WorldCraft Club

Being GM is not easy. The worlds we create are supposed to ensnare our visitants and draw them in but when our audience have a mind of their own and desire to bring about meaningful change in our settings that can lead to some tricky situations. Greg from Worldbuilding.io joins us today to help us navigate the process of creating a setting that feels grounded but allows for dynamic change when encountering new ideas. Whether you’re into TTRPGs (Tabletop Roleplaying Games) or not, I think this medium has tons to teach us about crafting worlds that feel immersive and yet have vast story potential.   Key Takeaways Know your audience, Greg’s familiarity with his audience helped him know what artifacts to place in his setting that would draw his visitants in. He uses the example of an Arena. You have players who you know are excited about fighting, put an item in the setting that will draw some fun out of them. Kill your darlings. You’re going to have great ideas, characters you fleshed out completely, plot hooks or points that were precious and exciting to you that you’ll just have to lay on one side for the sake of creating an experience for your visitants. Another way I think I’d modify this old axiom is this: ‘Adapt your darlings’. Like in the example of the mayor having the key the vault, he might not have it but the girl at the bar who the players are interested in might. It allows you to retain your plot point while funneling your setting through the interests of your visitants. Your world is founded in its conflicts. Every conflict that exists in your setting provides an opportunity to engross your audience. In this instance the audience are creating some of those conflicts but having the humility to reframe those challenges as a chance to make your world even deeper will yield serious dividends.   Greg's Links Worldbuilding.io - Check out Greg's ite. It's a great clearing house for worldbuilding advice and a suite of tools to help with lots of different elements of your worldbuilding journey to get you ready for your next game. Greg on Twitter - Get your daily dose of worldbuilding wisdom here. Greg on Instagram - Or here. Greg's LinkTree - This contains links to Greg's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and a host of other goodies that you can find. WorldCraft Club The only link you'll ever need - This is our LinkTree, from here you can get access to our Discord Community (which you definitely need to join) as well as everything else we make including the Worldbuilder's Journal.

This Netflix series by Studio Trigger brought Night City to life in new and unexpected ways drawing so many of is in from the first episode of it’s tragic run. The Discord server was abuzz with ideas about it for weeks and many of us couldn’t wait to grab the mic and talk about it. What follows are some highlights from that conversation where we critically analyze the show and uncover some solid world building secrets from a setting that blew us all away. If you’re looking to grow as a storyteller and worldbuilder you’re going to love this one. Major Takeaways: Confidence in your setting and trust of your audience is key. Be bold about what you're making and resist the desire to breakdown and explain every element of your setting. The topics Edgerunners explored are timeless and run deep in the human soul: Identity, choice, love, death, and freindship. While the setting is contemporary and topical the world's deeper themes are what keep the setting perrenial. Links: The David Martinez - Marcos referenced this when he went on his riff about the origins of the ‘Cyber’ in ‘Cyberpunk’ Manga Shakespeare illustrated by Sonya Leon - Rach referenced this as being a great basis for a cyberpunk dueling corps romance. It’s a terrible idea. An amazing terrible idea. WorldCraft Club Link Tree - Get access to the Worldbuilder’s Journal, our nova Discord Community, social media channels and much much more through this link.

The best worlds might be grown rather than made. We often talk about these two separate concepts that exist in tension in solid worldbuilding. There’s wonder, this feeling of getting wrapped up in the scale of a setting, the sense of the unknown just beyond your eye line. Then there’s immersion, the grounded sensation that the world is understandable and predictable. Both of these ideas play off one another to create a setting that excites your audience but doesn’t alienate them. What is the bridge between these two seemingly opposing ideas? Questions. This is how you cultivate a setting that grows into more than a core concept. Andrew Zimba joins the show to reveal some sound world building tips. Key Takeaways Don’t be afraid to start with something not blank But then explore and color that setting with questions Explore Ardalencor Andrew's Instagram In Times of War: A Tale of Ardalencor on Amazon Ardalencor Website - Read the opening chapters for free! Links and Sundry George RR Martin - Gardener Wim Hoff - The Ice Man - This man is... nuts. WorldCraft Club  LinkTree - This contains all the things, our Discord, The Worldbuilder’s Journal, Email, you name it.

