Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Harlem Unbound By Darker Hue Studios To Be In Special Collection Of Museums
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Christopher Helton" data-source="post: 7737686" data-attributes="member: 6804772"><p>In another step towards the acknowledgement of tabletop role-playing games as a legitimate art form, Chris Spivey of <strong><a href="http://www.darkerhuestudios.com/" target="_blank">Darker Hue Studios</a></strong> has announced that three museums are making <strong>Harlem Unbound</strong>, his <strong>Call of Cthulhu</strong> supplement set in the era of the Harlem Renaissance, part of their special collections available to students, scholars and other academics for study.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH]95175[/ATTACH]</p><p>[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]</p><p>It isn't unusual for libraries to have special collections of role-playing games, as there already are a few universities and public library systems that have RPGs as part of their collections, but this was the first of this kind that I was able to find in a museum, outside of those dedicated to play or games.</p><p></p><p>The museums that will house the supplement in their collections are the <strong>Metropolitan Museum of Art</strong> in New York City, <strong>Smithsonian Institution Anacostia Community Museum</strong> in Washington, D.C. and the <strong>Newark Museum</strong> in Newark, New Jersey. The <strong>Newark Museum</strong> specializes in the "arts and natural sciences," the <strong>Smithsonian Institution Anacostia Community Museum</strong> "explores social issues impacting diverse populations of the DC metropolitan area to promote mutual understanding and strengthen community bonds" and the <strong>Metropolitan Museum of Art</strong> is one of the world's foremost art museums.</p><p></p><p>Spivey had this to say about <strong>Harlem Unbound</strong> being acquired by these museums, "I am humbled and grateful to know that so many people are getting a chance to experience the history of the Harlem Renaissance through gaming. Being accepted into these museums is truly an honor, and I'm proud that <strong>Harlem Unbound</strong> shines a light on the African American experience."</p><p></p><p>If you've never used a special collection at a library or museum, what does this mean exactly? The game book itself won't be under glass, out where visitors can walk by and see it. Special collections are typically themed archives that are usually available only by special appointment, and sometimes requiring special credentials (proving that you are with a research or academic institution, typically). You don't check out special collections, they have to be used in facilities provided. Sometimes use of special collections requires special handling, or even supervision by an employee or archivist at the institute. It also means that, unlike games that end up in general collections, there is less of a chance of the books being stolen and a greater chance that others will be able to see them.</p><p></p><p>Special collections are a boon to researchers because they allow researchers access to a deeper field of information than they might normally have access to, because of financial or temporal reasons. I think that this is an important step towards developing a body of critical study of role-playing games. We have made some stumbling first steps towards real criticism in regards to role-playing games, but the gains are not enough, considering the length of time for which RPGs have existed as a form.</p><p></p><p>If you haven't picked up <strong>Harlem Unbound</strong>, I cannot recommend it enough. As someone who studied Literature, the era of the Harlem Renaissance is greatly untapped by tabletop gaming. It is a rich period full of engaging, larger than life figures whose impacts continue to this day. I wrote about the supplement as <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?4841-Looking-Forward-To-Games-In-The-New-Year-Part-Two" target="_blank">part of series at the beginning of the year of games that I want to play in the New Year</a>. It is one of the best horror game supplements to come out this year, and it is one of the best supplements for the <strong>Call of Cthulhu</strong> game in recent years. The book definitely deserves this status as a part of the special collections of these museums.</p><p></p><p>Hopefully <strong>Harlem Unbound</strong> is the vanguard, and more museums and libraries expand their special collections into the realm of tabletop role-playing games. And hopefully this means that we will see other designer upping their game to produce materials that are worthy of this level of study. It only benefits tabletop role-playing games in general to get this sort of academic notice. Role-playing games are as much of an art form as books, comics or fine art, and they also deserve their place in sun beside those forms that have already been recognized.</p><p></p><p>Spivey did not have a definite date on when the books would be available at the museums but said that they should be available soon for viewing and study. If you're interested in checking out the book, it is <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/218062/Harlem-Unbound" target="_blank">available in PDF from the <strong>OneBookShelf</strong></a> sites, or <a href="http://www.darkerhuestudios.com/shop/" target="_blank">directly from the publisher at the <strong>Darker Hue Studios</strong> website</a>.