World Maker

A single-player world-building exercise

Written and Designed by Michael Elliott

Produced by my Patrons:

Michael Bain

Cindy Chamberlain

Sara Chicazul

Navi

Patron

Teri

Mike Thorpe

Tim

Tony
Guillaume Tremblay

Support my work http://patreon.com/notwriting

 INTRODUCTION
Building a �ictional world from scratch is a lot of work.
Whether writing a story or running a tabletop role-playing
game for a group of friends, it takes practice to build an
intricate setting complete with warring factions, a timeline,
and non-player characters who compliment the story. Often all
this effort creates details that are never relevant to your
players or principle characters. World Maker is an exercise
meant to focus your energy into details, relationships, and
traits that are relevant to your main characters or the players
at the table.

Many tabletop RPGs have a role called a game master, dungeon

master, or storyteller. It is often their responsibility to play the
roles of the non-player characters, build the world the player
characters live in, and describe all the sensory experiences and
plots of the world to the other players. This often means that
this one player has to do hours of work creating a campaign
setting before the other players make their characters, and also
must do hours of prep work before each session of play to have
the story “ready” for the players to experience.

World Maker is an exercise about creating a �ictional world by

concentrating on the characters. Creating the setting as a
response to the player’s choices at character creation ensures
that everyone at the table is invested in the stories being told.
You will create characters with random attributes and build a
setting around them that ful�ills and compliments who they are
and the stories they can create. This exercise will help you run
RPGs by making adventures and scenarios that are relevant to
your players beliefs, relationships, and skills, with less time
spent detailing parts of the world your players will never see
or care about.

To play World Maker you will need:

4-6 sheets of paper and something to write with, or any blank

digital document you can write and draw on.

A deck of playing cards, with the jokers removed

 1
GENRE
If you don’t have a genre of story or type of
world in mind you may generate one by
dealing a random card from the deck face-up
in front of you. You may also select one of the
2
genres below, or skip this step entirely and let
the characters determine the genre as you
play. CHARACTERS
When choosing a genre think of novels, Next select a number of characters for your
movies, and games that can act as touchstones game. Use 2-3 characters for an easier, shorter
or examples of the sort of stories you want to exercise. 4-5 characters would be a greater
tell. challenge and force you to create a much
larger, richer world.
Consider the sorts of details that set your
world apart from other examples of the genre. Deal one card face up to represent each
Is your fantasy world a low-tech planet on the character. Make sure each character card has
fringes of a galactic empire? How does the room beneath it for 2-10 more cards laid out
history of your modern setting differ from our in a column and an additional card between
own? Note these ideas now or wait for the each column.
cards to inspire you.
The value of each character card determines
Once you’ve recorded your genre return the how detailed their backstory is. Face cards
card to the deck and shuf�le. have a value of 10, Aces have a value of 1.

♥ - Medieval/Fantasy High value cards will have several details,

while low value cards will have fewer. This
♣ - Science Fiction disparity mimics the sort of disparity you’ll
see when you have different players during a
♠ - Modern/cyberpunk tabletop RPG. Some player will be able to build
characters with elaborate backstories, others
will have only a few ideas of how their
♦ - Apocalypse/Post apocalypse characters act and operate in the world.

These card values may also represent the age

and experience of each character. Low values
could be younger characters or single-minded
characters, high valued cards could be older
characters or people who are adventurous or
have had complicated lives.

These aren’t the only characters in this story,

just your principal or main characters. Other
side characters will reveal themselves as
needed in your world. They could be
relationships with your main characters,
faction leaders, or common friends and
enemies.
 3
DETAILS 4
Deal a number of cards face up under each
character equal to their card’s value. These
cards each represent the history of each
character, who they’ve met, what they’ve done,
and what skills they have acquired. Each detail
WORLD
needs to be accounted for in the world you
build. BUILDING
The card suits represent different aspects of You should now have a few characters with
each character. different skills, appearances, relationships,
and heritages. Where did they come from?
♣ - Skills What happened to them? What does this
world look like? You now have all the tools you
♦ - Heritage need to answer these questions.

