Empire Builder: Settlement Overview — System-Neutral RPG World-Building Tool

Every town your players ride into deserves more than a name on a map. The Empire Builder: Settlement Overview gives Game Masters a structured framework for building believable, living communities — covering everything from city size and architectural style to law enforcement, ruling powers, and the one threat that keeps the mayor up at night. It's not a full city layout generator; it's the skeleton that lets your settlement grow organically as your campaign unfolds.

What the Settlement Overview Covers

Thirteen key aspects of any settlement are addressed in this supplement, giving you a consistent framework you can apply to any community in your world:

• Size — How large is the settlement?
• Attitude/Atmosphere — Describe the town's feel in a single word
• Architecture — What style defines the buildings?
• Defenses — Walls, guards, magical wards?
• Districts and Regions — How is the settlement divided?
• Law — Who does the law favor, and who does it ignore?
• Layout — Grid city or organic sprawl?
• Location — Where in the world does this place sit?
• Population — What races or species call this home?
• Purpose — Why was this settlement founded?
• Resources — Primary imports and exports
• Ruler — Who (or what) holds power here?
• Threat — The #1 problem the settlement faces

Three appendixes round out the supplement: a d100 building list, a law-and-groups reference, and a worked example walking you through a complete settlement creation from scratch.

Related Products

• Empire Builder: Settlement Name Generator
• Empire Builder Kit: Street & Road Names
• Empire Builder Kit: Government Type
• Empire Builder: Fortifications
• World Wonders Supplement 1: Buildings