100 Worldbuilding Prompts
Question 1: Suppose I'm transported to the most pleasant place in your world; where would I go for lodging, and what should I order off the menu?
Question 2: Wandering through one of your world's cities, a thief steals my wallet. I report the incident to a local authority. Who would they be, and what will (Or won't) they do about my stolen wallet?
Question 3: I dive to the bottom of the sea. What wonders, treasures and curiosities will I find on the seabed?
Question 4: Now stuck in your world, I would like to continue my studies. What university, academy or similar institution would I want to apply for? (Bonus question: Where would I actually end up studying?)
Question 5: What strange beliefs do your peoples have about places lying beyond the known world? (Here be dragons!)
Question 6: Pets and mounts. Which are some of the interesting ones your world has? (Bonus question: For what are they used?)
Question 7: Days, Weeks, Months, Years. How are they measured and what are they called?
Question 8: Can you give me the synopsis of one of your people's cultural/national epics? (The foundational myths.)
Question 9: What do your common folk do for fun? (Bonus question: What does the elite think about this?)
Question 10: Can you tell me a tale that is fictional within your world?
Question 11: I want to travel from one edge of the known world to the other. How do I go about this, and is it possible?
Question 12: Can you give me an example (or more) of differences in morality between people in our world and inhabitants of yours?
Question 13: Zoos, Waterparks, Amusementparks. Do you have any equivalent?
Question 14: What's the biggest, most beloved celebration of the year?
Question 15: What's the latest fashion and/or what type of clothing never goes out of style?
Question 16: Can you tell me about the itinerant folk of your world? (Bonus: Why do they travel?)
Question 17: It's late at night and I'm hungry, what food venues are still open?
Question 18: Which arts are most appreciated in your world?
Question 19: Can you tell me about your world's seven (or other number) wonders?
Question 20: What's the closest your world has been to wholesale destruction? (Apocalypse)
Question 21: Can you give the lyrics for a song from your world?(Alternative if you have no lyrics written: Can you tell me the meaning of one of your world's songs?)
Question 22: How many people roam your world, and who do you count as 'people' ?
Question 23: Can you tell me a little something about your world's organized crime?
Question 24: I look above, what do I see?(What colour is the sky, what do the clouds look like, how many moons, can I see the stars?)
Question 25: What are the boundaries of what is magically possible?
Question 26: Disease shaped our world, so what role have plagues and the like played in your world?
Question 27: Can you give me some insults specific to your world?
Question 28: What's the most valuable material in your world, and how is it used?
Question 29: What will be served for a typical breakfast?
Question 30: Where do people get the news? (Do they have an established media system, or is it word of mouth, or... ?)
Question 31: From the christian cross to the nike icon, our world is filled with recognisable symbols. What are your world's most widespread symbols?
Question 32: How much of a career can a writer have in your world?
Question 33: I am in search of work. Where could, would and should I apply?
Question 34: I take a big shovel and start digging, what do I see? (Colour and substance of the ground. Worms, insects, other creatures, etcetera.)
Question 35: I'm reading through the history books. Which names am I sure to come across?
Question 36: Is it possible to enhance your body through means other than hitting the gym and eating well? (bio-augmentations, cybernetic implants, magical enhancements, or…?)
Question 37: How is public sanitation taken care of? (Bathhouses, hot springs, sewage, public toilets, sewage disposal?)
Question 38: Can you explain one of your world's sports to me?
Question 39: Can you tell me about your world's boogie man?
Question 40: Can you describe the architectural styles of you world? (high/low, peaked/rounded, ornate/modest, open/closed etcetera)
Question 41: Can you give me a linguistic overview of your world? (Language families, broad distribution, intelligibility, lingua franca, trade language, etcetera.)
Question 42: What are your world's superstitions? (Bonus: Where do these beliefs come from?)
Question 43: Can you give me the descriptions of some of your world's cheeses?
Question 44: What does an average household look like? (Is it a modern nuclear family, or a multigenerational feudal household? Do pets live inside?)
Question 45: How are children treated in your world? (Until what age are they considered to be kids? Are children allowed to work? Can they vote? Are they considered people or property? Do daycares and schools exist? Has the concept of teenager/young adult been introduced in your world?)
Question 46: What do people in your world value most in a leader? (Strength? Kindness? Rationality?)
Question 47: What are some common names in your world? (Bonus: Why are they popular?)
Question 48: Is magic regulated in any way? (By the government, academia, religion, vigilantes, or…?)
Question 49: What is taken for granted in our world, that is desired in your world?
Question 50: I’ve spent quite some time in your world by now, and would like to settle down. How do I obtain a house?
Question 51: From knights of virtue to pirates on the seven seas, what types of people have been romanticized in your world?
Question 52: A complex series of murders has been committed, and it has become aware that the rank and file police won’t be able to solve it. Who is sent to solve the case? (And will they succeed in finding the killer?)
Question 53: Can you give me an overview of your world’s most popular beverages?