♥ - Relationships Review each character’s details. Then start

asking yourself questions about who these
characters are and how they got here. Start
♠ - Traits with one character. Elaborate on answers that
interest you and write notes as you go. You
Refer to the Card Codex at the end of this might think of something that will be relevant
book to see what each card represents. later as you build your world.
Be on the lookout for common suits between If you �ind yourself struggling at this stage,
the characters. What do these similarities say each card in the Card Codex has some sample
about the world, if anything? questions and prompts to inspire you.
Lots of skills might point to a group of Keep track of any major factions, places, and
mercenaries, freelancers, or other experienced events that you created to give these
professionals. characters their details. Other characters may
share these details, and they will help build
Several heritages or relationships may mean the geography and laws of your world.
that the world is densely populated with
several geographical features and cultures. Not every character detail needs to exist by
itself. If a character has both the soldier and
Characters who all have several traits might the doctor skills these two details could be
indicate a special group brought together for a combined into one: combat medic. This way a
singular purpose. complex character becomes easier to detail.

When you �ind yourself describing a place,

make a note of it and start drawing a simple
map. When you make a faction, name it and
write a brief description. When you describe a
fundamental principle of your world, like how
magic or technology works, make a note of it.
Create a timeline of events like births and
deaths of notable people, wars, etc.
 5
CONNECT
Next you will connect these characters
together with relationships. This can show
why all the characters are in the same location,
part of the same faction, or facing the same
6
challenge in your story or game. Without
connections or relationships your characters
might not have any reason to work together. QUESTIONS
Deal a card between each column of character Once you �inish step 5, you’re done! You’ll need
detail cards. These are relationships or some names for your characters, factions, etc.
connections between the characters. If there but the world building you’ve done has
are more than 2 characters deal an extra card already created a setting that is centred on the
to the right of the rightmost character, this characters. Here are some tips to help you
introduces a connection between the incorporate every detail of each character:
rightmost character and the leftmost
character. Be on the lookout for common suits. What do
these similarities say about the world?
The suit of the card between the characters
determines the nature of this connection. Lots of skills might point to a group of
experienced professionals.
♣ - The characters share a skill
Several heritages or relationships may mean
♦ - The characters share a heritage that the world is densely populated.

♥ - The character share a relationship Characters with several traits might indicate a
group brought together for a singular purpose.
♠ - The characters share a trait Does one of your characters have two heritage
cards? Maybe that is a single location.
Select a suitable detail between the characters
that they can share. If the characters don’t A character with multiple skills could represent
share any suit cards that’s okay. Just use one a single specialized profession.
detail card on one of the characters of the
appropriate suit to create the relationship. If Characters with multiple relationships could
neither character have a detail card of the belong to a single speci�ic faction.
appropriate suit, select the one you like from
the Card Codex or deal cards from the deck Maybe two heritages are actually a location
until you deal a card of the appropriate suit. that has changed over time.

Characters who share a skill might have worked

in the same profession.