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Christopher Helton, post: 7737686, member: 6804772"] In another step towards the acknowledgement of tabletop role-playing games as a legitimate art form, Chris Spivey of [B][URL="http://www.darkerhuestudios.com/"]Darker Hue Studios[/URL][/B] has announced that three museums are making [B]Harlem Unbound[/B], his [B]Call of Cthulhu[/B] supplement set in the era of the Harlem Renaissance, part of their special collections available to students, scholars and other academics for study. [CENTER][ATTACH=CONFIG]95175[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It isn't unusual for libraries to have special collections of role-playing games, as there already are a few universities and public library systems that have RPGs as part of their collections, but this was the first of this kind that I was able to find in a museum, outside of those dedicated to play or games. The museums that will house the supplement in their collections are the [B]Metropolitan Museum of Art[/B] in New York City, [B]Smithsonian Institution Anacostia Community Museum[/B] in Washington, D.C. and the [B]Newark Museum[/B] in Newark, New Jersey. The [B]Newark Museum[/B] specializes in the "arts and natural sciences," the [B]Smithsonian Institution Anacostia Community Museum[/B] "explores social issues impacting diverse populations of the DC metropolitan area to promote mutual understanding and strengthen community bonds" and the [B]Metropolitan Museum of Art[/B] is one of the world's foremost art museums. Spivey had this to say about [B]Harlem Unbound[/B] being acquired by these museums, "I am humbled and grateful to know that so many people are getting a chance to experience the history of the Harlem Renaissance through gaming. Being accepted into these museums is truly an honor, and I'm proud that [B]Harlem Unbound[/B] shines a light on the African American experience." If you've never used a special collection at a library or museum, what does this mean exactly? The game book itself won't be under glass, out where visitors can walk by and see it. Special collections are typically themed archives that are usually available only by special appointment, and sometimes requiring special credentials (proving that you are with a research or academic institution, typically). You don't check out special collections, they have to be used in facilities provided. Sometimes use of special collections requires special handling, or even supervision by an employee or archivist at the institute. It also means that, unlike games that end up in general collections, there is less of a chance of the books being stolen and a greater chance that others will be able to see them. Special collections are a boon to researchers because they allow researchers access to a deeper field of information than they might normally have access to, because of financial or temporal reasons. I think that this is an important step towards developing a body of critical study of role-playing games. We have made some stumbling first steps towards real criticism in regards to role-playing games, but the gains are not enough, considering the length of time for which RPGs have existed as a form. If you haven't picked up [B]Harlem Unbound[/B], I cannot recommend it enough. As someone who studied Literature, the era of the Harlem Renaissance is greatly untapped by tabletop gaming. It is a rich period full of engaging, larger than life figures whose impacts continue to this day. I wrote about the supplement as [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?4841-Looking-Forward-To-Games-In-The-New-Year-Part-Two"]part of series at the beginning of the year of games that I want to play in the New Year[/URL]. It is one of the best horror game supplements to come out this year, and it is one of the best supplements for the [B]Call of Cthulhu[/B] game in recent years. The book definitely deserves this status as a part of the special collections of these museums. Hopefully [B]Harlem Unbound[/B] is the vanguard, and more museums and libraries expand their special collections into the realm of tabletop role-playing games. And hopefully this means that we will see other designer upping their game to produce materials that are worthy of this level of study. It only benefits tabletop role-playing games in general to get this sort of academic notice. Role-playing games are as much of an art form as books, comics or fine art, and they also deserve their place in sun beside those forms that have already been recognized. Spivey did not have a definite date on when the books would be available at the museums but said that they should be available soon for viewing and study. If you're interested in checking out the book, it is [URL="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/218062/Harlem-Unbound"]available in PDF from the [B]OneBookShelf[/B][/URL] sites, or [URL="http://www.darkerhuestudios.com/shop/"]directly from the publisher at the [B]Darker Hue Studios[/B] website[/URL]. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Harlem Unbound By Darker Hue Studios To Be In Special Collection Of Museums
Top