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If this planet is not Earth, how does it differ physically from Earth? -- is it of
comparable size and composition or quite different?
- Yes, almost identical, albeit the climate is much milder with less
deserts and a bit more dense forests.
Are there any satellites, rings, unsuspected alien satellites or the like?
- None
- The climate here in this planet is much milder than Earth on the
average, however, since there are 4 months per season instead of
Earth’s 3, the winters and spring rains can leave many areas frozen or
flooded across the world.
What kinds of natural disasters has this society gotten used to?
If there is more than one moon or sun, how does this affect winds, tides, and
weather generally?
- One sun but 2 moons, there’s no direct effect as the 2 moons balance
each other out. The night sky is a bit brighter with the stars and moons.
Are the axial tilt and orbit comparable to those of Earth -- i.e., does the world
have similar seasons and length of year as Earth?
- Not known
IIJ. Questions on Ecology: Natural Resources, Flora,
Fauna & Sophonts – ANGREN
Natural Resources
- Angreni Rice, Angren is one of the few locations in the known world
where rice grows easily and in abundance. This has made Angren
wealthy due to the huge demand from Terrans spread across various
territories who miss one of Old Earth’s most staple crops.
- Angren lacks tin which it needs to make its high value bronzeware and
weapons, it has to trade for tin from Morgawr, Battania, and overseas.
- None have been depleted, Angren copper and iron mines have only
been surface mined so far as the deposits are vast, but tunnel networks
are already being built and reinforced.
- Angren is fully self sufficient and trades its excess rice for other types
of grains and preserved foodstuffs.
- Within Angren it is generally peaceful, but there are quarrels and minor
skirmishes between and among local lords for better farmland and
access to stone quarry sites and ore deposits. These private wars are
subtly encouraged as this keeps the rest of the Duchy well trained and
alert.
What water resources available, and for what uses are they put?
- The Yaruga and Guda river are the main trade rivers that also flood in
certain areas of Angren, inundating them with silt and soil nutrients that
allow the riverside rice paddies to recover along with crop rotations.
Smaller rivers are also used to power mills which divert some water
into irrigation networks belonging to the Daimyo and his noble estates.
For how long a period of time have people been domesticating and
propagating plantlife?
Are people actively seeking to breed plants for specific traits or purposes?
How hardy or fragile are the domesticated plants considering their yield in
food or other useful materials?
What are the most common wild plants here and what are they used for?
Do any of the plantlife pose serious threats to people, animals or other plants?
Which animals, birds, fish, and other wildlife are commonly found in which
areas?
What are the most common domesticated animals here and what are they
domesticated for?
Which animals are likely to be pets & which ones won't be?
Can they live nearly anywhere, or do they prefer or need specific kinds of
climate or terrain?
Are there intelligent animals, perhaps nearing the threshold of awareness and
personhood?
Are there different races of sophonts on this planet or only one and has this
always been the case?
How are living beings that are persons differentiated from living beings that
are not persons?
Can one's status change: .i. from non-person to person or vice versa?
Did they evolve here, or were they created here or did they arrive in some
manner from elsewhere?
If there are several sophont races, how numerous are they and in what
proportions are they to each other?
How openly present are they? -- do some hide themselves away from others,
or do they not care whether their existence is known by others?
How do people feel about local landscapes being altered or used for a
purpose other than what is traditional or natural?
How has its development been affected by the presence of magic, different
sophont races, and the direct or indirect action of the gods or other great
powers?
Who are the neighboring countries & peoples and what are they like?
Why did people settle in this country in the first place -- strategic location,
trade route, water transport, minerals, good farmland?
How much has their situation changed since their first immigration, or has
life changed little for them?
Is population shifting from rural to urban or mountains to coast?
What effects has this had on the places being left behind and also by the
places gaining people?
V. Questions on Time
What are the names of the various units of time and how are they named?
What are the names of days, fortnights, months, years, decades, centuries and
how many days or other subdivisions are in each?
Are there leap years, and if so, who keeps track of them?
What do people celebrate and what holidays are there that are only celebrated
in particular countries, cities, or regions?
Do they use a singular event such as the creation of the world, the beginning
of a great dynasty or recurring events such as the terms in office of a ruler or
consul or the numbered year of a dynasty or republic?
