Art of World Building

Learning to create a unique, immersive life form one podcast episode at a time. World building strategist Randy Ellefson turned his successful book series, THE ART OF WORLD BUILDING, into a popular podcast of the same name, with episodes loosely drawn from each book in the series. The transcripts of 15 episodes are collected here, based on a theme: they're about CREATING LIFE and inspired by chapters of that volume. Ranging from 25-35 minutes each, the episodes discuss gods, species/races, plants, animals, monsters, heroes, villains, and even undead. More improvisational and freewheeling than volume one, CREATING LIFE—The PODCAST TRANSCRIPTS (THE ART OF WORLD BUILDING, #4) goes into more detail about everything. Different subjects that are found across volumes are woven together more fluidly here. While one entire episode covers something not found in volume one, the other episodes cover familiar territory but with a new spin. This edition is designed for those who want to dive deep, and for fans of the podcast who'd like a permanent, written copy. No other world building podcast provides transcripts you can take with you. Whether experts or beginners, storytellers, game designers, gamers, and hobbyists can take their fantasy and science fiction worlds to new levels, benefiting from the author's quarter century of world building experience. Build better, faster.

Learning to create a unique, immersive place one podcast episode at a time. World building strategist Randy Ellefson turned his successful book series, THE ART OF WORLD BUILDING, into a popular podcast of the same name, with episodes loosely drawn from each book in the series. Listeners who want a written copy, or those who want more details than what's in volume two, can now benefit from these transcriptions. CREATING PLACES — The PODCAST TRANSCRIPTS (THE ART OF WORLD BUILDING, #5) includes 16 episodes that interweave content from across the series. While covering much of the same material as volume two, Ellefson breaks out in new directions while expanding on how to invent planets, continents, sovereign powers, settlements, history, maps, and more. He also teaches experts and beginners alike how latitude, prevailing winds, and mountains affect climate and where vegetation grows. Learn how long it takes to travel over different terrain types and conditions by horse, wagon, sailing vessels, or even dragons. Build better, faster.

Learning to create a unique, immersive culture one episode at a time. A guide for authors, gamers, and hobbyists World building strategist Randy Ellefson turned his successful book series, “The Art of World Building”, into a popular podcast of the same name, with episodes loosely drawn from each book in the series. The transcripts of another 15 episodes are collected here. Ranging from 25-35 minutes each, the episodes discuss everything that doesn't fit into the first two volumes about inventing life and places. Cultures and Beyond—The Podcast Transcripts (The Art of World Building, #6) discusses techniques on inventing names, organizations for good and evil, and armed forces like the army, navy, and air (or space) force. An extensive look into creating cultures led to four detailed episodes on determining cultural vision, scope, origins, social classes, and the all-important customs that reveal culture. A similar deep dive into inventing magic systems examines the principles behind devising great ones and just what is meant by a law of magic and its applications. Other systems to create a detailed world include educational, legal, communication, health systems, and more. Creating items, how to organize our work, and whether languages are best created or delegated to others to invent for us round out the episodes. No other world building podcast provides a permanent copy of transcripts you can take with you, and few are as highly regarded and popular as The Art of World Building Podcast. Build better, faster.