Zaharam-Chapelle-Parunas Ethnographical Questionnaire for RPGs

"The locals invited me to the wedding of the
head cleric's daughter. Whatever shall I wear?"
The Scholar by Michael Ryan

Folks over at the Dungeon Master's Block forums recently posted the Zaharam-Chapelle-Parunas Ethnographical Questionnaire as a world-building resource. These questions are fascinating enough that answering them all may tempt the anthropologically, historically minded DM to fall into infinite world-building at the expense of pragmatic adventure-planning. To mediate the temptation, but still reap the benefit of asking unconventional questions, I selected a handful of questions for each city, region, or nation in my world.

In shortening the list, I favored specific questions over general ones. As world-builders, there's a strong impulse to think in broad strokes: wars, factions, and epic histories. For example, in the section of warfare, I assume most DMs already know if a nation is at war or not, so I selected questions like “how do elite soldiers dress?” or “how are prisoners of war treated?” My goal was to highlight questions with immediate in-game impact and questions that add vivid details to campaign settings.

For randomly generated questions, 1d20 identifies a category and 1d10 pinpoints a specific question within that category.

1. Questions of Place.

1. What kinds of natural disasters has this society gotten used to?
2. What importance (spiritual or cultural) do people ascribe to the geography?
3. How do people feel about local landscapes being altered or used for a purpose other than what is traditional?
4. What foods are considered exotic or expensive?
5. What is this place's most abundant resource?
6. What is its most valuable resource? What resource is it most lacking?
7. Where in this place do they congregate?
8. What part of this place do they avoid? Why?
9. What are the most common domesticated animals here? Which animals are likely to be pets?
10. What are the most common wild animals? How are wild animals treated?

2. Questions of Time.

1. How far back does this society's written history go? How far back do its people believe it goes?
2. How was this society founded? Who founded it and under what circumstances?
3. What is the worst disaster they believe they've faced?
4. What in their past makes them feel ashamed?
5. What in their past makes them proud?
6. What are they afraid of happening again?
7. What are they hoping will happen? Do they think it likely?
8. How strongly are people attached or connected to their heritage?
9. What are the most popular stories about the past?
10. Who in the past is the greatest hero? The worst villain?

3. Questions of Race and Difference.

1. What are the chief races in the region?
2. What are the chief ethnic groups of each race in the region? How are they distributed in place?
3. How do they differ by language, appearance or ancestry?
4. What jobs do the chief ethnicity primarily occupy?
5. Are any groups denied work because of racial or ethnic heritage?
6. What are typical attitudes of the native (or majority) group to immigrants and other ethnicity?
7. How has any variety of ethnicity in the region changed the society's culture?
8. Is there any discrimination against minority groups (racial, ethnic, religious) in this society?
9. Is society segregated in any way?
10. What happens to those who disagree with the majority on questions of religion?

4. Questions of Family.

1. How many spouses may a man or woman have?
2. Who decides on a marriage?
3. Can a marriage end in divorce? How?
4. How are families named?
5. What happens to orphans?
6. How are boy and girl children treated differently?
7. What, if anything, is considered a good marriage gift?
8. How big are families, typically?
9. What constitutes a household? How many people live in one household? How many generations?
10. How common is domestic violence? Is it understood to be a problem, or a normal aspect of family life?

5. Questions of Customs and Social Life.

1. What colors are associated with power? With virtue? With death?
2. If two men get into a fight, how is this supposed to be resolved? Two women?
   How do people demonstrate grief?
3. Who inherits property? Titles? Position?
4. What are the most popular games? How important are they?
5. When and how does someone go from child to adult?
6. How much free time do people usually get? What do they spend this time doing?
7. What social classes or divisions exist in this society? If so, can people move from one class to another?
8. Are there any benefits to being of one class over another
9. How independant or codependant are individuals?
10. What are the expectations of children?

6. Food and Fashion

1. Describe how daily food is obtained.
2. What are typical dishes and specialties of the region?
3. How is the table arranged? How do people sit while eating?
4. Are there restaurants, popinas, street vendors or other places where food may be bought in public?
5. How much does a typical meal cost, if bought and not grown at home?
6. What kind of clothes do people wear? How does this vary by season, ethnicity, age, profession, etc?
7. How do the genders dress: what differences are there between mens and womens clothing and accessories?
8. How is clothing made, in small shops or larger factories?
9. What clothing customs do people observe? (Removing shoes when entering a household, etc.)
10. What kinds of jewelry do people wear? And when?