Are there mechanical clocks, pocket watches, sundials, sand or water clocks
or thaumological timepieces?
Do people simply listen for bells from the palace or church, or just eyeball
the location of the sun?
How did these originate and how are these times customarily observed?
How far back does this society's written and oral history go?
Do average people believe the old tales, or do they dismiss even some that
have a basis in fact?
How was this society founded; who founded it and under what
circumstances?
What were the chief powers in the time when this society was founded?
If it originated far away from its present location, how did it get here?
What was the best thing that ever happened to them; what was their greatest
moment?
What in their past makes them feel ashamed and do they speak of it or hide
it?
What are they hoping will happen in the future and do they think it likely to
happen?
Do people believe the future will be better or worse than the present or past?
Races of People
What do they look like and what are their most distinguishing features and
characteristics?
What is their range of appearance: e.g., colour of hair or eyes or skin, height,
build, and the like?
Are there any physical, psychic or magical powers particular to this race?
Ethnicities
What are the chief ethnic groups of each race in the region?
Are any groups of people denied work because of racial or ethnic heritage?
What are typical attitudes of the native (or majority) ethnos to immigrants or
travellers of other ethnicities?
How has the variety of ethnicities in the region altered social structure and
culture of the country?
Constitution
Languages
How many languages are there and which ones are related?
Do speakers of a given language tend to borrow words rapaciously or is there
some means by which foreign words are expunged from the language?
What are the variations in speech patterns, syntax, and slang from one social
class, one trade, one region and one race to another?
Describe some local slang, colorful turns of phrase & curse words that people
use.
What things in this culture would their language have many specific words
for?
What do the people in this culture consider important enough to name and
what does this say about the way they look at the world?
What things would people of this culture not have specific names for, or else
have one word that covers numerous variations?
What do they consider too unimportant to name and 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?
Who usually takes custody of children if a marriage ends for some reason?
Which member of the household cares for the children in what ways?
What is the division of labor among gender and generational lines within the
household?
What are the various ranks and titles and their proper forms of address?
Which occupations are respected and which are looked down upon?
How much social mobility is there in fact compared to how much people
believe there is?
In what ways do weather & climate contribute to the habits or customs of this
culture?
What colors are associated with power, with virtue and with death?
How are matters of inheritance resolved when wealth, property, land, titles
and position or office are involved?
In what ways has this society changed and do people make any importance of
this change?
Do average people believe old tales, or do they dismiss some that have a
basis in fact?
Are they the primary means of passing on everything a young person needs to
learn, or is folklore being pushed aside & replaced by "proper" science and
history?
What's in a name?
Are names for things mere matters of identification or are there deeper
meanings?
Do rivers, railways, power lines, canals, mountain chains, roads & highways
that pass through different jurisdictions & even different countries keep one
name, or do names change from place to place?
Are animals given individual names? What sorts of animals might be given a
name and which are not?
Do names convey any kind of power over a thing or are they mere labels?
How does this society define incest & rape; and how do people react to these
events?
What sexual acts or behaviours are considered unnatural, and how do people
react to them?
Is prostitution legal?
How are prostitutes viewed by people and are their views accurate?
What does this society mean by the word "virgin" and how important is it?
Are there any cultural or religious strictures, norms or tabus that specifically
address sexual conduct?
What does the ordinary diet consist of in this region and how does it differ by
social class or occupation?
What dishes are considered holiday food and which foods & drinks are
associated with particular holidays or times of the year?
What foods are staples, commonly eaten every day and does popularity of
choice vary?
What kinds of utensils, cutlery, & cookware, if any, do people use for
cooking and eating?
Describe the eating arrangements: how is the table or other eating space
arranged?
Are there restaurants, popinas, street vendors or other places where food may
be bought in public?
How much does a typical meal cost, if bought and not grown at home?
Are there religious or social norms governing what may and may not be
eaten?
Which meals are substantial and which are smaller; which are more formal or
more relaxed?
What dishes, seasonings, and drinks are considered typical of this area?
What herbs and spices are readily available, and what must be imported?
How is food preserved for later use and how reliable are the methods used?
Do men & women, parents & children, servants & masters eat separately, or
does everyone eat together and how is status displayed at the table?
