Speculate
385 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsSpeculate is an award-winning actual play TTRPG show starring science fiction & fantasy authors, editors, and more.
Hosted by authors Gregory A. Wilson, Brandon O’Brien, and Michael R. Underwood, the show explores the overlap between different forms of storytelling from prose to games and beyond. They’ve played Blades in the Dark, Girl by Moonlight, Lasers & Feelings, D&D, and more.
In addition to the podcast episodes, you can find video-only shows at speculatesf.com/shows
NOTE: In 2018, Speculate transitioned from its original literary criticism format to the current actual play show. All of the old episdoes are still available.
Speculate is supported by listeners like you at patreon.com/speculate
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Episodes
Episode 197 of Speculate!–Eberron: Murder in Skyway, Part One!
November 27, 2018 13:29 - 1 hour - 95.9 MBIn this episode, we return to D&D, Eberron, and the City of Towers, as we continue Speculate 2.0 with our seventh actual play episode. Greg DMs the opening episode of a one shot adventure continuing the story of Pikebreaker, Machupa, Grim, and Clak, played by Mike, Maurice Broaddus, Lauren Roy, and Marie Bilodeau respectively, who […]
Episode 196 of Speculate!–Blades in the Dark: The Gloaming, Part Three!
November 13, 2018 17:10 - 45 minutes - 63.1 MBIn this episode, we move to a new game system, and a new city, as we continue Speculate 2.0 with our sixth actual play episode, the final part of a one shot Blades in the Dark adventure set in the mysterious city of Duskwall. In this episode, Mike as GM and Greg, Brandon O’Brien, Jaym […]
Episode 195 of Speculate!–Blades in the Dark: The Gloaming, Part Two!
November 07, 2018 06:47 - 51 minutes - 70.6 MBIn this episode, we move to a new game system, and a new city, as we continue Speculate 2.0 with our fifth actual play episode, the second part of a one shot Blades in the Dark adventure set in the mysterious city of Duskwall. Mike takes over as GM for Greg, Brandon O’Brien, Jaym Gates, […]
Episode 194 of Speculate!–Blades in the Dark: The Gloaming, Part One!
November 02, 2018 04:44 - 1 hour - 88.9 MBIn this episode, we move to a new game system, and a new city, as we continue Speculate 2.0 with our fourth actual play episode, the first part of a one shot Blades in the Dark adventure set in the mysterious city of Duskwall. Mike takes over as GM for Greg, Brandon O’Brien, Jaym Gates, […]
Episode 193 of Speculate!–Eberron–Double Immiscibility, Part Three!
October 09, 2018 21:27 - 1 hour - 64.4 MBIn this episode, we continue our launch of Speculate 2.0 with our third actual play episode, the final part of a one shot D&D 5E adventure set in Eberron. Greg DMs an intrepid group of adventurers with Mike, Marie Bilodeau, Maurice Broaddus, and Lauren Roy, who must deal with a mysterious death, political intrigue, and […]
Episode 192 of Speculate!–Eberron–Double Immiscibility, Part Two!
September 25, 2018 16:18 - 33 minutes - 46.5 MBIn this episode, we continue our launch of Speculate 2.0 with our second actual play episode, part two of a one shot D&D 5E adventure set in Eberron. Greg DMs an intrepid group of adventurers with Mike, Marie Bilodeau, Maurice Broaddus, and Lauren Roy, who must deal with a mysterious death, political intrigue, and some […]
Episode 191 of Speculate!–Eberron–Double Immiscibility, Part One!
September 18, 2018 15:54 - 57 minutes - 53 MBIn this episode, we launch Speculate 2.0 with our first actual play episode, a one shot D&D 5E adventure set in Eberron. Greg DMs an intrepid group of adventurers with Mike, Marie Bilodeau, Maurice Broaddus, and Lauren Roy, who must deal with a mysterious death, political intrigue, and some close shaves in the City of […]
A New Direction for Speculate!
