by
Chris Winkle
Rational magic systems powered by consistent metaphysical laws are cool and useful, but they aren’t the right choice for every project. Whether you want spells to feel hilariously random or your magic is too complex and variable to explain, sometimes it’s more practical to invent … read more »Q&A
by
Chris Winkle
I’m having trouble creating a magic system that is balanced. I am attempting to make a system in which magic comes from energy within and is directed through will. It has an elements style theme (fire, water, earth, air, shadow, light, etc). However, I find … read more »Worldbuilding
by
Oren Ashkenazi
Set your sails by a mage wind and gather round the werelight: it’s time for this worldbuilding series to take a look at the prolific and influential Ursula K. Le Guin, an author who penned everything from high fantasy to children’s stories about cats with … read more »Analysis
by
Oren Ashkenazi
Season two of The Umbrella Academy is finally here, and it is definitely a TV show. Not a good TV show, mind you, but it does have a series of filmed episodes that are approximately the same length arranged in chronological order, and that’s gotta … read more »Podcast
by
Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle and Fay Onyx
With a snap of our fingers and an abracadabra, we summon this podcast to appear, as if by a system of magic. That’s right, it’s time to talk about magic systems, something your story has the moment you decide to include supernatural elements. Not all … read more »Worldbuilding
by
Oren Ashkenazi
When building a magic system, authors are faced with a balancing act. If they restrict their magic too much, then it won’t be cool and interesting. That defeats the whole point of magic! On the other hand, if an author doesn’t put enough restrictions on … read more »Podcast
by
Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle and Wes Matlock
I could tell you what this podcast is about, but how would you know if I was telling the truth? Normally, you’d just have to trust me, but in fantasy stories, we can have magic that stops people from lying. That’s what we’re talking about … read more »Podcast
by
Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle and Wes Matlock
Mages are difficult to oppress, what with how they can teleport and shoot fire out of their hands, but that doesn’t stop authors from trying. Some stories manage to get past the practical barriers of oppressing mages before running into the socio-political ones, but we’re … read more »Worldbuilding
by
Chris Winkle and Oren Ashkenazi
Whenever we create a magic system, we have to choose how it ends up in the hands of our characters. While this comes in an unlimited number of flavors, acquisition generally falls into five basic methods. These methods determine who has magic, who doesn’t, and … read more »Worldbuilding
by
Chris Winkle
Since I posted my instructions on creating rational magic systems years ago, I’ve gotten questions from readers on how to make their magic systems more rational. I found that in many of these cases, the asker was creating a magic system that was more like … read more »
Rational magic systems powered by consistent metaphysical laws are cool and useful, but they aren’t the right choice for every project. Whether you want spells to feel hilariously random or your magic is too complex and variable to explain, sometimes it’s more practical to invent … read more » 
I’m having trouble creating a magic system that is balanced. I am attempting to make a system in which magic comes from energy within and is directed through will. It has an elements style theme (fire, water, earth, air, shadow, light, etc). However, I find … read more » 
Set your sails by a mage wind and gather round the werelight: it’s time for this worldbuilding series to take a look at the prolific and influential Ursula K. Le Guin, an author who penned everything from high fantasy to children’s stories about cats with … read more » 
Season two of The Umbrella Academy is finally here, and it is definitely a TV show. Not a good TV show, mind you, but it does have a series of filmed episodes that are approximately the same length arranged in chronological order, and that’s gotta … read more » 
With a snap of our fingers and an abracadabra, we summon this podcast to appear, as if by a system of magic. That’s right, it’s time to talk about magic systems, something your story has the moment you decide to include supernatural elements. Not all … read more » 
When building a magic system, authors are faced with a balancing act. If they restrict their magic too much, then it won’t be cool and interesting. That defeats the whole point of magic! On the other hand, if an author doesn’t put enough restrictions on … read more » 
Whenever we create a magic system, we have to choose how it ends up in the hands of our characters. While this comes in an unlimited number of flavors, acquisition generally falls into five basic methods. These methods determine who has magic, who doesn’t, and … read more » 
Since I posted my instructions on creating rational magic systems years ago, I’ve gotten questions from readers on how to make their magic systems more rational. I found that in many of these cases, the asker was creating a magic system that was more like … read more » 
