Last week the New Worlds Patreon looked at citizens and subjects; this time around, it’s people who aren’t in those groups, but possibly want to join them. Comment over there!

My faithful Topic Builders in the New Worlds Patreon have voted, and October will be a month for discussing political roles! The first one up is the similar, but subtly different, roles of “citizen” and “subject.” Comment over there!

It’s a fifth Friday, which means the New Worlds Patreon pivots to a “theory essay”! We’re (semi-unexpectedly) continuing the “principles that can underlie magic” strand from the last one of these; comment over there.

To conclude our look at warfare (for now; it’s coming back in future months, never fear), the New Worlds Patreon takes a brief look at the most iconic type of armed clash, if not the most common sort: the direct engagement of armies in the field. Comment over there!

How sieges get fought is only one side of the story; the other side is what it’s like to endure one. This week the New Worlds Patreon takes a look at that aspect — comment over there!

Yes, the New Worlds Patreon is quoting The Princess Bride this week. (This is very on-brand for me.) We’re talking about siege warfare — comment over there!

Once again my loyal Topic Builders of the New Worlds Patreon have voted: for September, we’re turning back toward war! Specifically, the idea of there being different kinds of battles that aim to accomplish different purposes, with raiding first up on the list. Comment over there!

The New Worlds Patreon discussion of slavery wound up spreading across two months rather than the original plan of one, but it concludes at last with institutions that bear some resemblance to aspects of slavery. Comment over there!

The New Worlds Patreon can’t end its discussion of slavery with slavery itself; there’s also the question of what happens to people after they get out of such bondage. Comment over there!

Having discussed runaway slaves and rebellions last week, the New Worlds Patreon now turns its attention to the legal side of getting out of slavery . . . or ending it entirely. Comment over there!

I originally thought the New Worlds Patreon would get through the topic of slavery in one month. Since I was very wrong about that, for August we’re returning to that subject, starting with runaway and rebellious slaves. Comment over there!

For its sixth year, the New Worlds Patreon is devoting its theory essays to the question of how to design a magic system — starting with calling into question that entire notion of a “system” to begin with. This time around, we look at some of the underlying principles that govern real-world ideas of magic; comment over there!

The New Worlds Patreon has discussed calendars before, but there was one aspect we missed: the cultural significance we attach to them. Comment over there!

Ours is a highly precise world — so much so that we tend to forget that units of measurement aren’t some naturally-existing thing, and that it takes a lot of work to keep them accurate. The New Worlds Patreon takes a look at weights and measures; comment over there!

Be honest: how much do you rely on your phone to do math for you these days? We’ve long had assistive devices to help us perform mathematical operations, and this week the New Worlds Patreon takes a look at some pre-electronic ones. Comment over there!

I kind of love it when the New Worlds Patreon swings around to a particularly off-the-wall topic. My patrons have voted for “math and measurements” as the general theme for this month, so we’re starting off with counting systems — decimal, vigesimal, octal, and more! Comment over there.

The last New Worlds Patreon essay for this month is a little oversized, as it covers both the remission of sin and the ultimate salvation of the human soul. Comment over there!

The New Worlds Patreon gets even more theological with questions like “why does evil exist?” and “what is sin?” Comment over there!

It’s not quite R.E.M. karaoke time at the New Worlds Patreon, but it’s close. This week, we’re talking about the literal end times! Comment over there.

Six years into the New Worlds Patreon, we’re finally taking a look at where everything begins! Comment over there.