Highly realistic, outside-in world building

[Nyarlathotep]

As I am creating a map for a campaign setting, I wish to have as realistic terrain as possible. I know the basics, like water flows down hill, a current from the equator makes regions more temperate, areas removed from large bodies of water become arid, but would love a guide or a list of the steps to go through for realistic world building.

Does such an item exist?

[andre]

You might find this helpful. None of it is mine, and I first saw it on the ZBB, and all credit for it goes to those who created and contributed to it there.

[Midgardsormr]

The Climate Cookbook posted above is excellent. I also typically recommend Expeditious Retreat Press' A Magical Society: Guide to Mapping, which is a free chapter from their book A Magical Society: Ecology and Culture.

[Nyarlathotep]

Thanks a lot, guys! It should come along nicely. I'll publish the map when it is finished

[jbgibson]

Squiddoo has a pretty extensive list of worldbuilding resources.

[altasilvapuer]

There are also a number of maps with fairly detailed processes here on the boards that you can follow:

The ones that guided me are those of Karro and Korba

Some more recent ones have come along, as well, that have clarified other steps:
Laime (most stages covered, especially tectonics):
http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=5508
Gidde (tectonics and ocean currents, mostly)
http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=6539

And then there's the one I was working on back in the summer, which is linked in my signature. And I have another coming eventually when I have time to finish a few more stages and post it.

-asp