Worldbuild With Us

Get ready for a raucous discussion about pretentious art in this week's episode! Inspired by our beloved long-time patron Gluax, we delve into a school full of magical art, dreams, and maybe a bit of romance too. Listen to hear about our collective experiences with grad school and learn if your degree was worth it!    And: do you have opinions about Worldbuild With Us? We'd love to hear them in ou...

This week's episode has us finishing up our time in our Patron Commissar Whiskers's world where words literally create magic. This time we're talking Mensis Covens, robots given birth through intent, and a secret group of monks seeking... Well you'll just have to listen to find out!   And: do you have opinions about Worldbuild With Us? We'd love to hear them in our listener survey:  https://forms....

On this week's episode, long-time Patron Commissar Whiskers gives us a magic-system prompt for us to chew on. In a world where the written word crackles with arcane power a bunch of nerds sit around and gush over flowery prose and the function of language. It's cooler than it sounds I swear! There's even an Iron Chef joke!   And: do you have opinions about Worldbuild With Us? We'd love to hear the...

This week, a first-time listener prompt has us building the mystery of a massive tower where worlds converge. Climbers from those other realms seek the top of it, but it's not just a simple hike: the fate of the universe is at stake, blocked by countless trials of identity and belief.   And: do you have opinions about Worldbuild With Us? We'd love to hear them in our listener survey: https://forms...

In this episode, we're breaking out a newly-expanded genre list for two randomized worldbuilding jams! Suit up for some soft sci-fi plane-hopping, or perhaps joining up with dragonriders is more to your liking? Remember to spay and neuter your dragons and other pets, folks! And: do you have opinions about Worldbuild With Us? We'd love to hear them in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/r4H644UZ...

Witness as the planes rend themselves apart and converge on the material plane. What will happen when Chaos suddenly has to play by the rules? How will planar entities adapt to their new surroundings? Find out on this week's episode!   Do you have a setting you'd like us to build? Send us your worldbuilding prompt! https://forms.gle/F4SNMH3k7ea5fr1F8 And if you're feeling particularly generous, yo...

Adamantium? Unobtanium? Pfft, whatever, we've got SPACE BRASS! Tune in for a listener prompt about a massive space station that travels around gathering tribute from planets! We try to figure out just what exactly that tribute is as we explore the station's origins, the nature of its mysterious pharaoh, what a thousand years of built-up anger does to a guy, and how to *not* have this be a clone of...

This week, we're jamming out with guest Jonnie Law to create two brand new mini settings on the spot! Our interpretations of random dice rolls take us in very different directions, featuring Lovecraftian horror, Neanderthal thots, dragon movies, social media, old man rants, and so much more, for better or worse. Editor's Note: Courtney's recently-adopted cat has been named Bear. Crisis averted.  ...

Symphony of the earth, blood of the ocean...In this episode, we wrap up this sentient planet and its musical inhabitants by reconciling with unreliability and venturing through air, land, and sea. There are totally no dwarves in this setting, totally. But if there were dwarves, how would they feel when they realize the true nature of that Big Dumb Object that came from the sky?   Do you have a set...

This week, patron Sundji invites us to explore a mystical, musical world where the planet itself is sentient and its indigenous tribes use acoustic magic! Listen in to hear how social structures and relationships work, what rituals take place when groups communicate, what a Big Dumb Object might have in store for this realm...and how the planet feels about all of this noise.   Do you have a settin...

In the second part of this shadowy setting, we embrace the darkness and introduce factions and entities that don't always get along. Join us as we discover truth and myth, with healthy servings of spiritual cleansing, Taoism, and divine churros!   Do you have a setting you'd like us to build? Send us your worldbuilding prompt! https://forms.gle/F4SNMH3k7ea5fr1F8 And if you're feeling particularly...

This week, we're joined by guest Jonnie Law for the first part of a prompt from patron James: with their sun on the verge of a supernova, the population of a world flees onto the plane of shadows, which is supposed to be a reflection of the material plane. But how accurate is this reflection after all? How did this mirrored universe form in the first place? What kind of movies do they have at Shad...

The wheel of fate is turning...At long last, we return to listener prompts with a soul-focused setting from a first-time submitter! Tune in as we infuse this world with theosophy, spirit photography, conspiracy, and the pursuit of perfection. Don't mess with destiny, folks.   Do you have a setting you'd like us to build? Send us your worldbuilding prompt! https://forms.gle/F4SNMH3k7ea5fr1F8 And if...

