The 2020 Worldbuilder’s Checklist

By Adam Bassett & Tyler “Dino” Silva

Tags: Resource

With a new year upon us, we thought it was about time to update the Worldbuilder’s Checklist,
originally published in our first issue of 2019, ​Death & Taxes​. Our 2020 iteration contains a total
of 192 prompts that will help you build and map your world, design cultures and histories, and
ask even the mundane (or very detailed) questions like “What are your streets made of?”
When reading the list below, consider how others have responded to these same questions as
well as how our own history answers them! For example, in Brian McClellan’s ​Powder Mage
novels we see characters make use of hackney cabs—carriages meant for public transport like
taxis are used today. This addresses the issue of transport around the series’ main city of
Adopest while also helping us place the setting on a timeline. However, in our own world’s
history, we see examples of people exerting their influence on art and culture. The Medicis were
major patrons of the arts and would often insert themselves into religious works, such as how
the Medici family crest appears in Fra Filippo Lippi’s painting of ​The Annunciation​.
Of course, it is important to also consider how you’ll use your dragons, what you’ll name the
places in your world, and these other more commonly asked questions—but we ask that you
don’t discount the details either.

SIDENOTE

You can download the full checklist here!

/END SIDENOTE

FIRST STEPS

THE NATURAL WORLD

Stars (and constellations), suns, moons, and planets
Overall size of the world
Mountains, woods, and/or other prominent features of the landscape
Oceans and/or major bodies of water
Common and rare plants
Common and rare animals/creatures
Poisonous and/or medicinal flora & fauna
Invasive or synthetic species

RACES & SPECIES

Common and uncommon races and/or species
Dynamics between species and/or races
Cultural similarities or disconnects between species and/or races
Species commonly kept as pets
Species used for industry
Social opinions regarding various races/species

WEATHER & CLIMATE

Typical and atypical weather
Seasonal variations in weather
Atmospheric phenomena
Natural disasters (and places prone to them)
Social opinions regarding weather

MAGIC
Access to magic
Access to education in magic
Prevalence of magic users
Restrictions on magic
Common and rare magical skills
Common and rare potions
Restrictions on potions
Requirements of using magic
Magic’s relationship to science
Magical flora & fauna
Magical reactions/illnesses
Black market or forbidden magic
Social opinions toward magic

TECHNOLOGY
Availability of technology
Access to education in technology
Capabilities of technology
Entertainment technology
Energy production technology
Transportation technology
Inventions that change how society functions
Advancements in medicine
Black market technology
Social opinions toward advancing and/or aging technology

ADDING TO YOUR MAP

CARTOGRAPHY
Topographical, political. Elevation, or other types of maps
Known or skilled cartographers
Restrictions to cartography/limits of the known world

LOCATIONS
Natural formations
Landmarks
Government buildings/castles
Transportation hubs/major pathways
Places for shopping
Houses/apartments
Towns and cities
National boundaries
Places with positive/negative opinions toward them

TRAVEL
Restrictions on travel (societal and/or geographical)
Dangerous locations
Luxury/vacation locations
Immigration/emigration trends
Common methods of travel
Affordability and access to travel
Social opinions toward travel and travel methods

DEFINING YOUR PEOPLES

PROFESSIONS
Common and rare professions
Specialized professions
Social or actual restrictions on professions
Unemployment rates
Social opinions toward various jobs

FAMILY
Marriage customs
Typical age of marriage
Typical number of children
Availability and opinions toward birth control
Typical family dynamic/structure
Attitudes towards romantic love and sex
Attitudes towards children and the elderly
Care for children (traditional parenting, nannies, boarding school, etc.)
Care for the elderly (in-home, nursing homes, etc.)
Typical gender roles, or lack thereof
Importance of birth order to family roles, inheritance, etc.
Social opinions toward families

EDUCATION
Availability of schooling/education
Cost and other restrictions on education
Typical education level
School subjects
School environment (strict, lenient, etc.)
Societal or other outside influences on education
Social opinions toward education

LANGUAGE
Primary/major languages
Regional/minor languages
Prevalence of multilingual/bilingual people
Colloquial phrases, slang, and curses
Unconventional or unusual languages
Naming conventions/rules
Social opinions toward different languages

SOCIETAL ORDER
Social structure
Members of the highest levels of society
Social mobility, or lack thereof
Social norms and values
Sense of individuality and equality
Slavery and servitude
Treatment of the dead
Social opinions toward current forms of societal norms

CULTURE

ART
Access to galleries
Access to supplies or lessons
Affordability of supplies or commissions
Who is commissioning work
Trends in architecture, sculpture, painting, literature, film, or other media
Influence on society
Famous artists and works
Social opinions toward art

CLOTHING
Cheap and expensive fabrics
Differences in clothing styles between economical classes
Uniforms and functional clothing styles
Seasonal wear
Differences in clothing between genders
Differences in clothing between regions
Differences in clothing between cultural groups or species
Social opinions toward clothing styles

ENTERTAINMENT
Restrictions on entertainment
Affordability or access to films/sports/games/instruments/books, etc.
Professional and casual sports
Board games and/or card games
Music and instruments
Common themes and subjects in fiction
Printed entertainment/digital media
Humor and comedy preferences
Social opinions toward entertainment

FOOD
Staple foods
Luxury foods
Availability of food
Local/regional dishes
Foreign foods
Unique diets of different peoples
Social opinions toward different diets

BACKGROUND

ARCHITECTURE & INFRASTRUCTURE

Common and rare or expensive building materials
Appearance and layout of typical/expensive houses
Appearance and layout of typical shops/markets
Streets and sidewalks (brick, cobblestone, dirt, etc.)
Availability of plumbing/sewage/snow removal/garbage collection, etc.

