I’d wager that every GM of at least a few months of experience has either considered “world building” or done it. It seems like a massive, maybe daunting challenge, and it can be. Where, then, should you start? Herein we begin our extended series on world building:

• What size should you make your new world?
• And by "world," what do you mean?
• How to think about which system to use
• Where to find inspiration
• When to start "building

How can you approach canon when dealing with an established setting? When does it make sense to bend or break it, and are there other ways to work with it as you plan and run games?

We offer some suggestions and a heap of examples.

Let us know what you think: https://forms.gle/siRsr21MVpTptHv18

Herein I offer an initial pitch to James about Eberron, the DnD setting that debuted in 2004 during they height of the d20/3.5 era. I make the case that this world works, breathes in a way that is easily understood and is plausible, making creating and running stories easy and interesting.

Let us know what you think in our new comments box: https://forms.gle/pUMTHCwFmyPm39aa6

Eberron page on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/browse?keyword=eberron

An annual tradition on the show, herein we discuss our short lists of goals and plans for gaming in 2026, to include some worldbuilding, new campaigns, deliberate shelving of existing campaigns, and other gaming-related activities.

What are you planning for in gaming in 2026?

James explains how he is getting to know Traveller as a GM and running a story for one player. We discuss how he handles the mechanics, story, and character aspects of this original adventure, and how it fits perfectly with Traveller’s core rules.

Check out Mongoose’s Traveller Start Page: https://www.mongoosepublishing.com/collections/start-here

Check out the awesome Traveller Map: https://travellermap.com/?p=-0.433!0.5!2&options=58359

I picked up this starter box at a Black Friday sale and ran the one session story is contained. Herein are my thoughts.

Free League’s Vaesen Page: https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/vaesen/

STA came out in late 2017, and I’ve been running it on and off since, with four separate campaigns under my belt, and a shelf of 1e hardbacks as my collection. Herein I look back on the game - what it does well, where it’s rough, and why it’s worth trying (1e or 2e), despite my lack of interest in 2e. Find current and 1e materials at the links below.

Free 2e Quickstart: https://tinyurl.com/2pzvuh5h

1e PDF Rulebook for purchase: https://tinyurl.com/33sbdh5r

1e Klingon Rulebook PDF for purchase: https://tinyurl.com/2t6hhfh5

We’ve discussed the work that goes into getting ready to run a new campaign, and since one of us is going through that right now, we decided to talk through the steps in the process of marrying the three S’s of a game: system, setting, and story.

And here's that link to the massive Classic Traveller deal: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/traveller-classic-rpg-collection?v=5911

Every campaign comes to an end, whether by decision or outside events or pressure. When you have at least some time to work with, how can you gracefully, satisfyingly, finish a campaign? And when you do, are you ending it, or shelving it? We discuss these ideas today.

Every RPG offers some kind of system of formal rewards: XP, levels, skills…but what else can you do, mechanically and within the story, to reward your players? Is there more to rewards than character levels or powers? We think so, and we discuss some specific, actionable ideas in today’s episode.