Question World Building Part 2

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General

 * Do average people believe old tales, or do they dismiss some that have a basis in fact (e.g., Troy)?
 * Do wild and rebellious young people dress any differently from anyone else? Are they allowed to?
 * How do most people make a living here?

Customs

 * Does the weather or climate contribute any habits or customs, such as the mid-afternoon siesta in hot countries?
 * What is considered a normal family unit? How extended is an extended family? How important are family connections and responsibilities?
 * What are the rites of passage in this culture? Are they formalized rituals, such as being dubbed a knight, or are they informal? Are they different for men and women? For nobility and peasants?
 * What customs surround a birth and the introduction of a new child to the family? Is the mother sequestered for some period? Is the child? Is there a formal presentation of the new child to parents, grandparents, overlord, priest? Is a feast and celebration declared, or does everyone keep a low profile to keep from attracting demons or bad luck?
 * Who is normally present for births? Is it strictly a matter for women, or are men involved, or is the only woman present the expectant mother?
 * Who raises the children? At what age do they begin to be educated or trained? By whom? Are they considered mini-adults? Do they dress differently from adults? If so, when do they change to adult dress?
 * What customs surround death and burial? Is there a special class of people (doctors, priests, funeral directors, untouchables) who deal with dead bodies? What things must be done and why (burn hair to free spirit, burn body to prevent necromancy, coins on eyes for ferryman, etc.)? Are the dead feared, revered, or ignored?
 * What personal weapons are available to anyone who can afford them? Are some considered “for nobles only” either by custom or by law? Are there laws forbidding certain classes from being armed at all

Eating

 * Do men and women, parents and children, servants and master, eat separately, or does everyone eat together? How is status displayed at the table (seating above or below the salt, near or far from the head, etc.)?
 * What dishes are considered holiday food? What foods/drinks are associated with particular holidays, events (e.g., funerals, weddings) or times of the year?
 * What distinguishes a formal, high-court dinner from an ordinary meal, besides quantity and variety of food? How do high-court manners differ from everyday ones?
 * What eating utensils are used, if any? Forks, eating knife, spoons, chopsticks?
 * What is the order of a typical upper-class meal — do they start with wine, then a sweet, then a stew, then a salad, or do they bring everything in at once?
 * Are special arrangements necessary for entertaining guests of different races/species — taller chairs for dwarves, raw meat for werewolves, perches for harpies, etc.? How do the eating customs of different races reflect their cultures and biology? How difficult does this make social interaction among the races?
 * Is sanitation good enough for untreated water to be safe to drink? If not, what do people drink instead?
 * What shapes are tables/eating areas (round, oblong, square, rectangular, etc.)? Where is the “place of honor” for a guest? Where do the important members of the household sit/recline/whatever?
 * What things, while edible, are never eaten (what’s not kosher)? Why? Are some common human foods poisonous to dwarves or elves (or vice versa)?
 * What types of food or seasoning are characteristic of different races? Different cultures? Different countries?

Greeting and Meeting

 * When meeting someone, how are they greeted — wave, handshake, bow, some other gesture? How did the greeting gesture originate (example: shaking hands to prove one’s weapon hand was empty)? Is there a special I-am-not-armed gesture for wizards?
 * Is there a difference between the greeting offered to an equal and that offered to a superior or inferior? Is there a difference between the greeting offered a man or a woman? Human/non-human?
 * Is there a way of changing a greeting gesture to make it insulting?
 * How are two people who have never met normally introduced to each other? What is the order of precedence when there are several people of differing sex or social status present, all of whom need to be introduced to each other?
 * Are there classes of people/beings who are never introduced to other classes of people/beings? Are “true names” significant, and if so, under what circumstances would someone be given another person/being’s true name?
 * Are there customs involving the way in which someone is named when being introduced (for example: giving all of a person’s names and titles at the first meeting, but never repeating them afterward, so that he’s always referred to as “George” even though he’s introduced as the Duke George Edward Canterbury Gorden de la Suis-Foule, Marquis of Horsham, Whitewater and Framingham, Earl of St. Peter’s Close, and Vicount of Abernathy)?
 * Is there any difference in the way you greet someone you already know, compared to greeting a stranger (or does everybody just always hug or shake hands or whatever)? How does someone acknowledge seeing an acquaintance at a distance (passing on the other side of the street) — by a nod, tipping the hat, wave, smile, or not at all?

