Which type of worldbuilder are you?
Which type of worldbuilder are you?
What drives your world? Where do you start?
Are you:
- The Architect, who begins with the setting—crafting landscapes, lore, and systems until the story grows naturally from the world itself (J.R.R. Tolkien)?
- The Storycrafter, who starts with a strong plot—shaping the world and characters to serve a compelling narrative arc (J.K. Rowling)?
- The Psychologist, who builds from the inside out—creating vivid, complex characters whose choices shape the world and drive the story (George R.R. Martin)?
- The Philosopher, who begins with a theme—exploring big ideas and moral questions through a world built to embody and test them (C.S. Lewis)?
- The Engineer, who uses mechanical systems as a world scaffold - building characters, stories, and lore to support and explore those systems (Brandon Sanderson)?
Which one best describes your process? Or do you switch between them depending on the project?
EDIT: Added The Engineer thanks to CaptSatelliteJack
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I would like to submit a fifth category that's a little more specific to game worlds like homebrew dnd settings, The Engineer. This archetype uses mechanical systems as a scaffold of the world, then builds characters, stories, and lore to support or be supported by those systems.
My personal example was an idea for a worlds that had harnessed elementals and primordial elemental magic to spark an industrial revolution, and bridge massive distances with transit systems never seen before. I figured out how the magic and transportation worked first, then built the rest of the world around it. Idk, maybe that's just me.
🤯 I thought I was the Architect until I read your comment. Turns out it's not the setting that drives my worldbuilding. It's the mechanics - I start with something like the "physics" that govern magic and how that may interact with the astrophysics of planet formation, plate tectonics, etc. I think I may actually be the Engineer. I start with a mechanical system and shape the world around it. I think this has first-class relevance outside of the TTRPG sphere as well. Thanks for the mind-blowing insight!
(I hope you don't mind my equating Brandon Sanderson with this type. I feel like it's a good fit)