August 22, 2018 07:34 - 16 minutes - 22.6 MBThis announcement concerns a new direction for Speculate–one we’re very excited about, but one which moves the show in a different direction. We appreciate all the support from our listeners over eight years of this show’s existence and look forward to hearing from so many more of you in the days, weeks, and months to […]
Episode 190 of Speculate!–Work/Life Balance
July 19, 2018 22:46 - 43 minutes - 59.7 MBIn this episode, we look at the difficult task of keeping one’s personal and work life in balance, especially as writers who are often working other jobs to make ends meet. We talk about community, escapism, and many other methods of preserving one’s sanity in difficult times…and keeping productive even when the world around seems […]
Episode 189 of Speculate!–Summer Recommendations!
July 12, 2018 19:48 - 56 minutes - 77.4 MBIn this episode, we look at what we’ve been reading (and playing) over the summer, with brief comments about Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine Worship, the Superman Rebirth hardcover edition, Vivian Jackson’s Wanted and Wired, L.E. Modesitt’s Imager, Herge’s Tintin series, and Will Cuppy’s How To Attract the Wombat, plus discussion of Harebrained Schemes’ Battletech. We had […]
Episode 188 of Speculate!–Story/Narrative Discussion of Tabletop RPGs, Part 2
June 06, 2018 12:37 - 53 minutes - 73.8 MBIn this episode, we combine writing and gaming as we conduct part two of a joint session of Speculate and Greg’s Twitch show Masters of the Dungeon, talking with veteran game masters Askren and Dave (the Digital DM) about story and narrative in tabletop games. We discuss high-level campaigns, the way different systems contribute to […]
Episode 187 of Speculate!–Story/Narrative Discussion of Tabletop RPGs
May 30, 2018 20:39 - 42 minutes - 57.9 MBIn this episode, we combine writing and gaming as we conduct a joint session of Speculate and Greg’s Twitch show Masters of the Dungeon, talking with veteran game masters Askren and Dave (the Digital DM) about story and narrative in tabletop games. We discuss high-level campaigns, the way different systems contribute to different kinds of […]
Episode 186 of Speculate! – Author Interview with Jaym Gates
April 29, 2018 23:47 - 41 minutes - 33.2 MBIn this episode, we talk about the State of the Field with author, editor, and project manager Jaym Gates, looking in particular at tie-in fiction, game writing, and working in shared worlds. This was an interesting conversation, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. If you like what you hear, please […]
Episode 184 – Roundtable Discussion with Jaym Gates
April 05, 2018 17:35 - 50 minutes - 40.5 MBIn this episode, we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Andrej Sapkowski with a roundtable discussion of his book The Last Wish, as we’re joined by author, editor, and project manager Jaym Gates. We chat about the book’s translation, the commercial vs. literary quality of the work, the creation of a character […]
Episode 183 of Speculate!–Andrzej Sapkowski Novel Review (The Last Wish)
March 27, 2018 16:17 - 47 minutes - 49.4 MBIn this episode, we start a new triptych of shows on the work of Andrzej Sapkowski with our reader response to his book The Last Wish, which introduced the character of Geralt of Rivia and The Witcher to the world and inspired CD Projekt’s incredible series of Witcher games. We chat about the book’s crisp […]
Episode 182 – David Mack Author Interview
March 21, 2018 21:48 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBGreg and Mike met up with author David Mack at Farpoint in Baltimore, MD. David is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies. We talked with him about his new Dark Arts series of Alt-History Fantasy, starting […]
Episode 180 of Speculate!–Mishell Baker Author Discussion
January 25, 2018 14:34 - 32 minutes - 30 MBWelcome to Episode 180 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans. In this episode Mike and guest co-host Elsa Sjunneson-Henry continue our triptych of shows on the work of Mishell Baker, looking at her novel Borderline. We talk with Mishell about inspiration from gaming and other sources, Millie’s distinct character voice, sense of place, and more. If you […]
Episode 179 of Speculate!–Mishell Baker Novel Review (Borderline)
January 17, 2018 09:01 - 209 MBWelcome to Episode 179 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans. In this episode Mike welcomes writer and editor Elsa Sjunneson-Henry as a guest co-host for our next triptych, this one on Mishell Baker’s Borderline. Greg is taking a much-deserved month off from the triptych, to return soon. Borderline provides a fresh take on the Fair Folk […]
Episode 178 of Speculate!–Game Narrative Discussion of Portal
