Learning to Build

After completing your application, you gain building privileges on the server. These guides cover what you need to know as a contributor to the WesterosCraft project, and everyone with building status should be familiar with them.

Throughout this documentation, "builders" refers to anyone with building privileges, not just the Builder role specifically.

How the Project Works

WesterosCraft has developed its own way of running itself over the years it's been in development. Two systems do most of the work: an Apprenticeship that teaches and grows new builders, and a project system that tracks and organizes the work builders do.

Community

Our builders come from around the world, with different backgrounds, perspectives, and building traditions. The community works to establish shared ground for respectful collaboration regardless of where you're from, and to stay open-minded about how others approach building.

The Server Rules and the Feedback guide set expectations for giving and receiving feedback, resolving disagreements, and working together. Builders across different time zones and cultures need common standards to collaborate asynchronously without misunderstandings. Respectful communication and constructive criticism apply equally to everyone, from new Apprentices to the Admins themselves.

Apprenticeship

New members join as Apprentices, a probationary role where you learn WesterosCraft's building standards through hands-on work. Apprenticeship usually lasts two weeks to a month, though it can run longer depending on your progress and activity.

You'll be assigned a Steward, an experienced builder who mentors new members. Your Steward reviews builds, gives detailed feedback, and helps you navigate the server's tools, standards, and project system. They're your primary resource for questions throughout probation.

To complete apprenticeship and become a full Builder, you need to:

Build at least five complete houses across five different locations
Demonstrate responsiveness to feedback and a willingness to learn
Maintain consistent activity over the probation period. We understand real life happens, but long gaps may mean starting from scratch.
Show a collaborative, positive attitude

The five-build requirement exists to expose you to different regional styles and building contexts. Each build receives feedback through your application thread, melon blocks placed in-game with detailed comments, or one-on-one voice chat with your Steward. You address the feedback, make revisions, and apply what you learned to the next build.

Once you've completed your apprenticeship, you can start contributing to and leading your own projects in Westeros.

Project System

WesterosCraft organizes all building work through a Project System. Projects are almost always categorized by region (the Iron Islands, the Crownlands, etc.) and vary widely in size and ambition, each with its own scope, approval requirements, and leadership oversight. Read Project Types for the full breakdown of project types and how each one works.

Applying for Projects

To lead a project, you submit an application with research, planning, and test builds that demonstrate you understand the location's context and can execute your vision. Applications require approval from one or two Wardens, depending on the project type.

Once approved, you build according to your plans, open plots for other builders to help, and receive ongoing feedback from project managers. Projects move through defined stages from planning through post-approval refinement, which keeps every build consistent with surrounding areas and established lore.

Leadership and Project Management

Different roles carry different responsibilities across a project's lifecycle.

Apprentices can claim plots and apply for Mini Builds within projects, but cannot apply to lead projects. They must complete probation first.
Builders can apply to lead and manage individual projects from application through completion. A Builder becomes a project leader by submitting an application and getting it approved, then maintains quality standards, coordinates contributors, and manages Plots and Mini Builds within their project.
Stewards mentor Apprentices but do not directly approve projects.
Wardens are the project managers for their region (North, Reach, Dorne, etc.). They approve every project type and conduct post-approval reviews. Canon Projects need one Warden, while Server and City Projects need two.
Maesters handle community moderation and guide new members through the application and apprenticeship process. They confirm promotions to full Builder, but project approvals rest with the Wardens.

Building Philosophy

Building on WesterosCraft comes down to three core considerations: canon, style, and worldbuilding. Understanding these is essential before starting any project.

Canon

For projects based on book locations, canon research is your foundation. Research the location in the books using your own copy and tools like A Search of Ice and Fire to find mentions of it. Read entire chapters, not just extracted quotes. This helps you understand a location's role in key events, its relationships to other places, and the details that should shape your build.

Architectural details Martin mentions in the text are typically requirements, not suggestions. If he describes "drumtowers" or "slate roofs," your project should include them.

Analyzing implied information is encouraged too. If your location hosts feasts for a hundred, your great hall should reasonably accommodate that. If a castle is described as "impregnable," its fortifications should reflect genuine defensive sophistication.

Generally, the larger the project, the deeper the research required. Big projects need a comprehensive understanding that accounts for every implication and the spatial relationships to the map and surrounding builds.

Regional Style

Every region of Westeros has a distinct architectural style. Study completed projects in your region extensively, noting block palettes, detailing approaches, roof styles, and techniques. Prioritize recently completed projects; older builds may not reflect current standards.

Regional styles are defined in-game in our Repository world:

The North: /warp northstyle
The Vale: /warp valestyle
The Riverlands: /warp riverlandsstyle
The Iron Islands: /warp ironstyle
The Westerlands: /warp westerlandsstyle
The Crownlands: /warp crownlandsstyle
The Reach: /warp reachstyle
The Stormlands: /warp stormlandsstyle
Dorne: /warp dornestyle

Worldbuilding

Martin's books give sparse descriptions for most locations. Builders interpret what's written and expand on details he never specified, which means thinking through how a location actually functions within the larger world.

Key questions to consider:

What's nearby, and what roads connect here?
What would regional people build in this spot?
What economic or defensive purpose does this serve?
What does the terrain support?
Is this on a major route or isolated?
How does climate affect building choices?
What resources exist, and how do people sustain themselves?

These questions help you develop locations that feel lived-in and logical rather than arbitrary. Some have already been answered at the server level, like climate patterns and regional economics, so check with the Wardens or your regional Discord channel to understand what's already established.

Where to Go From Here

This page is your starting point. The rest of the Building section fills in the details:

Apprenticeship Guide walks through probation step by step, from your first build to becoming a full Builder.
Project Types defines the four project types, the statuses a project moves through, and how work breaks down into Plots, Mini Builds, and Districts.
Application Guidelines explains how to apply once you're ready to lead a project of your own.
Lifecycle maps the full journey of a project from idea to finished build.
Project Roles covers who's who across the hierarchy.
Builder Tools covers the in-game commands and utilities you'll use day to day.
Basic Building Guide gets into practical technique and block usage.
Feedback explains how feedback works and whose input is authoritative.

You don't need to absorb all of this at once. Start with the Apprenticeship Guide, then work through the rest as they become relevant to what you're building. When something isn't clear, ask in your regional Discord channel or reach out to your Steward.