What distinguishes a formal, high-court dinner from an ordinary meal,
besides quantity and variety of food?
How do the eating customs of different races reflect their cultures and
biology?
How difficult does this make social interaction among the races?
Describe the types of food or seasoning that are characteristic of the cuisines
of different races & cultures.
Body Adornment
What colors and combinations of colors are thought to look well or to clash?
Are such weapons crafted solely with "utility" in mind or are they so
decorative as to be nearly useless?
If such adornments are not used in this culture, how do people react to
outsiders wearing tattoos or piercings, facial hair or cosmetics?
Clothing
What articles of clothing do people habitually wear and how does this vary
by season, ethnicity, age, profession, and the like?
Describe how the genders dress: what differences & similarities are there
between men's and women's clothing and accessories?
Are there dyes for certain colors, such as purple or indigo that are very rare,
making cloth of that color more expensive and/or reserved for nobility or
other high-status people?
Are there sumptuary laws, defining who can wear what kinds of clothing?
Fashion
How marked are the differences in fashion between city and country and
from one country to another?
What articles are considered tacky and vulgar, and which are stylish?
How pervasive is the culture of vanity and how are people who simply can
not fit into a fashionable category affected? -- do they suffer along, or try to
make up for their perceived deficiencies or do they simply create their own
categories of fashion and vanity?
How do the fashions of the various races reflect their physiology & culture?
How much exchange of these ideas goes on between various races and
cultures of the region?
When meeting someone, what gestures or words are used for greeting?
Is there a difference between the greeting offered to an equal and that offered
to a superior or an inferior?
How are two people who have never met normally introduced to one
another?
What is the order of precedence when there are several people of differing
sex or social status or race present, all of whom need to be introduced to each
other?
Are there classes of people who are never introduced to other classes of
people?
Are true names significant, and if so, under what circumstances would
someone be given another person's true name?
Are there customs involving the way in which someone is named when being
introduced, such as using full titles at the first meeting, but never repeating
them afterward?
Is there any difference in the way you greet someone you already know,
compared to greeting a stranger?
What is a comfortable and polite speaking distance for people in this culture
and how does this compare with others?
How aware are people of these differences and are they well or poorly
respected?
How do gestures and body language differ between races & cultures?
Are there signs that don't matter in one region but that are grave insults in
another?
What are the ways of showing respect and to whom is one expected to show
such respect?
Are there topics that can only be raised by the host or the guest?
How seriously does the culture take the responsibilities of host and guest?
Are there things it is considered rude to accept or rude to turn down; rude to
ask for or not to ask for?
How do different eating customs of the various cultures and races interact
and conflict?
Manners
What are the rules of precedence? -- who gets to go through doors first and
who gets introduced first?
How do different peoples react when someone has just been, by their
standards, unspeakably rude?
What are the primary social tabus? -- what things are simply not done and
what things are not talked about?
Values
What kinds of people are the rebels and outcasts of this society?
Do wild and rebellious young people dress any differently from anyone else
and are they tolerated within society or are they in some way living marginal
but socially sanctioned lives outside the normal bounds of good society?
What ideas or words or actions will result in making one a social outcast or
exile?
What happens to people who don't fit the accepted social order? -- do they
live and work in their own sections of town, or are they invisible, or are they
expelled altogether?
What is the most desired or most valuable object in this society, be it gold,
jewels, drugs, money, furs, reindeer, knowledge or virtue?
What attitudes, speech or actions are considered shocking in this society that
may not be so considered from an outsider's perspective?
What would be the reaction of an ordinary person who sees someone doing
one of these things?
What are the acceptable limits to honor and honesty in this society?
What is considered the right thing to do if two oaths come into conflict?
What constitutes "theft" and what can be stolen? -- gems, gold, someone's
good name or reputation?
Can a slave steal himself and what would the consequences be?
How do the systems of morality of different races and cultures interact and
how are conflicts between them resolved?
Are moral systems enshrined in secular law, religious law or ancient custom?
Ethics
Who are the persons or groups of people to whom one automatically owes a
duty simply by being born to a particular estate?
What is the hierarchy of duty among them and what do the various duties
consist of?
Which ethical or moral decisions are considered the province of religion, and
which are not?
What are some of their core doctrines, dogmas, beliefs and practices?
