Forecasting the porosity and permeability of sandstone prior to drilling and away from the wellbore are key tasks for successful petroleum exploration and field development. Largely, these tasks are approached using clouds of analog data or via determination of rock properties from seismic response. However, a system of forecasting has been developed that is based on: i) how sand responds to effective stress through compaction, and ii) how sand responds to temperature through cementation and grain alteration. The system takes advantage of linking detailed petrographic observations and routine core analysis with burial history data. The resulting analogs and numerical analysis provides a basis for reservoir quality prediction and sensitivity analysis outside of anything possible from other approaches. This presentation provides an introduction to this rock-based and petrology-centric approach. An example from the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico is used to demonstrate its applicability.