The hottest Worldbuilding Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways

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Dune Names Are Good, Actually

Counter Craft • 720 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24

🎭️ Culture Language Worldbuilding Science fiction Literature

Dune's worldbuilding strikes a balance between the familiar and the strange, making it unique and engaging.
Language in worldbuilding should reflect a balance of otherness and familiarity to enhance themes and characters.
Worldbuilding language should evoke reader imagination while still maintaining readability and evocativeness.

I'm hosting four literary salons this year

The Novelleist • 358 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24

📚 Literature Humanity Worldbuilding Dystopia

Join the Salon Series at the Collector tier to discuss utopian texts through deep-dive discussions on Zoom
Explore themes such as techno-futurism in 'Lathe of Heaven' and humanity from the perspective of robots in 'Psalm for the Wild Built'
Delve into utopian worldbuilding in 'Terra Ignota' and the balance between dystopia and utopia in Aldous Huxley's works

There Is No Planet B (For Worldbuilding)

Atlas of Wonders and Monsters • 97 HN points • 18 Jan 24

🎨 Art & Illustration Worldbuilding Fiction Maps Evolution Complexity

Fictional worlds may lack complexity compared to real-world evolution.
Tolkien's Middle-earth, while detailed, is relatively simple in terms of population and culture.
To enhance fictional world complexity, creators often draw inspiration from real-world diversity.

Letters from Arrakis: Part Two

storyvoyager • 9 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24

📚 Literature Science fiction Fantasy Climate fiction Worldbuilding Character analysis

Book Two of Dune delves into the Fremen culture and their mission to green Arrakis
The ecological themes of Dune resonate with current environmental concerns
The manipulation of the Fremen religion by Paul and Jessica raises moral questions

into the void

alice maz • 44 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23

🎭️ Culture Science fiction Society Fantasy Worldbuilding Human nature

The future depicted in sci-fi can range from harsh and plausible like 'Void Star' to sophisticated and refined like 'A Memory Called Empire'.
Technology influences society by changing constraints and rewriting rules - it's not always good, but it matters.
Fiction, like 'To the Stars', offers a fantasy world where incredible feats are possible through suffering and teamwork, depicting an ideal that reality often falls short of.

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A new game: A Gathering Storm for Cairn

Seedling Growth Zone • 19 implied HN points • 11 Jun 23

🎨 Art & Illustration Games Worldbuilding Books

A Gathering Storm for Cairn game is now available in multiple stores like itch.io and Third Kingdom games.
The creator is working on character retirement mechanics, worldbuilding about cities, and generators for Cairn game.
The creator is also creating an adventure for Cairn jam and planning to publish printable bestiaries.

Worldbuilding is creative resilience

The Ideaspace • 21 implied HN points • 16 Feb 23

🎨 Art & Illustration Creativity Fantasy Music Worldbuilding Imagination

Worldbuilding is the act of designing a self-contained universe, creating a safe creative space separate from the earthly realm.
Creating from your world means work inspired and strengthened by an intentional inner world, allowing you to immerse yourself and lose touch with the shared world.
Worldbuilding prioritizes the symbolic and inspirational over the practical and rational, creating a source of inner confidence and resilience.

Seeds of Resistance

storyvoyager • 8 implied HN points • 03 Sep 23

📚 Literature Sci-fi Dystopian Fiction Climate change Worldbuilding

Access to and control of seeds can determine social class and power in the future.
Efforts are being made to restore Earth's ecosystem and food sources through seed growing despite challenges.
Resistance movements are forming to reclaim ownership of seeds and ensure a sustainable future for the planet.

OPUS: Echo of Starsong

Have You Played? • 0 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23

🎨 Art & Illustration Gaming Worldbuilding Character development Storytelling

OPUS: Echo of Starsong is an adventure game set in the Thousand Peaks planetary system.
The game features simple gameplay mechanics but offers a deep worldbuilding experience.
Echo of Starsong implements Asian storytelling traditions, focusing on unresolved character traumas and emotional expressions.