Building Mass Effect: How Bioware Imagines the Future
Whatever the Reapers are working toward, it must be big!
Latest in History
Building Age of Myth: How Sullivan Employs the Neolithic
Sullivan's setting has lots of novelty, but bronze and copper swords don't work that way.
Episode 334: Monarchy in Spec Fic
All hail the one true podcaster!
Episode 332: Unusual Settings
Castles, spaceships, and high tech cities are all great, but they can get a bit repetitive.
Six Principles for Becoming a Better Worldbuilder
Worldbuilding is complicated, but a few universal principles can provide guidance.
Episode 318: Lost Knowledge
Is lost knowledge always found in the last place you look?
Building Crescent City: How Maas Remixed Old Tropes
Hey there, friend, do you feel like joining some vampires for a night out on the town?
It’s Time to Throw Out The Hero With a Thousand Faces
Honor this book for how it impacted us and stop celebrating it as a storytelling achievement.
How Our Stories Abandon Morality for Gray-Colored Lenses
Pretending black and white conflicts are gray excuses evil and enables injustice.
Building Arrakis: How Herbert Sabotaged His Own Ideas
Cool space worms can't save Dune from sexism, racism, and absurdity.
Six Ridiculous Cultures in Speculative Fiction
Don't hang your plot on a broken setting.
Building Temeraire: How Novik Included Diversity and Justice in a Historical Setting
Does the worldbuilding pass muster, or will it go down like a sinking French frigate?
Episode 269: Disease in Spec Fic
For no reason at all, disease seems to be on a lot of authors’ minds right now.
Siege Warfare Before Gunpowder
The fantasy genre is stuffed with sieges, even in series other than Lord of the Rings!
How Do Cannons Affect Your Naval Combat?
Recently, I went over the naval tactics your characters might use in a world without gunpowder.
Choosing Naval Tactics for Your Pre-Gunpowder World
A while back, I wrote about the trials and tribulations of traveling by water.
Episode 229: Research
Sometimes we want to put something in our stories, but we don’t know much about it.
Building a Democracy in Your Fantasy World
Most governments in fantasy settings are authoritarian.
Five Ways Terrain Can Affect Fantasy Battles
Writing fantasy battles can seem overwhelming when you’re first starting out.
Dave L