CAR-PGa NEWSLETTER, Vol. 35, No. 5, May 2026

An international network of researchers into all aspects of role-playing games
David Millians, Editor
Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA
millians.david@paideiaschool.org

ARTICLES

Adam’s Educational Electrum

May 2026

Welcome to my educational contribution to the monthly CAR-PGa newsletter! For those readers out there who work for or support schools, districts, or youth, I am flattered, humbled and grateful for the chance to share a modest trinket of treasure to help you on your instructional quests. This might be a gaming resource, a full out TTRPG, or a particular educator’s story.

The end of the school year beckons! In the spirit of that energy, I am excited to share a partnership with, and FREE professional learning opportunity at, the Frazier Kentucky History Museum in Louisville, Kentucky on Thursday, June 11 and Friday, June 12, 2026! This two-day workshop on educational TTRPGs will be led by myself, Kalli Colley (Kentucky Department of Education), and Frazier staff. While we will have an obvious highlight of Kentucky history, any educator from any state who incorporates social studies into their classroom will be welcomed. Lunch is included, and seats are limited, so register today! Special thanks to collaborative partners OVEC and Kentucky Department of Education, and sponsors Walmart and Lurking Fears.

One of our special guests will be Kurt Griesemer, Manager of PK-12 Education Initiatives of the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) and the designer behind the resource I want to discuss this month: Wisconsin Adventures. Created in honor of D&D’s 50th anniversary (which, of course, shares a historical connection to Lake Geneva, WI), this TTRPG incorporates Wisconsin history into a 5e compatible set of adventures. Per the website: “Students engaged in the playful learning that is the basis of Wisconsin Adventures will be immersed in literacy skills, social studies, and mathematics. From reading for information to creating their own narratives, Wisconsin Adventures places learning at the heart of the stories the students make for themselves. Within each adventure, players interact with Wisconsin mythology and explore recognizable locations. The history, geography, and setting of each is provided, as well as a complete list of Wisconsin Academic Standards that can be met within the structure of role-playing games.” After Griesemer’s initial adventure “Myths and Legends” proved popular, a second one, “Dreams & Nightmares,” was released. WHS has also produced a Wisconsin Adventures seven-piece polyhedral dice set, a sticker, and even a map. (The WHS site is currently undergoing an update, which is affecting their online store, so check back soon if you cannot purchase the materials.) Wisconsin Adventures might serve as inspiration for your state or town’s historical society, or for educators to create adventures around their own local myths, legends, people and stories!

And now, a bit of news.

Back in June of 2025, CAR-PGa gave me my first wonderful opportunity to write a column for their newsletter. This month marks my twelfth consecutive contribution – and regretfully, my final one for now. My current personal and professional commitments have made it increasingly more difficult to write my column in a timely fashion, so I need to step away. I want to share my immense gratitude to CAR-PGa’s Mike Tresca and David Millians for their encouragement, and their permission to share a year’s worth of educational resources with you. I hope that you found my columns valuable.

Thank you for allowing me to play at your table!

Adam Watson

(CAR-PGa Board Member since January 2026)

Adam Watson is an award-winning public school educator, writer, and frequent presenter of professional development at regional and national conferences such as Gen Con, Serious Play, and GAMA Expo. In 2022, he launched Kentucky Educators for Role Playing Games, sharing how TTRPGs can positively impact student learning. His book Tabletop Role-Playing Games in the Classroom: Infusing Gameplay into K-12 Instruction was published by McFarland in 2025. For more about Adam, visit his personal site.

NEW MATERIAL

This is a compilation of articles and other resources that have come to the editor’s attention over the last month. Everyone is welcome to send bibliographic information about anything you discover that fits the mission of CAR-PGa and this newsletter.

Argyle King (2026 Apr 20) Dice manufacturer Louis Zocchi passes away. https://www.enworld.org/threads/dice-manufacturer-louis-zocchi-passes-away.718828. Another elder of the hobby and industry.

bea (2026 Apr 14) Searching for the free games ecosystem (and designing for desire paths). https://mbgowatbmf.bearblog.dev/searching-for-the-free-games-ecosystem. Where to find video games and RPGs and those who share them freely.

Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Lauri Lukka, and Josephine Baird (2026 Apr 4) Losing and Finding Oneself: Duo- and Autoethnographic Study of “Character” in the Larp Superrealism. https://journals.uu.se/IJRP/article/view/1193. The relationship between player, character, and game experience.

Brave, Luka (2025 Oct 20) TTRPG Audiobooks for Accessibility. https://psychhound.com/2025/10/20/ttrpg-audiobooks-for-accessibility. Games for those with reading and visual disabilities.

Campbell, Stephanie (2026 Apr 14) Interview with Dr. Springle about TTRPGs x speech language pathology. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2026/04/14/interview-with-dr-springle-about-ttrpgs-x-speech-language-pathology. Director of Play on Words program.