Is there a formal creed or set of credal statements that define the faith?
What are typical symbols used in the religion and their meanings?
What ritual objects are used in the religion (relics, talismans, medals, charms,
etc)?
Are there monks, saints, faqirs, nuns, prophets, apostles, disciples, preachers,
friars, shamans, martyrs, mystics, seers, vates, sages, ascetics, religious
heroes, saviours, redeemers, etc?
Are issues such as orthodoxy, heterodoxy, heresy and apostasy keys in the
religious life?
What gender, ethnic, national or racial issues exist within the religion?
Does the religion send out missionaries and what roles do they play?
Are any divine beings present or distant; and do they take an active role in
temple activities and the lives of everyday people?
Do they exist within a hierarchy and do they form various classes or groups?
Does this spill over into tensions between various temple organisations or
secular polities?
How much influence do their theories have on the way people actually
behave?
Can gods make mistakes? -- where can a person go to seek redress against a
god?
How do the various temples and philosophies explain the 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 or
simply something the gods can't overturn?
Rites
Is there a distinct musical or literary style; and what are they like?
What kinds of trouble are artists in particular likely to find themselves in?
What shapes are most common in this society's arts, like embroidery or
architecture?
Which art forms get the most and least respect or receive the most attention?
What are the standards of beauty for people; paintings and sculpture; clothing
and furniture?
How do standards of beauty reflect the physical traits of the various races?
What things are considered appropriate subjects for representational arts and
which are not?
Are certain races or cultures considered better at some arts than others?
Where do the best dancers, painters, musicians, actors, and so forth come
from?
Does the culture have outlets for dramatic arts (theater, puppetry,
kinematography)?
What are some of the more well known story lines from literature?
How embedded have scenes or lines from literary works become in ordinary
language; what are the equivalents of "a rose by any other name" or "it was a
dark and stormy night"?
Does this culture have a typical dance form; and what is it like?
Who is able to see such entertainments and what restrictions might there be
against some people?
Do houses or public buildings have plumbing? -- and does it involve cold and
warm water plus sewer?
Are there hospitals or sanataria where many forms of health care are
concentrated; or are practitioners more diffuse within the community?
Do people have access to any form of medical aid for emergencies or for less
urgent problems?
What kinds of ailments or injuries are treatable in the locality using available
supplies and expertise?
Does a magical healer have to consciously direct the healing process, or does
magical healing simply speed up the normal, unconscious healing process in
the patient?
Are there both magical and non-magical healers, and if so, are they rivals or
simply different specialties?
What level of medical care can be found in this region and how reliable is it?
Do healers have ways of telling two diseases with similar symptoms apart?
Are birth control or abortion or infanticide tabu or practiced freely; and under
what circumstances?
What is the mortality rate for pregnant women, new mothers, infants and
children?
Are there diseases that affect everybody, but with different degrees of
severity, regardless of race?
What subdivisions exist that describe the various times of a person's lifespan?
What customs surround a birth and the introduction of a new child to the
family?
Are children dressed differently from adults; and if so, when do they change
to adult dress?
Are there different rites for men and women or other groups of people?
What are the society's mores regarding courtship, betrothal & marriage?
Are there lands set aside for burying grounds, are dead bodies cremated or
left to be eaten by scavenging birds?
Is the family responsible for the body or are there specialised craftsmen that
handle corpses?
Does each family have a crypt with all their relatives gathered together?
Suicide
Is it the greatest sin one can commit or is it seen as a civic duty under certain
circumstances?
Or is it even a sin at all -- is it the great and last comfort of a tormented soul?
Are such children ever rescued, and under what circumstances might this
happen?
If so, how is this reflected in cultural lore, the justice & penal systems?
Judicial Slaying
How educated is an average person living in this region, and what does this
education consist of?
What things are considered absolutely necessary for a noble or other well to
do class of people to know?
City Life
Does a city's layout reflect some particular philosophy, such as that the ruler
of the city must be at the center or at the highest point or at the most strategic
location within the city?
Are cities planned and laid out or do they grow in a more organic fashion?
Where are the interesting neighborhoods in town: the districts worth visiting
and those worth avoiding at all costs?
What are houses in the city like: their size, layout, manner of construction
and available ammenities?
