Field Manual
Anthropological
Worldbuilding
An anthropological method for investigating possible civilizations.
Build fictional civilizations, interview them through anthropological questions, and use the dashboard to keep your world coherent as it grows.
Recent work
The Methodology
Worlds are not mere backdrops; they are systems of friction, belief, and survival. This tool provides a disciplined framework to examine an imagined society from the macro forces of power and infrastructure down to the micro realities of daily rituals and everyday artifacts.
By passing your world through 12 core lenses (plus optional context-specific lenses like Collapse) and 11 conceptual phases, you avoid the trap of static lore. Instead, you build a society that answers back when provoked.
The Iterative Cycle
- 1. Imagine a premise or seed.
- 2. Build foundational structures.
- 3. Interview the world using lens cards.
- 4. Discover the gaps and contradictions.
- 5. Revise based on what you reveal.
- 6. Perturb to stress-test your assumptions.
Entry Points
Classroom & Course Mode
Start with Collapse
When running a course or structured workshop, consider opening with the Collapse lens before moving to Premise. Defining what ended — what became impossible — gives students a concrete rupture to build from, rather than starting in the abstract.
Origin asks how something began. Collapse asks what ended, failed, broke, disappeared, or became impossible. Together they bookend a civilization's story.