December 12, 2017 17:00 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBWelcome to Episode 178 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode, we launch our third joint production of Speculate and Greg’s Twitch channel (under the moniker Arvan Eleron) as we discuss the world of Portal, Valve‘s groundbreaking puzzle game with a whole lot of story both implicit and explicit. We […]
Episode 176 of Speculate!–Malka Older Author Discussion
October 05, 2017 14:00 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBWelcome to Episode 176 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans. In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Malka Older, looking at her novel Infomocracy. We chat about dystopia (and whether it’s an overused term), idea-driven fiction, narrative disorder, and more–and how all of it is tied […]
Episode 175 of Speculate!–Malka Older Novel Review (Infomocracy)
September 27, 2017 14:00 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBWelcome to Episode 175 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans. In this episode we welcome everyone back and thank everyone for their understanding during our hiatus before beginning our next triptych, this one on Malka Older‘s Infomocracy. This book, which envisions a near future environment where “microdemocracy” has become the dominant political […]
Episode 174 of Speculate!–Jason M. Hough Author Discussion
May 23, 2017 17:00 - 53 minutes - 49 MBWelcome to Episode 174 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we start by explaining a bit of what’s been going on with our schedule, and what’s on tap for the future, before moving on to our chat with author Jason M. Hough. Jason has been on the show before, […]
Episode 173 of Speculate!–Roundtable Discussion about Healthcare and Politics with Gwenda Bond and Kameron Hurley
February 08, 2017 14:00 - 56 minutes - 51.5 MBWelcome to Episode 173 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode, we venture into the world of healthcare and politics–and yes, they’re related!–as they relate to the speculative fiction community, as we discuss what happens next with authors Gwenda Bond and Kameron Hurley. Both have talked extensively, on […]
Episode 172 of Speculate!–DongWon Song Agent Discussion
December 14, 2016 17:00 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBWelcome to Episode 172 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this State of the Field episode we chat with former editor and current agent DongWon Song of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency about the current publishing environment for speculative fiction, how the line between agent and editor has become increasingly blurred, […]
Episode 171 of Speculate!–Michael J. Martinez Author Discussion
November 22, 2016 17:00 - 51 minutes - 47 MBWelcome to Episode 171 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we chat with author Michael J. Martinez about works past, present, and future. During our discussion we talk about Mike’s Daedalus Trilogy and Majestic-12 series, his love of history in both real and alternate forms, and the ways in […]
Episode 170 of Speculate!–Lauren Beukes Short Story Review (Slipping)
October 04, 2016 18:58 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBWelcome to Episode 170 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans. In this episode we talk about our schedule through the end of 2016 before getting into the show proper, a discussion of Lauren Beukes‘s upcoming short story collection (due out in November) Slipping: Stories, Essays, & Other Writing, focusing in particular on […]
Episode 168 of Speculate!–Chuck Wendig Author Discussion
August 23, 2016 14:00 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBWelcome to Episode 168 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Chuck Wendig, looking at his new novel Invasive. We chat about anxiety in fiction, the nature of messages and themes in stories, the specifics of Chuck’s unique style (and […]
Episode 167 of Speculate!–Chuck Wendig Novel Review (Invasive)
August 11, 2016 14:00 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBWelcome to Episode 167 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we talk about a couple of upcoming projects before beginning our next triptych, this one on Chuck Wendig‘s Invasive. This book, due out on August 16th, follows futurist and FBI consultant Hannah Stander as she tries to uncover the […]
Episode 165 of Speculate!–Daniel Jose Older Author Discussion
June 28, 2016 14:00 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MBWelcome to Episode 165 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Daniel Jose Older, looking at his acclaimed YA novel Shadowshaper as we speak with the author himself. We chat about music, Brooklyn, cultural representation, characters of color, and many […]
