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Michael Tresca

Mike "Talien" Tresca is a freelance game columnist, author, communicator, and 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 (the Forums, Columns, News, etc.) and would like to help support us to bring you MORE please consider supporting our Patreon. Even a single dollar helps!

Playing Virtually? Don't Miss These Deals

Mar 30

Many gamers are using virtual tabletops (VTTs) to connect with gamers while staying safe in their homes during the pandemic. We reached out to several of these platforms to ask what they're doing...

How to Game When Everyone Else is Online

Mar 24

As the measures to control the pandemic ramp up globally, it's becoming increasingly necessary for families to not just practice social distancing but shelter in place--which means no contact with...

When Pandemic Isn't Just a Game

Mar 13

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced that the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus is officially a pandemic. The implications for what a pandemic means for the tabletop gaming industry...

Rise of the Artificial Game Master

Mar 09

In the past, computer role-playing games (CRPGs) have largely sidelined the role of the game master in favorite of simple automation chiefly dedicated to managing non-player characters (NPCs). But...

Hands-On VR--Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire

Mar 06

Chris Cocks, the CEO of Wizards of the Coast, mentioned the possibility of an augmented-reality game for Dungeons & Dragons in 2017. Three years later we're still waiting. But a new advanced in...

How a RPG Company Launched Virtual Reality Gaming

Feb 24

The concept of virtual reality is not a new one. It's been a staple of science fiction for some time in books, television, and movies. But it took a pair of tabletop gaming entrepreneurs with...

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: A Review of Chapter 1

Feb 17

Rick and Morty, the cartoon inspired by Doc Brown and Marty McFly's relationship from the movie Back to the Future, has taken sci-fi comedic nihilism to new highs and lows. The Starter Set, in...

Was The Witcher Inspired by an AD&D Campaign?

Feb 10

We previously discussed how The Witcher may have been inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, concluding that although author Andrzej Sapkowski may have seen a tabletop role-playing game, he never played...

The D&D Series Has Arrived

Feb 03

While we wait for the official Dungeons & Dragons movie to make its debut, fans of the tabletop game have something else to tide them over: a fantasy series that hews closely to its source...

Was Firefly Inspired by a RPG?

Jan 27

Joss Whedon is an American producer, director, screenwriter, comic book writer, and composer. He's had a hand in bringing to life a wide variety of geek-friendly franchises, from Buffy the Vampire...

The RPG Origins of Star Control

Jan 20

Star Control: Famous Battles of the Ur-Quan Conflict, Volume IV or just simply Star Control was a science fiction video game developed by Toys for Bob and published by Accolade in 1990. Star...

Whatever Happened to D&D's Sea Serpent?

Jan 13

Sea serpents are a staple of fantasy monsters so it's curious that they are not more prominent in Dungeons & Dragons. Research reveals the sea monster has always been in D&D, but it's taken a...

Jack Vance's Forgotten Contributions to D&D

Jan 06

Renowned and influential fantasy author Jack Vance passed away at the age of 96 on May 26, 2013, but his books were highly influential on several aspects of Dungeons & Dragons in more ways than...

2010: A Turning Point for D&D

Dec 30

Dungeons & Dragons is now so dominant in popular culture that actual play streams have become full-fledged cartoons, gamers have become the target of fast food chains with serious marketing...

Pay What You Want (But Please Pay Something!)

Dec 23

DriveThruRPG has the option to offer products for no set fee, but rather Pay What You Want (PWYW), in which customers pay whatever they think is appropriate for the product. The concept isn't new...

The Most Expensive Gifts on Our RPG Wishlists

Dec 16

With the rise of D&D and tabletop role-playing games in popular culture, a broader more diverse audience, and gamers that grew up with the game now adult professionals with extra cash to spare...

Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Players

Dec 09

We already covered gift ideas for game masters, but this list is a bit different because it includes gifts for larger groups. A game master or another player would presumably buy them for the...

Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Gamemaster

Dec 02

As a game master who has a 3D printer, I can produce a lot of interesting RPG products myself. So when it comes to gifts, they need to be unique enough that I can't make them myself. These...

Three Charities We're Thankful For

Nov 28

As Thanksgiving approaches in the U.S. it's a great time to consider how our purchases can help fellow creators. These three charities are a great place to start.

When You Can't Tell Who's an NPC

Nov 18

Fortnite launched two new features for its battle royale game in its eleventh season, matchmaking and bots. The two features are important lessons on how players perceive status of other...