The Worldbuilder’s Tavern

Join us for a chat about Over the Garden Wall, the animated series that you have probably never heard of! We chat about dream sequences, leaving clues, over-explaining, and trusting your readers.
Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
Proprietor's Pick: The Horrible Bag of Terrible Things by Rob Renzetti 
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Season Two is here! In this episode, we talk about the TV series Wheel of Time, adapted from the novels by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. We chat about complex worldbuilding and how to distill it, why it doesn't matter if the show is different from the book, and gendered magic systems.
Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
Proprietor's Pick: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao 
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It's the Season One finale! In this episode, we talk about House of the Dragon, so be prepared for some dark and disturbing topics. Allison gives her top seven horrifying moments from the show, and we give some tips on how to write your own grimdark worlds.
Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
Proprietor's Pick: The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan
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In this episode, we talk about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom with guest Jeni Chappelle! We talk about how to immerse readers in your world, telling information out of order, and how to write interesting puzzles.
Jeni is an independent book editor, a co-founder and editor for Twitter pitch event Revise & Resub (#RevPit); and co-host of the Indie Chicks and Story Chat Radio podcasts. Find her at Jeni Chappelle Editorial.
Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
Proprietor's Pick: In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
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Access bonus content and support us on Patreon

We discuss Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer in this episode! We talk about how weird it is, the unsettling narration style, and how to worldbuild according to genre.
Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
Proprietor's Pick: Lone Women by Victor LaValle
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As per Bigolas Dickolas's recommendation, we're discussing the novella This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone! Learn how to use worldbuilding as a backdrop and subtle ways to deliver worldbuilding in this week's episode.
Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
Proprietor's Pick: Translation State by Anne Leckie
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What is worldbuilding without fat dragons, magicless bards, and birdfolk named Jarnathan? Join us for a discussion about the fun romp that is Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
And don't forget to vote on the topic of our finale episode! Will we discuss the worldbuilding of Wednesday, The Last of Us, or House of the Dragon? It's up to you, dear listeners! Cast your vote on Twitter here. If you're a patron, vote here instead, and your vote counts as double!
Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
Proprietor's Pick: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
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Support us on Patreon to access bonus content.

In this episode, we rant about capitalism and unfair political systems. We dig into the dystopian world of The Hunger Games (both the movies and the books by Suzanne Collins) and argue about whether Snow could have ever been a good person.
Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
Proprietor's Pick: The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
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Support us on Patreon to vote on topics and access bonus episodes.

In this episode, we discuss season three of The Mandalorian. Hear us chat about the writing being more disjointed this season, the strange episode with Doctor Pershing that shows the world under the New Republic's wing, and the differing cultures of the two Mandalorian groups. Also, is Din Djarin even the titular Mandalorian in this season?
Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
Proprietor's Pick: The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa
Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
Support us on Patreon to vote on topics and access bonus episodes.

In this episode, we discuss seasons one and two of The Mandalorian.
Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
Proprietor's Pick: Star Wars Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson
Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
Support us on Patreon to vote on topics and access bonus episodes.