Overactive Work Ethic

Question: What sort of process do you go through to make your created Pantheons? (Elohim, etc...) Do you use the steps that were in the Companion or do you have your own special method?

I don't know if I'd call it "special". Special in the way that taking three right turns is a special way of turning left, maybe.

While the pantheon-building steps in Scion: Companion are a good starting place when you're just beginning to figure out pantheons, we really don't use them; they're sort of more a quick-and-dirty primer than a thorough plan for building a whole set of gods. It's possible that I'm also a little biased because I thoroughly did not enjoy the example take on the Slavic gods, but in general it gives you a decent idea what to do but really doesn't feel like a whole plan or guide to me.

Our process for pantheon-building looks something like this:

1) Decide on next pantheon to build. Argue for days about who's more mythically relevant, should have been in the original game lineup, and has the coolest stories. Pledge to finish pantheon in record time so all the other ones not chosen this round can have their turn soon.
2) Go to personal library, public library, and minimum two university libraries for books on pantheon's culture and mythology. Spend a month or two reading and absorbing them while taking copious notes on cool things that could be included in a supplement and suspect things that need corroboration from other scholars.
3) Email writers, professors and scholars on the subject to ask about details and sources. Dither over own presumption.
4) Create a roster of playable deities for the pantheon. Email it back and forth to each other for a week or two to argue about certain points, associated powers and assorted other nitpickery.
5) Begin work on PSP. If did not find an obvious culturally unique idea to base it on during reading, go back to books and read again until one turns up. Make two lists of powers that could be in the purview: one of thematic ideas ("gain power from sacrificing yourself!" "force others to conform to your values!") and one of mechanical implementation ("gain Legend dots!" "give others Virtues!").
6) Rewrite PSP eight kajillion times. Probably end up changing order of boons ten times until it feels right. Argue unceasingly about whether or not powers are too similar to other pantheons' boons or too comparatively boring. Spend endless nights making sure they balance with every other power in the game.
7) Write Underworld section, including landscape, mechanics for travel and occupants. Refer to notes from reading (and books if necessary - thank god for long renewal times at university libraries).
8) Write Overworld section, including landscape, current events and occupants. More of the same. Keep track of various gods and their abodes for use in the Antagonists and Other Beings sections.
9) Start work on Titanrealm by finding an appropriate Greater Titan concept that isn't already taken, hopefully one that is easily apparent as the big bad guy of the pantheon in their myths. Return to libraries to research other cultures to determine what figures might be Avatars of it from various pantheons. After at least two hours of heated debate, write a basic idea of the realm's landscape, behavior and inhabitants, including at least five Titan Avatars and at least one Titanspawn antagonist for visitors.
10) Stare hopelessly at mountain of work remaining. Go out to get Chinese food.
11) Make list of all interesting gods, creatures and characters not on the playable roster for this pantheon. Split them up into antagonist and potentially friendly categories. Write Antagonists section for the one, Other Beings section for the other, including all stats. Include as many plot hooks as possible to avoid having to do a separate plot hook section.
12) Briefly celebrate accomplishment before realizing that supplement is still not done.
13) Grudgingly spend a day trying to come up with Relics while hating entire process because statting Relics is boring.
14) Spend a few days vaguely discussing sample characters without committing to anything. Finally manage to jointly brainstorm character concepts for them. Build both (one Hero and one Demigod) and write their descriptions.
15) Cautiously celebrate accomplishment again, but not before thorough editing to find typos, unfinished sections and mistakes, and cross-referencing all sections for continuity, terminology and not contradicting ourselves.
16) Take a week off to recuperate. Email Stephen and ask unashamedely for free art.
17) Four-day marathon of PDF layout and tweaking. Finally produce a coherent PDF. Email to friends and upload to website.
18) Profit!

So you can see it's got a lot of features similar to the Companion section, but it mostly more complicated and spiced with our tendency to do too many things all at once. Nevertheless, we usually end up with something we can feel pretty proud of and our players can be excited about in the end, which are the things most important to us.

This is why it takes several months per pantheon, though. It's like training for a marathon around here.