Horror lives just outside of our eyeline. In the peripherals of our vision. It's a feeling we can't quite shake when something seems amiss and the hairs on the back of our necks rise as our pulse quickens. To that end, world-building is absolutely critical to that tangible atmospher of dread. But how do we create this sensation in our visitants? Happy Halloween everyone! For this spooky episode of the WorldCraft Club Podcast we dive into how we can create horror in our fictional settings by twisting familiar stories. Ramp up your spooky worldbuilding and give us a listen. Key Takeaways Horror is found in the gaps - A lot like wonder, horror is really based in what is not known more than what is. Leverage this by resisting the urge to lavish details where they may not be needed. Let your visitant's mind wander into grisly possibilities. Twisting tropes is powerful - Fear is often based in seeing something that should be familiar but finding that it's altered in some unsettling way. This is true for familiar stories and tropes Worldbuilding is critical for horror to land - The atmosphere of dread is almost as important as the dreadful elements of the story itself. It's the setting that tells a reader the situation is unusual or that something is amiss before even your protagonist has become fully aware. Links and Sundry Zack Goings interview - More on horror from our interview with the excellent Zack Goings. Uncanny Valley - You know when something doesn't look quite right? You're in the uncanny valley. Nearly human... but not quite. Review of The Conjuring - If you love movies and don't mind missing a few weeks of sleep I highly recommend this movie. Check out this review from Ryan Hollinger, my go to source on horror filmography. Bug Man Men in Black Scene - This scene still freaks me out to this day. Come hang out with us! WorldCraft Club LinkTree - This is our LinkTree, here you can find the Worldbuilder's Journal, access to our fantastic Discord community as well as other ways to get in touch.

I think Arcane surprised everyone. Video game adaptations are seldom well received but this one exceeded all expectations and told a heartfelt story filled with interesting characters and fascinating world-building. I can count on one hand the people I know who didn't actively love this show. Let's break down what it did well, what may have missed the mark, and (most importantly) what we can learn and apply ourselves. This episode is a bit of an experiment in a new format of show where I, James, take moment to analyze content and seek to extract the gold from it. Key Takeaways Factions are incredibly powerful tools to leverage in character development and a sign of a well constructed world. Take time on understanding your factions goals and motivations, assign them to your characters and you'll unlock a layer of nuance as you develop them further. Take your time in your setting. Arcane, possibly due to its genre, zipped through some areas of the setting I'd like to have lingered on for longer. Don't be afraid to slow down the pace to let your visitants imbibe your setting to the fullest. Express the uniqueness of your setting. Arcane has some distinctive features that separate it from genre but I think the show could've done more to step outside of its genre's boundaries and create a world where an audience can find themselves exploring the setting. Make your world four dimensional. Arcane excels at expressing the passage of time. It's world develops to accommodate time leaps that feel grounded and realistic without becoming distracting. Don't let your world stagnate, allow the natural progression to occur as time moves on. Links and Sundry Schnee - this YouTuber does excellent analysis on Arcane and is criminally undersubscribed for his quality. Please take a moment to consider his work. Arcane and Microexpressions - Arcane broke the mold on animation and allowed deeply nuanced expressions to shine through on their characters. Steelstash - on our Discord Server introduced some really neat ideas here. He's part of the Black Dragon Dungeon Company and these guys are worth your time and make fantastic products. Check them out. Come Hang Out With Us!  LinkTree - This is our LinkTree, here you can find our podcast, our discord server, and a bunch of other social links.

Worldbuilding is a long process that can feel overwhelming when you're dealing with just one primary planetary location let alone the universe at large. Today's interview with Ross Buzzell explores some techniques at developing unique races to populate your settings as we discuss his planned 16 part series (of which he is currently writing book 8 with book 7 available on preorder). We touch on not just how these races can be crafted initially but how they can be developed into more full and rounded additions to your setting. In typical WorldCraft Club fashion we explore his primary motivations for the setting and what he'd like his audience to take away from his book series. Key Takeaways Keep focused on your first love - remember what it is that drew you into creating this setting in the first place and continue developing from there. Don't fear the trope (at least initially) - a trope is just a story we tell a lot. Part of the reason that we tell those stories over and over is that they're compelling and they're known. Beginning with a trope can be an effective way of creating comfort in your visitants to give them something to key into while the universe expands around them. Links and Sundry So this is a tardigrade. Oh, and this is an axolotl. The God's Eye Nebula Find Ross' Stuff Ross' Facebook Group - He does some sweet giveaways here! Ross' Instagram Book One of Legacy Earth - only 99c! PreOrder Page for Book 7 (official release date is October 13) - order yours today! Ross' Website - to stay up to date with all his new releases Come hang out with us! LinkTree - This is our LinkTree, here you can find our podcast and a bunch of other social links.

