About the Podcast

Worldcasting is a weekly podcast with a constantly rotating panel of speakers. Together, the worldcasters will draw upon their varied backgrounds and experiences to discuss worldbuilding in its many forms, and how to express it in a variety of media.

Worldcasting was created in 2019 by a group of passionate creators on the team at Worldbuilding Magazine. Each episode tackles a single topic, such as magic, religion, naming places, and much more! Tune in each Tuesday on a variety of podcast listening platforms!

Want to get in touch? Have a topic suggestion? Send your thoughts to worldcasting@worldbuildingmagazine.com or contact us on the Worldbuilding Magazine Discord server!

New episodes release every other week, subscribe so that you don’t miss it!

If you’re enjoying Worldcasting check out Worldbuilding Magazine!

Worldcasting Podcast Episode Guide

Season 4

S4 E13 Klingon Death Metal with Biblaridion (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, Red, Slorany, and guest host, Biblaridion, discuss conlangs, phonemes, and—amongst other linguistic things—Klingon death metal. ‘Nuff said.

S4 E12 Another Magic Episode with C.R. Rowenson (Play Episode Now!)
You can’t stop us from talking about magic at least once per season. This time, Devin, Jack, and Zaivy are joined by writing coach and content creator C.R. Rowenson. They discuss all the aspects of magic systems: why you might want to add one into your project, how to integrate it successfully, and much more!

S4 E11 Horror and Suspense with Zin E. Rocklyn (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, Cathy, and Red are joined by Horror author Zin E. Rocklyn to discuss the genre, how to write and worldbuild for it, and much more. Stick around ’till the end, because we (accidentally) saved all the advice for the outro.

S4 E10 The Arts of Your World with L.D. Lewis (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, B.H. Pierce, Seán, and Zaivy, are joined by L.D. Lewis—a founder of the Hugo award-winning FIYAH Magazine, publisher at Fireside Fiction, and all kind of other projects. We talk about L’s experience accepting the Hugo for FIYAH, then dive into a discussion on how you can use art and music as a part of your worldbuilding.

S4 E09 Character Design with Claire Hummel (Play Episode Now!)
Inky, Devin, and Lizy are joined by illustrator and concept artist Claire Hummel for a discussion on character design! Claire may be best known for her work on games like Half-Life: Alyx and Bioshock Infinite. So you can probably imagine how excited we were to talk about both her work in the games industry, and the larger question of how to best design characters for your worlds and stories.

S4 E08 Collaboration and Games with Ashley Warren (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, B.H. Pierce, Seán, and Ashley Warren (Storytelling Collective) discuss the importance of collaboration on creative projects. Then, we dive into a discussion on how we can use the presence of games to enhance our worldbuilding.

S4 E07 Is it Cyberpunk? with Tim Hickson (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, Cathy, Red, and returning guest Tim Hickson (Hello Future Me) discuss what the genre means, why it is becoming so popular in recent years, and answer the question you didn’t ask: is Tron cyberpunk?

S4 E06 Conflict and Self-Publishing with Daniel Greene (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, Hexarch, and Red are joined by YouTuber and self-published author Daniel Greene. They discuss the things writers often don’t think about in regards to war and conflict, as well as some insights into their journeys through self-publishing.

S4 E05 Retconning & Rebooting with Chris Solo (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, Cathy, Devin, and returning guest Chris Solo discuss retconning and rebooting projects. There are ways we’ve seen it done well, and ways in which it has seemed rushed or forced. Plus, some insight into examples of when our hosts had to retcon or reboot projects in order to fix issues or tell the story better.

S4 E04 Story Themes with Benjamin Cook (Play Episode Now!)
Red, Inky, Sam, and Benji (Tale Foundry) discuss the broad topic of story themes. Themes can add to your story and provide a valuable structure to your work, but themes can also prove dangerous when followed too strictly. Listen in on what we’ve learned in utilizing or observing themes in media.

S4 E03 Science in Fantasy with Rachel Shaw (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, Cathy, and Sam are joined by neuroscientist and author Rachel Shaw to discuss the presence of science in fantasy settings. From medicine to magic, they discuss some of the ways you can use science to inform or inspire fantasy.

S4 E02 Game Writing & Mythologies with Greg Kasavin (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, Red, and Seán are joined by Greg Kasavin, the writer behind Supergiant Games’ many titles such as Pyre and Hades. We discuss what it’s like to write for video games as a medium, as well as the origins of Supergiant’s critically acclaimed title, Hades. Then, we explore how to create mythologies, or adapt existing ones for our stories.