Gestures

 * When meeting someone, how are they greeted — wave, handshake, bow, some other gesture? How did the greeting gesture originate (example: shaking hands to prove one’s weapon hand was empty)?
 * Are gestures and body language in this society generally subtle or not? Do people talk with their hands, or is that considered vulgar?
 * Is there a way of changing a greeting gesture to make it insulting?
 * What is a comfortable and polite speaking distance for people in this culture? Other cultures/countries/races? How aware are people of these differences?
 * What gestures are insulting? What do they mean? Do some gestures differ in meaning depending on the culture, race, or time (example: the American “V”-for-victory sign, which became the peace sign, and which is/was highly insulting in Europe)?
 * How do gestures and body language differ between countries? Between species? Are there things that don’t matter in one area that are mortal insults in another (eating with the left hand, etc.)?
 * What are the ways of showing respect (bowing, saluting, etc.)? To whom is one expected to show such respect — one’s elders, superiors in rank, teachers, priests, etc.?

Visits

 * Are there questions that must be asked or avoided (how’s the family, how’s the business, never talk politics or religion, etc.)? Are there topics that can only be raised by the host? The guest?
 * How seriously does the culture take the responsibilities of host and guest? What rules define when someone becomes a host or guest (e.g., in mid-eastern countries, giving bread and salt to someone makes the person your guest; giving a 5-course meal without bread or salt doesn’t)?
 * What things are considered courteous to offer a guest: food, reading material, personal guards or attendants, music/entertainment, a person of the opposite sex to sleep with?
 * What is considered a courteous response to a host’s offer? Are there things it is considered rude to accept? Rude to turn down? Rude to ask for? Rude not to ask for?
 * When a guest arrives, is food or drink offered immediately, after an interval, or only on request? Is there a particular food or drink that is customary to offer a newly arrived guest?
 * How do different eating customs of the various cultures and races interact and conflict? Example: a person from a culture that considers it impolite to refuse an offer of food being the guest of someone whose culture considers it impolite to stop offering food until the guest says “when.”

