Table of Contents
- Regional Geography
- Local Resources & Environment
- Population Distribution
- Rural Areas
- Urban Areas
- Local Architecture
- Local Transportation
- Regional Specialties
- Local Medicine & Healing
- Daily Life & Infrastructure
Regional Geography
In which geographical areas will the game take place?
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How much ground will the game cover?
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What are the most striking features of landscape and climate?
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If there are non-human inhabitants, are there any areas or features they particularly claim as their own?
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Which areas are the most fertile farmlands?
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Where are mineral resources located?
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Which animals, birds, fish, and other wildlife are commonly found in which areas?
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If there are fantastical animals, such as dragons, where do they live?
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Which resources are particularly abundant, and in which areas?
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Which resources are scarce and where are they scarce?
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Are there places with major deposits that haven’t been discovered yet, or where such deposits haven’t been fully exploited?
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What water resources are available, and for what uses?
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Local Resources & Environment
How reliable is the weather from year to year?
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Is crop production relatively dependable, or do people have to cope with regular famines due to drought or floods?
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What kinds of catastrophic weather events are common?
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Are there tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, waterspouts, dust storms, or sand storms?
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How do people cope with adverse weather and weather-caused disasters?
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How common are such disasters?
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How available is water transportation?
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Which areas are the best and worst for travel?
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How dangerous is travel?
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How large a group is considered safe for travelling?
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How much traffic is there inside and outside the main cities?
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Population Distribution
How many people are there in the various regions?
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What is considered a small town? A large town? A city?
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How diverse is the population?
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How many different races (human or non-human), creeds, cultures, and so on normally live in various cities and towns?
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In what percentages do these divisions occur?
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Is population shifting from rural to urban? From south to north? From mountains to coast?
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If populations are shifting, why are they doing so?
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What effects has migration had on the places being left behind?
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What effects has migration had on the places that are gaining population?
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Which geographical areas are most heavily populated?
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Which regions are the least populated? Why?
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Rural Areas
Given the magical and technological level of this society, what is an appropriate ratio of farmers to urban residents?
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Given the state of the roads and of transportation, how much food is it possible to ship to a given location before it spoils?
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Are rural areas primarily farms, forests, fields for grazing, or wastelands?
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In outlying areas where there aren’t many people, how many roads are there?
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Can common people own their own land, or does it all belong to a lord or other figure?
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What kinds of rights over land, crops, game, and resources do landowners have?
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How are country dwellers viewed by city folk?
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How do the country folk feel about city dwellers?
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Where would a traveller stay at night?
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Are there enough travellers to support inns, or do people have to stay at monasteries or others’ homes?
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How early do people get up in the morning in the city? In the country?
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Urban Areas
Does the layout of cities reflect some philosophy, such as that the “head” of the city must be at the center or the highest point?
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Were layout considerations mainly practical or did most cities just grow?
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Are there public or private parks in any cities?
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What kinds of activities take place in parks?
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Are cities generally laid out on a square-grid system of streets or are things more labyrinthine?
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How wide are the streets and alleys normally?
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What are the landmarks in each city?
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Where are the interesting neighbourhoods?
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What things give each area its special character?
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Where do people go to shop? Where do they go to eat?
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Is there an entertainment district? What kinds of entertainment are offered?
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Does the city have tourists? What do they come to do?
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Are certain cities known for certain activities or industries?
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For travelling short distances within a city, what are the alternatives?
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Local Architecture
What is the most common building material?
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Why is it used?
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Does it have any major drawbacks?
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How are buildings normally ornamented?
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How tall a building can be constructed at a reasonable cost and in a reasonable time?
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What are the typical floor plans like?
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Can people afford to waste space on hallways or do they just have a series of rooms opening into other rooms?
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Are people’s businesses in their homes?
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Are buildings normally built square? Domed?
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How large is a typical house?
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How many people usually live in a typical house?
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What are the differences in materials and appearance between lower-class, middle-class, and upper-class housing?
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How do city houses differ from those in rural areas?
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How are living quarters arranged?
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Are parlours or libraries common?
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Are there special rooms for guests?
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Are parts of homes restricted to certain members of the household?
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How are houses heated and cooled?
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Local Transportation
What are the common domesticated animals used for transportation at various levels of society?
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How common is travel (for any reason)?
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Does the concept of travelling just “to see the world” or for fun even exist?
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What is the fastest means of travelling long distances over land? Over water?
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What are the safest means of travel?
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What is transportation like?
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Are some classes of people (slaves, peasants) who are not expected to travel at all?
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Are some (heralds, messengers) expected to travel constantly?
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Regional Specialties
What dishes would be considered typical of the various areas?
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What wines or beers are thought of as typical for various regions?
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Which herbs and spices are readily available, and which must be imported?
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How common and expensive are imported foods and spices?
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How is food preserved for use during the off-season — smoking, freezing, canning, salting, pickling, drying?
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How reliable are the food preservation methods used?
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How often do preserved foods spoil?
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Are certain countries or cities known for a passion or expertise for particular games or pastimes?
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What materials are appropriate for the climate?
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What cloth must be imported, and is therefore used only for expensive clothing?
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Local Medicine & Healing
At what level is medicine?
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Who are the healers?
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Do you have to have a talent to heal?
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Who trains healers, herbalists, apothecaries, surgeons, magical and non-magical?
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What customs surround death and burial?
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Is there a special class of people (doctors, priests, funeral directors, untouchables) who deal with dead bodies?
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How accurate is the diagnostic process?
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Do healers have ways of telling two diseases apart if they have similar symptoms?
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Do healers depend on standard physical medical tests (reflexes, temperature, dilated pupils) or do they normally use spells for diagnosis?
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How expensive are healers?
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How available are such services to ordinary people?
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How much is known about anatomy, physiology, pathology, psychology, and so on?
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Are treatments based on purely practical experience, or do healers understand at least some of what they are doing?
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Are there stories (true or false) about why certain remedies work or fail?
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How much training does a healer normally get?
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Is there a reliable method of birth control?
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Who normally handles births?
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What is the maternal mortality rate? The infant mortality rate?
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Who can become a healer?
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Are there various kinds of healers (herbalists, wise-women, pharmacists, apothecaries, surgeons, doctors, nurses, witchdoctors)?
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If there are different kinds of healers, why are the distinctions made?
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What kinds of treatments are available and how effective are they?
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Is it possible to resurrect or resuscitate someone who has died?
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If revival is possible, how long is it before it becomes impossible, or before serious brain damage sets in?
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How is insanity treated?
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Are there asylums or treatment centres?
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How effective are treatments for insanity?
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How much do the physical differences between human and non-human races affect their medical treatment?
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Are there some diseases that only affect non-humans, or only humans?
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Are some treatments lethal to one species but effective in another?
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Do physicians have to specialize in non-human medicine in order to do a good job of it?
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Daily Life & Infrastructure
What is furniture like?
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What is furniture commonly made of?
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Are certain things reserved for high-status individuals?
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In what ways does furniture design reflect the customs of people?
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What are plumbing and sanitary systems like?
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Who builds and maintains the sanitary systems and how reliable are they?
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Who do you call when the drains back up?
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Is there a safe supply of drinking water?
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Do people (including children) drink ale or beer exclusively?
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How do people find out what is happening in the world?
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How slanted is the news they get this way, and in what direction?
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Where are the great libraries and collections?
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Are the great libraries open to scholars, wizards, and/or the general public?
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Who supports the libraries?
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This regional and local guide focuses on the specific geographic areas, communities, and daily living conditions that define life in particular places within your fantasy world. Use these answers to create distinct regional identities and local character.