Question 54: Can you describe your world in 10 words or less?
Question 55: How is light taken care of at night? (Candles, torches, electric. Who keeps them lit?)
Question 56: Can you give me a proverb or two (or more) from your world?
Question 57: I’m invited to the grandest event of the year. What is it, and what should I wear? (And what would I wear if I were a woman? Or another species? Or…)
Question 58: What’s the greatest trick pulled in your world’s history? (You have free reign to determine what “great” entails)
Question 59: When broken down to its essence, what do the biggest religions in your world believe in? (Bonus: How do they treat eachother?)
Question 60: What about weddings? (Who officiates? Where are they typically held? How many people are invited? How significant is marriage in your world? What would be an ideal wedding?)
Question 61: A Jolly old man with elves and reindeer in tow comes riding into your world, bearing gifts. How does your world react?
Question 62: The sight of a lit-up christmas tree makes me think of a warm home, and good food. What are some cultural touchstones in your world, that makes people think of warmth, merriment and so forth?
Question 63: Is there anything your peoples eat and drink exclusively on days of celebration?
Question 64: What symbolism do various colours have in your world’s cultures?
Question 65: Ain’t no mountain high enough… or is there? What are the greatest natural barriers in your world?
Question 66: I’ve spent some time in the city, and decide to travel to the countryside. How does life differ? (Specifically, how does life differ in ways I wouldn’t expect as an earth resident?)
Question 67: If you were to travel to your world, what would you do? (Where would you work/live/go for a drink?)
Question 68: What’s the average lifestory of a wizard? (How did they start? Where were they taught? What did they do most their lives? Etcetera.)
Question 69: Fireworks, parade balloons, contrail art and chinese lanterns. How do your peoples decorate the skies? (And why?)
Question 70: How does a package or message arrive from one place to another?
Question 71: Can you tell me about one of your world’s secret societies?
Question 72: Can you give me an overview of what could be found in your world’s black markets?
Question 73: What’s the most legendary artefact lusted for by adventurers and scholars alike?
Question 74: Can you tell me about the hermits of your world?
Question 75: What's the currency of your world? (How did it come to be used? What preceded it?)
Question 76: Who or what's on top of the food chain?
Question 77: What are your clowns, jokers, jesters and/or comedians mocking your world for?
Question 78: Breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses... What are the eating times in your world?
Question 79: Astronaut, fireman, rapper. What's the profession that your kids (and adults for that matter) tend to dream of becoming?
Question 80: A great calamity has occurred, be it fire, flooding or kaiju attack. Who is sent for clean-up and repair?
Question 81: What sorts of headgear do people wear? (And why? Is it functional? Ceremonial? Prestigious?)
Question 82: Who’s making the big bucks in your world? (Bonus: What’s the difference between the old and newly rich?)
Question 83: Where, and by whom is healthcare taken care of? (What of specialized care? Dentistry, physical therapy, eye care, palliative care. And what of alternative medicine such as acupuncture and chiropractic care.)
Question 84: It’s been a long day at work, what would your people do to wind down? (Bonus: How does this differ between social classes?)
Question 85: What do your farmers (or your equivalent) harvest?
Question 86: How far does social mobility extend? (Can a lesser noble become a king? How about a merchant, or a miller?)
Question 87: Greasers, punks, goths and tunnel snakes who rule. What subcultures do rebellious youth join in your world?
Question 88: What sort of armour and weaponry can I expect to find if I was inspecting the warriors of your world?
Question 89: How does the balance between civilization and nature hold up in your world? (Does one overwhelm the other? Do they struggle against, or compliment one another?)
Question 90: How is gambling handled in your world? (Is it legal? Is it organized? Is it lucrative? Who or what controls the gambling scene? What’s the public perception on gambling?)
Question 91: What's the relation between mortal and divine? (Do both exist? What do you define as divine? Can one become the other? Is there anything the divine envies the mortal for?)
Question 92: How are guilds, or your equivalent, treated, employed and regulated?
Question 93: Who do the people of your world look to for wisdom and spiritual advice? (Are they a special class of people, a lifestyle, or perhaps simply the local elder?)
Question 94: Exclaves, coregions, condominiums and micronations. What political oddities can I find in your world?
Question 95: What about funerals? (How are they performed? Who is invited? How significant are they? How are the dead honoured? What happens to their body? Are they given a stone, a cross, a...?)
Question 96: What will be served for a typical lunch and/or dinner?
Question 97: From Batavians to bikers. Who are the rough and tough folk to be wary of in your world? (And do the myths hold up?)
Question 98: What sort of biomes and landscapes are found on your world, that are rare or even alien to ours?
Question 99: I arrived to your world from ours 99 questions ago. By now I've spent a lot of time in your world, but I've become homesick. If I aired my grievances to the people of your world, would my story be believable to them? (What would the reaction be?)
Question 100: How do your people think the world began and will end? (Are they correct?)