Episode 164 of Speculate!–Daniel Jose Older Novel Review (Shadowshaper)
June 21, 2016 14:00 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MBWelcome to Episode 164 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we talk about Mike’s successful Genrenauts Kickstarter and the new arrival in Greg’s family–the new youngest Speculate podcaster!–along with coming travel plans before beginning our next triptych, this one on Daniel Jose Older‘s Shadowshaper. This book, about a young […]
Episode 162 of Speculate!–Aliette de Bodard Author Discussion
May 10, 2016 14:00 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBWelcome to Episode 162 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Aliette de Bodard, looking in particular at her award-winning and critically acclaimed novel The House of Shattered Wings, as we speak with the author herself (for the second time). […]
Episode 161 of Speculate!–Aliette de Bodard Novel Review (The House of Shattered Wings)
May 03, 2016 14:00 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MBWelcome to Episode 161 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we talk a bit about the current state of the Hugo Awards and two projects of our own–Mike’s upcoming Kickstarter for The Genrenauts and Greg’s recently released graphic novel Icarus–before beginning our next triptych of 2016 with our reader […]
Episode 160 of Speculate!–Roundtable Discussion with Patrick Rothfuss
April 07, 2016 14:00 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBWelcome to Episode 160 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode, we continue our second joint production of Speculate and Greg’s Twitch channel (under the moniker Arvan Eleron) as we discuss the world of Numenera and writing for video games in general with bestselling author and inXile Entertainment‘s Torment: Tides […]
Episode 159 of Speculate!–Roundtable Discussion with Monte Cook, Shanna Germain, and Patrick Rothfuss
March 31, 2016 14:00 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MBWelcome to Episode 159 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode, our second joint production of Speculate and Greg’s Twitch channel (under the moniker Arvan Eleron), we return to the world of Numenera and inXile Entertainment‘s Torment: Tides of Numenera as we speak with world designer Shanna Germain, […]
Episode 157 of Speculate!–Emmi Itaranta Author Discussion
March 16, 2016 14:00 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBWelcome to Episode 157 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Emmi Itaranta, looking in particular at her novel Memory of Water, as we speak with the author herself. She discusses her process of writing the manuscript simultaneously in Finnish […]
Episode 156 of Speculate!–Emmi Itaranta Novel Review (Memory of Water)
March 09, 2016 14:00 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBWelcome to Episode 156 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we chat a bit about upcoming work before beginning our second triptych of 2016 with our reader response to Emmi Itaranta‘s Memory of Water, a quiet and beautiful book about a dystopian future where water has become an increasingly […]
Episode 155 of Speculate!–Roundtable Discussion with Colin McComb and George Ziets
February 25, 2016 14:00 - 1 hour - 65 MBWelcome to Episode 155 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode, our first ever joint production of Speculate and Greg’s Twitch channel (under the moniker Arvan Eleron), we chat with veteran computer game developers and writers Colin McComb and George Ziets, from inXile Entertainment, about their upcoming computer game […]
Episode 154 of Speculate!–Roundtable Discussion with Aaron Rosenberg and Lawrence Schoen
February 10, 2016 14:00 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MBWelcome to Episode 154 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode, part of our Paths to Publication series, we chat with two veterans of speculative fiction who have seen the industry from many different perspectives over the years: Aaron Rosenberg and Lawrence Schoen. We look at the differences […]
Episode 152 of Speculate!–Katherine Addison Author Discussion
January 14, 2016 14:00 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MBWelcome to Episode 152 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Katherine Addison, focusing on her novel The Goblin Emperor, as we talk to the author herself (real name Sarah Monette). Among many topics, Sarah talks about her academic background, […]
Capsule 1 — Review of The Death House & Interview with Sarah Pinborough
