Ad Hoc Writers
Ad Hoc, Ad Astra, Ad Draconus

Society Builder Outline

From the AD HOC WRITERS
Copyright (C) 1990 & 1993, Ad Hoc Writers, Hayward, California
Revised April 6, 1991 and January 9, 1993

NOTE ON DIVERSITY OF CULTURES:
There should not be a monolithic culture unless there is given a very good reason why an entire world would have the same cultural patterns and background

1. Animals (Note: could also use this section to refer to fish, birds and insects as well as trees and flowers in some cases. How about bacteria and viruses?)
   1. Types.
      1. Diversity and intraspecies variation.
         1. Niche.
         2. Range.
         3. Habitat.
      2. Phylogenetic tendencies.
         1. Morphological.
         2. Ethnological.
      3. Behavioral ecology.
         1. Mating.
         2. Food sources.
         3. Predators.
         4. Parasites.
         5. Activity.
            1. Nocturnal.
            2. Diurnal.
            3. Crepuscular.
         6. Cycles
            1. Migration.
            2. Hibernation.
            3. Reproductive.
            4. Etc.
      4. Sociobiology.
         1. Kinship relations.
         2. Functional specialization.
         3. Distribution of population.
         4. Territoriality.
   2. Care of.
   3. Use of.
      1. Pets.
      2. War.
      3. Travel.
      4. Hauling.
      5. Research.
      6. Wild.
      7. Hunting.
         1. Hunter.
         2. Hunted.
      8. Food.
      9. Entertainment.
   4. Place in Society.
      1. Which animals are admired most in society?
         1. By what classes?
         2. Why?
         3. How is admiration expressed?
      2. Which animal attributes are admired most?
         1. Strength - as compared to what?
         2. Speed.
         3. Grace.
         4. Beauty.
         5. Intelligence.
         6. Guile.
         7. Agility.
         8. Fear.
         9. Ferocity.
      3. In what way are animals used in the language?
         1. Quote some expressions, ie:
            1. Fast as a cheetah (or the local equivalent).
            2. Fierce as a fighting stallion.
            3. Mean as a sore toothed grizzly with cubs in the spring.
            4. Cute as a kitten.
            5. Friendly as a puppy.
            6. Lazy as a hound.
         2. Adjectives.
            1. Cat like.
            2. Bitch.
            3. Stud.
   5. Place in mythology.
   6. Place in religion.
   7. Cost.
   8. Zoos.
   9. Ornaments.
      1. Animal ornaments (collars, etc.).
      2. Jewelry with animal motifs.
      3. Heraldic symbols.
2. Anthropology.
   1. Age.
      1. Distribution.
      2. Status and treatment of children.
      3. Status and treatment of old people.
   2. Behavior.
      1. Illogical.
      2. Pathological.
      3. Normal.
      4. Prescribed.
      5. Cravings for the forbidden.
      6. Non-conformist.
      7. Defectives - physical and mental.
      8. Crimes.
         1. Deviants - sexual, political, philosophical, etc.
         2. Defined types of crimes.
         3. Punishments.
         4. Rewards.
         5. Organizations.
         6. Law enforcement.
      9. Motivations - what drives peoples.
      10. Fears.
   3. Body language.
   4. Castes.
   5. Class differences.
      1. What are the roles of the different elements of
      2. 1. Women.
