Worldbuild With Us

Worldbuild With Us

Where we create fantastical worlds with help from you, our listeners!

Episodes

March 21, 2024 40 mins

This week, we're jamming out with guest Jonnie Law to create two brand new mini settings on the spot! Our interpretations of random dice rolls take us in very different directions, featuring Lovecraftian horror, Neanderthal thots, dragon movies, social media, old man rants, and so much more, for better or worse.

Editor's Note: Courtney's recently-adopted cat has been named Bear. Crisis averted.

 

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Symphony of the earth, blood of the ocean...In this episode, we wrap up this sentient planet and its musical inhabitants by reconciling with unreliability and venturing through air, land, and sea. There are totally no dwarves in this setting, totally. But if there were dwarves, how would they feel when they realize the true nature of that Big Dumb Object that came from the sky?

 

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This week, patron Sundji invites us to explore a mystical, musical world where the planet itself is sentient and its indigenous tribes use acoustic magic! Listen in to hear how social structures and relationships work, what rituals take place when groups communicate, what a Big Dumb Object might have in store for this realm...and how the planet feels about all of this noise.

 

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In the second part of this shadowy setting, we embrace the darkness and introduce factions and entities that don't always get along. Join us as we discover truth and myth, with healthy servings of spiritual cleansing, Taoism, and divine churros!

 

Do you have a setting you'd like us to build? Send us your worldbuilding prompt! https://forms.gle/F4SNMH3k7ea5fr1F8 And if you're feeling particularly generous, you can support us on Pat...

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This week, we're joined by guest Jonnie Law for the first part of a prompt from patron James: with their sun on the verge of a supernova, the population of a world flees onto the plane of shadows, which is supposed to be a reflection of the material plane. But how accurate is this reflection after all? How did this mirrored universe form in the first place? What kind of movies do they have at Shadow Blockbuster? Why is Klaus Nomi h...

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The wheel of fate is turning...At long last, we return to listener prompts with a soul-focused setting from a first-time submitter! Tune in as we infuse this world with theosophy, spirit photography, conspiracy, and the pursuit of perfection. Don't mess with destiny, folks.

 

Do you have a setting you'd like us to build? Send us your worldbuilding prompt! https://forms.gle/F4SNMH3k7ea5fr1F8 And if you're feeling particularly genero...

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February 8, 2024 61 mins

This week, we're joined by magic engineer and body horror aficionado Clark Rowenson for our first worldbuilding jam episode of the year! Random dice rolls direct us into genres like urban fantasy and cyberpunk, and we even break out the Monster Mash list for a little help along the way. Tune in for these three mini settings and their tales of control, vengeance, and consequence!

 

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February 1, 2024 61 mins

In our first Monster Mash of 2024, we're joined by guest Jonnie Law to reimagine vampires, everyone's favorite blood-sucking goths! We roll up three random sets of genres and features to create mini-settings on the spot, with everything from vampires in space to Bathory-style bloodbaths to medical mysteries.

If vampires aren't your thing, fear not: there are plenty of tangents to go around, too, of course. Anyone hungry for a hodag...

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In our last(ish) visit to this longform setting, we pit an unknowable force against an ancient evil, and build out the magic types of the world to unexpected results. Also: the mystique of Cillian Murphy's cheekbones.

 

Do you have a setting you'd like us to build? Send us your worldbuilding prompt! https://forms.gle/F4SNMH3k7ea5fr1F8 And if you're feeling particularly generous, you can support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.co...

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It's the third week of January, which means it's time for the third part of our 2024 longform series! We spice up this mystical setting with new conflicts and layers upon layers of intrigue. That Stag clan is awfully suspicious, don't you think?

 

Do you have a setting you'd like us to build? Send us your worldbuilding prompt! https://forms.gle/F4SNMH3k7ea5fr1F8 And if you're feeling particularly generous, you can support us on Pat...

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In the second part of this month-long series, we introduce druid-based factions to this strange world, which, yes, may involve cute animals. We also explore the magical connection between the lands of the living and dead, which is perhaps less cute.

For the record, Courtney only has 300 hours in Planet Zoo.

 

Do you have a setting you'd like us to build? Send us your worldbuilding prompt! https://forms.gle/F4SNMH3k7ea5fr1F8 And if ...

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Happy New Year, beloved listeners! Continuing our tradition from January 2023, we're returning to our roots by embarking on an original longform setting. Without a prompt and with just two tenets each, we start a fantastical realm where the rains contain life itself and where maps and calendars are so much more than static guides. What wonders remain hidden behind the storm clouds? What lurks at the bottom of the massive maw in the...

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December 28, 2023 51 mins

The end of the year is upon us, and so we take part in our traditional recap and reflection on some of our favorite settings from 2023! We each pick a world to revisit and expand upon, delving into topics like flesh trains, the dangers of bureaucracy, endless McMansions...and the eternal question of, "Will senpai ever notice Daniel?"

Thank you, listeners, for all your love and support! ❤️ Here's to even more blood, sweat, and...oth...

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In this edition of the patron-exclusive Aphid Lounge, Courtney and Daniel sit down with frequent-guest-host Jonnie Law to chat about using collaborative storytelling to level up your RPGs. We examine the concept of session zeroes and how they can help GMs create impactful adventures while connecting players to the worlds they build...And to show just how fun and useful randomized story hooks can be, we run a mini session zero in a ...

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This week, Rob interviews a few familiar faces—system creator/designer Daniel Quinn, setting designer/mechanics maestro Jonnie Law, and art director/editor Courtney Staples—about their newly-released tabletop roleplaying game OSR+: Advanced Old School Revival. The team talks about the inspiration behind this streamlined RPG system, its years of playtesting and refining, how YOU can get involved for free, and what the future might h...

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Floating islands rising from the ocean, tethered by chains. Prophecies in song, carried on the wind. Prog rock. These are just a few parts of a listener's bronze-age setting built on an idyllic seascape, traversed by kites and boats. But all is not as it seems, and to learn the truth we must go far into the planet's past, when the red star first rose and the royal pair still reigned together.

 

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In a special holiday season edition of a Monster Mash, we're rolling for a wintry mix of monsters! The fates (or dice, whichever you prefer) have us reimagining toys, elves, and reindeer in some rather grotesque ways, with settings spanning from FAO Schwarz all the way to space. Let Rudolph's blood-red glow guide you through the night, but remember, children: you can't ever truly buy your way off of Santa's naughty list...

 

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This week, a first-time prompt submitter asks us to build out a dangerous, magical world called Warevinet, populated by mermaids, winged humans, and boring ol' regular humans. We take inspiration from important cultural works like The Little Mermaid, The Dying Earth, Zoolander, and I Think You Should Leave to infuse this realm with petty wizards, aquatic vineyards, fashion-based magic, and so much more! Anyone got a spare skin suit...

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In this episode, we're finishing this dieselpunk alt-history Earth by boosting the military horror factor! Jonnie Law joins us once more as we take inspiration from media like Squid Game, Koyaanisqatsi, and Cronenberg's films to set up a few drastically different movie studios, all while contending with pesky cults and carnivorous robots. We cap it off with an adventure that spans the globe...and beyond.

Check out Jon's Roll for Na...

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We're gettin' real weird with history this week courtesy of a dieselpunk/blitzpunk prompt from patron Kaiser. Guest host Jonnie Law joins us as we scorch this alt history WWII-era Earth with battles and pollution, and then infuse it with occult artifacts, art-loving robots, and the power of cinema. Scientific accuracy? Ehh don't worry about it, we don't have any idea how diesel engines work either.

Check out Jon's Roll for Narrativ...

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