The Worldbuilder’s Tavern

Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise as we create a zombie outbreak by answering these nine questions:
What quintessential parts of zombie lore must be preserved to make it recognizable as a zombie?
What is causing the zombification? How/where did it originate?
What are the first symptoms of zombification? What are the later symptoms of zombification? What are the final symptoms of zombification? At what point does the host die?
What are the zombies’ strengths and weaknesses?
What motivates the zombies?
Does the zombification affect only humans, or any animals as well?
How does zombification spread?
What do people think is happening before they realize it’s a zombie outbreak?
What are the impacts on society of the zombie outbreak?
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Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (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

Join us for a chat about the worldbuilding in the adult horror novel What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. We discuss gross mushrooms, how the author uses line level techniques to create a sense of dread and deliver worldbuilding information, modern pronouns in a historical fantasy, and more.
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (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

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?
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: What Moves the Dead by  T. Kingfisher (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

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.
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (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

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, feed, and survive in its ocean environment?
What role does the sea creature play in the ocean’s balance?
What rules, instincts, or laws govern the sea creature’s behavior?
What powers, if any, does the sea creature possess? What are the costs of using those powers?
What kind of myths are told about the sea creature? What truths and distortions do those myths contain?
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (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

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.
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (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

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 has FTL travel, what is the mechanism for it?
Is this a populated or un-populated craft? If the former, how many crew/passengers does it carry?
Does the craft possess any level of sentience? If so, what is its temperament/personality like? 
What does the craft look like? Size, shape, colour, etc. 
Is the technology of this craft unique, or widely-used?
What is the craft’s fuel source?
What is the craft’s impact on the world(s) around it?
How do you get from the craft to other places?
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen (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

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.
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (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

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 superpowers?
Are superpowers rare or common?
Can a person only have one power, or is it possible to have many?
How does society view people with superpowers?
 
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (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

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.
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (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