S4 E01 Publishing and Poetry with Nadia Saward (Play Episode Now!)
To kick off season four, Adam, Taylor, BK, and—all the way from Orbit UK—Nadia Saward talk about publishing and poetry. BK has experience as an indie publisher, and Nadia is a poet and editor at Orbit Books. Between them, they answer our burning questions about preparing your first draft, writing your query letter, and more!

Season 3

S3 E15 The Unsung: Part II with Daniel Greene and Hello Future Me (Play Episode Now!)
In this final episode of season 3, Taylor, Cathy, and Zaivy, are joined by our guests Daniel Greene and Tim Hickson for a chat about representing indigenous cultures in popular media—especially (but not limited to) those in the area sometimes referred to as the “New World.”

S3 E14 Crafting Compelling Characters with Michael J. Sullivan (Play Episode Now!)
Emory, Chris, Red, and NYT/Washington Post bestselling author Michael J. Sullivan discuss creating compelling characters, plus some general writing advice. Get some behind the scenes details of how they develop their characters and what they’re looking for in them, and get Michael’s and Red’s unfiltered thoughts on Patrick Rothfuss!

S3 E13 The Unsung: Part 1 (Play Episode Now!)
Join Taylor, Ianara (Imachinate), Inky, and Zaivy as they discuss some of the less represented cultures in popular examples of worldbuilding—and some exceptions to that rule.

S3 E12 Writing & Organizing it [or not] with Levi Johnson (Play Episode Now!)
Red, Ianara (Imachinate), B.H. Pierce (Hexarch), and our guest Levi Johnson from Campfire Technology discuss their endeavors and thoughts on the more strategic parts of writing. They discuss their own projects and processes for writing, plot structures, methods to keep your notes together, and more!

S3 E11 The Fellowship of the Thing with Daniel Dickinson (Play Episode Now!)
Join Taylor, Chris, Sean, and our guest author Daniel Dickinson for a conversation about fellowships. Obviously, they discuss the Fellowship of the Ring, but in addition they also break down what a fellowship is, how to represent each member, and even explore the idea that a fellowship can still work even when the characters are not together.

S3 E10 Golden Ages with Janet Forbes (Play Episode Now!)
B.H. Pierce (Hexarch), Seán, and John, are joined by Janet Forbes—co-founder of World Anvil, podcaster, and author! Together they define what a golden age is, what it means to the people who lived through it, and how to use golden ages in our worldbuilding.

S3 E9 Our Wolves Are Different with Sean Fallon (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, Red, Ianara (Imachinate), and Sean Fallon—CEO of Smunchy Games—discuss a favorite topic of ours: creature design. Plus, a number of tangents about tabletop games, dragons, and more!

S3 E08 Magic Systems with Devin Pigman (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, Cathy the Overprepared GM, Ianara (Imachinate), and Devin Pigman of the Discord group Writing Cartel discuss building magic systems (and things we can learn from existing magic systems).

S3 E07 Organizing as a Game Master with Jacob Waterman (Play Episode Now!)
Ianara (Imachinate), Lizy (AC), B.H. Pierce (Hexarch), and President of the multimedia group Nerdolopedia and lead game designer at Smunchy Games Jacob Waterman discuss how to prepare and organize your role-playing games as well as how to integrate your worldbuilding into the game.

S3 E06 Dark Tidings (Play Episode Now!)
Emory, Taylor, Inky, and Adam take a quick dive into what makes dark fiction work, and the trap violence and traumatic events present. Also, the importance of hope in dark fiction, and how it gives the reader something to hold on to!

S3 E05 On World Themes with Hello Future Me (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, Chris, Seán, and our guest Tim Hickson of the YouTube channel Hello Future Me ponder the ways in which we can use our worlds to fit a theme. It’s an abstract kind of discussion, but one we’re excited to try and tackle.

S3 E04 Mapless Worldbuilding with Chris Solo (Play Episode Now!)
Adam, B.H. Pierce (Hexarch), Red, and our guest Chris Solo, founder of the Fabled 42 network discuss the usefulness of maps, as well as the drawbacks they present. Learn about the first known map created for fiction, become inspired by their ramblings, and steal their ideas for a story about a cartographer who illustrates the map throughout the story!

S3 E03 Representation with Angela Abreu (Play Episode Now!)
Adam and Zaivy are joined by Angela “Angy” Abreu, the founder and creative director of the Dominican Writer’s Alliance. Together we discuss the importance of reading outside your comfort zone, of representation in literature, as well as some conversations specific to Angy’s work with the DWA.