Campbell, Stephanie (2026 Apr 16) The Kid’s Table @ SXSW EDU AP episodes. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2026/04/16/the-kids-table-sxsw-edu-ap-episodes. Examples of methods through actual play with kids at SXSW.

Chan, Khee Hoon (2026 Apr 29) The inaugural Canada Roles Awards celebrates Canadian RPGs. https://www.rascal.news/the-inaugural-canada-roles-awards-celebrates-canadian-rpgs. Celebrating Canadian games for retailers and players.

Dashiell, Steven (2026 Apr 4) Hack, Slash, Heal, Repeat: Theorizing the Concept of the Murderhobo in Dungeons & Dragons. https://journals.uu.se/IJRP/article/view/1191. Exploring definitions.

Elaine and Efka (2026 Apr 9) Investigating Board Game Miniatures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kNO4TzeUnU. Issues and complexities of miniature production and consumption.

Erlandsson, Anna, ed. Seasons of Larp. KNUTPUNKT: Denmark, 2026. LARP insights and much more from scores of authors.

Fagan, Matthew (2026 Apr 19) Maus Haus: House-Rules for Elementary Schoolers. https://dreamshrike.blogspot.com/2026/04/maus-haus-house-rules-for-elementary.html. Adjusting the game for young players.

Friedman, Emily (2026 Apr 11) Class Recap with Kieron Gillen on DIE [Intro to Literary Studies]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb-q0Tz_N_I. Critical Prof explores the RPG DIE as a written work.

García-Soriano, Felipe (2026 Apr 4) The Dynamic Loop Model: A Systemic-Cybernetic Meta-Theoretical Framework for Understanding Tabletop Role-Playing Games. https://journals.uu.se/IJRP/article/view/1195. Examining games with the Dynamic Loop Model.

Giddings, Andy (2026 Apr 4) How a minister and a GP created the UK’s biggest tabletop gaming event. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mjrk2vz3lo. UK Games Expo, making spaces for gathering and gaming.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 3) Lost artifacts and family ties: The plan to save Infinite Black. https://www.geeknative.com/230747/lost-artifacts-and-family-ties-the-plan-to-save-infinite-black. Theft leads to reorganization and hopes for survival.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 3) The human cost of high-fantasy: Paul Hughes on MCDM’s “ethical” mandate. https://www.geeknative.com/230757/the-human-cost-of-high-fantasy-paul-hughes-on-mcdms-ethical-mandate. MCDM plans for expansion, streamlining, and transparency.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 5) The Gygax Controversies: A complicated legacy and the 2026 return to Greyhawk. https://www.geeknative.com/230998/the-gygax-controversies-a-complicated-legacy-and-the-2026-return-to-greyhawk. Games, family, and money.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 8) Why Onyx Path’s virtual convention is a win for professional gaming. https://www.geeknative.com/231140/why-onyx-paths-virtual-convention-is-a-win-for-professional-gaming. Focus and professionalization appeals to both paid GMs and publishers.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 16) No crowdfunding allowed: The strict new rules for UKGE’s Bastion Indie Market. https://www.geeknative.com/232361/no-crowdfunding-allowed-the-strict-new-rules-for-ukges-bastion-indie-market. Supporting small self-publishers with clear limits on crowdfunding but nothing to say about AI.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 16) Why an indie RPG publisher is hand-delivering checks to Madison schools. https://www.geeknative.com/232445/why-an-indie-rpg-publisher-is-hand-delivering-checks-to-madison-schools. Direct support of schools through game sales.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 17) Is it a show or a 60-minute advert? The legal grey area of the new D&D actual play. https://www.geeknative.com/232616/is-it-a-show-or-a-60-minute-advert-the-legal-grey-area-of-the-new-dd-actual-play. Disclosure and clarity.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 17) Lore versus outrage: The curious case of Hommlet’s Inn of the Paladin Prince. https://www.geeknative.com/232626/lore-versus-outrage-the-curious-case-of-hommlets-inn-of-the-paladin-prince. Story-derived name change provokes misplaced outrage.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 18) The First Gamers: How women invented the d2 in Ice Age America. https://www.geeknative.com/232670/the-first-gamers-how-women-invented-the-d2-in-ice-age-america. Rolling bones before flipping dice.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 22) Wizards of the Coast drops Dungeon Masters soundtrack amidst vinyl exclusivity concerns. https://www.geeknative.com/233085/wizards-of-the-coast-drops-dungeon-masters-soundtrack-amidst-vinyl-exclusivity-concerns. Analog products and international challenges.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 25) After stage 4 cancer battle, Owen KC Stephens rejoins Green Ronin Publishing. https://www.geeknative.com/233227/after-stage-4-cancer-battle-owen-kc-stephens-rejoins-green-ronin-publishing. Veteran designer back at work.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 Apr 26) The CarlRPG effect: How BackerKit is rewriting the roleplaying games rulebook. https://www.geeknative.com/233277/the-carlrpg-effect-how-backerkit-is-rewriting-the-roleplaying-games-rulebook. Balancing creators and consumers as Backerkit grows rapidly.