         2. Nobility.
         3. Warriors.
         4. Craftsmen.
         5. Commercial people.
         6. Serfs.
         7. Freemen.
         8. Priesthood.
         9. Educators.
         10. Slaves.
         11. Dissidents.
             1. Rebels.
             2. Criminals.
             3. Terrorists.
   6. Customs.
      1. Greetings.
      2. Leave takings.
      3. Taboos.
      4. Societal Pressures.
      5. Privacy issues.
      6. Body space.
      7. Funeral customs.
         1. Treatment of remains (mummies, burn, etc).
         2. Beliefs regarding deceased.
            1. Navajo type fear of dead.
            2. Ancestor worship.
            3. Etc.
      8. Relationships between peoples.
      9. Relationships between people and animals, and spirits, etc.
   7. Discrimination and minorities.
      1. Race.
      2. Sex.
      3. Class.
      4. Wealth.
      5. Birth.
      6. Height.
      7. Coloring.
      8. Language.
      9. Clothes.
      10. Geography.
   8. Family.
      1. Family functions.
      2. Political significance.
      3. Kinship ties.
      4. Groups.
   9. Gestures - obscene and otherwise.
   10. Names.
       1. Types of names.
          1. Secret.
          2. Soul.
          3. Family.
          4. Public.
          5. Descriptive.
             1. Job.
             2. Place.
             3. Class.
             4. Event.
             5. Personality.
          6. Nicknames.
       2. Number of names.
       3. Source of names.
          1. Family.
             1. Matrilineal.
             2. Patrilineal.
             3. Combination.
                1. Made up from a parent's first name (Donald's son).
                2. Parent of same sex.
                3. Parent of opposite sex.
                4. Combination.
                5. Same parent regardless of sex.
             4. Whoever in family has the most wealth.
             5. Clan name.
          2. Dream.
          3. Rite of Passage.
          4. Self chosen.
          5. Religious ceremony.
          6. Event.
          7. Deities.
          8. Ancestors.
          9. Relatives.
          10. Clan or tribal.
          11. Guild.
          12. Desired characteristics.
       4. Change of names.
          1. Change with marriage or stay the same?
             1. Both spouses or just one?
             2. Which one if just one?
             3. Add a name?
             4. Subtract a name?
             5. Both?
             6. Combine names?
          2. Maturity or rite of passage change.
          3. Legal change structure.
       5. Honorifics.
          1. Status.
          2. Title.
          3. Birth.
          4. Job.
          5. Position.
          6. How do people of differing status address each other?
   11. Organizations.
       1. Fraternal.
       2. Secret.
       3. Guild.
       4. Political.
       5. Religious.
       6. Military.
       7. Educational.
   12. Ornaments.
       1. Dress.
       2. Body ornamentation.
          1. External, as bracelets, necklaces, finger rings.
          2. Piercing the body for rings and studs.
          3. Tatoos.
          4. Scarification.
          5. Applied to which sex?
          6. Accentuate or modify which parts of body?
       3. Cosmetics.
       4. Headgear.
       5. Perfumes.
       6. Face and body hair.
       7. Feet gear.
       8. Clothing .
          1. Functional.
          2. Styles.
          3. Sexual differences.
          4. Class differences.
          5. Why did these styles become popular or why did they go away?.
          6. What are old fashioned styles.
          7. New wave or punk styles.
   13. Personal space.
   14. Racial differences.
   15. Sex differences.
   16. Society blind spots.
   17. Stratification of society.
   18. Time.
       1. How does culture look at time.
       2. Is "tomorrow" different from "next year".
       3. How is time measured?.
       4. How developed is the calendar.
       5. What kind of calendar or other time cycles.
       6. Importance of cycles.
3. Biology.
   1. Biochemistry.
   2. Anatomy.
4. Culture.
   1. Settlement Patterns.
      1. Nomadic.
         1. Transport.
         2. Specific Locations.
         3. Subsistence.
            1. Pastoralism.
            2. Slash-and-burn agriculture.
      2. Sedentary.
         1. Gathering-hunting/fishing.
         2. Farming.
   2. Architecture.
      1. Housing.
         1. Furnishings.
         2. Styles.
         3. Materials.
         4. Craftsmen.
      2. Public buildings.
      3. City planning.
      4. Forts.
      5. Castles.
      6. Materials.
         1. Stone.
         2. Wood.
         3. Thatch.
         4. Clay.
         5. Metal.
         6. Glass.
         7. Plastic.
         8. Sod.
         9. Caves.
         10. Stucco.
      7. Styles.
      8. Methods of building.