S3 E02 Out of the Wardrobe (Play Episode Now!)
Inky, Emory, Lizy (AC), and Red get deep into a discussion on clothing. From fabrics and coats, to dyes and corsets, they’ve got some things to say on how wardrobes are treated (or ignored) in media—and it’s all inspired by the history of clothing.

S3 E01 Success in Writing with Nicholas Eames (Play Episode Now!)
Season 3 begins with Taylor, Adam, Emory, and Nicholas Eames—author of Kings of the Wyld and Bloody Rose—discuss what success means to us. We also talk about the importance of setting achievable goals, about genre, and all of the delightful tangents that come with an episode of Worldcasting!

Season 2

S2 E13 Creating Candlekeep with Justice Arman and Anthony Joyce (Play Episode Now!)
Justice Arman and Anthony Joyce join us in this episode, discussing their newest publication Elminster’s Guide to Candlekeep, written in collaboration with Ed Greenwood. Tyler discusses with them the process of creating the definitive guide to a place in the Forgotten Realms that many have claimed was impossible to define through maps and guides, which has too many spires to be counted, and which Justice and Anthony expanded upon with new magical items and creatures to encounter.

S2 E12 Apocalypses and Prophecies with Tale Foundry (Play Episode Now!)
In this penultimate episode of season 2, Tyler and Imachinate are joined by Benjamin Cook, creator of the YouTube channel and writing community Tale Foundry. They discuss how these events affect people, worlds, and how to approach writing apocalypses and prophecies for stories and games.

S2 E11 Shaping Worlds (Play Episode Now!)
Join Tyler, Adam, Imachinate, and Ragolution as they discuss cartography, geology, geography, and how to use these as tools to shape your worlds. They cover the importance and uses of maps as well as plate tectonics, and give a simple breakdown to cut through the unnecessarily complicated tutorials out there.

S2 E10 Artifacts and Wonders (Play Episode Now!)
Join Tyler, Hexarch, and Imachinate as they discuss artifacts and wonders. Places like Minas Tirith and items Excalibur are iconic to their setting, adding a sense of awe and depth to the lore. They’ll discuss why this is helpful to have, and how you might trap that essence.

S2 E09 Divining the Elder Scrolls (Play Episode Now!)
Join Tyler, Imachinate, and Red as they discuss The Elder Scrolls, the popular setting of games such as Skyrim, Oblivion, and Morrowind. They focus on on how it uses ambiguity in its lore to help the player tell their own story, as well a dissection of how the games share their lore, to better help you understand how to share yours.

S2 E08 Discerning Core Races (Play Episode Now!)
Join Tyler, Anna, Chris, Imachinate, and Inky as they discuss as they discuss the concept of the Core Races in fantasy. Be it Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, or Halflings we briefly touched on each of them to try and cover: who they are, what they can do for you, why they exist, and how to discern when to use them or to throw them out.

S2 E07 Evil Empires (Play Episode Now!)
Join Tyler, Chris, Hex, and Imachinate as they discuss the concept of evil empires. From their rise to domination, and eventual defeat, evil empires and the heroes who topple them are a long held fascination in fiction, and are a classic backdrop to many stories.

S2 E06 Heroes and Villains (Play Episode Now!)
Tyler, Imachinate, Ragolution, and Red dive into creating your own heroes and villains, the archetypes that they fit into, how varied their motivations can be, and what makes some of their favorites so memorable.

S2 E05 Magical Ecology (Play Episode Now!)
Tyler, Adam, Imachinate, and Red discuss creating new—magical—ecosystems for your setting. Going beyond your classic dragons, they consider what else exists around them, and how new introductions to that ecosystem might change the balance in it.

S2 E04 Examining Worldbuilding (Play Episode Now!)
Tyler, Adam, Imachinate, and Taylor discuss how we view and examine worldbuilding. They bring a discerning lens to discuss what works and what doesn’t in a setting—and how to apply those discoveries about other worlds to your own.

S2 E03 The Iceberg Principle (Play Episode Now!)
Tyler, B.K. Bass, Inky, and Imachinate discuss the iceberg principle: only showing a portion of your total worldbuilding. The practice, popularized by American author Ernest Hemmingway, helps us put the story first in our writing and storytelling. Because as much as we all may enjoy worldbuilding, people are usually more interested in the story around it.

