The Worldbuilder’s Tavern

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.
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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

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 and why?
How do governments/institutions/power structures respond?
Do new religions/belief systems/factions emerge as a result of the event?
What has permanently changed about reality after the event? Are there new dangers introduced?
Are there new opportunities created in the wake of the event? Resources, technologies, etc.
What everyday behaviors must change in order for people to function after the event?
What’s the emotional and psychological fallout?
What do people think caused the event? Are there secrets waiting to be discovered? Who controls the information about what really happened?
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White (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 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.
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White (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 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 more bestial?
What is the full-grown size of our dragon?
What does our dragon look like? Does it display any aspects of sexual dimorphism?
What is our dragon’s diet?
What is our dragon’s lifecycle?
Does our dragon have any magical/supernatural powers? 
Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
Next month’s novel: Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle (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