Language
Ethics and Values
 * Is there a “trade language” that facilitates commerce between countries that don’t speak the same tongue? Is there a “universal language” spoken by educated or noble persons, as Latin was in the Middle Ages?
 * Are some or all people bilingual? Is there a common second language many people know?
 * Are there “secret” languages or codes known only by priests, soldiers, wizards, guild members, etc.? Why were they developed?
 * What are the variations in speech patterns, syntax, and slang from one social class to another? One occupation to another? One region to another? One race to another?
 * What areas do local slang phrases come out of? (Example: in a fishing town, referring to good luck as “a good catch,” while people in a farming town refer to it as “an unexpected harvest”.) What kinds of colorful turns of phrase do people use?
 * What things in this culture would their language have many specific words for (e.g., Inuit languages that have 14+ words for different kinds of snow)? What do the people in this culture consider important enough to name? What does this say about the way they look at the world?
 * What things would the people of this culture not have a name for, or have one word that covers numerous variations? What do they consider too unimportant to name? How does this affect the way they see the world?
 * Are there words that must never be spoken except at particular times, in ceremonies, or under particular circumstances? Are there words that must not be spoken in polite company? Do these words differ from culture to culture or race to race?
 * What will people swear a binding oath by? What do people use as curse words?
 * How many languages are there? Which ones are related (e.g., the Romance languages) and why? Which languages borrow words or phrases from other languages? Which is likely to be most widely spoken?
 * Are there different languages for different races (dwarves, elves, etc.), or is language based more on geography than race/species? Is there a special language you need to learn in order to talk to dragons or other magical beasts?
 * Do wizards have a special language that is used for magic? If so, where do they learn it? Is it safe to chat in this language, or is everything said in it automatically a spell? If so, how can it safely be taught to new students?
 * What will people swear a binding oath by? What do people use as curse words?
 * What is the most desired/most valuable stuff in this society — gold, jewels, drugs, money, furs, reindeer, etc.? Why is it desired/valued? Do different races value different things? Is there a race/culture for whom non-material things (information, time) are the most valuable things? How did they get that way?
 * What things are considered normal and acceptable in this society that would not be considered normal or acceptable in yours? (Examples: dueling, drugs, open homosexuality, polygamy, infanticide.)
 * What things are considered shocking in this society that are not considered shocking in yours — e.g., showing a woman’s ankles, eating left-handed, reading in public? What would be the reaction of an ordinary person who sees someone doing one of these things — to turn away, call the cops, draw a sword and challenge the offender to a duel, etc.?
 * What are the acceptable limits to honor and/or honesty in this society? Are “white lies” acceptable socially, or is lying in any form considered beyond the pall? Is thievery an accepted, if disreputable, occupation, or is it a crime?
 * Is a binding oath unbreakable no matter what, or can you get out of it if the other party turns out to be evil scum or if you weren’t fully informed? What is considered the right thing to do if two oaths come into conflict — do you have to decide as best you can, hold to the most recent oath, hold to the oath to the most/least powerful person, commit suicide?
 * What are attitudes toward ownership? What constitutes “theft” and what can be stolen — gems, gold, someone’s good name or reputation? Are thieves independent criminals, members of an illegal guild, business people licensed by law, or what?
 * Who is considered a citizen, with the rights and privileges thereof? What are those rights and privileges (voting, protection from thieves, the right to a hearing in Rome) and what responsibilities go along with them (jury duty, providing funds or knights for the lord’s army?
 * Are there certain classes of people (wizards, foreigners, children, peasants, women) who have fewer legal rights or less recourse than full citizens? Why? Are they considered mentally or morally deficient, a danger to the state, or is there some other rationale?
 * Is there a group of people who do not have full rights in this culture? Why not? Are they considered mentally or morally deficient, a danger to the state, or is there some other rational?
 * What are the controversial subjects in this culture? What things can you start a friendly argument about in any bar? What things will automatically start an unfriendly argument?
 * What are the social taboos — what things are “not done,” like wearing a bathing suit to the office? What things are not talked about? What would happen if someone did? How do these taboos vary among the different races?
 * What are the biggest social faux pas — burping loudly at a formal banquet, drawing steel in the presence of a queen/noble, asking a dwarf whether it’s male or female? What subjects or actions cause embarrassment or discomfort?
 * What are the society’s mores regarding courtship, marriage and family? Is marriage primarily a civil or a religious institution?
 * Who are the persons or groups to which one automatically has a duty simply by being born — one’s family, one’s town/city, one’s country, one’s ruler/president, the gods? What is the hierarchy of duty among them — is it considered more noble to follow your mother’s teaching or to follow your emperor’s orders?
 * What are the standards of beauty for people? Paintings and sculpture? Clothes and furniture? How do they differ from the standards in your culture (example: a country which considers fatness a highly desirable beauty trait)? How do standard of beauty reflect the physical traits of the various races (examples: dwarves might consider excessive height unattractive; werewolves might be attracted by long teeth or a particular scent)?
 * Who are this culture’s historic heroes and villains (e.g., Washington and Lincoln in the U.S.; Henry V in England, etc.)? Why are they admired as heroes/villains and what does this say about the people who admire them?
 * What is the ideal life that people aspire to? Do people mostly want to retire to a little house in the country, buy the most “toys,” serve in the army/navy?
 * What kinds of people are the rebels and outcasts of this society? How does society deal with them? What actions or ideas will get you made an official outcast/exile? What happens to people who don’t fit the accepted social order — do they have their own sections of town, or are they invisible (“in the closet”), or do they get kicked out of the country altogether?
 * Who are the arbiters of ethics (as opposed to law)? How did they get to be arbiters? Who are the social arbiters? Ditto, ditto.
 * Which ethical/moral decisions are considered the province of religion, and which are not?

