As a result of both my current “crockpot” project being fully in its worldbuilding stage, I’ve been putting together some of my bottom-up worldbuilding thoughts into a more cohesive form. While worldbuilding is equal parts art and craft, it does require a fair amount of research and competence in a number of different fields of expertise.
But in the meantime, here are some posts and other resources for the basics of bottom-up worldbuilding:
Groundwork: Geography, biomes and ecology.
My original post on biomes: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=720
World Wildlife Fund’s biome page, including info on freshwater & seawater biomes: http://www.worldwildlife.org/biomes
My original post of domesticatible plants and animals: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=41
My post on creating new fauna, especially domesticatible ones: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=61
Building from the Dawn of Civilization
My post on transitioning from Neolithic to Agricultural and early civilizaitons: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=58
Neolithic Founder Crops: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neolithic_founder_crops
The Food Timeline: http://www.foodtimeline.org/
Points of Origin for Herbs and Spices:http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=140
My post on cultures finding every use for a resource: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=730
Creating Civilizations
My post on constructed language basics: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=588
Phonology Generator: http://000024.org/cgi-bin/gleb.cgi
The International Phonetic Alphabet: http://web.uvic.ca/ling/resources/ipa/charts/IPAlab/IPAlab.htm
Text Generator (for making words once you have a phonology generated): http://www.zompist.com/gen.html
My post on Technology Basics, told through Drinks and Weapons: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=142
My post on Levels of Industry in Worldbuilding: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=593
Cultural Rituals of Coming of Age: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=202
Marriage and Other Rituals of Love And Joining: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=175
Rituals for the Dead: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=138
Arts and Culture: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=223
Traditions of Justice and Law: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=43
A brief Worldbuilder’s Bibliography: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=185
An older Worldbuiling Roundup: http://mrmaresca.com/wp/?p=222
Hope you can find this useful. I hope to put this stuff together into a single document in the near future. Possibly so I can have handouts at panels. Handouts would make me look extra prepared, no?