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

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

Hello All,

We’ve seen an influx of new members lately, so welcome to Dr. Tanya Pobuda, Bob Carter, George Bergstrom, Trevor Chapman, and Angel Smith. Speaking of Dr. Pobuda, she was our guest this month for our virtual panel.

Dr. Pobuda is a sessional lecturer, research assistant, trainer, and instructional designer. Her PhD research on board games has been featured in The Conversation, New York Times, the Analog Games Studies Journal, and YouTube channel Our Family Plays Games. She has been a featured speaker at the Manchester Metropolitan University’s Manchester Game Studies Network and Carnegie Mellon’s OLab. Tanya has been interviewed on various podcasts including The Board Game Community Show, Stuff Your Mom Never Told You About, The Spiel, Who What Why Podcast, and Beyond Solitaire. Tanya has a PhD from Toronto Metropolitan  & York University’s Communication & Culture program and has a 27-year background as a former journalist, certified project manager, digital storyteller with a background in public relations, communication, marketing, and Web design. She is also a game designer, licensed drone pilot, artificial intelligence chatbot creator, and virtual and augmented reality practitioner.

You can watch our conversation on the CAR-PGA YouTube channel. You can also follow Dr. Pobuda on Twitter, Spoutible, and the web.

We look forward to more exciting guests in the future!

Sincerely,

Mike Tresca

ARTICLES

Fascinating Development of Taxonomy of Roleplaying Utterances by Michael Prescott

By David Millians

Through his blog, Trilemma Adventures, Michael Prescott has recently begun an analysis of vast amounts of data exploring the verbal elements of role playing game sessions, which, traditionally, has been at the core of activity as we play.

He begins by developing a system to break down the great varieties of speech found in an RPG session.

http://blog.trilemma.com/2023/01/a-taxonomy-of-roleplaying-utterances-v01.html

He follows this by coding a transcript of an actual “old school” session of play.

https://blog.trilemma.com/2023/01/update-some-analysis-with-whole.html

Then he does the same with an episode of a session of play by Critical Role.

https://blog.trilemma.com/2023/01/rpg-transcript-analysis-critical-role.html

What do you think of this?

NEW MATERIAL

Adducci, Robert (2023 Feb 16) D&D Organized Play: From the RPGA to the D&D Adventurers League. https://www.enworld.org/threads/d-d-organized-play-from-the-rpga-to-the-d-d-adventurers-league.695250. History and trends in official D&D play.

BBC Archive (2022) 1982: Why do we play TABLETOP GAMES? | Fields of Play | Classic BBC clips | BBC Archive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGX4JD3cgHA&t=0s. Documentary about RPGs and Games Workshop Game Day convention, featuring clips of Gary Gygax, among others.

Campbell, Jason (2023 Feb 20) Running TTRPGs with Groups of All Ages. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2023/02/20/running-ttrpgs-for-groups-of-all-ages. For mixed-age groups, not just groups of all ages, remember appropriate content, maintain player interest, and leading with the game’s age composition.

Campbell, Steph (2023 Feb 2) Review of My Dad the Gamemaster, a Heartfelt story about growing up with a GM dad. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2023/02/02/review-of-my-dad-the-game-master-a-heartfelt-story-about-growing-up-with-a-gm-dad. Picture book of stories and delight.

Campbell, Steph (2023 Feb 6) Awesome single page tabletop RPGs for kids. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2023/02/06/awesome-single-page-tabletop-rpgs-for-kids. Quick and varied options for game engines.

Campbell, Steph (2023 Feb 9) Tips and Tricks: For when kids want to go “villain mode” in your tabletop RPG. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2023/02/09/tips-and-tricks-for-when-kids-want-to-go-villain-mode-in-your-tabletop-rpg. Expectations and consequences.

Campbell, Steph (2023 Feb 13) Interview with Scotty from Imagine Neighborhood. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2023/02/13/interview-with-scotty-from-imagine-neighborhood. Podcasting for kids and parents with a side of RPG.

Campbell, Steph (2023 Feb 16) Review of The Fae Team, an awesome applaud to an 80’s action adventure. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2023/02/16/review-of-the-fae-team-an-awesome-applaud-to-an-80s-action-adventure. Action-packed fae thriller stories practices teamwork and shenanigans.

Carter, Chase (2023 Feb 2) Brenna Lee Mulligan and Aadria Iyengar’s new TRPG podcast finds success well before first episode. https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/worlds-beyond-number-patreon-explodes-before-first-episode. 16,000+ supporters say the excitement for steaming celebrity games is still expanding in new ways.

Carter, Chase (2023 Feb 10) Senior D&D producer says RPG’s execs “lost sight of the impact” OGL debacle would have on community. https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/dungeons-and-dragons-ogl-kyle-brink-3-black-halflings-interview. Hope that creatives will be more central to decision-making process in a landscape of changing technology and business.

Carter, Chase (2023 Feb 16) D&D maker worried more about recession than OGL controversy’s impact on business. https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/hasbro-fourth-quarter-earnings-loss-blames-recession-not-dungeons-and-dragons-ogl. Earnings report and expectations for 2023. Analysis by Egg Embry,

Carter, Chase (2023 Feb 27) Tabletop accessories maker Wyrmwood responds to allegations of mishandled sexual assault claims. https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/wyrmwood-addresses-sexual-assault-allegations-mishandled-response-with-video. Upset also affecting company’s business relationships.

