10 Best Tools for Worldbuilding

Introduction

Worldbuilding can be hard, but it doesn't have to be. In this article, I'll show you my 10 favorite tools and apps for worldbuilding. We'll cover everything from map making to storytelling, creating histories, managing encyclopedias, taking notes, organizing information, and there's a bonus at the end!

1. Incarnate

One of my favorite tools for fantasy map making, Incarnate is what I’m currently using for the world I'm building for my novel. You can make world maps, regional maps, city and village maps, battle maps, and interior maps. There is a free version, but the pro version with all the necessary features is just $ 5 a month.

2. Wonderdraft

In competition with Incarnate, Wonderdraft is another big map making tool. It has a really great landmass editor, though I personally prefer the assets and icons in Incarnate. Wonderdraft does not have a free version, but you can achieve a nice look with it.

3. Worldographer

Worldographer is a hex-based mapping system suitable for creating anything from world maps to detailed battle maps. It's geared towards D&D and RPG use, but it can be used for novels and storytelling as well. One of its strong features is child maps and parent maps, allowing you to define sizes and travel distances efficiently.

4. Asgar’s Fantasy World Generator

If you prefer generating a world rather than designing one, Asgar’s Fantasy World Generator is incredible. It offers tons of customization options like defining the number of cultures, states, towns, religions, and more. You can also adjust elements like rivers, cultures, temperature, precipitation, military occupations, coordinates, and biomes.

5. World Anvil

World Anvil is a suite of worldbuilding tools that helps you organize and store your entire world in all its details. You can bring in maps and make them interactive, set waypoints, travel paths, zoom in and out, and even build timelines of events in your world's history.

6. Campfire

Campfire breaks down worldbuilding into modules like story elements, locations, maps, research, timelines, calendars, character arcs, and relationships. You can create individual character sheets and upload maps to add pins and organize notes. It’s great for working with collaborators too.

7. Legend Keeper

Legend Keeper is a streamlined worldbuilding tool that allows you to create wikis and notes about your world and associate them with locations on your map. It features a map with pins and notes, a wiki, and freeform whiteboards to sort and organize ideas visually.

8. Obsidian

Obsidian is a text-based note-taking app that you can use for everything, not just novels and RPGs. Its killer feature is linking text. By wrapping important text in double brackets, Obsidian tracks every mention of it and visualizes their relationships with a graph feature. There are hundreds of plugins to transform it for new tasks.

9. Notion

Notion is my second brain. It's what I use for keeping track of all my research, worldbuilding, and general life management. It’s more visually appealing than Obsidian and offers a wide variety of customization options.

10. DonJon’s Generators

When writer's block hits, DonJon’s generators are there to help. From names of monsters to entire worlds, it generates landmasses, fantasy names, new calendar systems, city demographics, treasure maps, story plots, endless dungeons, and more.

Bonus: Worldbuilding Resources

I've spent the past ten years collecting the best resources on storytelling, plot crafting, character building, and world generation. This massive compendium includes mental models, plot structures, character psychology, guides for biomes, city size, magic systems, fictional organizations, languages, and even economic details to make your world's economy make sense.

Conclusion

Worldbuilding doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With these tools and resources, you’ll be well on your way to creating an immersive and detailed world for your next novel or RPG campaign. Happy writing!

Keywords

Worldbuilding tools
Fantasy maps
Incarnate
Wonderdraft
Worldographer
Asgar’s Fantasy World Generator
World Anvil
Campfire
Legend Keeper
Obsidian
Notion
DonJon’s Generators
Map making
Storytelling
Character building
Plot crafting
Writing tools

FAQ

Q: What is the best tool for fantasy map making?

A: Incarnate is highly recommended for its detailed map-making tools and user-friendly interface.

Q: Is Wonderdraft free to use?

A: No, Wonderdraft does not have a free version, but it offers a highly detailed and customizable map-making experience.

Q: Can Worldographer be used for novel writing?

A: Yes, while it’s primarily geared towards D&D and RPGs, it can be used for novel writing as well.

Q: Are there any free world generators available?

A: Yes, Asgar’s Fantasy World Generator allows you to generate a world with various customization options for free.

Q: What’s the difference between World Anvil and Campfire?

A: World Anvil is a more comprehensive suite of tools for organizing your world, while Campfire breaks everything down into specific modules for easier management.

Q: Is Obsidian only for worldbuilding?

A: No, Obsidian is a versatile note-taking app that can be used for virtually any type of writing or organizational need.

Q: Can I collaborate with others using these tools?

A: Yes, tools like Campfire and World Anvil support collaborative work, making it easier to build worlds with other creators.

Q: What should I use if I need quick inspiration?

A: DonJon’s Generators offer a wide variety of quick, randomized elements to kickstart your creativity.