The Worldbuilder’s Tavern cover art

The Worldbuilder’s Tavern

The Worldbuilder’s Tavern

By: Emma Maione Allison Alexander and Christiana Jones
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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. Whether you're constructing your next novel, TTRPG setting, or just love speculative fiction, pull up a chair at the Tavern!

The Worldbuilder’s Tavern
Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • 4.4 Building a Cataclsym
    Feb 18 2026

    Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise in creating a cataclysmic event!

    Here are the 10 questions we answered in this episode, which can help guide you in building your own cataclysm.

    1. What is the nature of the event? Natural vs supernatural; single vs multiple events; unprecedented vs repeat, etc.
    2. What is the scale and impact of the event? Who or what is most affected, both immediate and long term?
    3. Who survives and why?
    4. How do governments/institutions/power structures respond?
    5. Do new religions/belief systems/factions emerge as a result of the event?
    6. What has permanently changed about reality after the event? Are there new dangers introduced?
    7. Are there new opportunities created in the wake of the event? Resources, technologies, etc.
    8. What everyday behaviors must change in order for people to function after the event?
    9. What’s the emotional and psychological fallout?
    10. What do people think caused the event? Are there secrets waiting to be discovered? Who controls the information about what really happened?
    • Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
    • Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
    • Next month’s novel: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
    • Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
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    44 mins
  • 4.3 Lucky Day
    Feb 4 2026

    Join us for a chat about the writing and worldbuilding in the horror novel Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle. We discuss luck and math as a magic system, how people react to trauma, and the wonderful weirdness of horror.

    • Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
    • Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
    • Next month’s novel: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
    • Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • 4.2 Building a Dragon
    Jan 24 2026

    Join us for a hands-on worldbuilding exercise in creating a dragon!

    Here are the 7 questions we answered in this episode, which can help guide you in building your own dragon.

    1. What hallmarks of traditional dragons are essential to keep in order for something to still be considered a dragon?
    2. What is our dragon’s intellectual capacity? Is it sentient, or more bestial?
    3. What is the full-grown size of our dragon?
    4. What does our dragon look like? Does it display any aspects of sexual dimorphism?
    5. What is our dragon’s diet?
    6. What is our dragon’s lifecycle?
    7. Does our dragon have any magical/supernatural powers?
    • Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok | Bookshop
    • Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon
    • Next month’s novel: Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
    • Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
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