Shows / Just In Time Worldbuilding
Just In Time Worldbuilding
Welcome to Just in Time Worldbuilding! I build fantasy worlds by drawing on real world history and knowledge. I share that random historical and sometimes science knowledge with you and I also suggest how you can use that knowledge in a fantasy context.This podcast is hosts audio only versions of my YouTube video channel. New episodes on Tuesday, re-upload of the old catalogue on Saturdays, until the episodes are caught up.
Episodes
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
Your Religion Has a Viral Problem. Fix Its Spread Using This.
The spread of religion is not dictated by magic, revelations, or even mystical prophecy, but by geography, trade, conquest and the inherit nature of the faith…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
Why Your Fantasy Religion Doesn't Feel Real (And How To Fix It)
You've built a fantasy faith, mapped out the pantheon, created priests, honest and not. And yet, your faith doesn't feel as grounded as you'd like. Let's talk…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
The Seven Levels of Fantasy World Building!
From the trash that exists only to give the author a platform to shout from to the epic GOAT world builders that start with the creation of their world, let's…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
The Four Anatomical Vectors of Collapse That Every Worldbuilder Needs
When your protagonist steps into a half-buried fantasy city, they are walking onto a death scene. Yet most world builders treat ruins as mere scenery. They…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
The Binary Court Mistake That's Ruining Your Fantasy Kingdom
Royal courts in fantasy often fall into the "two-party trap"—dividing palace politics into simple red vs. blue ideological camps. But real feudal politics were…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
Your Royal Court Feels Out of Control Because You Miss These Techniques!
I've spoken about rebellion often enough, but what about the other side? Will no one think of the king?! Today, let's discuss how a monarch keeps his court in…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
The Critical Conflict In Every Royal Court That Most Writers Miss!
Let's talk about how to construct a royal court, where the tension comes from, and what kind of people live there. Check out my latest (award winning) book…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
The Iceberg of Fantasy Royal Courts (and Their Story Strengths)!
Let's explore royal courts and what the various types mean to the fantasy world builder! Check out my latest (award winning) book…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
The 7 Aristocrat Archetypes Every Fantasy Writer Needs
From the parasitic ticks crouching on the throne in level 1 to the world changing living legends in level 7, we cover all the levels of fantasy and real world…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
Ancient Justice: Don't Jail Your Characters
In this episode of Just In Time Worldbuilding, we discuss justice and punishment and how you put a dragon in jail…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
Why Your Fantasy Culture Need a Counter-Culture!
In this episode of Just In Time Worldbuilding, we discuss counter-cultures, why the arise, why your world needs them, and what always happens in the end... Buy…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
How to Create a Class System That Supports Your Story!
Slavery and serfdom are often seen in fantasy world, but when do they make sense? What kind of stories do they support? How can you use them in your world…
Just In Time WorldbuildingYou Need Guest Rights To Create Drama!
Guest rights is a complicated subject, both in why it evolved and how it has been used over the years. This video explores guest rights, not just in the real…
Just In Time WorldbuildingWhy Do Jokes In A Fantasy World Fail?
In this episode of Just In Time Worldbuilding, we discuss humor, why jokes are funny and how to create humor in your fantasy world! Buy Sangwheel…
Just In Time WorldbuildingDesigning Corrupt Regimes: Lessons from Real-World History
In this episode of Just In Time Worldbuilding, we discuss corruption, how fantasy elements change it, and what storylines you can build using corruption as a…
Just In Time WorldbuildingWhat a Knight’s Life Was REALLY Like (And How to Fix Your Worldbuilding)
Ever wonder what a knight actually did from sunrise to sunset? Beyond the armor and the jousting, the life of a knight was defined by economics, hygiene…
Just In Time WorldbuildingQuesting, War, and Holy Orders: What Did a Knight Actually Do?
What did a knight do? Were quests real? What purpose did quests serve in medieval literature? What were the knightly orders and what impact did the crusades…
Just In Time WorldbuildingHow To Make a Knight In Fantasy World!
How did a knight's training working? Could commoners becoming knights? What equipment did a knight need? Did they all use swords? How do you use a lance? Join…
Just In Time WorldbuildingWhy Knightly Lore Feels Fake And How To Fix It!
Why did knights actual develop? How do you adjust that development process to your worldbuilding? Should you even have knights? Do they need to ride a horse?…
Just In Time WorldbuildingYour Cultural Worldbuilding is Incomplete Without Outcasts!
