Post by Imorta Thaw on Sept 23, 2008 6:22:12 GMT -8
Politics and War
- When was the last war fought in your world, and why?
- What kind of political system(s) does your world have and how does this affect the characters?
- What treaties/wars are there in your world?
- Does your world have an armed forces, and if so, how is it structured? For what reason does it exist, and are the army and law enforcement seperate from eachother?
- Any notable wetworks or espionage going on that the public shouldn't hear about?
Magic and Technology
- If there's magic in your world, how prevalent is it and how does it affect the cultures and societies of your characters?
- Describe a magical or near magical feature of your world, it can be animal or object.
- Is there a dominance of magic or technology in your culture? Describe the height (or advancement) of it, please.
- What is the main source of energy in your world? How do the people of your world obtain such energy?
- What would you say the level of technology in your world was? Does it excel in any particular area, and are there any technologies that are unique or highly influential to your world?
Geology and the Built Environment
- In your world, how connected are people to each other. For example, does it take days to travel a few miles, or are trips across the entire span of the world commonplace?
- What's the climate like in your world? Do you stick to the recognisable seasonal pattern, or it is very different?
- What sort of natural catastrophies do your people have to deal with, and how do they deal with them? Have any superstitions or traditions arisen from natural phenomina?
- What is the status of your world? Are there any major environmental issues that affect how your characters have to live or survive?
- Does your world have any large water systems or bodies of water? Are these seen as obstacles/natural barriers, or are they an important part of your worlds culture? (eg, your world may rely heavily on river systems, or may be a series of islands to which the ocean is an ever-present part of life)
- What does an everyday home look like in your world? How is it furnished, what are the different rooms used for, or does it have rooms at all? What is the size of an average household?
- What would you consider to be the capital city of your world? Has it always been the capital, or has it shifted over time?
- Chose one domain of power. What are the conditions of its roads? It is said that well kept roads equal a well kept nation, so how well kept are they? How common is travel and who does the most traveling? Is it safe to step off the beaten path, or even, is it safe to stay on it?
People and Life
- Give a detailed example of an inhabitants daily life.
- What are the major drives for your people, what makes them want to wake up in their world?
- I am a foreign dignitary, sent as an envoy to your country. Where do you take me to dine, and what do we eat?
- I am a man on the street. I'm looking for something to eat, just a quick bite. Where do I go and what is available?
- How long have there been people on this world? Did they evolve, were they created by the gods, or did they migrate from somewhere else? If there are non-humans, how long have they been around and where did they come from?
Religion
- What type/types of religions does your world have? (animism, polytheism, antheism, agnositcism, gnosticism, monotheism, lumentheism)
- How does the religious community feature in your world? Does the church function as the government or is there a separation of church or state? Also, how do the people view the members of the religion?
- How much does faith affect the actions of governments? If there are real and tangible gods in your world, do they directly intervene with politics? If faith is more blurry, how much power do religious institutions have over the government, and how does this reflect in everyday life?
- How important is religion in your world? Is it left to the individual or is it controlled by the ruling powers?
Race, Gender and Equality
- Does your world have one dominant race/species/group of people, or do its citizens tend to cooperate?
- How do the people in your world react to those who do not want to conform?
- What social classes are there in your world, and are any groups discriminated against?
- How are same sex relationships or unions viewed in your world? (Socially accepted, taboo, illegal?)
- Are the sexes viewed as equal in your world? Explain why or why not (eg, historical precedent, politics, religion)
- Has slavery ever been a part of your society? If not, what are your societies views on it?
- What are your societies views on children born out of wedlock? Is marriage an important part of building a family with regards to legitimacy? For example, would the child of a sole parent born out of wedlock be treated any different to the child of two married people?
Law
- What is considered taboo in one of your cultures and why?
- Are there any unusual, or at least different to Earth's, actions or possessions that would carry a sentence? What are the social/legal no-nos of your world?
- What is the punishment for theft? If it depends, what does it depend on?
- How is the law enforced in your land, and by whom? Is there a wide stretching 'police' force, or would rural areas have to rely on vigilantism? How are law enforcement officers viewed in your world?
- What is society's opinion on killing, stealing, and rape? Do the laws treat them equally, or change depending on circumstance, such as who did what to whom or why? What is the process of deciding guilt and what punishment is common?
- What kind of Judiciary system does your world have?
Culture and Education
- What is society's opinon on "family" "nationality" "religion" or "loyalty"? If you have more than one society you might want to pick a single one. What should a person be most loyal to, and what values are most important to that society?
- What languages do people talk in your world? Have you made up a whole new language? Do they have several languages or just one big common language?
- What type of clothing do your people choose to wear, and is the weather always suitable?
- What ceremonies or beliefs does you society hold when it comes to death? (eg; burial practices, notions of an afterlife, martyrdom)
- What are the rituals or ceremonies surrounding marriage? Is its significance primarily religious or civil? (Ie; a religious ceremony vs a matter of law)
- How important are the arts (music, writing, art) to your society?
- What sort of education system does your world have? Is it accessible to all, or reserved for an elite class?
Business and Commerce
- Are there any unusual professions in your world, or jobs that do not exist in our own society? How does one obtain this position, and what role does it play in your world?
- Describe an item that is rare or highly sought after in your world, and explain why.
- What is the main form of goods transportation in your world? Describe a main export and import of one region.
- I am a person of business looking to transport goods to a major city. How would I go about this in the most efficient manner, and would I need any protection for my cargo? Is it safe or am I likely to be robbed?
- What sort of currencies do the cultures in your world use and how are they figured?