Girdwood, Andrew (2026 May 1) The goblin-free zone: OpenAI’s secret instructions reveal a fear of roleplaying game creatures. https://www.geeknative.com/233684/the-goblin-free-zone-openais-secret-instructions-reveal-a-fear-of-roleplaying-game-creatures. The monsters (and pigeons) in the Machine.

Glicker, Sammy (2026 Apr 15) Dungeons & Cabins is back for a highly-anticipated third year. https://www.rascal.news/dungeons-cabins-is-back-for-a-highly-anticipated-third-year. Summer camp for D&D players.

Hall, Sally (2026 Apr 10) Perth local launches new D&D platform connecting DMs with players. https://perthisok.com/lifestyle/dungeonmasters-dungeons-dragons. Finding games and players in Perth, Australia.

Hartyándi, Mátyás (2026 Apr 4) From “Playing a Role” to “Role-Playing Games”: The Genealogy and History of the Term “Role-Playing”. https://journals.uu.se/IJRP/article/view/1190/1043. Shifting meanings of role playing.

Hermann, Adrian (2026 Apr 4) Another Kind of Future/Past: Decolonial and Asiafuturist Imagination in the Philippines from the 19th Century to the Contemporary Tabletop Role-Playing Games of #rpgsea. https://journals.uu.se/IJRP/article/view/1188/1041. RPGs as speculative writing that engages with colonial violence.

Holkar, Mo (2026 Mar) It’s not you, it’s me: wrestling with bleed-in of the self. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUM6VkJ1LX0. The individual traits we bring into play and addressing them in games.

Hoffer, Christian (2026 Apr 27) Wizards of the Coast employees responsible for Magic: Arena unionize. https://www.enworld.org/threads/wizards-of-the-coast-employees-responsible-for-magic-arena-unionize.718913. Not RPG but more unionizing in the industry. More from Chase Carter.

Hon, Adrian (2026 Mar 25) Agency versus Sovereignty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzHs-a3G7GQ. When players have power and when they do not.

Hutton, Christopher (2026 Apr 22) TTRPG Crowdfunding Soars: Q1 2026 Sees 25% More $100K Campaigns YoY. https://www.ttrpginsider.news/p/ttrpg-crowdfunding-soars-q1-2026-sees-25-more-100k-campaigns-yoy. Data and what it may mean for the RPG business.

IGDN (2026) The Indie Groundbreaker Awards. https://www.igdnonline.com/groundbreakers. Noting excellence in many aspects of games.

Ionita, Serban (2026 Apr 3) The TTRPG as Oral Literature: Storytelling, Memory, and the Ephemeral Campaign. https://therpggazette.wordpress.com/2026/04/03/the-ttrpg-as-oral-literature-storytelling-memory-and-the-ephemeral-campaign. Eternal language experiences in times of great change.

Ionita, Serban (2026 Apr 29) Small Tables, Big Stories: A Love Letter to TTRPG Corners Everywhere. https://therpggazette.wordpress.com/2026/04/29/small-tables-big-stories-a-love-letter-to-ttrpg-corners-everywhere. Comic Con Romania shows the growth of RPGs there, and yours can too.

IsaacIsAfraid（2026 Apr 26) Anti-colonial TTRPG Map. https://afraidofencounters.bearblog.dev/anti-colonial-ttrpg-map. Discussion with examples from Indonesia.

Lark, Juniper Harper (2026 Apr 4) Against Safety / Towards Bleed. https://thegardenbelow.blot.im/against-safety/towards-bleed. Liminality, bleed, pain, and insight.

Linward, Timothy (2026 Apr 23) The extremely horny Omegaverse fandom has a D&D supplement now, and it’s shockingly playable. https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/omegaverse. Erotica community has a D&D supplement.

MacDonald, Jamie (2026 Mar 25) How to make larp at the end of the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMbkLNYJMds&t=3s. Personal engagement and ethics in LARP and art.

MacDougall, Nico (2026 Apr 14) March 2026 TTRPG Crowdfunding Retrospective. https://ttrpg-spider.blogspot.com/2026/04/march-2026-ttrpg-crowdfunding.html. Growth and stability.

MacInnis, Allan (2026 Apr 16) Owlbear goes hard on Dungeons & Dragons, the abomination of AI art, and metal in the 21st century. https://www.straight.com/music/owlbear-goes-hard-on-dungeons-dragons-abomination-of-ai-art-and-metal-in-21st-century. Game-inspired heavy metal band.

