In this conclusive episode, we round off our discussion of mapmaking. How can random map generation both add and remove meaning in a world? Is verisimilitude in tension with playability? Do spaces need to generate conflicts?

Violet re-orients her priorities. Freya turns on the worm. Roz breaks the annual silence.

Violet goes loopy. Freya goes flat-out. Roz throws shade on the dark.

Violet’s ideal excludes idylls. Freya enjoys a beach episode. Roz edinburrows through Edinborough.

We will be at Tabletop Scotland!

In Edinburgh *this weekend* (5th - 7th September).

Say hi if you spot us! Freya says if you spot her in her white JourneyMon t-shirt and enthuse about your favourite companion monster, she’ll give you a bag of monster munch.

Check out Roz’s stuff

Roz’s portfolio can be found here - https://rozleahy.carrd.co/

Her Philip K Dick podcast, Chicks with Dick, can be found in your preferred podcasting place.

Timestamps

Map-related news - 01:03

The ever-popular taxonomicon - 13:38

…including but not exclusively extended discussions of…

The Quiet Year - 17:20

Seas of Sand - 44:37

Wanderhome - 1:03:38

Mappa Mundi - 1:10:21

Spotlighting some games that we found through a keyword search on itch.io - 1:19:27

Design Dreams - 1:38:00

Surprise! Actually it’s a discussion about real world architecture - 1:38:01

Okay, now Design Dreams - 1:43:41

Wrapup - 2:10:11

Design Dreams

Violet: Spiral School, Blobworld, Urchins Under Adventurefication, Border Loopers, Gold Rush God Game

Freya: Isekai Leyline Wizards, Turns & Tides

Games discussed

Keep on the Borderlands (“very slight spoiler” warning around the 1 hour mark)

On Mighty Thews

Swords Without Master

In A Wicked Age

Beyond the Wall - Further Afield

Microscope

The Quiet Year

I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic

Your Cool City Needs A Food Supply

Delve

Dawn of Worlds

Bottled Sea

Undying Sands

Umbra

Rise

Mothership

The Vast in the Dark

Seas of Sand

Dark Sun

Mausritter

D&D (took us a while to mention it this time!)

Wanderhome

Journeymon (took us a while to mention this, too!)

Ryuutama

Under Hill, By Water

Mappa Mundi

Heart

Bad Maps

World In Your Hand

Sock Puppets

A Show of Hands

Your Body a Landscape

Walking to France

Wisher, Theurge, Fatalist

My Bad Galaxy

Into The Odd

Delta Green

DOGS (which may or may not be in the Vineyard)

Cosmere RPG

Other media discussed

Pseudoregalia

Majora’s Mask (specifically the 3DS remake)

Blue Prince

Harvest (2024)

Conan the Barbarian

Lord of the Rings

The Domesday Book

Seeing Like a State

Invisible Cities (Violet tried not to talk about it, but successfully failed)

Hello Future Me

Victoria 3

Small World (board game)

Carcassonne

Civilization: New Dawn

Dwarf Fortress

Flatland

Planet Zoo

Dark Souls

Citizen Sleeper

Tress of the Emerald Sea

Magic: The Gathering

Diablo

Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Skyrim

The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis

Talisman

Captain Sonar

Zelda (in general)

Bloodborne

Hobbit Tales From The Green Dragon Inn

Hand of Fate

Advance Wars

Delicious in Dungeon

Lil’ Guardsman

Hundreds of Beavers

Too Many Cooks (cw: surprise horror)

Late Shift (2025)

Inis

Notes and links

The National Underground Asset Register appears to require an account to access its beta form - https://portal.nuar.uk/

Restrictions breed creativity in the WTF game jam - https://itch.io/jam/wtfjam2025/entries

Watabou’s generators on itch are just one of the many map-making tools out there - https://watabou.itch.io/

If you find the post about the guy getting stuck in the backstage of a hotel, send it to Roz because she can’t find it and it’s driving her crazy.

Isekai is a truly prolific genre of anime and manga about protagonists who get magically transported to other worlds. But you knew that, you weeb ;-)

Contact us!

At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com

Additional credits

Our intro music is

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/