The Summer Camp season is here! The Worldbuilding Summer Camp is our annual July challenge, in which we challenge you to answer a series of worldbuilding prompts with 300-word (or more) articles. June is the prep month, and every week we’ll give you some prep homework in this blog post so you can get the most out of July!

What is the Worldbuilding Summer Camp?

In short, it’s a prompt-based worldbuilding challenge. During July, we’ll release four waves of prompts, and your goal is to complete as many as you can or want! If you complete 8, 16, 24, or 32 prompts, you’ll get one of the completion badges (copper, silver, gold, and diamond). Each wave will have eight prompts themed around a keyword, which will help you tie everything together—plus two Wild Card prompts not related to the theme, which you can use instead if the themed prompts don’t quite fit your world!

After Summer Camp ends, there will be a prize raffle among all winners! Tune in to the Awards Ceremony on August 26th (6pm UK/10am Pacific) to learn if you won a prize in the raffle or in one of the community-sponsored prompts (learn how to become a Community Sponsor!).

Get the full details about Summer Camp on the challenge page!

Homework and theme reveal streams

If you want to be the first to know about the homework and the prompt themes, tune in to our prep streams during this month. Follow us on Twitch to get notified when we go live so you don’t miss the reveals!

  • June 3rd: homework and theme 1
  • June 10th: homework and theme 2
  • June 17th: homework and theme 3
  • June 24th: homework and theme 4
  • July 1st: Summer Camp launches on stream!

This blog post will be updated every week during June to include the new homework, so keep an eye out here if you can’t make it to the streams!

Homework Week 1: making a pledge

The best way to prepare for a big event like Summer Camp is to make a pledge to yourself and to the community to keep yourself accountable—this is what the first homework is all about!

1. Set up your pledge article

Create a pledge article using the generic article template to use as your prep document. In it, include which world (or worlds) you’ll work on for Summer Camp and how many prompts you hope to complete.

2. Fill out the pledge certificate

If you want to show off your pledge to the world, we’ve got this fancy pledge certificate for you!

Summer Camp pledge document

Download the certificate as a fillable form and add it to your pledge article!

3. Theme preparation: POWER

The first theme (and the copper prompts wave) is all about POWER, in all its different manifestations—physical power, political power, and more! For inspiration, we have a guide to creating power dynamics in worldbuilding. Here are some additional questions you can think about this week to prepare for the first prompt wave:

Which are the powerful organizations within your world setting? Who are the powerful individuals? What kinds of power do they wield and what are their weaknesses and needs?

Write a paragraph or two about power in your world setting in your pledge document. You can look back at it for inspiration during July to get you inspired!

4. Feature hint: tracking power and relationships

When writing about powerful organizations and characters, relationships are very important! If you want to spice up your articles with diplomacy webs and character relationships, take this chance to refresh your memory about these features! Check out how to set up character relationships and the guide to diplomacy webs.

5. Extra credits for seasoned worlds

For those with older worlds… when was the last time you read your World Meta? Take a look at it again: does it still reflect your vision for the world or does it need an update? Refreshing your memory on it will help you write more consistent worldbuilding too!

6. Submit your homework!

Once you’ve created your generic article in World Anvil and filled it up with points 1-5, it’s time to submit. Just drop your article’s URL into the comments and let us know how you found the assignment (make sure it’s public and published!). Oh, and we’re giving a prize for Best in School at the end of the class, revealed along with the Copper Prompts on live stream!

So, what are you waiting for? Grab your hammer (or d20-shaped ice cream) and go prep your Summer Camp!

 

Homework Week 2: FRONTIER

This week we’re thinking about geography, spaces and contrasts in your, and maybe doing some spring cleaning to prepare for Summer Camp, too!

1. Theme preparation: Frontier

The second theme, for the silver prompts wave, is Frontier! Frontiers are boundaries between things, borders—but the word also has a connection to the edge of the “known world”. Frontiers are worldbuilding gold, so we’ve put together a deep dive about using frontiers in worldbuilding! Here are some questions you can use to get started:

Where are the frontiers in your worldsetting? And why would anyone want to go there?! What about metaphorical frontiers, like the “frontier of medicine” or space, the “final frontier”?