Madden, Robert (2026 Apr 2) Probability in the Pleistocene: Origins and Antiquity of Native American Dice, Games of Chance, and Gambling. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-antiquity/article/probability-in-the-pleistocene-origins-and-antiquity-of-native-american-dice-games-of-chance-and-gambling/E38C7B1F4CE7F417D8EFAC5AFEEF20A2. Twelve-thousand-year-old dice in North America.

Manuel, Thomas (2026 Apr 23) How Wizards of the Coast almost published a Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG. https://www.rascal.news/how-wizards-of-the-coast-almost-published-a-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-rpg. Adventures in IP, crime, and publishing.

Mets, Holger (2026 Apr 8) The TTRPG space is wider than you think: Hard data from the looking-for-group trenches. https://www.rascal.news/the-ttrpg-space-is-wider-than-you-think-hard-data-from-the-looking-for-group-trenches. Groupfinder provides some data on RPG interests and play.

Mint-Rabbit (2026 Apr 17) More Women in TTRPGs. https://theresattrpgforthat.tumblr.com/post/814146755647111168/cis-women-of-ttrpg-world-loved-the-one-with-trans. Building on a piece about the impact of trans women RPGs.

Mizer, Nicholas (2026 Apr 4) The Role of the Cosmographer. https://journals.uu.se/IJRP/article/view/1197. RPGs as explorations of multiversal possibilities.

Morrissey, Russ (2026 Apr 8) There are TWO ‘lost’ Gygax castles crowdfunding right now. https://www.enworld.org/threads/there-are-two-lost-gygax-castles-crowdfunding-right-now.718685. Unpublished adventure manuscripts.

O’Brien, Abby (2026 Apr 1) Anxie-D&D: How a mental health clinic is using Dungeons and Dragons as therapy. https://kgnu.org/anxie-dd-how-a-mental-health-clinic-is-using-dungeons-and-dragons-as-therapy. Neurodiversity and safe spaces to grow.

Plante, Corey (2026 Apr 10) Backstage at The Book of Mormon, Elder Price is running an incredible D&D campaign. https://www.polygon.com/dnd-book-of-mormon-elder-price-dungeons-dragons-campaign-dm-tips. Collaborating for make-believe on stage and off.

Pop, Șerban Mark (2026 Apr 4) “How Do You Want To Do This?”: Us, Role-Playing Games, and The End of the World. https://journals.uu.se/IJRP/article/view/1194. Ideological frameworks in play.

Rogge, Rabea (2025 Apr) Rolling D20s IN SPAAAAAACE. https://www.ttrpginsider.news/p/news-roundup-victorian-horror-ttrpg-expands-partnership-with-dark-horse-comics#rolling-d-20-s-in-spaaaaaace. Defying gravity for play.

Särkijärvi, Jukka (2026 Apr 4) On the Metaplot: A Look at Transmedial Storytelling in Tabletop Role-Playing Games. https://journals.uu.se/IJRP/article/view/1192/1045. History and taxonomy.

Simon, Malik (2026 Apr 7) Rolling the dice on inclusion: Inside Black representation in gaming with Wizards of the Coast creators. https://indianapolisrecorder.com/black-representation-gaming-wizards-of-the-coast-magic-mtg-dd. Black creators and characters in D&D and Magic the Gathering.

Tresca, Mike (2026 Apr 13) Accessible for all. https://www.enworld.org/threads/rpg-evolution-accessible-for-all.718651. Inclusive games for everyone.

Tresca, Mike (2026 Apr 20) A roll of the dicey dice. https://www.enworld.org/threads/rpg-evolution-a-roll-of-the-dicey-dice.718652. Probability, psychology, and accessibility.

Watson, Adam (2026 Apr 18) KyEdRPG Spotlight: Dan Burkey and using TTRPGs as “Structured Improvisational Art”. https://watsonedtech.blogspot.com/2026/04/kyedrpg-spotlight-dan-burkey-and-using.html. Educator shares his ideas and techniques for games in classrooms.

Westborg, Josefin (2026 Apr 4) How is Learning in Edu-Larp as a Method Described and Seen by Practitioners?. https://journals.uu.se/IJRP/article/view/1196. Practitioner perspectives in educational LARP applications.

© Copyright 2026 by the Committee for the Advancement of Role-Playing Games (CAR-PGa), ISSN 1071 7129. The CAR-PGa Newsletter is a monthly publication. For more information contact David Millians, Editor, Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA, phone (404) 808-1070, fax (404) 377-3491, email millians.david@paideiaschool.org. Back issues are available. Contributions of material from the membership are urged, and the byline is responsible for content. Deadline is the last weekday of the month, email preferred. Permission is granted to copy anything in the Newsletter, provided we get a credit line in the publication copying it, and it doesn’t have someone else’s copyright on it. Information, including details on joining CAR-PGa, can be obtained on the Internet at car-pga.org.