worldbuilders
Fantasy setting designers
Worldbuilders are people who create fictional worlds, typically for novels, games, films, or role-playing settings.
The term emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the work—inventing geography, history, cultures, languages, and internal logic.
Tolkien remains the gold standard for worldbuilders.
The practice itself is worldbuilding.
Creators of written works
- novelistsWriters of long-form fiction
- storytellersPeople who narrate tales
- screenwritersAuthors of film scripts
- visionariesThose who anticipate change
innovators · directors · playwrights · illustrators · animators · producers · designers · architects
Full rosters of gods
- deitiesWorshipped supernatural beings
- cosmogonyStudy of universal origins
- underworldsRealms below, literal or criminal
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
legends · demigods · oracles · prophecies · afterlife · tricksters · heroes · monsters
Supernatural or illusory power
- dragonsMythical fire-breathing reptiles
- elvesMythical small beings
- dwarvesMythical small beings
- wizardsPractitioners of sorcery
sorcery · enchantment · quests · kingdoms · goblins · orcs · necromancers · grimoires
Organized groups of people
- culturesCollective human practices
- governmentsRuling political authorities
- economiesSystems of production and trade
- politicsGovernmental power struggles
empires · kingdoms · republics · factions · diplomacy · warfare · customs · religions
Major ecological community types
- floraPlants of a region
- faunaAnimal life collectively
- climatesPrevailing weather conditions
- ecosystemsInterdependent organism-environment systems
habitats · geography · terrains · continents · oceans · mountains · deserts · forests
Major populated areas
- architectureBuilding design discipline
- settlementsEstablished communities or agreements
- roadsPaved paths for vehicles
- fortificationsDefensive barriers against attack
castles · temples · markets · harbors · bridges · aqueducts · walls · towers
authors
Creators of written works
- novelistsWriters of long-form fiction
- storytellersPeople who narrate tales
- screenwritersAuthors of film scripts
visionaries · innovators · directors · playwrights · illustrators · animators · producers · designers · architects · cartographers
pantheons
Full rosters of gods
- deitiesWorshipped supernatural beings
- cosmogonyStudy of universal origins
- underworldsRealms below, literal or criminal
folklore · legends · demigods · oracles · prophecies · afterlife · tricksters · heroes · monsters · cosmology
magic
Supernatural or illusory power
wizards · sorcery · enchantment · quests · kingdoms · goblins · orcs · necromancers · grimoires · spellcasting
societies
Organized groups of people
- culturesCollective human practices
- governmentsRuling political authorities
- economiesSystems of production and trade
politics · empires · kingdoms · republics · factions · diplomacy · warfare · customs · religions · laws
biomes
Major ecological community types
ecosystems · habitats · geography · terrains · continents · oceans · mountains · deserts · forests · rivers
cities
Major populated areas
- architectureBuilding design discipline
- settlementsEstablished communities or agreements
- roadsPaved paths for vehicles
fortifications · castles · temples · markets · harbors · bridges · aqueducts · walls · towers · dungeons
worldbuildersadapters
Devices bridging incompatible formats
copyists · minimalists · chroniclers · imitators · documentarians
worldbuildersdemolishers
Those who destroy structures
destroyers · annihilators · deconstructionists · nihilists · ruiners