Write a paragraph or two about frontiers in your setting in your pledge document, considering these questions and the advice in the blog post. Use it for inspiration during July!

2. Feature hint: maps!

Frontiers are a geographical area, so interactive maps are a great way to represent them! Check out the feature if you haven’t used it before, and consider preparing a map for a frontier in your setting if you haven’t yet.

3. Extra credits for seasoned worlds

Time for some spring cleaning! If you haven’t organized your articles in a while, consider taking a moment to do it now. Filling a world with many articles at once is far easier if you have a solid organization using categories and tags.

4. Submit your homework

If you still haven’t submitted your homework in the comments of this blog post, do it now! You’ll get a digital badge on your World Anvil profile, and we’re giving a prize for Best in School at the end of the class, revealed along with the Copper Prompts on live stream!

If you already submitted it last week, you don’t need to do it again.

 

Week 3: RELICS

1. Theme preparation: Relics

Relics are the remnants of past ages, and they’re a great tool to show your world’s history, as well as cultural values, in the present. After all, if something has been preserved throughout history, it means people consider it to be important! We wrote a blog post about relics and history in worldbuilding so you can get some inspiration for this theme. Here’s a couple of questions you can use to get started too:

 What aspects of the past are revered today in your world setting? Which peoples are remembered? And which are forgotten, and why?

 Write a paragraph or two about relics and history in your world in your pledge document, and use it as reference during July!

2. Feature hint: going back in time!

This theme is all about history, so why not take a moment to check out timelines and chronicles? They’re all about documenting the past of your world, and will really help you determine what are the remnants of past eras in your world. If you have some timelines already, review them—if you don’t have any, consider creating a basic timeline for the world or area you’ll expand on during Summer Camp.

3. Extra credits for seasoned worlds

Sort through your old images and gather new ones you might need! Art and images are a great way to show what something looks like at a glance, and knowing which images you already have on your world will help you worldbuild quicker during July. Always remember to only use images you have permission to use!

4. Submit your homework

If you still haven’t submitted your homework in the comments of this blog post, do it now! You’ll get a digital badge on your World Anvil profile, and we’re giving a prize for Best in School at the end of the class, revealed along with the Copper Prompts on live stream!

 If you already submitted for a previous homework, you don’t need to do it again.

Week 4: Communication 

1. Theme preparation: Communication

Communication is an essential tool for societies, and it includes way more than just language! And as worldbuilders and storytellers, communication systems and the flow of information can be a great tool for showing the mood and themes of your world, and creating great plot points. Check out our worldbuilding communication blog post, and use these questions to get started:

How do people and organizations from different backgrounds or cultures communicate with each other? How does communication happen over short and long distances? Who in your setting communicates secretly or carefully, and how?

Write a paragraph or two about these questions in your pledge document and use it as a starting point during July!

2. Feature hint: delicious dictionaries and wondeful whiteboards

Of course, languages are a big part of communication, so if you’re a conlanger, check out the Dictionaries feature in the Language article template. If you’re not a conlanger, you’ll still be able to enjoy this theme! Take a look at whiteboards, which you can use to sketch out how logistic and long-distance communication systems work in your world.

3. Extra credits for seasoned worlds

This week, it’s time to commune with your old self! Read through old articles in your world to refresh your memory! While remembering the meta will help you be consistent in a big-picture way, reading old articles will help you remember details that will be useful during Summer Camp. Sometimes, the best inspiration comes from your own work!

4. Submit your homework

If you still haven’t submitted your homework in the comments of this blog post, do it now! You’ll get a digital badge on your World Anvil profile, and we’re giving a prize for Best in School at the end of the class, revealed along with the Copper Prompts on live stream!

If you already submitted for a previous homework, you don’t need to do it again.