actions using scientific principles or technological devices with the Min die until the next environment turn.
Major Twist
- Champions of Chivalry: A company of noble knights have arrived to do battle with any evil knaves present. Roll the environment dice. Introduce a number of Knight minions (see below) to the scene equal to the Min die.
[color= #ffcc00]Yellow[/color]
Minor Twists
- Goblin Raid: A pack of goblins thinks that the heroes will make an easy target for burglary. They are likely wrong. Roll the environment dice. Introduce a number of Goblin minions (see below) to the scene equal to the Mid die.
- Suspicious Villagers: A group of local peasants mistake the heroes’ superpowers for witchcraft, and form an angry mob around them. Each hero must complete the following challenge individually.
Escape the mob
Until the above challenge is completed for a hero, that hero cannot affect or be affected by anything outside of the mob.
Major Twist
- Troll’s Bridge: The villain(s) have fled across a bridge, but when the heroes try to pursue, they are stopped by a hulking Troll that tells them that they must answer three riddles before they can cross his bridge. Alternatively, they could simply fight their way past the troll, or find another way across the river.
Answer the Troll’s three riddles to cross the bridge
-OR-
Fight the Troll or find another way across the river
If a hero attempts to Overcome the second option, the first option becomes unavailable. Additionally, when a hero takes a minor twist while Overcoming the second option, also Attack that hero with the single Fantastic Beasts die.
Red
Minor Twists
- A Helpful Wanderer: A robed, white-bearded stranger approaches the heroes. He dispenses some helpful advice, a useful trinket, or a minor charm before wandering away again. Roll the environment dice. Either Boost one hero with the Max+Min dice or Boost all the heroes with the Mid die.
- Dark and Tangled Woods: The battle has temporarily strayed into a thick forest, making it harder for the combatants to hit each-other with their attacks. Roll the environment dice. Defend all targets being Attacked by ranged attacks with the Mid die until the next environment turn.
Major Twist
- The Great Wyrm: With a thunderous roar, an ancient Dragon awakens from its years-long slumber to once again terrorise the countryside. The Dragon soars into the sky and exhales a blast of its fearsome breath weapon upon the land below. Introduce 1 Dragon lieutenant (see below) to the scene. Then, roll the environment dice and Attack all other targets in the scene with the Mid die.
Realm of Fantasy Threats
Dragon
Lieutenant
Description
Thought to be related to lesser reptiles, Dragons inhabit diverse ecosystems, including forests, tundra, mountains, deserts, swamps, and the sea. All Dragons are equipped with a destructive breath weapon and an aura that projects fear upon their foes.Abilities
Breath Weapon: The Dragon has one of the following abilities:
- Cold Breath: When the Dragon Attacks a target, it may also Hinder that target with the same roll.
- Electric Breath: The Dragon has +3 to Attack actions.
- Flame Breath: When the Dragon Attacks, it may Attack up to 3 targets within range.
- Poison Breath: When the Dragon Hinders, the resulting penalty is persistent and exclusive.
Draconic Presence: Targets near the Dragon have a -1 penalty on all actions.
Tactics
Dragons fear no one, and so attack with impunity. They can slash and bite and smash their ways through entire armies with ease.
Goblin
Minion
Description
Goblins are small, humanoid monsters that often raid and pillage small settlements.Abilities
Pack Tactics: A Goblin has +1 to Attack actions while it has at least one nearby ally.Tactics
Goblins work best in groups. Individually, they are quite weak, but together they know how to overwhelm considerably larger foes.
Knight
Description
Knights are chivalrous nobles who have trained themselves in the arts of combat and horsemanship, and have sworn to defend the innocents of the land.Abilities
Plate Armour: Knights have +2 to save rolls.Tactics
Knights fight fiercely from atop their brave steeds in their never-ending quest to vanquish evil.
Editor’s Notes
Just for your edification, the “Mana Level: 300%” thing in this environment’s infobox was just my way of saying, “This place is super magical.” Universe 1 might have a “Mana Level” of 100%, possibly?
I think that the two Green zone minor twists are nifty. I wanted a way to show that magic is simply stronger here, and that technology doesn’t seem to work very well here, for some reason. One would probably get he most out of these twist if the heroes’ ranks included both magic-users and technology-users.
I also like the Troll’s Bridge twist. It is a challenge with two different branches that the heroes could pursue. One of them is shorter, but pursuing it will likely incur the troll’s wrath. And, of course, if you start fighting the troll or trying to find a way around his bridge, he’s not going to let you or your allies hear the riddles.
I’ll admit that the Goblins and Dragon in this environment are based upon how those creatures are depicted in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, especially the Dragon’s fear aura and different breath weapon choices.
Also, the Knights’ stats are basically identical to the Knight minions from my Time Cataclysm above.
One could use this environment in the very unlikely event that one would like to set a game in my Sentinels of the Realm setting. (Although I would likely modify it before doing so.)
And, lastly, you may notice that a few things are missing that you might expect to be in a fantasy setting — Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits Halflings, Orcs, Wizards, Clerics, or Rogues, for instance. Well, that is because I was going for a more “classic” fantasy setting with this environment — just knights, dragons, et cetera — compared to a “modern” fantasy setting. I suppose that I may have some desire to make something out of the latter, though.
Next Environment: Swamp Ritual Site!