Religion and GODS

 * How do various religions, if any, view magic? Do any forbid it? Why or why not? Do any require priests/priestesses to be magicians? Do any forbid it?
 * Are there actual gods/godlike beings? If so, do they take an active role in a) the temples, churches, and religions that worship them, or b) the lives of everyday people? Why or why not? How many gods are there, and is there a hierarchy among them? Which ones are good or evil, or is this meaningless when speaking of gods?
 * How do various religions view non-believers? Foreigners? Non-humans? Which support the state/ruler/government, and which are interested mainly in ordinary people?
 * What customs surround a birth and the introduction of a new child to the family? Is the mother sequestered for some period? Is the child? Is there a formal presentation of the new child to parents, grandparents, overlord, priest, the gods? Is a feast and celebration declared, or does everyone keep a low profile to keep from attracting demons or bad luck?
 * What customs surround death and burial? Is there a special class of people (doctors, priests, funeral directors, untouchables) who deal with dead bodies? What things must be done and why (burn hair to free spirit, burn body to prevent necromancy, coins on eyes for ferryman, etc.)? Are the dead feared, revered, or ignored?
 * Is there a difference between miracles and magic? If so, how are they distinguished?
 * Is there tension, rivalry, or outright hostility between any of the actual gods? How does this affect church politics? People’s everyday lives?
 * Where does religion fit into this society? Is there a state church? Is freedom of religion the norm? Do people generally think of the temples/churches as parasites or as a useful part of society?
 * Which ethical/moral decisions are considered the province of religion, and which are not? Do the gods care how people behave? Why or why not?
 * If there are actual, demonstrable gods, what part does faith play in their worship? What are their various rites like, and why? What offerings are considered good, better, best? Are people supposed to pick one or more gods to worship and ignore the others, or does everybody officially worship everyone? How do people decide whom to worship? How do they decide which temple to be affiliated with?
 * How much of a part do various religions and philosophies play in public and private life? Are philosophers and theologians considered ivory-tower academics, or do they debate in the marketplace, like Socrates? How much influence do their theories have on the way people actually behave?
 * Are priests and philosophers full-time workers, or do they need day jobs? If they are full-time, who supports them — the congregation, a wealthy patron, the temple’s investment fund, the god they serve?
 * Why are the gods interested in people? Are they like the Greek pantheon (quarrelsome, larger-than-life humans), or are they transcendent and incomprehensible? Do the gods have limits to what they can do? To what they willdo? Can the gods make mistakes?
 * How do the various temples and philosophies explain the classic “problem of evil”? Do they think bad things are always a just punishment for some transgression, a character-building exercise, the result of an evil antagonist (Satan, Loki) or just something the gods can’t prevent?

General

 * Where is scientific and/or magical research done — universities, private labs, under the auspices of the ruler/government, etc.?
 * Does it require a license to be a wizard? If so, is it more like a driver’s license (something nearly everyone in our culture gets upon coming of age) or like a doctor’s license (something only a small percentage of the population will ever get)? Who certifies wizards: government, wizard’s guild/AMA, local priests?
 * What are the various ranks and titles and proper forms of address for the aristocracy/nobility? Is everybody “my lord” and “my lady,” or are there more distinctions (your grace, your highness, your majesty, your holiness)?
 * What occupations are respected? Looked down on? Why?
 * How many levels are there in this society: peasant, bourgeoisie, warrior, noble? How difficult is it to rise or fall from one social level to another? How firm are the divisions between social classes — is it disgraceful for a noble to engage in trade or for a warrior to help with the harvest?
 * How difficult is it to rise or fall from one social level to another? How much social mobility is there? How much do people think there is?
 * What are the standards of beauty for people? Paintings and sculpture? Clothes and furniture? How do they differ from the standards in your culture (example: a country which considers fatness a highly desirable beauty trait)? How do standard of beauty reflect the physical traits of the various races (examples: dwarves might consider excessive height unattractive; werewolves might be attracted by long teeth or a particular scent)?