- www.gaiaonline.com/forum/word-games-and-others/the-world-building-game-returns/t.18369937/
- When was the last war fought in your world, and why?
- What kind of political system(s) does your world have and how does this affect the characters?
- What treaties/wars are there in your world?
- Does your world have an armed forces, and if so, how is it structured? For what reason does it exist, and are the army and law enforcement seperate from eachother?
- Any notable wetworks or espionage going on that the public shouldn't hear about?
Magic and Technology
- If there's magic in your world, how prevalent is it and how does it affect the cultures and societies of your characters?
- Describe a magical or near magical feature of your world, it can be animal or object.
- Is there a dominance of magic or technology in your culture? Describe the height (or advancement) of it, please.
- What is the main source of energy in your world? How do the people of your world obtain such energy?
- What would you say the level of technology in your world was? Does it excel in any particular area, and are there any technologies that are unique or highly influential to your world?
Geology and the Built Environment
- In your world, how connected are people to each other. For example, does it take days to travel a few miles, or are trips across the entire span of the world commonplace?
- What's the climate like in your world? Do you stick to the recognisable seasonal pattern, or it is very different?
- What sort of natural catastrophies do your people have to deal with, and how do they deal with them? Have any superstitions or traditions arisen from natural phenomina?
- What is the status of your world? Are there any major environmental issues that affect how your characters have to live or survive?
- Does your world have any large water systems or bodies of water? Are these seen as obstacles/natural barriers, or are they an important part of your worlds culture? (eg, your world may rely heavily on river systems, or may be a series of islands to which the ocean is an ever-present part of life)
- What does an everyday home look like in your world? How is it furnished, what are the different rooms used for, or does it have rooms at all? What is the size of an average household?
- What would you consider to be the capital city of your world? Has it always been the capital, or has it shifted over time?
- Chose one domain of power. What are the conditions of its roads? It is said that well kept roads equal a well kept nation, so how well kept are they? How common is travel and who does the most traveling? Is it safe to step off the beaten path, or even, is it safe to stay on it?
People and Life
- Give a detailed example of an inhabitants daily life.
- What are the major drives for your people, what makes them want to wake up in their world?
- I am a foreign dignitary, sent as an envoy to your country. Where do you take me to dine, and what do we eat?
- I am a man on the street. I'm looking for something to eat, just a quick bite. Where do I go and what is available?
- How long have there been people on this world? Did they evolve, were they created by the gods, or did they migrate from somewhere else? If there are non-humans, how long have they been around and where did they come from?
Religion
- What type/types of religions does your world have? (animism, polytheism, antheism, agnositcism, gnosticism, monotheism, lumentheism)
- How does the religious community feature in your world? Does the church function as the government or is there a separation of church or state? Also, how do the people view the members of the religion?
- How much does faith affect the actions of governments? If there are real and tangible gods in your world, do they directly intervene with politics? If faith is more blurry, how much power do religious institutions have over the government, and how does this reflect in everyday life?
- How important is religion in your world? Is it left to the individual or is it controlled by the ruling powers?
Race, Gender and Equality
- Does your world have one dominant race/species/group of people, or do its citizens tend to cooperate?
- How do the people in your world react to those who do not want to conform?
- What social classes are there in your world, and are any groups discriminated against?
- How are same sex relationships or unions viewed in your world? (Socially accepted, taboo, illegal?)
- Are the sexes viewed as equal in your world? Explain why or why not (eg, historical precedent, politics, religion)
- Has slavery ever been a part of your society? If not, what are your societies views on it?
- What are your societies views on children born out of wedlock? Is marriage an important part of building a family with regards to legitimacy? For example, would the child of a sole parent born out of wedlock be treated any different to the child of two married people?
Law
- What is considered taboo in one of your cultures and why?
- Are there any unusual, or at least different to Earth's, actions or possessions that would carry a sentence? What are the social/legal no-nos of your world?
- What is the punishment for theft? If it depends, what does it depend on?
- How is the law enforced in your land, and by whom? Is there a wide stretching 'police' force, or would rural areas have to rely on vigilantism? How are law enforcement officers viewed in your world?
- What is society's opinion on killing, stealing, and rape? Do the laws treat them equally, or change depending on circumstance, such as who did what to whom or why? What is the process of deciding guilt and what punishment is common?
- What kind of Judiciary system does your world have?
Culture and Education
- What is society's opinon on "family" "nationality" "religion" or "loyalty"? If you have more than one society you might want to pick a single one. What should a person be most loyal to, and what values are most important to that society?
- What languages do people talk in your world? Have you made up a whole new language? Do they have several languages or just one big common language?
- What type of clothing do your people choose to wear, and is the weather always suitable?
- What ceremonies or beliefs does you society hold when it comes to death? (eg; burial practices, notions of an afterlife, martyrdom)
- What are the rituals or ceremonies surrounding marriage? Is its significance primarily religious or civil? (Ie; a religious ceremony vs a matter of law)
- How important are the arts (music, writing, art) to your society?
- What sort of education system does your world have? Is it accessible to all, or reserved for an elite class?
Business and Commerce
- Are there any unusual professions in your world, or jobs that do not exist in our own society? How does one obtain this position, and what role does it play in your world?
- Describe an item that is rare or highly sought after in your world, and explain why.
- What is the main form of goods transportation in your world? Describe a main export and import of one region.
- I am a person of business looking to transport goods to a major city. How would I go about this in the most efficient manner, and would I need any protection for my cargo? Is it safe or am I likely to be robbed?
- What sort of currencies do the cultures in your world use and how are they figured?
- www.gaiaonline.com/forum/word-games-and-others/the-world-building-game-returns/t.18369937/