Character who share a relationship may be part

of the same faction. Maybe one left on bad
terms?
 ♣ ♦
SKILLS HERITAGE
Ace - Sharpshooter Ace - Decaying Ruin
What is their arsenal? Who, if anyone, do they What used to be here? What happened? Who
work for? Who trained them? else knows about it? Where is it?
2 - Duellist 2 - The Breadbasket
How do they �ight? What do they use? Are there What do they produce? Who relies on it? What
strict rules of conduct? makes this place good at producing food?
3 - Artist 3 - Islands
What is their medium? Can they make a living What separates these places? Are they all the
or is this a side gig? Is their work well known? same? Are they all inhabited? Where are they?
4 - Labourer 4 - Beyond the Maps
What do they do? Are they a professional? Are Uncharted space. What does it look like? Why is
labourers respected, commonplace, or rare? it unrecorded? Who else knows about it?
5 - Criminal 5 - Underworld
Are they on the run or did they serve their time? Below the surface or below the status quo?
Do people trust them? Why do they do this? What makes this place different?
6 - Doctor 6 - The Verdant Place
What do they practice? Have they ever saved Lush and full of life. Why is this place so fruitful?
someone’s life? Where did they train? Is it guarded or dangerous? Where is it?
7 - Soldier 7 - Suffocating Wastes
Have they ever killed anyone? Where was their Desolate, polluted, bloody. Did something
last battle? Did they volunteer? happen or was it always like this?
8 - Bounty hunter 8 - The Caravan
Are they valued or reviled? Who do they work Does it have a route? Does something guide its
for? Is there a type of job they refuse to do? path? Where is it now? Where is it going?
9 - Assassin 9 - Arctic
What is their preferred method/target? Who Is it remote or populous? Is the weather harsh?
else knows they do this? Who do they work for? Are resources scarce? Where is it?
10 - Pilot 10 - Desert
What do they drive? What sort of reputation do Hot and arid, or cold and icy? What survives
they have? Who keeps their vehicle in order? here, if anything? Where is it?
Jack - Arcane/Technical Knowledge Jack - Shipyards
Witches, sorcerers, hackers, druids, tinkerers, What is built here? Who owns it and who runs
and thing-speakers. Is this common, or rare? it? Where is it?
Queen - Leader Queen - The Streets
Are they religious, political, rebellious, loyal? A social strata or a lowly place? What do people
Who do they lead? Why? here lack? How did they survive?
King - Academic King - The Capital
Philosophers, professors, sages, hermits and Is it huge and imperious? Is it purely symbolic?
intellectuals of all kinds. What do they know? Why is it important? Who rules there?
 ♥ ♠
RELATIONSHIPS TRAITS
Ace - Rebellion Ace - Tattoos
What are they �ighting? How long has this �ight Who applied them? What do they represent?
lasted? Who is involved? Who leads them? How do other people react to them?
2 - Criminal Syndicate 2 - Scars
What do they do? Are they in the open or the Where did they come from? How noticeable are
shadows? Is this ongoing or a one-time thing? they? How do other people react to them?
3 - Incorporate Company 3 - Multiple Languages
What does the company do? Where are their Are they �luent? How did they acquire these
headquarters? Who is their competition? languages? Is this sort of thing common?
4 - Arcane/Technical Coven 4 - Died
What knowledge do they covet? What does What happened? How did they beat death?
membership entail? Are they valued or feared? Does anyone else know about this?
5 - Science Foundation 5 - Doesn’t Sleep
What have they discovered or achieved? Who is Is this psychological or physiological? Is this
allowed entry? Who funds their work? sort of thing common or rare?
6 - Religious Sect 6 - Cursed
What do they worship? What are their beliefs? How did they get it? Is it literal or just unlucky?
Is this sect a prominent religion or a cult? Can anyone �ix it/make it worse?
7 - Underground Gang 7 - Blessed
What laws do they break? Who do they compete How did they get it? Is it literal or just lucky?
with? How do you become a member? Can anyone break it or take it away?
8 - Workers Guild 8 - Synthetic
What work do they do? Who represents them? What are they made of? Is it one thing or a mix
Who uses the workers for their labour? of materials? Is this sort of thing common?
9 - The Dead 9 - Augmented
Memories, bodies, or something different? Are Is this cybernetics, transplants, or something
they revered, feared, ignored? else? Is this sort of thing common or rare?
10 - Nature 10 - Prophet
Are they a keeper, poacher, or something What do they predict? Do these predictions tend
different? Do they exploit nature or not? to come true? What does it look like?
Jack - Sole Survivor Jack - Alien
What calamity did they survive? Who died? Is Where are they from? Does anyone else know
anyone missing? Who was to blame? about this? How did they get here?
Queen - Alternate Reality Queen - Immortal
Where did they come from? How did they get How else are they different from mortals? Are
here? What is different in that world? there others like them? Is this common?
King - Wealthy Family King - Time Traveller
Does the character have access to this wealth? Where and when did they come from? How did
Who owns it? How is it maintained? they get here? Can they get back?