World Anvil Worldbuilding Podcast

Matan Gilat, Co-Founder & CEO of Eldritch Foundry and long-time player of D&D joins the podcast today to talk about what to care about when creating characters. It's more than just finding the perfect miniature. Although Matan can help you with that as well. Matan started Eldritch Foundry back in 2018 and has helped countless Tabletop RPG lovers create the perfect miniature. Janet Forbes (pen-name J.D. Blythe) is a published fantasy author, professional Dungeons and Dragons Streamer, and also the co-founder of World Anvil, the ULTIMATE worldbuilding platform for writers and gamers!  Tell Your Story Create Your World Master Your Campaign - WorldAnvil.com

5/2/22 • 36:02

Part 2! Matan Gilat, Co-Founder & CEO of Eldritch Foundry and long-time player of D&D joins the podcast today to talk about what to care about when creating characters. It's more than just finding the perfect miniature. Although Matan can help you with that as well. Matan started Eldritch Foundry back in 2018 and has helped countless Tabletop RPG lovers create the perfect miniature. Janet Forbes (pen-name J.D. Blythe) is a published fantasy author, professional Dungeons and Dragons Streamer, and also the co-founder of World Anvil, the ULTIMATE worldbuilding platform for writers and gamers!  Tell Your Story Create Your World Master Your Campaign - WorldAnvil.com

5/2/22 • 36:10

Eat Medieval! 10/10 would recommend. On this episode Professor Giles Gaspar and Andy Hook from the amazing project Eat Medieval talk about the key to creating an immersive game or story. Food. Giles Gasper is a Professor of High Medieval History at Durham University. He specializes in European history of the 11th-14th centuries, its culture, ideas (especially science and religion), and people, and, of course, its food. Andy Hook is a multitalented restaurateur who has created not one, but four restaurants in the north of England. Janet Forbes (pen-name J.D. Blythe) is a published fantasy author, professional Dungeons and Dragons Streamer, and also the co-founder of World Anvil, the ULTIMATE worldbuilding platform for writers and gamers!  Tell Your Story Create Your World

5/9/22 • 46:40

Part 2! Eat Medieval! 10/10 would recommend. On this episode Professor Giles Gaspar and Andy Hook from the amazing project Eat Medieval talk about the key to creating an immersive game or story. Food. Giles Gasper is a Professor of High Medieval History at Durham University. He specializes in European history of the 11th-14th centuries, its culture, ideas (especially science and religion), and people, and, of course, its food. Andy Hook is a multitalented restaurateur who has created not one, but four restaurants in the north of England. Janet Forbes (pen-name J.D. Blythe) is a published fantasy author, professional Dungeons and Dragons Streamer, and also the co-founder of World Anvil, the ULTIMATE worldbuilding platform for writers and gamers!  Tell Your Story Create Your World

5/9/22 • 39:36

Ginny Di joins the show to share some amazing insights on how to bring characters to life through clothing and costume. Ginny Di is a creator, cosplayer, singer, and the loveliest bean in the world of roleplaying games. You can find full profiles of some of her original characters on her own world on World Anvil. Janet Forbes (pen-name J.D. Blythe) is a published fantasy author, professional Dungeons and Dragons Streamer, and also the co-founder of World Anvil, the ULTIMATE worldbuilding platform for writers and gamers!  Tell Your Story Create Your World

5/16/22 • 39:12

Part 2! Ginny Di joins the show to share some amazing insights on how to bring characters to life through clothing and costume. Ginny Di is a creator, cosplayer, singer, and the loveliest bean in the world of roleplaying games. You can find full profiles of some of her original characters on her own world on World Anvil. Janet Forbes (pen-name J.D. Blythe) is a published fantasy author, professional Dungeons and Dragons Streamer, and also the co-founder of World Anvil, the ULTIMATE worldbuilding platform for writers and gamers!  Tell Your Story Create Your World

5/16/22 • 37:45

Peter Chiykowski is a modern day renaissance man who graces the podcast with their presence to show us how randomness can inspire your worldbuilding and gamemastering. Peter Chiykowski is a write, editor, illustrator, and creator of the Deck of Worlds and the Story Engine. Both being cards you can shuffled and compiled randomly to create inspiring prompts and stories. Janet Forbes (pen-name J.D. Blythe) is a published fantasy author, professional Dungeons and Dragons Streamer, and also the co-founder of World Anvil, the ULTIMATE worldbuilding platform for writers and gamers!  Tell Your Story Create Your World

