Your Rivers Are Wrong

Feb 03 2025 92 ep. 44 mins 28

Your Rivers Are Wrong Podcast artwork

Two people across the ocean talk worldbuilding and storytelling! "The possibilities are truly infinite within the worlds built by one's imagination. Two very easily distracted people ponder on the impact and art form of worldbuilding in every medium of creativity, from TV to tabletop games. From New York to the Netherlands, every week we a new topic to the transatlantic table, and afterwards round out the episode with an improvised worldbuilding prompt." The Hosts: - Merle https://merlefindhammer.com - Dante https://youtube.com/@WintryRPG Contact us at: [email protected]

Copy RSS

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

#87 - Ability Scores, & Other Game Design Ramblings

Feb 03 2025 41 mins

A blur of an episode as we talk about designing games with intent, and how "ability scores" play a role in that - how do game designers convey themes and genre through the mechanical aspects of their game? Prompt: What if everyone had their highest ability score floating above their head?

#86 - The Good Kind of Sad, & The Wedding Crash

Jan 12 2025 48 mins

Tragedy is a tale as old as time. How do we write melancholy in a satisfying and meaningful way? How far can we push tragedy before we lose the favor of the reader or audience? In this episode, we discuss what makes sadness "good" and how to use it to enhance our storytelling. Prompt: Start and end a (sad) story with the same sentence.

#85 - Fan Prompts! Camp Crusades & Critter Unions

Dec 16 2024 51 mins

One of the more unhinged episodes of ours, surely - welcome back to fan prompts, where we take your one-sentence ideas and improv with them off the deep end!

#84 - Death Games, & The Cost of The Fight

Nov 24 2024 37 mins

Twenty contestant, one prize, and a brutal path to victory - sound familiar? The thrill and horror of a well-written "death game" resonates in a morbidly exciting way. Why are we intrigued with these type of plotlines, and what themes does it distort? What is unique about this plotline that ultimately always leads to revolution? Prompt: Create your own death game!

#83 - Immortality, & The Color of Life

Oct 27 2024 43 mins

We've got a sleepy episode today about immortality! We're specifically focusing on the perspective of a timeless being in a world that relentless move forward without them - what values do they hold, how do they carry themselves, and how do they view their fleeting compatriots? All this and more on today's episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong c: Prompt: An immortal is no longer. Descri

#82 - Dialogues, & The Strongest-Worded Email

Sep 18 2024 32 mins

What goes into a well-written dialogue? Well, it's gotta be snappy but subtle, concise but emotional, and informative but not too informative. It's complicated! Let's break down the nuances of an effective dialogue in all sorts of media, and how you can improve the conversations between multiple characters. Prompt: Write a very conclusive email!

#81 - Reputation, & The World's Best Interview

Aug 31 2024 47 mins

We're back at it! Jumping into Season 8, we talk about reputation - how does it inform the reader of a world, and how does it function differently in a living, unfinished world as opposed to a published story? Finally, does a reputation drive or inhibit a character's progress? We talk Mistborn, Rebecca, and lots of other updates on ourselves in this episode! Prompt: As a gu

#80 - Fan Prompts! Crab Villains & Good Zombies, Actually

Jun 17 2024 47 mins

Welcome to the season finale! We celebrate the close to season 7 (finally) with four fan prompts submitted by you! Join us as we improvise the lives of failed underwater scientists, magic hat dimensions, space refugees and the perks of zombification. All this and more, tune in!

#79 - Big World, Small Heroes! Improvised Worldbuilding Challenge

Jun 09 2024 42 mins

We're back with a big story! The whole episode is a prompt, with the goal to build a world for heroes to explore. We choose the tiniest of adventurers to make our world seem ever larger, and we improv a scene with what we've built! Join us on a haphazard adventure on this episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong.

#78 - Revenge, & The Morning After

May 02 2024 34 mins

You've waited your whole life for this moment, the pinnacle of justice served...but who am I, to deliver judgment? Today we talk revenge stories! Why they work, why the aftermath is so important, and what it means for characters who journey down that road. Prompt: Describe the morning after revenge.