January 08, 2016 16:46 - 34 minutes - 39.5 MBWelcome to a new series on Speculate called Speculate Capsules. In our first episode, we’re happy to bring you a review of The Death House (non-spoilery) and an interview with the author, Sarah Pinborough, in which we talk about the genesis of The Death House, about how she tackled such dark material but also leavened it […]
Episode 151 of Speculate!–Katherine Addison Novel Review (The Goblin Emperor)
January 06, 2016 14:00 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBWelcome to Episode 151 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. As we head into our sixth year of production, in our first episode of 2016 we begin a new triptych of shows with our reader response to Katherine Addison‘s Locus-award winning The Goblin Emperor, a striking combination of steampunk, political intrigue, and, […]
Episode 150 of Speculate!–Roundtable Discussion with Elizabeth Bear and Daryl Gregory
December 10, 2015 14:00 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MBWelcome to Episode 150 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode, part of our Paths to Publication series, we talk about the changes in the industry from the perspective of two veteran and multiple award-winning authors who have been at this for a while: Elizabeth Bear and Daryl […]
Episode 149 of Speculate! — Roundtable Discussion about SerialBox Publishing with Max Gladstone, Ellen Kushner, and Julian Yap
December 03, 2015 14:00 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBWelcome to Episode 149 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we talk about a new publisher with a new approach to serialized fiction, SerialBox Publishing, with its founder Julian Yap and two of its well-known authors, […]
Episode 148 of Speculate!–Author/Editor Discussion with Daniel Polansky and Justin Landon
November 26, 2015 14:00 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBWelcome to Episode 148 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we conclude our two-show series on the work of Daniel Polansky, focusing on his novella The Builders, by chatting with Daniel himself and his Tor.com editor, Justin Landon. Justin talks about what drew him to The […]
Episode 147 of Speculate!–Daniel Polansky Novella Review (The Builders)
November 12, 2015 14:00 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBWelcome to Episode 147 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we begin a brief two-show set on the work of Daniel Polansky, looking at his new novella The Builders, published by Tor.com. Joined by new addition to the team Mike Underwood, we chat about the Redwall meets Unforgiven nostalgia […]
Episode 146 of Speculate!–Roundtable Discussion with Kelly Swails and Marc Tassin
November 05, 2015 14:00 - 1 hour - 55 MBWelcome to Episode 146 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we talk about conferences, conventions, and writing tracks with veteran authors and writing track leads Kelly Swails (the Origins Library) and Marc Tassin (the Gen Con Writers’ Symposium), looking at how face to face interactions and networking can […]
Episode 145 of Speculate!–Roundtable Discussion with Adam Rakunas and Patrick Tomlinson
October 22, 2015 14:00 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBWelcome to Episode 145 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we talk about comedy, live readings, science fiction, and performative writing with authors Adam Rakunas and Patrick Tomlinson, both with debut novels from Angry Robot either just out or on the way. We discuss the ways the “performative” […]
Episode 144 of Speculate! — Roundtable Discussion with Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel
October 13, 2015 14:00 - 45 minutes - 42 MBWelcome to Episode 144 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we talk about reading series and short stories with the legendary editor Ellen Datlow and author/editor Matthew Kressel, who co-host the KGB Fantastic Fiction series in New York City, looking at how each […]
Episode 142 of Speculate!–Helene Wecker Author Discussion
September 17, 2015 14:00 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBWelcome to Episode 142 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Helene Wecker, focusing on her novel The Golem and the Jinni. Helene talks about the reasons she eventually decided to write The Golem and the Jinni as a fantasy, […]
Episode 141 of Speculate!–Helene Wecker Novel Review (The Golem and the Jinni)
September 10, 2015 14:00 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBWelcome to Episode 141 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we begin a new triptych of shows with our reader response to Helene Wecker‘s extraordinary The Golem and the Jinni. Along with Paul Weimer (of SF Signal and Skiffy and Fanty fame), we talk about the incredible worldbuilding in […]