7. Entertainments

1. Does the culture have outlets for dramatic arts (theater, puppetry)?
2. What other major forms of entertainment are there?
3. Is the populace literate and numerate?
4. Do people read for pleasure? If so, what do they read?
5. How much do books, magazines, broadsheets and the like cost?
6. Is there a public library system? Who uses it?
7. Who are popular authors and poets?
8. Who are some of the more famous characters from literature?
9. Does this culture have a typical dance form? What is it like?
10. How do people listen to music (in a theater, at home, on the street, mechanical)?

8. Questions of Manners.

1. Who speaks first at a formal gathering?
2. What kinds of gifts are considered appropriate or in extremely bad taste?
3. How do younger adults address their elders?
4. When is it rude to laugh at something funny?
5. What kinds of questions cannot be asked in public? In private? At all?
6. What parts of the body are routinely covered?
7. How private are bodily functions like bathing or defecating?
8. What are the local greetings and farewells?
9. How do spouses/siblings/friends display affection in public?
10. How do people treat guests or strangers?
     

9. Questions of Faith & Magic

1. What ritual objects are used in the religion (relics, talismans, medals, charms, etc)?
2. What religious officials are there? Is there a formal clergy? How are they organized?
3. What do people believe happens to them after death? How, if at all, can they influence this?
4. What do people have to offer to their Deity or deities?
5. What is the most commonly broken religious rule?
6. How can an outsider join the religious community?
7. Does the religion send out missionaries? What role(s) do they play?
8. What relationship do religious and political leaders have?
9. How are dreams and visions encompassed by the religion?
10. Who can work magic? Is anyone disallowed from working magic?

10. Questions of Labor.

1. Describe any kind of division of labor, such as into physical versus mental versus spiritual.
2. Is there any especial prestige attached to some category of labor or a particular job?
3. What jobs are considered mucky or are particularly depreciated?
4. What professions or activities are considered masculine?
5. What professions or activities are viewed as feminine?
6. What are usual working hours? Are there days of rest or holidays?
7. What jobs have few workers and why?
8. What are typical wages for various jobs?
9. How does work affect lifestyle and health
10. What are the ethical oaths or codes that govern various jobs? Is there a difference in ethics between manual and mental or spiritual work?

11. Questions of Art.

1. Do artists require official or unofficial protection or patronage?
2. What kinds of trouble are artists in particular likely to find themselves in?
3. How naturalistic or stylized is your society's art?
4. What shapes are most common in your society's arts, like embroidery or architecture?
5. Which art-forms get the most and least respect?
6. What form does censorship take?
7. Who may not be an artist?
8. What qualities equal "beauty" in this society?
9. How do people react to tattoos? Piercings? Facial hair? Cosmetics?
10. Do people enjoy looking at art? Where can they go to enjoy art?

12. Questions of Health.

1. What access do people have to clean drinking water (at home or in public)?
2. Do houses or public buildings have plumbing? Cold and warm water?
3. Describe any public or private bathing or latrine facilities.
4. How is health-care delivered in this society; what are its foundations?
5. Are there hospitals or temples where many forms of health care are concentrated; or are practitioners more diffuse within the community?
6. What kinds of ailments or injuries are treatable in the locality using available supplies and expertise?
7. How do this society's doctors try to treat wounds and sickness?
8. Do people seek care on an as-needed or emergency basis; or is health care seen as a preventative endeavor.
9. What happens to those suffering from extreme mental illness? Spiritual illness? Other?
10. How do people react to physical deformity (both congenital and acquired)

13. Questions of Sex & Marriage.

1. How do people react to homosexuality?
2. How do people react to interracial relationships?
3. Are premarital sexual relations allowed? Extramarital?
4. Is prostitution legal? How are prostitutes viewed? Is this accurate?
5. What does this society mean by the word "virgin" and how important it it?
6. How does your society define incest? Rape? How do people react to these?
7. Are there secular laws that control or restrict sexual behavior?
8. How is a marriage defined? How is a marriage contracted?
9. What gifts are considered appropriate or inappropriate for a wedding?
10. How are marriages celebrated?

