Worldbuilding: Law & Order

What legal system did they have and how were they chosen?

Who enforced laws? Local councils made up of citizens, judges only, local or regional magistrates, or a court system with juries?

Who served on juries? How were they chosen?

Did they have representatives such as lawyers, solicitors, etc. and how were they chosen: court appointed or services purchased?

How often did the judges or courts convene?

Were they local or traveling?

List the legal hierarchy. Did they have uniforms or badges?

Did they have guards, sentries, police, detectives, or private investigators, and how were they chosen or qualified?

Were they armed or trained to fight?

List the enforcement hierarchy. Did they have uniforms or badges?

Did they have cages, oubliettes, dungeons, prisons, jails, or other forms of incarceration?

What were the top crimes? What was the punishment for each?

How did they feel about rebellion, peaceful protest, or violent protests?

What type of intelligence agencies did they have: CIA, NSA, MI5, Scotland Yard, spies?

What type of military did they have? Did they have uniforms or badges?

How did they view their veterans or warriors? Were they valued? Were they taken care of? Were they admired or looked down on?

What methods of execution or torture did they have?

Next week, we will explore government.

For advanced world-building, the SBB Build A World Workbook is available in print and e-book.

Other titles in the series:

Story Building Blocks: The Four Layers of Conflict available in print and e-book takes you from story seed to conflict outline. The fourteen companion Build A Plot Workbooks, in print and e-book, offer step by step development prompts: Comedy, Con, Heist & Prison Break, Fantasy, Gothic, Historical, Horror, Literary
(Drama),  Mystery, Road Trip, Romance, Science Fiction, Team Victory, Thriller & Suspense, Western.

SBB II Crafting Believable Conflict in print and e-book and the Build A Cast Workbook in print and e-book help you build a believable cast and add conflict based on the sixteen personality types.

SBB III The Revision Layers in print and e-book helps you self-edit your manuscript.

Free story building tools are available at www.dianahurwitz.com.