When building a culture, all too often, the outcasts and fringes get neglected by the worldbuilder. But some of the best stories are told on the fringes of…
Just In Time WorldbuildingGods as Memes | A Worldbuilding Revolution
What if instead of HAVING concepts, your gods WERE concepts? What if they were born...from MEMES! Let's talk about how that would work and what effect it would…
Just In Time WorldbuildingIs the Honorable Warrior a Fantasy Necessity?
Honorable warriors are a staple in fantasy, from the knight to the space marine. But why is that? And how should you build your honorable warrior? And what…
Just In Time WorldbuildingWorldbuilding: The Fantasy School Problem
Education is one of the central underpinnings of a society. And yet, in a fantasy world, it's often given short shrift by the writer. In this video, let's…
Just In Time WorldbuildingThese Cultural Errors Are Tanking Your World
Cultural world building is one of the most complex and yet important parts of world building. And it's easy to get wrong, to end up with a mess of a culture…
Just In Time WorldbuildingWhen Empires Rise and Fall With One Man
Send a text Sometimes an empire is not built to last. Sometimes an empire rises with its conquering hero and falls just as soon as the guy on the horse dies…
Just In Time WorldbuildingSacred Groves Are Worldbuilding Gold—Here's Why
Send a text Sacred groves offer so many oppertunities for cultral and political worldbuilding, but too often they are relegated to "resting" places or "wild…
Just In Time WorldbuildingHow Many Characters Should A Story Have
Send a text Using multiple different narrating characters is common in fantasy stories these days. But what actually is a narrating character? How should you…
Just In Time WorldbuildingWriting Love Stories That Destroy Your Reader's Heart
Send a text Ah February... The month of love... But what if you don't want to tell a love story? What if you want your reader sobbing into the pages of your…
Just In Time WorldbuildingThe Fallacy of Compound Interest: How Immortal Economies Would Work
Send a text People so often say: Immortals would get rich with compound interest. This is a fallacy. There's way more risks down that road than what you think…
Just In Time Worldbuilding7 Chemistry Facts That Will Change How You Build Worlds
Send a text You think fantasy worlds don't need chemistry? Give me twenty minutes to change your mind with these seven basic chemistry facts that make a huge…
Just In Time WorldbuildingThe Prophecy Trap Every Fantasy Writer Falls Into
Send a text Stop using prophecy as a "plot coupon" that saves your hero from every consequence. We're exploring why literal prophecies are spoilers and how to…
Just In Time WorldbuildingThe 90/10 Rule: Why Your Fantasy Worldbuilding Feels "Thin"
Send a text What is the 90-10 rule in fantasy worldbuilding? How do you use it tell great stories? In this video, we explore 5 techniques to show the hidden…
Just In Time WorldbuildingYour Fantasy World's Diet Says Everything
Send a text What's on the menu in your fantasy world? This video discusses how neglecting character diets is a massive missed opportunity for cultural world…
Just In Time WorldbuildingCraft Compelling Dissent in YOUR Fantasy Empire
Send a text This episode dives into historical rebellions, discussing their origins, key figures, and the factors that led to their rise. Let's analyze what…
Just In Time WorldbuildingWhy Magic is the Most Dangerous Geopolitical Weapon
Send a text Let's explore how magic can become a strategic asset in your fantasy worlds! This video dives into geopolitics and diplomacy, showing how magic…
Just In Time WorldbuildingHow To Hunt Lore and Continuously World Build
Send a text Ever wonder where the most compelling ideas for your fantasy writing come from when crafting a fictional world? Learn how to write rich lore by…
Just In Time WorldbuildingWhat If Scenarios in Worldbuilding | How to Make the Right Changes
Send a text In this episode, Marie and George dive deep into the art of creating compelling alternate history narratives. They discuss how to identify crucial…
Just In Time Worldbuilding5 Ways Mythic Beasts Influence Sword and Sandal Worldbuilding!
Send a text Let's talk about the trap of gritty realism and how to create awesome fantasy worlds that truly feels mythic is the best sword and sandal…
Just In Time WorldbuildingWorldbuilding inspired by Chinese Fantasy & Politics!
Send a text Let's explore using the rich history and culture of China as a basis for fantasy worldbuilding! We'll talk history, culture, mythology, economics…
Just In Time Worldbuilding7 Tiny Worldbuilding Tricks That Make Stories Awesome
Send a text Sometimes with world building, we can get caught up in the big things. The king, the gods, the prophecy, the DRAMA. But there details that really…
Just In Time WorldbuildingHero or Anti-Hero? Why not both!