Country Life
Are peasants, farmers, yeomen or serfs tied to their land by law or custom, or
can they move from place to place or even to a town if they desire?
Can they own their farms and property, or is all land held "in common" or is
it rented from a lord or landholder?
Given the state of roads and transportation, how much food is it possible to
ship to a given location before it spoils?
Are rural areas primarily farms, forests, grazing meadows, or waste land?
In outlying areas where there aren't many people, how many roads are there,
who builds them, and to what standards are they built and who maintains
them?
How reliable is the weather from year to year -- is crop production relatively
dependable, or do people have to cope with regular famines due to drought or
floods?
How are agricultural areas divided up between the different races of people?
What kinds of conflicts are likely to result when two or more groups'
territories & interests intersect?
What kinds of rights over land, crops, game, etc. does a landowner have?
Is poaching a problem?
What are houses in the country like: size, layout, manner of construction,
ammenities available?
What is furniture like in design, shape and decoration; and what is it usually
made of?
In what ways does furniture design reflect the customs and lifestyle of the
people?
What are the plumbing and sanitary systems like; and how reliable are they?
How do people cope with various domestic disasters like fire, floods,
tornadoes and the like?
Are clocks common, or do people tell time by the sun or by listening for
church or town-hall bells or some other public alarm?
Part IIIJ: Technology & Thaumology:
Craft and Magic in Partnership
What devices and technologies are available for ordinary people's use?
Is it freely available to all, or are certain segments kept hidden from the
uninitiated?
What important inventions or advances have been made; which ones are
about to be made?
Have any of these inventions reached the point of affecting the daily life of
the average person, or are they absurdly rare curiosities?
What inventions or advances have not been made that you would normally
expect to see at this stage of technological development?
How much is known about the laws of nature, be they physics, magic,
chemistry, etc.?
How much of what is commonly known and assumed to be correct turns out
in fact to be quite wrong?
In what areas might magic replace technology, and thus perhaps suppress its
development?
If a magician must feed his spells with his own willpower, life-force, or
sanity, what long-term effects will this have on the health and/or stability of
the magician?
What can magic not do: what are the limits to magical power?
What is needed in order to cast a spell; and are there different ways of
obtaining a similar end?
Do they make their own or buy them from craftsmen, inherit them from their
teachers, or order them from a supply shop?
Can two or more wizards combine their power to cast a stronger spell, or is
magic done only by individuals?
What general varieties of magic are practiced, e.g., herbal, ritual, alchemical,
demonology, necromancy?
Are certain kinds of magic practiced solely or chiefly by one sex or another?
Does a magician's magical ability or power change over time -- e.g., growing
stronger or weaker during puberty, or with increasing age?
Can a magician "use up" all of his magic, thus ceasing to be a magician and
what might he do after?
What happens when the person at the top dies; who takes over and how is this
determined?
Are there national policies that revolve around or involve magic in some
way?
Are wizards above or below the law -- or are they a law unto themselves?
Do they have full rights as citizens, no rights, or can they do as they like
without regard to anyone else's rights?
Are there statutes, constabularies and law courts that handle thaumic crimes?
How does magic and the people who practice it figure into the power or
international prestige of a country?
Are there certain kinds of magic or particular spells that are illegal to
practice?
If a wizard casts such a spell and is found out, how would such a criminal
magician be detected in the first place; how might he be apprehended, tried &
punished?
Thaumology
Are the two married into a single discipline, or is magic above or otherwise
insufficient to manipulate ordinary technology?
How commonly are such methods used, and for what purposes?
Of waging wars?
Can ordinary objects be enchanted to make them (or their users) supremely
good at something, like a Sauce Pan of Gourmet Cookery?
Are there especially constructed thaumological devices that serve (for better
or worse) the purpose of a device of ordinary technology?
To what degree does the presence of magic, enchanted objects, and wizards
in general replace technology?
Are there magic carpet factories and boutiques selling magic rings, or must
such devices be individually crafted?
What crops can not be grown in a particular region because of the soil,
climate, or for other reasons?
What are the most commonly raised livestock animals for meat or milk or
motive power?
What level has agrarian understanding achieved? -- slash & burn; passive
gardening; active farming; crop rotation; advanced fertilisers, hydroponics &
genetic manipulation?