5/23/22 • 30:26

Part 2! Peter Chiykowski is a modern day renaissance man who graces the podcast with their presence to show us how randomness can inspire your worldbuilding and gamemastering. Peter Chiykowski is a write, editor, illustrator, and creator of the Deck of Worlds and the Story Engine. Both being cards you can shuffled and compiled randomly to create inspiring prompts and stories. Janet Forbes (pen-name J.D. Blythe) is a published fantasy author, professional Dungeons and Dragons Streamer, and also the co-founder of World Anvil, the ULTIMATE worldbuilding platform for writers and gamers!  Tell Your Story Create Your World

5/23/22 • 30:19

The Monster Manual is an awesome resource to set the stakes of your game, but what if you want something more personalized? Maybe you have your own custom setting, or your players might be experienced enough to know what all the monsters can do. By creating new ones, you'll re-infuse a true sense of wonder to your world! Join Janet Forbes and Celeste Conowitch, Senior Game Designer at Kobold Press, as they discuss How to Make a Monster!

2/23/23 • 29:52

Part 2! The Monster Manual is an awesome resource to set the stakes of your game, but what if you want something more personalized? Maybe you have your own custom setting, or your players might be experienced enough to know what all the monsters can do. By creating new ones, you'll re-infuse a true sense of wonder to your world! Join Janet Forbes and Celeste Conowitch, Senior Game Designer at Kobold Press, as they discuss How to Make a Monster!

2/23/23 • 21:23

Part 2!  In this episode, we're revealing the secrets to Making a Great Battle Map! Our special guest is Till Lammer, CEO and Founder of Dungeon Fog! We're talking about where to set your battles in DnD and RPG games - and how to make sure the location will create a great experience in play. You can make the most amazing battle map in the world, but if the area you choose isn't interesting - your map's going to be boring! So what makes a battle scene interesting to map and to fight?

3/1/23 • 33:55

In this episode, we're revealing the secrets to Making a Great Battle Map! Our special guest is Till Lammer, CEO and Founder of Dungeon Fog! We're talking about where to set your battles in DnD and RPG games - and how to make sure the location will create a great experience in play. You can make the most amazing battle map in the world, but if the area you choose isn't interesting - your map's going to be boring! So what makes a battle scene interesting to map and to fight?

3/1/23 • 34:47

Part 2! Creating an entire RPG system is a very rewarding experience, as you're able to create a game exactly how you want it! But it's also a big endeavour, which is easy to get overwhelmed by. So Janet interviewed Celeste Conowitch and Jack Caesar, two incredible RPG game designers, to get their thoughts on the matter!

3/8/23 • 35:49

Creating an entire RPG system is a very rewarding experience, as you're able to create a game exactly how you want it! But it's also a big endeavour, which is easy to get overwhelmed by. So Janet interviewed Celeste Conowitch and Jack Caesar, two incredible RPG game designers, to get their thoughts on the matter!

3/8/23 • 32:12

Part 2! Hard and soft worldbuilding describe the approach or method you use when worldbuilding. If you've heard of the terms pantsing and plotting when talking about writing, it's a similar concept! Hard worldbuilding is more methodical, it has a defined process you follow, almost like a blueprint. Soft worldbuilding, on the other hand, is more organic and fully relies on improvisation and figuring it out as you go. We interviewed Andy Law, from Rookery Publications, to learn more about this!

3/15/23 • 31:50

Hard and soft worldbuilding describe the approach or method you use when worldbuilding. If you've heard of the terms pantsing and plotting when talking about writing, it's a similar concept! Hard worldbuilding is more methodical, it has a defined process you follow, almost like a blueprint. Soft worldbuilding, on the other hand, is more organic and fully relies on improvisation and figuring it out as you go. We interviewed Andy Law, from Rookery Publications, to learn more about this.

3/15/23 • 32:20

In this episode, we're talking to industry legends Tracy & Laura Hickman!We discuss the lasting impact and legacy of the Dragonlance novels, their approach to collaborative writing and worldbuilding, and their current tabletop RPG projects.

3/22/23 • 33:05

Part 2: So, you've decided to take the leap and start writing a novel—and now you don't know where to start. Don't worry, that's completely normal! Writing can feel intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. We interviewed Deleyna, a best-selling writer and Anvilite, and she gave us crash course on novel writing basics!