Send a text The paladin and the anti-hero are both male trope staples, but falling into a cliche trap can be way too easy. Let's talk about their pitfalls…
Just In Time WorldbuildingHow to Write Compelling Male Mentor Characters!
Send a text The Male Mentor who pegs in the first half of the story has a whole page to itself on TV Tropes with more examples than you can shake a stick at…
Just In Time WorldbuildingHow Tiered Magic Shapes Your Fantasy Civilization!
Send a text Let's talk about tiered magic systems and the impact they have on the societies in which they arise! Worldbuilding Blueprints Kickstarter…
Just In Time WorldbuildingThe REAL Reason Fantasy Games and Books Use Feudalism
Send a text Why do we see feudalism so often in fantasy? What actually is feudalism? Would we really revert to feudalism in space? Worldbuilding Blueprints…
Just In Time WorldbuildingSpy, Matriarch, Witch... How to Avoid the Cliches of Using Female Tropes!
Send a text Female characters can be hard to get right. Let's talk about 3 staples of the fantasy genre: The Spy, the Matriarch and the Witch or Mystic - Their…
Just In Time WorldbuildingBadass or Cliché? Writing Female Warriors and Manipulators That Work
Send a text Female characters can be hard to get right. Let's talk about 2 staples of the fantasy genre: The Badass Warrior and the Femme Fatale - Their…
Just In Time Worldbuilding5 Political Strategies to Survive a Mad King's Reign!
Send a text Let's talk about mad monarchs and how to survive in their courts with these 5 strategies! Worldbuilding Blueprints Kickstarter…
Just In Time Worldbuilding5 Mistakes writers make when ending an immortal storyline
Send a text Let's talk about how to bring an immortal storyline to a close and 5 pitfalls that even great storytellers sometimes fall prey to! Worldbuilding…
Just In Time Worldbuilding5 Mistake to Avoid in Creating Fantasy Species!
Send a text Today we close out the species creation series with 5 mistakes I hate to see when people create fantasy species! Worldbuilding Blueprints…
Just In Time Worldbuilding5 Ways to Create Transformed Creatures in Fantasy!
Send a text In this episode, we talk about transformation of people into creatures, monsters, higher beings, and undead. Worldbuilding Blueprints Kickstarter…
Just In Time Worldbuilding3 Ways to Uplift Animals in Fantasy Worldbuilding
Send a text In this episode, we delve into using upliftment to create fantasy species. Worldbuilding Blueprints Kickstarter…
Just In Time WorldbuildingHow to worldbuild created life in 3 easy steps!
Send a text In this episode, we delve into created life! We'll cover everything from golems to Hal 9000 and discuss how you can create your own artificial…
Just In Time WorldbuildingSuperman 2025: The Power of a Steadfast Hero!
Send a text Superman 2025 was a masterclass in having a great villain opposed by a true hero and the FANTASTIC story you can tell with a steadfast character…
Just In Time WorldbuildingHow to actually tame a dragon!
Send a text In this episode, we explore domestication for plants and animals and fantasy beasties! From the Fs for animals and the Ps for plants, we'll discuss…
Just In Time WorldbuildingCan We REALLY Achieve Harmony with Other Species?
Send a text In this episode, we explore four models for multi-species diplomacy in fantasy worldbuilding. Then we'll see those models in action by doing a deep…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
What cultural evolution means for YOUR Worldbuilding!
Send a text In this episode, we explore how cultures evolve alongside biological evolution and how you can use studies from our world to make your fantasy…
- Just In Time Worldbuilding
What Mythic Logic REALLY Means for YOUR Fantasy World
Send a text Welcome to the first episode in the new series on creating non-earth creatures, plants, and other beasties! In this episode we discuss why you…
Just In Time WorldbuildingEvolution in Fantasy Worldbuilding Explained Simply
Send a text How to use evolution to create fantastical creatures of all shapes and sizes. Worldbuilding Blueprints Kickstarter…
Just In Time WorldbuildingWhy You Need More Fantasy In Your World!
Send a text Welcome to the first episode in the new series on creating non-earth creatures, plants, and other beasties! In this episode we discuss why you…
Just In Time WorldbuildingWeird Facts About Cold Deserts You Never Knew!
Send a text Lets talk about worldbuilding cold deserts for fantasy worlds! I wrote a worldbuilding book! Check out the Kickstarter…