IIXXX. Questions on Architecture
How does this vary over time and between places in the region?
What are typical floor plans like -- can people afford to waste space on
hallways, or do they just have a series of rooms opening into other rooms?
What materials have to be imported and from how far away are the locals
willing to obtain those materials?
What are some famous landmarks in the region and why are they famous?
How common are windows and what do people use to cover windows
necessary for ventilation and light?
Are bedrooms on the top floors for privacy or on the ground floor for
convenience?
Are wars and insurrections common enough that castles and cities are built
with an eye to military defense first and appearance later, or are palaces and
walless towns the rule?
Locomotion
What are the common domesticated animals used for locomotion &
transportation at various levels of society?
For traveling short distances within a city, what are the alternatives?
Can people hire a cab, a litter, a rickshaw, or do they have to walk or rely on
their own servants or horses?
Is there any kind of public transportation system and how well is a typical
city or town served?
Transport
How safe, clean & reliable are the various methods of transport?
Does the concept of travel "to see the world," i.e. as a tourist, even exist?
How dangerous is travel; and how large a group would be considered safe to
travel with?
How much traffic is there inside and outside the main cities?
What is the fastest means of traveling long distances over land, water, under
the ground or through the air?
Are there dedicated military or post roads or are all roadways open for public
use?
Are there enough travelers to support inns, or do people have to stay with a
conveniently located farm or monastery?
Are some classes of people such as slaves or serfs not expected to travel at
all?
Communications
Apart from face to face, how do people communicate with each other?
How likely is it that an article sent in the post will reach its intended
destination if within the province or same country?
Are there equivalents of the rumor mill or water cooler; or more official
means such as a town crier, newspapers, tele and radio?
How slanted is the news people receive by these means, and in what
direction?
Is there freedom of the press, or are the media owned or controlled by the
state?
Who controls and censors the news and by what means and what is their
agenda?
Is the written word transmitted via some kind of printing, or are all written
communications hand written?
Where are the great libraries or collections of books, scrolls, codices &
manuscripts?
How accessible are they to scholars, wizards, monks and the general public?
Part V: Economics
XXX. Questions on Money
What is the local currency like? -- i.e., paper money, metal coins, large
immobile stones set up in the forum, tallies stored in the local banking
offices?
What are different coins called, and what are they worth?
Who is responsible for coinage: the ruler, local barons, local merchant
guilds?
Is there a large gap between the wealth of the rich and poor?
What expectations do each group have from the other?
What trade routes, commercial & trade relationships and economic activity
exist in this region?
Why did people settle in this country in the first place -- strategic location,
trade route, water transport, minerals, good farming, etc.?
Have things changed much since, or do they still depend on whatever brought
them in the first place?
How much do official attitudes toward other countries affect commerce and
trade?
Guild structures?
Multi-state corporations?
International cartels?
How rigid are craft laws: e.g. are carpenters the only people allowed to build
houses?
What is the process a young person goes through to enter a craft or trade?
Are the requirements for various ranks, such as apprentice, journeyman &
master standardized, or does rank depend more on the good favor of
guildmaster than it does on skill?
How are records kept: tally sticks, quipu, parchment or paper ledgers, clay
tablets, beads?
Are there trading organizations that transcend countries, like the Hanseatic
League?
What goods are commonly available in small town markets vs larger towns
and cities?
Describe any kind of division of labour, such as into physical versus mental
versus spiritual.
What are the ethical oaths or codes that govern various jobs?
What are those rights and privileges; and what responsibilities go along with
them?
Are there certain classes of people who have fewer legal rights or less legal
recourse than full citizens?
Is there a group of people who do not have full rights in this culture?
Politics as Usual
Is bribery allowed?
What ancient rivalries, prejudices and hatreds still affect current attitudes and
political positions?
What kinds of people are likely to face social or political prejudice, by race,
ethnos, gender, trade or place of birth?
Is the ruler powerful or influential enough to defy this prejudice and appoint a
Dwarf as Chief Councilor or Secretary of Defense and make it work?
Are there people who have great influence on government or politics, but
who do not hold any official position?
Form of Government
How are the rules different for officials as opposed to common people?
What forms are used in neighboring countries, and why are they the same or
different?