Goverment

 * How has the presence of magic and magicians affected law and government? Are wizards barred from certain kinds of government jobs or offices? Do some government jobs require that their holder be a wizard?
 * What is the basic style of government: feudal, aristocratic, oligarchy, absolute ruler, democracy, what? What forms are used in neighboring countries, and why are they the same or different?
 * What services does the government or head of state provide: schools, wells, courts, an army to protect people from the Vikings? What services are provided locally or privately?
 * Who has the right to levy taxes? For what? On what or whom? Can taxes be paid in kind, or do certain things require money?
 * Who provides support services for the head of state? What are they called: King’s Counselors, Cabinet Ministers, Secretary of State, Good Ol’ Girls? Are they hereditary offices, civil servants, appointees, military, elected?
 * Is the relative power of a country or ruler usually measured by the size of its army, the number and ability of its wizards, or the amount of money/trade flowing through it?
 * Who is considered a citizen, with the rights and privileges thereof? What are those rights and privileges (voting, protection from thieves, the right to a hearing in Rome) and what responsibilities go along with them (jury duty, providing funds or knights for the lord’s army?
 * Are there certain classes of people (wizards, foreigners, children, peasants, women) who have fewer legal rights or less recourse than full citizens? Why? Are they considered mentally or morally deficient, a danger to the state, or is there some other rationale?
 * What are the easiest/most common ways to advance in status — amass more money, marry well, get the ruler’s eye, etc.? How much resistance is there to someone advancing in social status?
 * Who will take over running the government if the current head of state is incapacitated? How is this determined? Is there an heir apparent (either actual or political)? What happens if the heir is a minor? Who gives orders? How are they picked?
 * Who is responsible for protecting the head of state? His personal guard, the Secret Service, an elite group affiliated with the regular military? What safeguards have they got against assassins, poisoning, direct assault, magical attack?
 * Who can give orders (to military, to tax collectors, to servants, to ordinary folks on the street)? How are such people chosen?
 * Who is responsible for coinage: the ruler, local barons, someone else (merchant guilds)? Are there generally acceptable standards? How easy/common is counterfeiting?
 * Is there an organized system of education? If so, who provides it: government, churches, private persons? How is it supported?
 * Who can call up men for an army, and how? Does the ruler ask the nobility for men, who in turn draft their peasants, or can the ruler go straight to the bottom?
 * How much formal spying and intelligence gathering is normally done by governments? The military? Merchant guilds and wealthy tradesmen? Are there actual organizations, or is spying done by diplomats and/or freelance agents? How effective is it currently?
 * Do relations between countries depend mainly on the relations between the heads of state, or can two rulers hate each other’s guts without being able to just declare war and drag their countries into it?
 * Are there times when people are expected to fast, or feast (e.g., before solstice, after the birth of a child, during Lent or Ramadan, after the death of a ruler, etc.)? Are there occasions when the ruler is expected to provide a celebration or spectacle for the people to enjoy, (e.g., the Roman gladiatorial games)?

Politics

 * Is magic a profession, an art, or just a job? What is the status accorded to magicians in this society? Are they forbidden overt political action, or are wizards and the wizard’s guild knee-deep in court intrigue?
 * Are magicians a force in politics, or are they above it? Are there national politics that revolve around magic/wizards (i.e., trying to outlaw, protect, or promote certain kinds of magic, trying to draft wizards into a ruler’s army, licensing of magicians, etc.)? Do wizards have a lobby? Do they need one?


 * Is there tension, rivalry, or outright hostility between any of the actual gods? How does this affect church politics? People’s everyday lives?
 * Does the level of technological advancement match the level of social and political advancement?
 * Is the relative power of a country or ruler usually measured by the size of its army, the number and ability of its wizards, or the amount of money/trade flowing through it?
 * What are the easiest/most common ways to advance in status — amass more money, marry well, get the ruler’s eye, etc.? How much resistance is there to someone advancing in social status?
 * What are the major political factions at present? How long have they been around? Which factions are allies, which enemies? Are there any potential new forces on the political scene (e.g., a rising middle class, a university gaining unexpected power because of certain magical discoveries, etc.)
 * What are the controversial political issues of this day/time/country? What positions on these issues are considered conservative? Liberal? Unthinkable?
 * How much influence do “special interest groups” such as merchants, wizards, or various religions, have on court politics? How do they exercise their influence — indirectly (by talking nobility or council members into taking their sides) or directly (by bribery, coercion, having their own representatives on the council)?
 * Are there any shaky political alliances between disparate groups? Why were they formed? How long is it likely to be before they fall apart? When they do, what will the effects be?
 * What ancient rivalries and hatreds still affect current attitudes and political positions (examples: Scottish and Welsh separatist groups; Catholics vs. Protestants vs. Muslims; dwarves vs. elves; Hatfields vs. McCoys)?
 * What kinds of people are likely to face prejudice: dwarves, werewolves, merchants, women, undertakers? Is this institutionalized (i.e., a matter of law) or is it mostly a matter of public attitude? Is the ruler powerful enough to defy this prejudice and appoint a dwarf as Chief Councilor or Secretary of Defense and make it work?
 * Who will take over running the government if the current head of state is incapacitated? How is this determined? Is there an heir apparent (either actual or political)? What happens if the heir is a minor?
 * Are there people who have great influence on government/politics, but who do not hold any official position? Who are they? Why do they have influence? Is this considered a normal thing, or a bad thing?