      9. Customs.
      10. Taboos (13th floor).
      11. Financed by.
   3. Arts.
   4. Dancing.
   5. Drama.
   6. Engineering.
   7. Literacy.
      1. Who can read and write?
      2. What sort of written language?
      3. Media for writing.
      4. Uses for writing.
         1. Letters.
         2. Documents.
         3. Types of contracts/agreements.
         4. Sacred texts.
   8. Mathematics.
   9. Medicine.
   10. Metal Working.
   11. Music.
   12. Navigation.
   13. Numerology.
   14. Philosophy.
   15. Pottery.
   16. Sculpture.
   17. Theology.
   18. Writing.
5. Disputes.
   1. Between individuals.
   2. Between nations, corporations, governments.
   3. Between groups or classes.
   4. Contracts.
   5. Agreements.
   6. Methods of settlement.
      1. Combat.
      2. Law.
      3. Contests.
      4. Popular vote.
      5. Etc.
6. Economic base.
   1. Trade.
      1. Controllers.
         1. Controlled by government or certain classes?
      2. Monopolies?.
   2. Mercantilism.
   3. Industrial.
   4. Agricultural.
      1. Capital accumulation level.
      2. Presence of cottage industry.
      3. Staples (with appropriate rotation/irrigation.
   5. Method of Payment.
      1. Money or coinage.
         1. Controller.
            1. Local.
            2. National.
            3. Tied to rank.
         2. Made out of what kind of materials?
         3. Made by whom - artisans, machines, etc.?
         4. Value system.
            1. How to differentiate between values (ie: small coins, large, pieces chopped off of coins, engraved numbers, etc.).
            2. How many different values and what are they?
            3. How is change given?
      2. Barter.
      3. In kind.
      4. Trade.
      5. Items rare/common.
   6. Rate of Exchange.
   7. Occupations.
      1. Crafts.
      2. Guilds.
      3. Which are dangerous?
      4. Arduous.
      5. Prestigious.
      6. Reviled.
      7. Rewards.
      8. Motivations.
      9. Who takes less desired tasks and why.
      10. Castes.
      11. Slavery.
7. Education.
   1. Size of institutions.
   2. Admission qualifications.
   3. Pedagogical conventions.
8. Entertainment.
   1. Hobbies.
   2. Recreation.
   3. Toys
   4. Games.
   5. Contests.
   6. Sports.
   7. Entertainment arts.
   8. Gambling.
9. Evolution.
   1. Degree of adaptability/ecotypic generality.
   2. Developmental stages.
   3. Vestigial features.
   4. Culturgenic predispositions.
10. Geographical placement.
    1. Environmental features shaping any societal aspects - ie. COURTSHIP RITE by Kingsley.
    2. Natural defenses.
    3. Natural offenses.
11. Government structure.
    1. Organization.
       1. Bureaucratic infrastructure.
       2. Sophistication of projections.
       3. Capacity for innovation.
    2. Scope.
       1. Sources of legitimacy.
       2. Constraints on exercise of authority.
    3. Functionaries functions.
    4. Law enforcement.
       1. Law organizations.
          1. Controlled by who.
          2. How much power.
          3. Structure.
          4. Requirements.
          5. Strength.
          6. Dedication.
          7. Viewed in society with favor or disfavor.
          8. Honest or crooked.
          9. Court system.
          10. Prisons.
          11. Punishment.
       2. Criminal organizations.
          1. Organized.
          2. Unorganized.
          3. Type of crime.
          4. Types of criminals.
          5. Locations.
          6. Strengths.
          7. Weaknesses.
          8. Viewed by society.
          9. Severe menace.
    5. Controls.
       1. Passports.
       2. Licenses.
       3. Taxes.
          1. Subjects of various imposts.
          2. Method of collection (revenue-farmers, etc.).
       4. Permits.
       5. Tolls and tariffs.
    6. Political structure.
       1. Anarchy.
       2. Clan.
       3. Communal.
       4. Communistic.
       5. Democracy.
       6. Dictatorship.
       7. Empire.
       8. Monarchy.
       9. Nation.
       10. Oligarchy.
       11. Republic.
       12. State.
       13. Theocracy.
       14. Triarchy.
       15. Tribal.
       16. Utopia.
    7. Type.
       1. City.
       2. State.
       3. Country.
       4. Town.
       5. Nation.
       6. Empire.
    8. Size.
       1. Traditions of localism.
       2. Emergency resources available.
       3. Norms of administrative allocation (e.g.,l for military service.)
12. History.
    1. Historical touchstones.
       1. Technical.
       2. Military.
       3. Religious.
       4. Economic.
       5. Political.
       6. Cultural.
    2. Timetables.
    3. What is forgotten (or rewritten) is as important as what is remembered.
    4. Legends, myths, folklore, fables.
    5. Heroic figures/diabolic figures - admired and despised figures and characteristics personified in legends and folk tales.
