What good is a wiki to the blacksmith or the paladin? It’s useful to you, the GM, but you still need to translate it into the world. There’s a lot of information and guidance out there around worldbuilding (on this blog alone). But most of it is outside looking in. You are the creator, pen in hand, worlds at your fingertips. Write (or type) and they come to life. Locations, NPCs, and deep lore. So how do we build a world from within? I call it artifactory worldbuilding.
The method is as simple as keeping your artifacts within the world itself. Rather than having a note that describes a fantastic location for the game master, write a brief description from the viewpoint of a wizard who lives outside the walls. It could be an entry in a book, a letter he sent to someone, or a page ripped from his journal. The key is that the game master is referencing in-world materials to manage the world.
Don’t just write down a secret and motivation for the local barkeep. Craft an old wanted poster for them.
Tamrin Bellglow. Short stature. Bald with black beard. Not dangerous, but dangerous friends. Will run.
Still keen on having a secret? Maybe their neighbor wrote something in their journal:
Tamrin shows up on the third day of each week. Only under the cover of dark. He leaves behind a bag. Strange fellow.
This method forces you to think within the world. Each artifact creates more questions and opportunities to build outward—a factory of worldbuilding prompts. Why was Tamrin wanted? Who is his neighbor, and why is he watching? You can ignore these, or build to your heart’s content.
Roll a d20 to start crafting in-world artifacts to hold your lore:
| d20 | Book |
|---|---|
| 1 | Journal Entry |
| 2 | Timeline |
| 3 | War Story |
| 4 | Song |
| 5 | Ancestry |
| 6 | Biography |
| 7 | Official Commission |
| 8 | Historical Reexamination |
| 9 | Ritual |
| 10 | Ritual (dark) |
| 11 | Prayer |
| 12 | Letters |
| 13 | Myth |
| 14 | Fable |
| 15 | Ledger |
| 16 | Poetry |
| 17 | Recipes |
| 18 | Tragedies |
| 19 | Record of Experiments |
| 20 | Spellbook |
This list barely scratches the surface. If you can place it in the world, you’re doing it right.
Build on.