Crime and the Legal System

 * How has the presence of magic and magicians affected law and government? Are wizards barred from certain kinds of government jobs or offices (judge, jury, police)? Do some government jobs require that their holder be a wizard?
 * What are considered normal and legal ways of gathering evidence and determining guilt? Is torture allowed? Are arbitrary judgments by the lord or landowner allowed, or is there an independent standard of justice?
 * What personal weapons are available to anyone who can afford them? Are some considered “for nobles only” either by custom or by law? Are there laws forbidding certain classes from being armed at all? Are there laws requiring certain classes to learn particular weapon skills, as England for some centuries required yeomen to be proficient with the longbow?
 * Is forensic magic possible? Commonly used? Used only for certain types of crimes (and if so, what)? Are the results of forensic spells admissible in court as evidence? Is it something any wizard can do, or do you have to specialize?
 * Are certain spells (as opposed to magic generally) illegal? Why — because of the effect of the spell, or because of the ingredients or procedures needed to cast it, or what? If so, how would a criminal magician be detected? Apprehended? Punished? Is catching and punishing illegal magicians the responsibility of the magician’s guild, or do the ordinary courts have to handle it?
 * Are there separate civil and criminal courts? Human and non-human courts? Is there a separate court or procedure for magical crimes? What is different about each type of court? Are judges or other court officials required/forbidden to know magic? Is evidence obtained by magic acceptable in court? Is evidence obtained by magic considered more reliable or less reliable than physical evidence or eyewitness accounts?
 * What things are considered truly serious crimes and why? (E.g., in a trade-oriented culture, counterfeiting might be a death-penalty crime, while in a place where life is cheap, murder might be something you pay a small fine for.)
 * What are the normal punishments for serious vs. minor crimes? Are there prisons, or are people punished and released? Are there degrees of punishment — branding vs. cutting off ears vs. cutting off a hand vs. decapitation — or do they just hang everybody?
 * Who is responsible for catching criminals? Who pays the crook-catchers — the ruler, the city government, a consortium of merchants, somebody else? How are they organized — into independent police precincts, or into overlapping districts, or just according to whoever wants to hire them? Are they full-time, part-time, or volunteers? Private or public? What sort of facilities do they have? What arms are the allowed to carry?
 * Are there lawyers or advocates? Who can afford them? Who trains/certifies them?
 * Are people guilty until proven innocent, innocent until proven guilty, or does it depend on the mood the lord is in when they bring the case before him?
 * Are there judges other than the ruler, lord, or landowner? If so, how are they chosen, how are they paid, and who pays them? Are appeals possible, and if so, to whom? How often are outlying areas likely to see a judge? Is “mob justice” common or uncommon? Approved of or disapproved of?
 * Are there sumptuary laws regulating what different classes/races may wear? Do judges and lawyers wear special clothes (robes, wigs) to indicate their calling?
 * Are wizards above or below the law — i.e., do they have full rights as citizens, no rights, or can they do as they like without regard to anyone else’s rights?
 * Are highwaymen, muggers, and pirates common or rare? What sorts of crimes is the average citizen likely to run across during his/her lifetime?
 * Who can make or repeal laws — a group (an elected Senate, an appointed Council, or an hereditary House of Lords), or only the ruler or head of state? How much can the nobility, middle class tradesmen, etc. influence the laws that are made?
 * How are alleged criminals treated before and after their convictions? Do the police/military/city guard make a practice of roughing up suspects, or is this frowned upon?