ECONOMY
Distribution of wealth
Lifestyle of the poor and rich
Lifestyle of average income earners
Money or bartering systems
Currency conversions
Resources in excess or at a deficit
Opinion of wealth among various cultures
Social opinions toward the economy

RELIGION
Major religions
Origin of religion
Prevalence of religion
Places of worship, or lack thereof
Structure, or lack thereof, within each religion
Dynamics between religious groups
Dynamics between religious and secular groups
Creation myths and theogony
Religious holidays and days of worship
Morals and beliefs
Social opinions toward religion

HISTORY
The age of civilization and/or recorded history
Major world events (wars, diseases, storms, etc)
Social revolutions (i.e. the industrial revolution)
Previous leaders/rulers
Recent cultural shifts/changes
Monuments
Forgotten, hidden, or incorrectly recorded history
Social opinions toward history

LAW
Laws impacting daily life
Common sentences for crimes (prison, labor, execution, etc.)
Police behavior, uniform, practices, powers
Criminal justice system
Fundamental rights
Major and minor crimes
Prison conditions
Recidivism rates
Corruption in the judiciary system
Social opinions toward law enforcement

POLITICS
Form of government
Current leader (and how they came to power)
Political parties or factions within government
Prominent members of court and/or government
Secret government agencies and/or organizations
Influence of religion on government
Access to news and freedom of the press
Rebel or resistance groups against the current leader(s)
Social opinions toward government and its leaders

WARFARE
Offensive and defensive technology or magic
Famous battle strategies
Famous generals, conquerors, and tacticians
Allies and enemies of each nation
Methods of acquiring soldiers
Hiring mercenaries
Social opinions toward war and soldiers

BONUS - Drafting Your Elevator Pitch

One of the easiest ways to begin a conversation on your worldbuilding with someone new is to
give them an elevator pitch. For those who don’t know, and those who need a refresher, an
elevator pitch is a 3-6 sentence description that conveys the interesting relevant ideas on a topic
that can be said in the time it takes to go up an elevator: 30-60 seconds. Why bother with this?
Simply put, it’s commonly said that within 7 seconds a person has formed first impressions. It
may be more or less depending on the person, with some impressions made after just a 1/10​th
of a second glimpse.1 Explaining an idea to someone requires grabbing their interest quickly
and without confusing them, or risk losing it.
One way to solve that issue is to create a tagline, which is an elevator pitch condensed down to
a dozen or fewer words. These two should directly relate to one another, and an elevator pitch
can be used as a followup to elaborate on your tagline. Taglines are a gross oversimplification
of your setting, but they exist to convey your idea within that limited time you have to make a
first impression. The best use of a tagline is to just catch their interest. It’s okay if it does not
properly display the nuance of your setting, that will come with later elaboration and explanation
(if, of course, the person you’re speaking with wants to know more). So, when thinking of your
tagline, remember that it serves a simple purpose, and it’s alright to leave out all of the broad
strokes.
As an example here is Dino’s tagline:
“500 years ago, God died in ​Moonfall​, now ancient powers fight mortals for dominion.”

1
​Wargo, Eric. “How Many Seconds to a First Impression?” ​Association for Psychological Science - APS​,
Association for Psychological Science, 1 July 2006,
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/how-many-seconds-to-a-first-impression​. Accessed
December 20, 2019.
This tells you essentially nothing about the setting, but it piques interest and it’s a central event
to the world’s backstory. Two important foundations are laid out in fourteen words, and further
elaboration can fill in the blanks. Following up your tagline with your elevator pitch will cement
the main idea(s) you’ve set forward. In your pitch, try to be as clear and concise as possible,
using the simplest terms you can. This will encourage others to want to learn more about your
setting, so you should focus less on details and more on interesting themes and broad
concepts.
For instance here is Dino’s elevator pitch:
“The Moon King baited God into appearing, then destroyed his entire civilization (and the Moon)
to kill God. This was ​Moonfall​, and it changed everything. Now the worlds have gotten back on
their feet, and new empires have begun to arise. The Age of Mortals is in full swing, old threats
are stirring once more. For those born at the Dawn, they find themselves few in this new age,
but mighty still. War is inevitable.”
Don’t worry if you think the tagline appears too short, or if your longer pitch can’t fit everything
about your world. So long as you communicate the major points, and pique interest in those
listening, you’ve accomplished your goal. Having these statements ready will help you
communicate with others about your world in a more concise manner—and it may just help you
learn a thing or two about the setting as well.