What services do the government or state provide: e.g. roads, schools, wells,
courts, an army?
Who has the right to levy taxes and for what reasons and upon whom?
Who will take over running the government if the current head of state is
incapacitated and how is incapacity determined?
Government Services
Is the police force a nationalised one, or are there multiple regional forces?
What is the extent of their authority: e.g. can they shoot you or use magic or
telepathy or torture or otherwise force a confession from you?
Who provides it and how is it supported: e.g. government via taxes, religious
houses via donations (or taxes), private persons by philanthropic gift?
Who in society benefits from the Law and from the Justice system?
How is it determined whether someone has broken a law and who judges the
case?
What kinds of torture are allowed and against whom may they be applied and
under what circumstances?
What are considered normal and legal ways of gathering evidence and
determining guilt?
Are there different legal systems in place for different races or ethnicities
living in close proximity?
How are alleged criminals treated before and after their convictions?
Who is responsible for catching criminals and by what rules do they operate?
Are there volunteer posses, or is the right to apprehend an evil doer the sole
prerogative of the watch?
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?
If so, how are they chosen and how are they maintained?
Are there sumptuary laws regulating what different classes or races of people
may wear or display or even purchase or trade for in the market?
Do judges and lawyers wear special clothing to indicate their office?
What sorts of crimes is the average citizen likely to run across during her
lifetime?
How much can the nobility, middle class tradesmen and the like influence the
lawmakers?
Have there been recent innovations that may upset the balance of power, or
are most countries in the region more or less equal as regards industry,
technology, magical capacity and culture?
Are there standing embassies and consulates, or are special envoys sent only
when some issue of import crops up?
Which countries or races of people are traditional allies and which are
traditional rivals?
Which heads of state are related by blood or marriage, and how important is
this in determining foreign policy?
Weapons
How do the weapons of this country compare with those of surrounding cities
and countries?
What personal weapons are available to anyone who can afford them?
Are some weapons considered "for nobles only" or "for carls 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?
How has the presence of magic affected the waging of war and progress of
weapons technology?
How readily does magic backfire on the weapon wielder or spell caster?
How much has the presence of magic affected strategy and tactics in general;
is it for example a matter of study in war colleges?
Are weapons all close range, or do long range weapons exist as well, such as
bows or atlatls or gonnes, and if so, how sophisticated are they?
What small arms are in common use during war: e.g., melee weapons, edged
weapons, unconventional weapons?
What major weapons of war are available: e.g., siege towers and engines,
catapults, bombards, thaumic bombs, holy grenades?
What weapons and armor are standard for an army's low ranking
footsoldiers?
What about the weapons of mercenaries and their noble leaders or even the
average peasant trying to defend her home?
Does a soldier provide weapons and armor from home, or are these provided
by the army?
Are weapons, such as swords or pistols, a standard part of dress for any and
all segments of society?
How many soldiers can the state afford to keep at the ready?
How do the armed forces compare with others in the region or world?
What form of warfare does this society use: e.g., close-quarters hand-to-hand;
stealthy attack; long range fighting?
Are there any current tensions or outright wars with any other nations?
What defences are available to cities and towns and other polities?
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?
If there is a formal structure, what are the various ranks and titles used?
Who can call up men for an army, and how is this done?
Does the ruler ask the nobility for men, who in turn draft their peasants, or
can the ruler go straight to the bottom as it were and raise her own army?
Can an ordinary soldier rise to officer ranks by displaying courage and merit
on the battlefield, or are officer positions reserved for a higher class of person
only?
Are there officer academies or war colleges?
Are recruits given any kind of training, or are they expected to learn on the
job, i.e., in battle?
How is the army supplied with food, shelter, medical care and ordinary
necessities that aren't carried by the soldier in his kit?
Are soldiers allowed to live off the land, or do they pay for what they take
from local peasants?
How many days' worth of supplies can the army haul along with them?
How does the presence of varied races of people affect strategy, tactics, and
battles generally?
How might soldiers of various races turn their physical differences to their
advantage?
Are certain races or groups isolated into segregated units or are the armies
reasonably integrated?
If so, are those segregated units considered elite troops or the most
expendable soldiers on the battlefield?
How do the inter-species attitudes of the leadership affect their strategy and
planning?