HeyJaredThe Worldbuilder’s Tavern
Welcome to The Worldbuilder’s Tavern — where great books meet creative minds.Twice a month, we explore the worlds inside your favourite sci-fi and fantasy novels and build our own right alongside them.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 5
- Latest publication
- Sep 16, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 15, 2026
Latest episodes
4.18 Building a Bonded Creature (opens the original)
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5.18 Building a Bonded Creature Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise as we create a bonded creature, inspired by Moniquill Blackgoose’s novel To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, by answering these ten questions: What is the creature? Is the creature sentient or more animalistic? Why does the creature bond with human(oid)s? How does the creature bone with human(oid)s? How do the creature and humans benefit each other? How do bonded pairs communicate? Is the bond permanent, or can it be severed?
4.17 To Shape a Dragon's Breath (opens the original)
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We discuss animalistic dragons, themes of colonialism, and romance in Moniquill Blackgoose’s YA fantasy novel To Shape a Dragon’s Breath.
4.16 Building a University (opens the original)
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Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise as we create a university by answering ten questions: What does the University teach? Who is this University for, and who is excluded? What does the University value the most—profit, knowledge, power, etc.? What makes the University unique in its world? How do students physically experience the University? What are the social dynamics among students? How is power structured within the institution? How does the University interact with the outside wor
4.15 Binti (opens the original)
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We chat about aliens, culture, and more in Nnedi Okorafor’s sci-fi novella Binti.
4.14 Building a Zombie (opens the original)
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Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise as we create a zombie outbreak by answering these nine questions: What quintessential parts of zombie lore must be preserved to make it recognizable as a zombie? What is causing the zombification? How/where did it originate? What are the first symptoms of zombification? What are the later symptoms of zombification? What are the final symptoms of zombification? At what point does the host die? What are the zombies’ strengths and weaknesses? What motiv
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