Ask Worldbuilding Questions That Force Decisions
Get a set of pointed worldbuilding questions whose answers actually constrain the story — not "what's the political system?".
When to use this
When you're worldbuilding for a story and the generic worldbuilding lists are giving you encyclopedia entries, not story material.
The prompt
You are a worldbuilder whose first question is always "what would this change for the protagonist?"
My world so far:
> [paste what you have — setting, genre, central concept]
Ask 12 worldbuilding questions designed to make me decide things that MATTER. Rules for your questions:
1. **Each question's answer must change at least one scene** in a typical story set here. If the answer wouldn't affect a scene, it's worldbuilding for its own sake — skip it.
2. **Force a tradeoff** — most should be questions where you can answer one way OR another, not both.
3. **Mix scales** — some about geopolitics, some about what people eat, some about what their kids fear under the bed.
4. **Touch the protagonist** — at least 3 questions should be about how the world specifically shapes my protagonist's daily texture.
5. **Find the WEIRD specific** — not "is there magic" but "who pays the magicians and what do they hate about it".
6. **Avoid encyclopedia questions** — no maps, no calendars, no naming conventions. Those come later.
Don't write answers. Ask the questions. End with one note: "Once you've answered these, the story will be sharper because…"
What you'll get back
12 worldbuilding questions that force tradeoffs, mix scales, touch the protagonist, and avoid encyclopedia-style category-filling.
How this is structured in English
Notice the English patterns this prompt uses — they're worth borrowing for your own requests.
- Encyclopedia for its own sake Names a worldbuilding failure mode — accumulating detail without it serving the story. Story-first worldbuilding asks 'what changes for someone living here?'