These world building prompts come from 3000 World Building Prompts, which you can get at Amazon. This section is focused on creating organizations like secret sects and assassin guilds.
- Do you intend to feature this organization or its members in your work or only mention it/them?
- What is the name of this organization?
- What nicknames does it have?
- How old is this group?
- What events led to its formation?
- Is this group still around or defunct?
- If gone, when did that happen?
- What caused the group to end?
- Why wasn’t the organization able to withstand the event?
- What happened to the group’s members?
- Did they form another group?
- Is that group more successful in its goals?
- What happened to do the organization’s holdings?
- What are the group’s defining values?
- What is their vision?
- What is this organization’s goal(s)? Do they want to control an object, land, or have power?
- How do they intend to achieve their goals?
- How have they been trying to achieve their goals?
- Are they willing to resort to violence?
- Are they willing to kill innocent people as collateral damage?
- How long have they been trying to achieve their goal(s)?
- What setbacks have they experienced and what changes did they make?
- Did they start off with a different goal than the current one?
- If so, what caused the change?
- Will the group continue after its goal(s) is achieved?
- In what ways have the group dynamics changed because of any prolonged failure to achieve goals?
Members
- How many people are in this organization?
- What races/species are in it? Are any preferred or forbidden?
- What is the group’s symbol and what does it mean?
- Are members given anything (pin, tattoo) to signify membership?
- Are there factions with differing viewpoints within it and what impact is this having?
- Does someone covet the leadership role?
- Is the leader new or long established?
- Do you need or would you benefit from the leader’s position being tenuous?
- Who is the current leader? Define them like a character.
- How is leadership determined?
- What traits are required to become a leader? Is that official or just the way it goes?
- How does someone cease to be the leader? Death? Vote?
- Who is the second in command?
- Who are the leaders of any factions?
- Is there someone in this group who is so disillusioned that they will become a problem, such as through betrayal?
- Will they succeed?
- Is the group large enough to have multiple subgroups in different locations?
- Does the organization take prisoners?
- If so, how are they treated?
- Do members need to perform a task to become accepted?
- Are there rituals or missions that must be undertaken?
- Are new members fully accepted or on a probation?
- Are new members assigned to someone whose approval is needed before fuller acceptance, and if so, what must they show?
- Are members in for good, or must they establish their devotion/membership at given intervals?
- Is the organization large enough to need a power structure?
- If so, what is that structure?
- Are people allowed to leave voluntarily?
- Or are they killed for trying?
- What do they lose if they leave? Access, items, contacts?
- How does leadership ensure that the departing member does not betray the organization’s secrets?
- Is there a spy in their midst and who it is, and who do they work for?
- What happens to a caught spy?
- Has a spy been caught before? What happened? Are they a cautionary tale?
Possessions
- Does the organization have a headquarters?
- Where is it?
- What is it like?
- Is it hidden or in plain sight?
- Do people outside the organization realize HQ is HQ or is it thought to be something else?
- Is there anything special inside?
- Is it guarded and by what? How do you get past it?
- Can people live here? How many?
- Can all the members live here or just a select few?
- What are the criteria for permanent residency?
- If someone can only stay for a while, what are the rules regarding that?
- Is it only if they are recuperating or preparing for a mission?
- Are newcomers required to stay here so they can be closely watched?
- Is there a prison or jail here?
- If so, is anyone famous or noteworthy in it?
- How many people inside the organization know that?
- Does anyone outside the organization know that? What would happen if people found out?
- Does this group have any typical meeting places away from HQ?
- Does the organization own any shared resources? What are they?
- How is the usage of shared resources allowed or refused?
- Where are each shared resource?
- What condition are shared resources? Operational or in need of restoration?
- What resources does the group hope to gain and why?
- Who controls those desired resources?
- Have any attempts to gain them failed? Why, when, and how?
- What was the cost of the group for that failure?
- Where does the organization get money to supply itself?
- Does this group steal items to use or to sell? What type?
Relationships
- Are there establishments (bars, hotels) friendly to them and their cause?
- Are they banned from anywhere?
- Do subgroups within go rogue or are they still on board with the mission and its means?
- In what sort of locations can this organization be found?
- Do individuals ever work alone on missions?
- Are individuals/subgroups stationed in places for missions like reconnaissance?
- If so, where and for how long?
- Are any individuals, races, sovereign powers, or other groups allies?
- Are any individuals, races, sovereign powers, or other groups enemies?
- How strong is their relationship with each of their allies?
- Are any of those relationships so tenuous that they cannot be relied upon?
- If so, are there any actions the organization can take that will sever the alliance for good?
- What actions can strengthen the relationship?
- Why hasn’t the organization taken them?
- What clashes have taken place with their enemies?
- Who considers this organization evil but is not an enemy?
- Who considers this organization good but is not an ally?
- What major events have happened in the history of this organization? When did they occur, and how did this impact the current state?
- Has this group been driven out of any locations? Which and when?
- What is the group famous for?
- What legends or stories go around about them, and are they true?
- What do people misunderstand about the organization?
- What facts do people get right?
- Do people donate to this group? Openly or in secret?
- How does this group get along with each race in the setting?
- What does each race think of this group?