S2 E02 Punkography (Play Episode Now!)
Join Tyler, Chris, Imachinate, Opal, and Red as they cover the basics of the various -punk genres: cyberpunk, steampunk, and many more. It’s a strange, complicated collection of (micro)genres, and we’re here to help you through them.

S2 E01 Worldbuilding 102 with Hello Future Me and Tale Foundry (Play Episode Now!)
Join Tyler and Adam as they talk with YouTubers Tim Hickson (Hello Future Me) and Benji Cook (Tale Foundry). Together, they discuss a flurry of topics ranging from how they got started, to how they approach worldbuilding, and more.

S2 FC3 Fireside Chat: Hexarch (Play Episode Now!)
Meet B.H. Pierce, also known as Hexarch. He’s a writer at Worldbuilding Magazine, a published author, and an avid fan of centaurs. He and Tyler discuss his work, worldbuilding, and more in this episode of Worldcasting.

S2 FC2 Fireside Chat: B.K. Bass (Play Episode Now!)
Meet B.K. Bass. He’s the Writing Chair at Worldbuilding Magazine, a published author, and Editor-in-Chief of Kyanite Publishing. He and Tyler discuss his work, worldbuilding, and more in this episode of Worldcasting.

S2 FC1 Fireside Chat: Adam Bassett (Play Episode Now!)
Meet Adam Bassett. Adam is the Vice Editor-in-Chief at Worldbuilding Magazine, a lead game designer at Smunchy Games, an author, artist, and a UI (user interface) designer. Adam and Tyler discuss his work, worldbuilding, and more in this episode of Worldcasting.

Season 1

S1 E12 On the Realms with Ed Greenwood (Play Episode Now!)
Dino, B.K. Bass, and Imachinate talk with Ed Greenwood in our podcast season finale. Ed is a New York Times Bestselling Author, and the creator of the Forgotten Realms; the iconic setting for Dungeons & Dragons.

S1 E11 The Arts (Play Episode Now!)
Dino is joined by Adam, B.K. Bass, and Imachinate as they discuss the necessity for including the arts in your setting. Tune in for a discussion on worldbuilding with art, and a bit of behind-the-scenes info on our latest magazine release: The Arts!

S1 E10 Boba & Kissing Games (Play Episode Now!)
On this episode, Dino is joined by Hexarch, Imachinate, Inky, and Ragolution as they discuss cultural norms, customs, and some overlooked pieces of culture to help your peoples feel just a little bit more alive.

S1 E09 Every World Needs a Platypus (Play Episode Now!)
On this episode of Worldcasting Dino is joined by Aravar, Imachinate, Inky, and Red in a discussion on the Importance of magical beasts and animals in fiction and mythology. From iconic creatures such as the dragon or gryphon, to lesser known and ancient ones such as the Sirrush. The roles they play in the narrative, and the perception of the wilder lands that they create.

S1 E08 Talking Magic (Play Episode Now!)
Dino, BK Bass, Hexarch, and Imachinate discuss the implications and use of magic in worldbuilding. In addition, they dive into the difference between a hard and soft magic system, examples of good uses for both, and how to make the distinction in your own setting.

S1 E07 Avoiding Overexplaining (Play Episode Now!)
Dino, Adam, and Imachinate discuss best practices for talking about your worlds with others—what helps lead to a productive conversation and ways to avoid overexplaining things.

S1 E06 History is Cyclical (Play Episode Now!)
Dino, Adam, Hex, and Imachinate discuss using history as a springboard for creating a backstory for your story, and how to frame a timeline.

S1 E05 Inside RPGs with Phil Athans (Play Episode Now!)
Join Dino, Chris, Ragolution, and special guest Phil Athans as they discuss worldbuilding! Their conversation delves into role playing games, shared settings, the role-playing games industry, and more.

S1 E04 Divine Oomph (Play Episode Now!)
Dino, Chris, Hexarch, Red, and Imachinate Discuss mythology and religion and how it relates to worldbuilding.

S1 E03 Cape Disappointment (Play Episode Now!)
Join Dino, AC, Adam, and Anna as we try to have a discussion on Tolkien with two people who don’t know Tolkien, and turn it into talking tropes and naming conventions!

S1 E02 Occupied with Worldbuilding (Play Episode Now!)
Join Dino, Adam, B. K. Bass, and Imachinate as they discuss governments, economics, trades and occupations in celebration of our Trades & Occupations issue that just released!

S1 E01 Worldbuilding 101 (Play Episode Now!)
Join Dino, B.K. Bass, Hexarch, and Imachinate as they discuss worldbuilding for your medium—plus some general tips and tricks along the way!