Michael Tresca

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Michael Tresca
talien

Michael Tresca

Mike "Talien" Tresca is the managing editor of the EN World Columnists Program, author of The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games, releases daily game-related content on his Patreon, and has over 50 D&D 5E products for sale on DriveThruRPG. He is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to http://amazon.com. If you like what we do here at EN World please consider supporting our Patreon.
Dungeons & Dragons  Industry  OSR 
The Dueling Essays of Arneson & Gygax
A recent article and documentary about Dave Arneson's involvement in Dungeons & Dragons shares a different perspective on the game's creation, with a particular emphasis on Rob Kuntz's testimony. Some of it contradicts what Gary Gygax positioned as D&D's origins. Fortunately we can read what both designers thoughts in their very own words -- published in the same book. Alzrius pointed out...
Dungeons & Dragons  Industry 
Honoring the Loomis Legacy
Rick Loomis, owner of Flying Buffalo Games and publisher of the Tunnels and Trolls RPG and Nuclear War card game, passed away on August 24 after a long struggle with lymphatic cancer -- just seven hours before his birthday. Loomis' impact on the gaming industry is enormous, influencing tabletop gaming, card gaming, play-by-mail, and even solo gamebooks.
Film & TV  Novels 
Scary Games to Play in the Dark
The recently released Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a surprisingly terrifying film drawn from a collection of tales that haunted kids' imaginations in the 80s. The three volumes that inspired the movie reveal a lot about meta-narrative with some surprising connections to role-playing games. PLEASE NOTE: This article features mild spoilers about the books and movies.
Conventions 
Con Report: TerrifiCon
I’ve been to TerrifiCon a few times, but this visit was a chance to get my Star Wars Role-Playing Game signed by Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), which would add to the other signatures of the Star Wars principal actors from the film franchise. So with family in tow, we made the trek to Mohegan Sun.
Novels 
I Wrote a Book: World-Building for RPGs and Novels
This is the last article in a series of posts about taking the plunge into self-publishing on multiple platforms with different media, including books and comics, but it can equally apply to tabletop role-playing games. I published three books in 2010 (The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games), 2011 (The Well of Stars), and 2012 (Awfully Familiar) and produced a mobile comic (Legends) in...
I Wrote a Book: Falling Stars
This is a series of posts about taking the plunge into self-publishing on multiple platforms with different media, including books and comics, but it can equally apply to tabletop role-playing games. I published three books in 2010 (The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games), 2011 (The Well of Stars), and 2012 (Awfully Familiar) and produced a mobile comic (Legends) in 2008. In this...
I Wrote a Book: Familiar Territory
This is a series of posts about taking the plunge into self-publishing on multiple platforms with different media, including books and comics, but it can equally apply to tabletop role-playing games. I published three books in 2010 (The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games), 2011 (The Well of Stars), and 2012 (Awfully Familiar) and produced a mobile comic (Legends) in 2008. In this...
LET'S PLAY...D&D in Prison
Elisabeth de Kleer recently launched a Kickstarter to film to fund LET'S PLAY, a documentary about the little-known stories of inmates and former inmates who go to great lengths to play table top role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons behind bars. They handcraft twenty-sided dice, build their own campaigns from scratch, even wage legal battles against the United States prison system to assert their right to play. I caught up with Elisabeth to discuss why she decided to make this documentary and if prisoners should be allowed to play games in prison.
I Wrote a Book: Resurrecting a Legend
This is a series of posts about taking the plunge into self-publishing on multiple platforms with different media, including books and comics, but it can equally apply to tabletop role-playing games. I published three books in 2010 (The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games), 2011 (The Well of Stars), and 2012 (Awfully Familiar) and produced a mobile comic (Legends) in 2008. In this...
RPG Evolution 
RPG Evolution: Darren Watts on Superheroes, Playtesting, and Dogs on Twitter
At PortConMaine I had the opportunity to sit in on Darren Watts' panel on superheroes in gaming. That panel merely scratched the surface of Darren's experience in the tabletop industry so I pounced on the opportunity to ask him about everything from tabletop gaming to playtesting.