This week, we're joined by magic engineer and body horror aficionado Clark Rowenson for our first worldbuilding jam episode of the year! Random dice rolls direct us into genres like urban fantasy and cyberpunk, and we even break out the Monster Mash list for a little help along the way. Tune in for these three mini settings and their tales of control, vengeance, and consequence!   Do you have a se...

In our first Monster Mash of 2024, we're joined by guest Jonnie Law to reimagine vampires, everyone's favorite blood-sucking goths! We roll up three random sets of genres and features to create mini-settings on the spot, with everything from vampires in space to Bathory-style bloodbaths to medical mysteries. If vampires aren't your thing, fear not: there are plenty of tangents to go around, too, o...

In our last(ish) visit to this longform setting, we pit an unknowable force against an ancient evil, and build out the magic types of the world to unexpected results. Also: the mystique of Cillian Murphy's cheekbones.   Do you have a setting you'd like us to build? Send us your worldbuilding prompt! https://forms.gle/F4SNMH3k7ea5fr1F8 And if you're feeling particularly generous, you can support us...

It's the third week of January, which means it's time for the third part of our 2024 longform series! We spice up this mystical setting with new conflicts and layers upon layers of intrigue. That Stag clan is awfully suspicious, don't you think?   Do you have a setting you'd like us to build? Send us your worldbuilding prompt! https://forms.gle/F4SNMH3k7ea5fr1F8 And if you're feeling particularly...

In the second part of this month-long series, we introduce druid-based factions to this strange world, which, yes, may involve cute animals. We also explore the magical connection between the lands of the living and dead, which is perhaps less cute. For the record, Courtney only has 300 hours in Planet Zoo.   Do you have a setting you'd like us to build? Send us your worldbuilding prompt! https://...

Happy New Year, beloved listeners! Continuing our tradition from January 2023, we're returning to our roots by embarking on an original longform setting. Without a prompt and with just two tenets each, we start a fantastical realm where the rains contain life itself and where maps and calendars are so much more than static guides. What wonders remain hidden behind the storm clouds? What lurks at t...

The end of the year is upon us, and so we take part in our traditional recap and reflection on some of our favorite settings from 2023! We each pick a world to revisit and expand upon, delving into topics like flesh trains, the dangers of bureaucracy, endless McMansions...and the eternal question of, "Will senpai ever notice Daniel?" Thank you, listeners, for all your love and support! ❤️ Here's t...

In this edition of the patron-exclusive Aphid Lounge, Courtney and Daniel sit down with frequent-guest-host Jonnie Law to chat about using collaborative storytelling to level up your RPGs. We examine the concept of session zeroes and how they can help GMs create impactful adventures while connecting players to the worlds they build...And to show just how fun and useful randomized story hooks can b...

This week, Rob interviews a few familiar faces—system creator/designer Daniel Quinn, setting designer/mechanics maestro Jonnie Law, and art director/editor Courtney Staples—about their newly-released tabletop roleplaying game OSR+: Advanced Old School Revival . The team talks about the inspiration behind this streamlined RPG system, its years of playtesting and refining, how YOU can get involved f...

Floating islands rising from the ocean, tethered by chains. Prophecies in song, carried on the wind. Prog rock. These are just a few parts of a listener's bronze-age setting built on an idyllic seascape, traversed by kites and boats. But all is not as it seems, and to learn the truth we must go far into the planet's past, when the red star first rose and the royal pair still reigned together.   Do...

In a special holiday season edition of a Monster Mash, we're rolling for a wintry mix of monsters! The fates (or dice, whichever you prefer) have us reimagining toys, elves, and reindeer in some rather grotesque ways, with settings spanning from FAO Schwarz all the way to space. Let Rudolph's blood-red glow guide you through the night, but remember, children: you can't ever truly buy your way off...

This week, a first-time prompt submitter asks us to build out a dangerous, magical world called Warevinet, populated by mermaids, winged humans, and boring ol' regular humans. We take inspiration from important cultural works like The Little Mermaid, The Dying Earth, Zoolander, and I Think You Should Leave to infuse this realm with petty wizards, aquatic vineyards, fashion-based magic, and so much...