    6. Names everyone in society knows.
    7. Important dates (ie: if a citizen of this world had a time machine where would s/he go?).
    8. Major historic event(s) shaping societal influences.
13. Language.
    1. Popular.
    2. Classical.
    3. Class differences.
    4. Slang.
    5. Metaphors.
    6. On what subjects is it richest?
14. Life Expectancy.
15. Medical.
    1. Techniques and capabilities.
    2. Hygiene.
    3. Sewage systems.
    4. View of cleanliness.
    5. Garbage handling.
    6. Preventive measures .
    7. Water.
    8. Control of food and drink production.
    9. Prevalent diseases.
    10. Prevalent injuries.
    11. Organizations.
    12. Attitudes toward such.
    13. Attitudes toward sickness.
16. Military.
    1. State of war.
       1. What is style of warfare?
          1. Deadly serious.
          2. A game for nobles.
          3. Hit and run.
          4. Grand marches.
       2. How big are the armies.
       3. What are the goals of war.
    2. Strategy.
       1. How large a role does strategy play.
       2. Tactics.
       3. Are their masters of strategy others study.
       4. War games.
    3. Beliefs regarding.
    4. Security of borders.
    5. Ambitions.
    6. Politics.
    7. Weapons.
       1. What kind of weapons?
       2. Who makes them?
       3. What are the styles?
       4. What are the uses.
       5. How is weapons training done?
          1. Academies.
          2. Individual masters.
          3. School of hard knocks.
          4. System of sending children to other warriors or
          5. for training.
    8. Personnel.
       1. Form.
          1. Civilian militia.
          2. Professional military.
          3. Volunteers.
          4. Draft.
          5. Conscripts.
          6. Required military service.
             1. Length of service.
          7. Paid substitutes?
          8. Sexist?
             1. Preferred gender:
          9. Racist?
       2. How housed?
          1. Military post.
          2. Commandeering civilian housing.
          3. Buy or rent.
       3. Proportion of military to civilian populace.
    9. Philosophy.
    10. Level of technology.
17. Physiology.
    1. Locomotion.
    2. Coordination.
    3. Energy input/output.
    4. Peculiar systems.
18. Religion(s).
    1. Accepted.
    2. Monotheistic .
    3. Polytheistic.
    4. Unaccepted.
    5. Customs.
    6. Beliefs.
    7. Structures of worship.
    8. Organizations.
    9. Holidays and Festivals.
    10. Superstitions.
    11. Deities.
        1. Gender.
           1. Male.
           2. Female.
           3. Neuter.
           4. Androgynous.
           5. Other (If race has other).
    12. World/Universe views.
        1. Heavens.
           1. Stars, suns, moons.
           2. Views of creation, destruction.
           3. Anthropomorphism.
        2. Earth.
        3. Catastrophic events.
           1. Interpretations.
           2. Effects.
    13. Sin.
    14. Virtue.
    15. Power.
19. Reproduction.
    1. Methods.
    2. Birth Control methods and biases.
    3. Customs and attitudes re:
       1. Sex.
       2. Prostitution.
       3. Marriage.
       4. Courtship.
       5. Virginity.
       6. Kinships.
       7. Taboos.
       8. Preferred sex.
20. Structure & size of civilization.
    1. Relative to contemporaries.
    2. Relative to predecessors.
21. Survival Strategies.
    1. Water.
       1. How and where gotten.
       2. Distribution.
       3. Uses.
          1. Bathing.
          2. Washing.
          3. Customs involving.
          4. Fire fighting.
          5. Irrigation.
    2. Food.
       1. Production.
       2. Distribution.
       3. Preparation.
       4. Eating tools and customs.
       5. Forbidden foods.
       6. Fasting.
       7. Gourmet foods.
       8. Stimulating or intoxicating drinks.
       9. Other drinks.
       10. Drinking customs.
       11. Drugs - legal or otherwise.
    3. Sanitary procedures.
       1. Waste disposal.
       2. Garbage disposal.
       3. Sanitary customs.
22. Technical level.
    1. Technology.
    2. Transportation.
       1. Means of transportation.
          1. Roads.
          2. Water.
          3. Air.
       2. Power.
          1. Energy source.
          2. Muscle (animal or individual).
          3. Machine.
          4. Combinations.
    3. Communications.
       1. Control of.
       2. Means of.
       3. Methods.
       4. Storage of information and data.
    4. Energy sources.
       1. Electric.
       2. Compressed air.
       3. Water.
       4. Fossil.
       5. Muscle.
       6. Magic.
       7. Physic.
       8. Nuclear.
       9. Geothermal.
       10. Winds.
       11. Steam.
       12. Particle waves.
       13. Other.

Material for this outline contributed by Ad Hoc Writers members Malcolm Easton, Clare Bell, Jim Van Scyoc, Raymond (Buzz) Nelson, Mark Kreighbaum, Gerald Perkins and Reba Leon.

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