Foreign Relationship

 * Does this country have formal relationships with other countries? If so, who can be an ambassador? Are there standing embassies and consulates, or are special envoys sent only when something comes up?
 * How are treaties arranged? Are there any significant ones currently in force or coming up for signing?
 * How much do official attitudes toward other countries affect commerce and trade? Do merchants pretty much ignore tensions between government as long as they can make a profit, or will this get them into trouble? Are there Customs inspectors or their equivalents at border crossings? Is the export/import of some technologies/magics/commodities regulated by the government, or by non-governmental cartels? How does this affect political relationships between countries?
 * How much formal spying and intelligence gathering is normally done by governments? The military? Merchant guilds and wealthy tradesmen? Are there actual organizations, or is spying done by diplomats and/or freelance agents? How effective is it currently?
 * Which countries/races are traditional allies? Which are traditional rivals? How do these traditions affect present-day relations between countries and races?
 * Which heads of state are related by blood or marriage, and how important is this in determining foreign policy?

Waging War

 * Which peoples/countries/races have been in conflict in the recent past? Why? When and why was the most recent war? Who won? Who is still mad about that?
 * What major weapons of war are available (e.g., siege towers, catapults, cannon, A-bombs)?
 * How much has the presence of magic affected strategy and tactics in general? Do army commanders have unusual formations or techniques to deal with various magical attacks? How can magic be used as part of a battle plan, given various levels of technology (example: getting a weather magician to make it rain so that enemy cannons will be harder to maneuver in the mud)?
 * Is magic used primarily for intelligence gathering (spells of invisibility, scrying, etc.), or are there spells that are of use on the battlefield (summoning a demon to attack the enemy, casting fire storms at them, etc.)? If battlefield magic is possible, how can it be defended against?
 * How are armies usually structured? Is there a formal, independent command structure, or is everybody officially under the command of whoever brought them to join the ruler’s army, or what? If there is a formal structure, what are the various ranks and titles used?
 * Is weapon usage restricted according to social class, such as only knights being allowed to use sword and armor, yeomen using bows and staffs, peasants using whatever scythes, hammers, etc. are available? Are there restrictions, either legal, customary, or biological, on the types of weapons different races or magical beings can use (e.g., elves not being able to wield weapons made of cold iron)?
 * Are battlefield commissions or knighthoods possible during wartime, or must such promotions wait on formal ceremonies? Do normal social restrictions apply during times of war, or is everyone equal on the battlefield?
 * Who can call up men for an army, and how? Does the ruler ask the nobility for men, who in turn draft their peasants, or can the ruler go straight to the bottom?
 * Are there professional soldiers/mercenaries? Is a career in the army possible, or would you have to become a mercenary or sell-sword in order to make a living as a soldier? Does the army accept volunteers, or only draftees? Can you rise to officer level by displaying courage and merit on the battlefield, or are officer positions reserved for a particular type of person only — people who bought commissions, people who graduated from military school, sons of famous warriors, etc.?
 * How large is a typical army? What percentage of the soldiers in it will be trained (knights, professional soldiers, guards, mercenaries) and what percentage will be untrained recruits? Are recruits given training, or are they expected to learn on the job (i.e., in battle)?
 * How is the army supplied? Are soldiers allowed to live off the peasantry, or do they pay for what they take? What happens if the supply caravan gets lost or captured? How are supplies handled during long campaigns? How many days’ worth of supplies can the army haul along with them? (Ref. Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army for the math on how much a horse can carry, how much it needs to eat, etc.)
 * What are the accepted conventions of making war (e.g., only fight in winter when nobody is busy with crops; don’t make war on civilians; only certain kinds of weapons are available, etc.)? Do they differ from race to race?
 * How does the presence of non-humans (dwarves, vampires, etc.) affect strategy, tactics, and battles generally? Are special weapons required if an army is facing certain kinds of non-human armies? How could non-human soldiers turn their physical differences from humans to their advantage?
 * Are particular non-human races traditionally better with certain weapons (e.g., dwarves with axes, elves with bows)? Why — because they have greater strength, better eyesight, more manual dexterity, etc.?
 * Do relations between countries depend mainly on the relations between the heads of state, or can two rulers hate each other’s guts without being able to just declare war and drag their countries into it?
 * If there’s a long-term war in progress, how has the home front been affected? Are people being drafted much younger/older than they used to be? Have people been forced to step into nontraditional roles — peasants managing a business, women shoeing horses, children making bullets, etc.? How have these changes affected society? How will they affect relationships between races/clans/sexes/social classes when the war is over?
 * Is the army integrated (i.e., men, women, elves, dwarves, purple people, and green ones, all serving together)? How does this affect battle formations? Strategies? Are certain races or groups isolated in particular units? If so, are those units considered elite troops or the most expendable soldiers on the battlefield? How do these attitudes affect strategy?
 * Has science or magic been advanced in general by specific developments in the fields of weaponry, tactics, or strategy?
 * Are there natural or imposed limitations prohibiting the development or use of certain types of weapons (e.g., only muscle-powered weapons because the “laws of physics” in this world don’t allow the combustion of gunpowder)?
 * To what degree has technology changed the face of war? Are there internal combustion engines useable for large troop movements, or steam powered ships?''

