34 – Horror in the Margins: Interview with Zack Goings
Horror holds a grim fascination for millions of people but it can be elusive at times. The things that you’d think would draw out the biggest screams sometimes fall flat because they’re too obvious or gratuitous. Real horror lies in subtlety and the unknown. What if the best horror is in the margins, just outside...
34 – Horror in the Margins: Interview with Zack Goings
33 – Mars is Having a Mid-Life Crisis
Maybe it's time for Mars to reclaim its youth in our fiction.
33 – Mars is Having a Mid-Life Crisis
31 – Chekhov’s Obelisk
As worldbuilders we constantly desire more detail in our settings but is it possible that we’re writing checks that can’t be cashed? When an object is placed in the world it’s inevitable that at least some your audience will place significance on it but the very act of worldbuilding is making things that exist, at...
31 – Chekhov’s Obelisk
30 – Gameplay Mechanics and Worldbuilding
Why do people keep honking at James’ bike? How come no one cares that Marcos is streaking? Why can’t Seth get free burritos? Gameplay mechanics are where the game you’re making intersects with the world you were hoping to create. The truth is that almost any gameplay mechanic be it gunplay, stealth, inventory or crafting...
30 – Gameplay Mechanics and Worldbuilding
27 – Factions
People aren’t self motivated so much as faction oriented. Belonging is a powerful part of the human experience whether it’s a family, a guild, a rebellion or bowling league we tend to seek the best for the people we’re closest to. These kinds of ties and relationships can create great conflict and add real depth...
27 – Factions
26 – Star Wars, Good or Bad?
Ah yes, the brain melting question of every Worldbuilder. It’s clear that the worldbuilding that inspired 3 generations of writers and Worldbuilders can’t fairly be called bad but all of us can point to moments where it was real hard to call it good. Midichlorians, sar’lacs, the expanded universe, KOTOR, the Force Unleashed, James and...
26 – Star Wars, Good or Bad?
25 – Magic: An Overview
Fantasy science or deus ex machina? What is magic? Is it a set of physical laws that govern elements of your setting? Is it the unknowable will of the gods? Can it be learned, mastered even? Is it opaque and mysterious? Magic is ever present in fantasy (some would argue it’s the essence of the...
25 – Magic: An Overview
24 – State of War
War, war never changes, and it’s everywhere. At least in fiction. When we think about war in stories (except for the most gritty retrospectives) we think about glory, battle and the horrors of conflict but we rarely think about the folks at home and what troops would get up to during downtime. What does an...
24 – State of War
23 – Worlds That Endure
Adventure Time and Lord of the Rings obviously have a lot in common, but how much? There is a strong temptation to write worlds that entirely consistent ships in a bottle, where all the details are ironed out. That world, as long as it stays bottled, is perfect. When you put characters in it, though,...