15 votes

How curious is too curious?

I think you might have stumbled onto an issue that first reared its head about two and a half years ago, waaaaay back in early 2016. It started with Is Worldbuilding a What If Site? - a discussion ...
HDE 226868's user avatar
  • 101k
14 votes

What do we do with these messy questions?

It is the responsibility of the OP to ask a clear, concise question That, as of the writing of my answer, is a question run amok. Rather than improving the question, the OP simply appended... and ...
JBH's user avatar
  • 122k
13 votes

Is a question in a title only sufficient, or does it need to be reiterated in the body?

The main reason why I think it is useful to repeat the question in the body of your post is that some questions can be really long. My questions for example are often quite long and that will lead to ...
Secespitus's user avatar
  • 17.7k
12 votes

Catalog of Question Types

I need an infinite list of things. Suitable: Off-Topic Description: These questions are usually idea-generating questions and are easily identified by their unconstrained nature. For example, "...
JBH's user avatar
  • 122k
12 votes

Catalog of Question Types

I need a situation that would enable a character to (do) X Suitable: Off-Topic Description: These questions are about a story set in a world, not about world building. They are sometimes fit for ...
The Square-Cube Law's user avatar
12 votes
Accepted

Nitpicking - Good or bad?

There's a difference between loop holes and "the spirit of the question." Which are you asking about? And if you're wondering why I asked that question... Asking a good question is hard — ...
JBH's user avatar
  • 122k
12 votes

I'm not understanding what is acceptable and not acceptable here

I read over both questions you cited. I think the first is a bit broad but not overly so. On your question, you don't say what metrics your using to choose one element over another. You just ask. ...
Green's user avatar
  • 52.8k
11 votes

Checklist for the perfect post - Idea refinement

Question: Have you done research on your topic and included everything that is important for your question? Should be answered: Yes Doing research is an important part of asking a ...
T3 H40's user avatar
  • 1,448
11 votes

Rage quit, frustration as a factor in question removal

It is a common issue This issue comes open more often than you may think. Two recent examples of people with this issue who started Meta discussion were Vylix, who started the discussion Asked a bad ...
Secespitus's user avatar
  • 17.7k
11 votes

"Am I asking too many questions?" Is it okay to ask more than you answer?

As a general rule of thumb, when a user does something wrong or off, they will notice. Either a moderator will get in touch, or the community will make it visible through comments, votes and meta ...
L.Dutch's user avatar
  • 285k
11 votes

What am I doing wrong in this question?

Any answer we can give here will be purely speculative until the miserable miscreants reveal their own rationales. In skimming the query, I can really only conclude that the issue might be one of your ...
elemtilas's user avatar
  • 39.9k
10 votes

Checklist for the perfect post - Idea refinement

Question: Do you ask how your character would act in a given situation? Should be answered: No This is the Worldbuilding StackExchange and therefore per definition not about character ...
T3 H40's user avatar
  • 1,448
10 votes

Checklist for the perfect post - Idea refinement

Question: Does the question title accurately and concisely summarize the specific question that you are asking? Should be answered: Yes The question title is very important for ...
user's user avatar
  • 29k
10 votes

Checklist for the perfect post - Idea refinement

Question: Do answers to your question depend on any knowledge specific to your setting that isn't included in the question, like how your magic system works? Should be answered: No. It's important to ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
10 votes

Should speculative biology questions be asked on Worldbuilding or Biology stack exchange?

Questions about speculative evolution are firmly on-topic on WorldBuilding (I am not active on Biology.SE, but in general other sites don't want speculative stuff) Questions involving speculative ...
Secespitus's user avatar
  • 17.7k
10 votes
Accepted

How do we get a cool popup when a question is asked?

That popup is already active network-wide. But it is only shown the first time you ask a question on a site. See the announcement on Meta Stack Exchange: The new ask page is now live on the network!
Glorfindel's user avatar
  • 2,220
10 votes
Accepted

Messed Up a Question

Once a question gets answer(s) it is preferred that any edit doesn't invalidate them, out of respect for those who put effort in writing them and to avoid that a QA site turns out into a forum where ...
L.Dutch's user avatar
  • 285k
9 votes

Catalog of Question Types

I need a finite list of things Suitable: On-Topic Description: These questions seek insight into a class of issues (I use "class" in the programming sense) that often leads to a bullet ...
JBH's user avatar
  • 122k
9 votes

Is the World building forum less effective than using individual forums related to your question?

You should ask a question on WorldBuilding.SE if you are interested in the perspective of worldbuilders. There are times when people can ask a question in similar form on multiple sites. But the ...
Secespitus's user avatar
  • 17.7k
9 votes
Accepted

Is a question asking for a method to generate ideas generally considered "too broad"?

Maybe my question should have had a list of requirements the method/answer shall fulfill (to narrow down the spectrum of valid methods and allow one answer to be clearly the best). This one. Think ...
L.Dutch's user avatar
  • 285k
9 votes

Minimum necessary context for answering questions and interlinked questions on Worldbuilding SE

If someone says that an answer is not appropriate because of context outside the body of the question, I suggest voting to close as "needs more details or clarity". This is the textbook ...
The Square-Cube Law's user avatar
9 votes

How should we deal with "vexatious questions?"

Assume the Best; Insist on the Awesomely Sufficient Assume the Best I think the best approach to any problem that, ultimately, distils down to a personal issue (in this case the querent's) is to ...
elemtilas's user avatar
  • 39.9k
8 votes

Checklist for the perfect post - Idea refinement

Question: Is the technological level of your world clear or has no influence? Should be answered: Yes This is a recurrent issue with many questions. The technological level has a huge ...
clem steredenn's user avatar
8 votes

Checklist for the perfect post - Idea refinement

Question: Are you asking about a large number of impacts resulting from your original situation? Should be answered: No These are are often referred as what ifs questions. Asking for ...
clem steredenn's user avatar
8 votes
Accepted

Should I flag "Best way to ..." questions involving magic as "opinion based"?

My humble opinion is that these are extremely helpful to world builders, can have reasonable estimates of "better or worse" (if not quantifiable), and fit the theme and purpose of this site. I think ...
Ranger's user avatar
  • 17.5k
8 votes

Is a question in a title only sufficient, or does it need to be reiterated in the body?

While I agree that a question can be located solely in the title, getting the format of the body right to accommodate that decision can be tricky. In this particular case, the body of the question ...
Frostfyre's user avatar
  • 25.2k
8 votes

Catalog of Question Types

Is it possible to X Alternate Patterns: What do you think about X? Suitability: On-Topic Description: These questions frequently ask Worldbuilding participants to verify the ...
JBH's user avatar
  • 122k
8 votes

Why can't I put my own questions on hold - or have it happen automatically

The designed mechanism for that is Sandbox for Proposed Questions - if you need to use it, use it. If you feel you do not need to use it - write it right. Many people here write all, or most, of their ...
Mołot's user avatar
  • 33.3k
8 votes

Cultural Worldbuilding: How to avoid closure?

Avoiding Closure A guide to writing soft-science questions which survive Seek Causes, Not Effects - soft-science questions which ask "what would happen if..." lead to speculative answers which ...
Henry Taylor's user avatar
  • 69.2k
8 votes

What Am I Doing Wrong?

Just wanted to encourage you to make use of the sandbox to tune your questions before posting them, as people can help you avoid certain pitfalls. Also, come visit the chat, as we can help you ...
AndyD273's user avatar
  • 34.7k

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible