Engineering principles for better fantasy worlds, cities, and dungeons.
Welcome.
This site explores fantasy worldbuilding through the lens of real-world civil engineering — how cities get water, why roads go where they do, how castles fail, and what makes dungeons feel like places instead of puzzles. I explore actionable ways to use engineering principles to make a world that is more consistent and immersive in fantasy settings.
You don’t need engineering experience to read these posts. Each article focuses on why something works, not equations or formal design. The goal is to give you mental models you can use at the table or on the page.
If you're a Game Master:
If you're a Writer or Worldbuilder:
If you're interested in Realism:
A core idea of this site is that infrastructure is storytelling. Roads shape politics. Water creates power. Fortifications reveal fear. When these systems make sense, the world feels alive — even when magic exists.
I’m a civil engineer who runs tabletop games and writes fantasy. I built this site because I kept seeing worlds fall apart the moment you asked simple questions about water, roads, or buildings — and because fixing those problems often creates better stories.