Weapons

 * How do the weapons of this country compare with those of surrounding cities and countries? Have there been recent innovations that may upset the balance of power, or is everyone more or less equal?
 * Are magical weapons available? Can magic be used in warfare? In what ways? Are spells fast enough to be useful in hand-to-hand combat, or is magic more of a siege weapon, used only for long, slow things?
 * How has the presence of magic affected weapons technology? Can magic make weapons more effective? Do you have to do anything special to walls, armor, or weapons to make them better able to resist enemy spells?
 * How much has the presence of magic affected strategy and tactics in general? Is magic used primarily for intelligence gathering (spells of invisibility, scrying, etc.), or are there spells that are of use on the battlefield (summoning a demon to attack the enemy, casting fire storms at them, etc.)? If battlefield magic is possible, how can it be defended against?
 * How has the presence of magic affected weapons technology? Can an ordinary, non-weapon-type object be enchanted to make it extremely lethal (the Frying Pan of Death) or will this work properly only on things that are already weapons? Can ordinary objects be enchanted to make them (or their user) supremely good at something (the Frying Pan of Ultimate Gourmet Cooking, the Comb of No Bad Hair Days Ever)? How common and useful are such enchantments?
 * What personal weapons are available to anyone who can afford them? Are some considered “for nobles only” either by custom or by law? Are there laws forbidding certain classes from being armed at all?
 * What is the level of weapons technology? Are there guns, and if so, how sophisticated (flintlock, matchlock, rifle, Uzi)?
 * What major weapons of war are available (e.g., siege towers, catapults, cannon, A-bombs)?
 * What weapons and armor are standard for armies? Mercenaries? Nobility? Your average peasant trying to defend his/her home?
 * Are weapons, such as swords or pistols, a standard part of dress for any/all segments of society?
 * What are the accepted conventions of making war (e.g., only fight in winter when nobody is busy with crops; don’t make war on civilians; only certain kinds of weapons are available, etc.)?

General

 * How do ordinary people feel about foreigners? Non-humans? How ready are they to accept different ideas? How cosmopolitan are they?
 * How much social mobility is there? Is it easy or hard for a person born a peasant to advance to the middle class, or a middle class person to the upper class or nobility? How much resistance would there be? Would such a person ever be accepted socially?
 * What items or foods or materials are luxuries — chocolate, coffee, silk, spices, flush toilets? Why?
 * What do people generally look like? Would a blonde (redhead, brunette) stand out in a crowd? Someone 5′ 10″ tall? Do non-humans stand out in a crowd, or are there enough of them around that they’re considered ordinary?
 * What are accepted norms of personal hygiene? Do most people bathe regularly, or is bathing considered a health hazard?
 * How is garbage and other waste material disposed of?
 * What is furniture like — big and blocky, delicate, simple, elaborately carved, painted? What is it mostly made of — cloth, wood, stone? Are certain things (like chairs with arms) reserved for high-status individuals?
 * In what ways does furniture design reflect the customs and lifestyle of the people (example: beds with bed-curtains for privacy in medieval homes where servants wandered through rooms without warning; futons that can be rolled up and put away instead of beds in a country with little house-space)?
 * What are the plumbing and sanitary systems like? Who builds and maintains them? How reliable are they, and who do you call when the drains back up? How do they differ from city to farm?
 * How do people cope with various disasters — fire, floods, tornadoes or hurricanes, blizzards, plague, etc.? How common are such disasters?
 * How early do people get up in the morning in the city? Country? Are clocks common, or do people tell time by the sun or by listening for church bells?