Con Report: PortConMaine is More Welcoming Than Ever

I've attended PortConMaine in the past to game with my friends in the area, but this is the first time I went with no plans whatsoever. My wife and kids join me on Sunday and we always have a great time. This year, the convention did not disappoint.
I Wrote a Book: Starting Over
This is a series of posts about taking the plunge into self-publishing on multiple platforms with different media, including books and comics, but it can equally apply to tabletop role-playing games. I published three books in 2010 (The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games), 2011 (The Well of Stars), and 2012 (Awfully Familiar) and produced a mobile comic (Legends) in 2008. I previously...
Geekdom Takes a Bow
With so many geek franchises coming to a close this year, it feels like we're reaching a milestone in geek fandom. From Star Wars to Game of Thrones, Avengers to The Big Bang Theory, many long-running series on big and small screens are wrapping up. What does that mean for geekdom?

RPGs Finally Get Some Credit in Defining a Galaxy: A Review

When Disney took over the Star Wars universe, the press release called out role-playing games as part of the new Star Wars canon. Since then, Pablo Hidalgo has been a champion of bringing content established in West End Games' (WEG) tabletop role-playing Star Wars books into the movies and cartoons. But it all started with Bill Slavicsek, who sets the record straight in his new book, Defining a Galaxy: 30 Years in a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Game Design Like a Boy Scout: Week 10 - Wrap Up
After ten weeks of teaching a game design workshop to 20+ BSA Scouts, it was time for the Scouts to deliver their own games. This is where I discovered how interested and motivated our Scouts were to finish the badge.

There's a RPG-Themed Episode in (Nearly) Every Cartoon Now

We've known tabletop role-playing games have been on the rise and that professional creatives like actors and writers have been publicly embracing their inner geek recently. For more evidence, look no further than the many tabletop role-playing game episodes featuring in cartoons for kids and adults, some of them released the same week. These call-outs have shifted from simple RPG references to major plot points that reinforce the value of imagination, teamwork and fun in role-playing games.

This Week in TTRPG

Reviews

Cypher System  Reviews 
Use This Ghost To Show Off The World Of Old Gods
A one-shot adventure which evokes the generational horror of Stephen King.
Other Games  Reviews 
Welcome…To Jurassic Murderworld
A beginner adventure written by comics writer Jim Zub.
Reviews  Warhammer 
The Wrath And Glory Starter Set Lets You Purge A Little Heresy, As A Treat
An excellent introduction to the 40K universe.
Reviews 
Into The Wyrd And Wild Makes The Woods Weird
Inject some grim OSR style wilderness mechanics into your favorite fantasy game.

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons  Industry 
The Dungeon Dudes Notch Up Another Million Dollar Kickstarter
Passes the million dollar mark with just a day to go.
Dungeons & Dragons 
WotC Fireside Chat: Revised 2024 Player’s Handbook
Book is near-final and includes psionic subclasses, and illustrations of named spell creators.
Dungeons & Dragons 
Take A Run On This Bank—They're Legitimately Asking For It
An innovative means for one of Allesund's wealthiest and most powerful families to inspire trust in their bank's customers might just be your big payday.
Dungeons & Dragons 
Potential Monsters in Quests from the Infinite Staircase Adventures #1: B4 The Lost City
Cynidiceans, the werefoxes and polymars... oh my!
Dungeons & Dragons 
Meet Some of the 40+ Multiversal Monsters In Vecna: Eve of Ruin
Monsters and NPCs from Eberron, Ravenloft, Dragonlance, and more!
Dungeons & Dragons 
Vecna: Eve of Ruin Trailer Stars Baldur's Gate's Astarion Actor
Rise with me... for who can stop a god?

Industry News

Dungeons & Dragons  Industry 
The Dungeon Dudes Notch Up Another Million Dollar Kickstarter
Passes the million dollar mark with just a day to go.
Industry 
Hasbro's Tabletop Is On The Up Again
After a disappointing 2023, latest earnings call from Hasbro shows tabletop games starting to recover.
Industry 
Asmodee Owner To Split Into 3 Companies
Publisher of video games, Star Wars TTRPG, and owner of Middle Earth Enterprises restructures after turbulent year.
Industry 
D&D AI Fail
Twitter thinks there's a new WotC president who will give you a baby dragon.
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