The Worldbuilder’s Tavern
Welcome to The Worldbuilder’s Tavern — where great books meet creative minds. Twice a month, we explore the worlds inside your favourite sci-fi and fantasy novels and build our own right alongside them. Whether you're constructing your next novel, TTRPG setting, or just love speculative fiction, pull up a chair at the Tavern!
Episodes
Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise as we create a space colony by answering these six questions:
- Why are people leaving Earth to establish a colony on another planet?
- What planet are they colonizing? Why that one?
- Who is leaving Earth?
- How does the group of people impact the culture of the new colony?
- What kind of government does the colony establish?
- What kind of economy does the colony establish?
Join us for a chat about the worldbuilding in the adult space opera Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S.A. Corey. We discuss the mystery/noir feeling of Miller's chapters, how the two narrators are foils for each other, balancing politics with adventure in a sci-fi novel, and more.
Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise as we create a sea creature by answering these eight questions:
- What type of being is the sea creature—biological, spiritual, celestial, etc.?
- What does its body look like? How is it shaped by the depth, currents, and/or pressure of the water?
- How did the sea creature come into existence? Creation, transformation, evolution, punishment?
- How does the sea creature move, breathe...
Join us for a chat about the worldbuilding in the YA mythological fantasy Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. We discuss African and Yoruba mythology, gods, fairy tale retellings, "The Little Mermaid," foreshadowing, and more.
Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise as we create a spacecraft by answering these ten questions:
- What is the purpose of the craft?
- What scale of distance does this craft travel? Does it orbit a single planet? Travel between multiple in the same solar system? Travel vast lightyears across the universe?
- How fast does it travel? If it ...
Join us for a chat about the worldbuilding in the comedic sci-fi novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. We discuss political humour, absurdism, aliens, the importance of writing craft, and more.
Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise as we create a superpower-based magic system by answering these eight questions:
- Are the superpowers based on magic or science or both?
- Do the powers have a theme to them?
- Do people gain powers randomly, are they born with them, or can they acquire them in some intentional way?
- What can people do with their superpowers?
- What are the limits, requirements, or costs of having the supe...
Join us for a chat about the writing and worldbuilding in the fantasy murder mystery novel Voyage of the Damned by Frances White. We discuss genre blends, how to help readers keep track of multiple characters, what makes a novel voicey, and more.
Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise in creating a cataclysmic event!
Here are the ten questions we answered in this episode, which can help guide you in building your own cataclysm.
- What is the nature of the event? Natural vs supernatural; single vs multiple events; unprecedented vs repeat, etc.
- What is the scale and impact of the event? Who or what is most affected, both immediate and long term?
- Who survives a...
Join us for a chat about the writing and worldbuilding in the horror novel Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle. We discuss luck and math as a magic system, how people react to trauma, and the wonderful weirdness of horror.
Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise in creating a dragon!
Here are the seven questions we answered in this episode, which can help guide you in building your own dragon.
- What hallmarks of traditional dragons are essential to keep in order for something to still be considered a dragon?
- What is our dragon’s intellectual capacity? Is it sentient, or m...
Join us for a chat about the writing and worldbuilding in the fantasy novel, A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan. We discuss dragons as the topic of academic study, worldbuilding inspired by Victorian England, and memoir-style novels.
In this episode, we're talking about writing and worldbuilding in the post-apocalyptic with zombies TV show (based on the video game series of the same name), The Last of Us.
- Proprietor's Pick: The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern...
In this episode, we're talking about writing and worldbuilding in the paranormal romance novel Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.
- Proprietor's Pick: Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Website...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the children's fantasy (with vikings) movie How to Train Your Dragon.
- Proprietor's Pick: Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the urban fantasy novel Jade City by Fonda Lee. (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Proprietor's Pick: The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Website...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the sci-fi alien invasion series Animorphs by K.A. Applegate.
- Proprietor's Pick: Ice Wolves by Amie Kaufman (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Website...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the fantasy novel The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.
- Proprietor's Pick: Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: ...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the gothic romance movie Crimson Peak.
- Proprietor's Pick: The Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Website | ...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the sci-fi/LitRPG novel Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Proprietor's Pick: The Wandering Inn by pirateaba
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Website ...
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