14. Questions of Education.

1. Describe the education of the society's people: formal schooling, apprenticeship, etc.
2. Is education compulsory / offered to everyone? What is the cost of education?
3. Between which ages does education happen?
4. How are year groups and academic years arranged?
5. What degrees or diplomas are offered by schools?
6. What do schools / colleges / universities look like?
7. Who is in charge of education in the country, and in each individual school?
8. Does this society have its own language? Its own writing system?
9. What form and value are books?
10. Who teaches others? How are teacher's valued?

15. Questions of Technology.

1. What devices and technologies are available for people?
2. Are such devices taken for granted? If not, how many are appreciated?
3. How is knowledge distributed? Is it kept unknown to the common people, or is available for all?
4. What forms of technology are suspect or taboo?
5. What are houses like inside and out?
6. What are palaces and castles like?
7. How tall is the tallest building? How big is the biggest building?
8. What materials are used in typical construction? Do any materials have to be imported?
9. How are buildings constructed? Are there machines or is work done by hand?
10. What are some famous landmarks in the region? Why are they famous? Are they famous internationally?

16. Questions of Transportation and Communications.

1. How do people get from place to place? Does this vary at all in different places
2. Do people make long journeys? If so, what are they like?
3. Is there a public transport system? Who uses it? How much does it cost?
4. What are the roads like? How do they vary from place to place?
5. Do individuals or families own and use their own vehicles?
6. How safe and clean is the typical transport system?
7. What major fuels are used?
8. Apart from face to face, how do people communicate with each other?
9. Is there a postal service? How fast is it? How much does it cost to use? What restrictions are there on packet delivery? Does the post operate internationally? How likely is it that an article sent in the post will reach its intended destination
10. What technical or mechanical means of communications exist?

17. Questions of Economics.

1. What is the local economy based on?
2. How is commerce engaged in?
3. If levied, how are taxes collected? What are such revenues used for? How does taxation affect the people?
4. What do people expect from their government in return for the taxes paid?
5. What is the local currency like? Is currency issued by a central authority or by some decentralised means?
6. How does it compare to other neighboring currencies?
7. How are coins and notes produced? How common are forgeries?
8. Is there a public banking system?
9. Is there a large gap between the wealth of the rich and poor? What expectations do each group have from the other?
10. What constitutes "poverty" in this society?

18. Questions of Death and Burial.

1. What is their understanding of death and dying?
2. What does this society do with their corpses: burial, cremation, ect?
3. How is the family responsible for the body?
4. What part do the priests play?
5. Are there cemeteries at all or does everyone have a crypt in back with all the relatives in it?
6. What objects are commonly interred with the dead?
7. Do people visit the dead? If so, how often and why?
8. What do people in this culture think about suicide?
9. How does this society view necromancy and the undead?
10. Are resurrection, reincarnation spells available in this culture? How does magic affect the society's view of death?

19. Questions of Law.

1. How is government chosen? If the government is elected, who can vote? How are
2. voters registered and elections carried out?
   Who decides whether someone has broken a law? How?
   What kinds of punishments are meted out? By whom? Why?
3. Once accused, what recourse does someone have?
4. How do government officials dress?
5. What are the most common or dangerous forms of criminal?
6. Is there a civilian police force, or is law enforcement the province of the military
7. What is the extent of their authority? Can they shoot you? Can they use magic
8. Can they torture or otherwise force a confession? Can they use telepathy?
9. Is there a secret police?
10. Are there individuals or groups who are above the law?

20. Questions of Warfare

1. Does the country have an armed force? What types? What size?
2. Who declares war? Who has the power to declare conditions of peace?
3. What happens to prisoners taken in battle?
4. What weapons are favored by the various armed forces?
5. Who are the Elite warriors? What distinguishes them?
6. Where do the loyalties of military units lie?
7. What is campaign or camp life like?
8. What ethical or moral codes do warriors adhere to?
9. What do soldiers do when there's no war?
10. What defenses are available to cities?

What Zaharam-Chapelle-Parunas inspired details will you incorporate into your world?

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