3/29/23 • 38:39

Part 1: So, you've decided to take the leap and start writing a novel—and now you don't know where to start. Don't worry, that's completely normal! Writing can feel intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. We interviewed Deleyna, a best-selling writer and Anvilite, and she gave us crash course on novel writing basics!

3/29/23 • 37:49

In this episode our special guest is John Joseph Adams, award-winning editor of BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY, as well as the bestselling editor of more than thirty anthologies! He and Janet discuss the mysteries of traditional publishing, and how writers can set themselves up for success when submitting short stories and novels.

4/5/23 • 40:18

In this episode, we set sail on the always-current topic of waterways in worldbuilding! If this is your first episode, thanks for joining us. Janet's joined by special guest John Joseph Adams, award-winning editor of BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY, as well as the bestselling editor of more than thirty anthologies! Together they discuss rivers, streams, lakes and all the ways water sources impact your worldbuilding.

4/5/23 • 32:58

Part 1: So you've written a novel and edited it, and you're pretty sure it's ready for publishing—time for the next step! If you're going for traditional publishing, you'll want to query your novel to an agent, and to do that, you need a query letter! We interviewed Laura VanArendonk Baugh, a traditionally published author, to tell us all about the querying process!

4/12/23 • 35:56

Part 2: So you've written a novel and edited it, and you're pretty sure it's ready for publishing—time for the next step! If you're going for traditional publishing, you'll want to query your novel to an agent, and to do that, you need a query letter! We interviewed Laura VanArendonk Baugh, a traditionally published author, to tell us all about the querying process!

4/12/23 • 27:38

Part 2: Dungeons are a staple of TTRPGs (it's even half of Dungeons & Dragons, one of the most popular games!), and they're awesome tools for one-shot adventures too. So we interviewed Duke Davis, from One-Shot Questers, to tell us all about dungeon one-shots and how to use them at your table!

4/19/23 • 38:09

Part 1: Dungeons are a staple of TTRPGs (it's even half of Dungeons & Dragons, one of the most popular games!), and they're awesome tools for one-shot adventures too. So we interviewed Duke Davis, from One-Shot Questers, to tell us all about dungeon one-shots and how to use them at your table!

4/19/23 • 30:27

Is your world everything-and-the-kitchen-sink? And is that even a bad thing? In this episode, Janet interviews Peter Chiykowski creator of the award-winning webcomic Rock Paper Cynic, and The Story Engine Deck of writing prompts. They discuss Fantasy Kitchen Sink worldbuilding - what is it, what are the problems it can cause, and how to fix it.  Links: https://lookitspeter.com/ https://rockpapercynic.com/ https://storyenginedeck.com/

8/9/23 • 41:09

Is your world everything-and-the-kitchen-sink? And is that even a bad thing? In this episode, Janet interviews Peter Chiykowski creator of the award-winning webcomic Rock Paper Cynic, and The Story Engine Deck of writing prompts. They discuss Fantasy Kitchen Sink worldbuilding - what is it, what are the problems it can cause, and how to fix it.  Links: https://lookitspeter.com/ https://rockpapercynic.com/ https://storyenginedeck.com/

8/9/23 • 30:38

Worldbuilding inspired by real world cultures - and how to get it right!? 😅 In this episode, Janet chats with the AMAZING Basheer Ghouse, expert worldbuilder and RPG writer who's worked for Pathfinder, Kobold Press & Wizards of the Coast. Learn all about how to adapt real world cultures to create fasctinating and unique cultures for your own worlds. Links: Guns Blazing Kickstarter Itchio

8/16/23 • 35:14

World building inspired by real world cultures - and how to get it right!? 😅 In this episode, Janet chats with the AMAZING Basheer Ghouse, expert worldbuilder and RPG writer who's worked for Pathfinder, Kobold Press & Wizards of the Coast. Learn all about how to adapt real world cultures to create fasctinating and unique cultures for your own worlds. Links: Guns Blazing Kickstarter Itchio

8/16/23 • 29:24

What is GM burnout? What causes it? How can you prevent or solve it? In this episode, Janet talks with Pro-GM and all round amazing person Dead Aussie Gamer about GMing experiences and how to build a set of DM tools beat the burn out!  Links:  Website YouTube Twitch

8/23/23 • 38:40