What happens in your setting when someone dies? Are there gods? Are they deeply concerned with the comings and goings of people or are they aloof and indifferent? The Coats Brothers creators of the DinoBeasts Comic create some of the tightest worldbuilding on myth that I’ve seen in some time. Their setting seems to have...

Holy Cow! It’s been a minute. Seth and I owe you an explanation for our absence. To that end, let’s appraise you of all we’ve been up to. The Worldbuilder’s Journal Kickstarter is now fully complete and delivered and reviews are coming back raving. Our Discord is in full swing and growing and now we’re...

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with the process of worldbuilding? There’s just so much to learn and do, you’re building a whole world after all! But don’t sweat it. James and Seth dive into the process of getting yourself started worldbuilding focusing on the major factors that contribute to a well written world. The practice is focused on meaning rather than detail with the understanding that even the best, most detail-oriented authors were driven by their interests and passions into creating immersive worlds without worrying about creating something bullet proof. Also, listen up because we have some big announcements in this episode. Don’t Forget to Check out The Worldbuilder’s Journal Key Concepts Meaning centered worldbuilding is more efficient and engaging vs detail centered worldbuildingThough detail centered worldbuilding is a ton of fun, it’s just not as efficient and tends to yield diminishing returns for your final workYou’ll never get your world totally right and someone will always be able to find fault, you might as well embrace your passion and focus on what helps you writeThe most powerful settings made by some of your favorite authors intuitively focused on themes and that’s why their work was so effective Links and Sundry Cow Hoof Doctors – Yeah, this is real thing. You should check it out. It’s mesmerizing.Concerning Hobbits – I still don’t buy that this economy could be this advancedHere’s a guy that disagrees about the Hobbit economy – I don’t find his arguments too persuasive but it’s well presented. Check it outQuantum Finish – Because Futurama is hilariousThe Night Hawks – This is James’ favorite painting. You should check it out. Get in Touch Join the Club – We love our Patrons and they make this world(crafting club) go round, join us for early episodes, memes and a say in the direction of the podFacebook Page – Our community here is rapidly growing and super fun, it’s also a great way to find out more about what we’re up toDiscord – Well, color yourself invited to our Discord channel where you can jaw with us about worldbuilding or help us with a collaborative projectThe Website – Oh yeah! We’ve got one of these too, check it out if you want to keep track of the blog where numerous authors talk all things worldbuilding. It’s updated sometimes.

Every GM is trying to creating a world with collaborators whether they like it or not. Authors are now embracing methodologies that include fans in their worldbuilding and story telling. How do you work well with others to create powerful settings and why might this be the best way to work? Long time collaborator and friend of the show Jog Brogzin has been busy. Like, really busy. Not just making awesome maps for Seth and his many other clients but building a collaborative world on his discord server one hex at a time. Seth and Jog go into detail on the process of cooking worlds with lots of chefs. What benefits this can yield and what pitfalls can make it tricky. Key Takeaways Collaboration might need some guard rails to be effective (final decision makers or voting on content)Scope and boundaries are critical. A good understanding of the limitations of the world you’re creating can help you quickly determine what fits and what doesn’t. Jog’s Stuff Jog’s Website – Check out Jog’s dungeon tiles and some beautiful maps he’s made for order on his site.Jog’s Patreon – This is where the magic happens. Get exclusive access to parts of Jog’s discord, 4k maps and much more!Jog’s Instagram – Follow along to see the amazing content he produces on a daily basis.Jog’s Facebook Page – Same deal as the instagram page. Come Hang Out With Us! Join the Club – We love our Patrons and they make this world(crafting club) go round, join us for early episodes, memes and a say in the direction of the podFacebook Page – Our community here is rapidly growing and super fun, it’s also a great way to find out more about what we’re up toDiscord – Well, color yourself invited to our Discord channel where you can jaw with us about worldbuilding or help us with a collaborative projectThe Website – Oh yeah! We’ve got one of these too, check it out if you want to keep track of the blog where numerous authors talk all things worldbuilding. It’s updated sometimes.