Use the Settlement template to write about any place where a group of people live in an organized way; from the smallest hamlet to the largest space station!
Contents
What should I use this template for?
This template is for towns and cities, but also for space stations, districts within a city, and even ant colonies if you're writing a story about insects! Here are some examples:
Towns, cities, and ecumenopolis
No matter the type of world you're creating, you will have some sort of settlement! People have been living in groups since the very beginning of history. Depending on the place, cities can be a place to rest between adventures, a place of conflict (did someone chase you into the city?), or the perfect scenario for intrigue plots. In some settings, the city is the only thing that might exist on the planet too; we call those "ecumenopolis", and Coruscant (from Star Wars) and Ravinca are both great examples!
Districts
Especially in a big city, you might want to write about specific districts (and even about smaller subdivisions of a district). That's also a great way to use the Settlement template! For example, in Ravnica, most of its story happens within District 10, and we don't know much of what's happening outside. Additionally, inside District 10 there's a number of precincts. In this example, Ravnica, District 10, and each individual precinct would be its own Settlement article.
Camps and caravans
While a caravan or a temporary camp might not follow the usual definition of "settlement", the Settlement template on World Anvil is also made for them! At the end of the day, the main difference between a regular town and a caravan is that the caravan doesn't stay in the same place for long.
Template walkthrough
Remember that all template prompts are optional! In fact some prompts might not be relevant to you. As always, there's a free-writing section at the top (which we call vignette) and the prompts are under the Expand prompts & connections button:
If you use the Parent Location field (for example, for the mountain range of a single mountain, or for the galaxy of a planet), an "organization tree" will be automatically generated at the bottom. This tree will visually represent all related locations; learn more about it here.
Feature recommendations for organizations
Here are some ideas on how to use other features with organizations:
- Maps: use maps to display the layout of your city. With map layers, you can toggle on or off different types of information, such as public transport, street names, and building interiors. Check the guide to Maps to learn how.
- Chronicles: use a chronicle to visually show how the city expanded throughout time! Check the guide to Chronicles to learn how.
Step-by-step guide to writing a settlement
Here are some steps you can follow to write a Settlement article:
- Who built it?
And why did they choose that spot? Settlements usually grow progressively around strategic resources (like Rome, built next to a river) or strategic locations (like Nagoya, Japan, built around a castle). However, cities can also be planned from scratch for a specific purpose (like Brasilia, built specifically to be Brazil's new capital). So begin by deciding who built it, for what purpose, and why there. - Who lives there?
Think about demographics: what cultures can you find in this settlement? If it's in a bustling area (such as a major port or trade route), you can expect it to be a melting pot of cultures, languages, and all sorts of people. If it's more isolated, what's the dominant culture and how do they see outsiders? Try creating two or three specific characters living in the settlement to learn more about its inhabitants! - What's happening in there?
Ongoing events will make the settlement feel more real, and conflict will make your story feel more dynamic! Are there people trying to overthrow the city's government? Is there a criminal underground pulling the strings behind the scenes? Is a rivalry between two bards going too far? Looking at the themes and tone of your setting will tell you what kind of conflict you can add to your world.
Community examples for inspiration
Need some inspiration? Here are some settlement articles written by our amazing community!
- Etrillon, by C. B. Ash
- Leyline, by RiverFang
- Eldrya, by Nulcheck
- Sakara, by Mochi
- SpaceBase B-26, by LexiCon (WordiGirl)