Cullen, Alex (2023 Feb 21) 10 magical school tabletop games that will cast a spell on you. https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/best-games/best-magical-school-rpgs. Overview of some of the now numerous games to play young magicians of many kinds.

darjr (2023 Feb 26) Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game Starter Set at Target. https://www.enworld.org/threads/avatar-legends-the-roleplaying-game-starter-set-at-target.696070. Mainstream RPG placement.

Dix, Ellie (2023 Feb 1) Dopamine: The cheat. https://www.thedarkimp.com/blog/2023/02/01/dopamine-the-cheat. Biological rewards and cheating.

Embry, Egg (2023 Feb 27) Andrew McMeel Universal Exits RPGs. https://www.enworld.org/threads/andrews-mcmeel-universal-exits-rpgs.695251. Analysis of publisher’s withdrawal from tabletop publishing, leaving many creators and their contracts in uncertainty.

Fields, Terril (2023 Feb 14) historical racism in geek culture – the privilege of play. https://www.blerd.com/historical-racism-in-geek-culture-the-privilege-of-play. Overview of Aaron Trammell’s new book The Privilege of Play: A History of Hobby Games, Race, and Geek Culture from its roots in model railroading to today.

GRAGNARD Files (2023 Feb 28) Dangerous Games (with Jospeh Laycock) Ep. 60. https://thegrognardfiles.com/2023/02/28/dangerous-games-with-joseph-laycock-ep-60. Podcast discussion of moral panics with author of Dangerous Games.

Hall, Charlie (2023 Feb 6) D&D’s OGL controversy turbocharges sales of virtually every other RPG. https://www.polygon.com/23587624/non-dnd-dungeons-dragons-ogl-controversy-indie-sales-numbers. “…indie designers have spent the last 20 years trying to get D&D fans to try something different, and Wizards of the Coast gets it done in a month!” – Mark Diaz Truman.

Harford, Tim (2023 Feb 17) Can gamers outplay the rapacious capitalsts?. https://www.ft.com/content/d66525d3-8599-41b1-be09-15d26ff0556a?fbclid=IwAR2bHrrpRCs-gT4sVnMDzC0t1YC-WjUfzebbD6d6yKMnBW5L0IIYiM_h1AI&mibextid=Zxz2cZ. At the end of the day, we own the game, we are the game.

The Holy Roller (2023 Feb 5) 10 Reasons You Should Introduce Your Children to (Rules-Lite) Tabletop Roleplaying Games. https://theholyroller.substack.com/p/10-reasons-you-should-introduce-your. From creativity and social skills to empathy, mental health, and the affordable nature of the hobby (at least it can be).

Jarvis, Matt (2023 Feb 2) UK board game studio that over £1m on Kickstarter accused of unpaid staff and missing pensions. https://www.dicebreaker.com/companies/inside-the-box-board-games/news/inside-the-box-claims-unpaid-staff-missing-pensions. Claims aired on company’s own Kickstarter account.

Maliszewski, James (2023 Feb 8) Retrospective: Steading of the Hill Giant Chief. http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2023/02/retrospective-steading-of-hill-giant.html. Early advice and Gygaxian philosophy of play.

McKinney, David Strother, and Steven Schneider (2023 Jan) The Association of Legends of Learning and Learning Usage and Science Achievement in a Large School District in the Southeastern United States. https://www.legendsoflearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LoL_report_pk_20230111_draft_districtAnonymous.pdf. Research on the correlations of game play and science learning.

Meehan, Alex (2023 Feb 2) Gamefound campaigns made $28 million last year, as Kickstarter’s lead lessens. https://www.dicebreaker.com/topics/gamefound/news/gamefound-made-28million-2022. Alternative fundraising platform still falls short of its own growth goals.

Morrissey, Russ (2023 Feb 7) Kyle Brink (D&D Exec Producer) On OGL Controversy & One D&D (Summary). https://www.enworld.org/threads/kyle-brink-d-d-exec-producer-on-ogl-controversy-one-d-d-summary.695136. One D&D, inclusivity, and VTT.

Morrissey, Russ (2023 Feb 11) D&D Honor Among Thieves Superbowl Spot. https://www.enworld.org/threads/d-d-honor-among-thieves-superbowl-spot.695281. Big media exposure getting bigger.

Nuttall, Joe (2022) Timeline of Early D&D Scenarios 1971-1979. https://explorebeneathandbeyond.blogspot.com/search/label/70s%20Timeline?m=0. Dungeons design in the formative decade of the RPG hobby.

Pooke, Matthew (2023 Feb 3) Judges Guild’s Bob & Bill – A Cautionary Tale. https://rlyehreviews.blogspot.com/2023/02/friday-faction-judges-guilds-bob-bill.html. Review of Bill Owens’ memoir of the early years of the RPG hobby and more.

Tresca, Mike (2023 Feb 6) What is the Reach of an 800 lb. Gorilla. https://www.enworld.org/threads/what-is-the-reach-of-an-800-lb-gorilla.694949. WotC, dungeon masters, players, and other creators, an ecosystem in transition.

Tresca, Mike (2023 Feb 13) The Brand Risks of Infinite Compatibility. https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-brand-risks-of-infinite-compatibility.695139. Games as rules, games as brands, and the issues that lie between them.

Wieland, Rob (2023 Feb 18) Color My Quest Review. https://www.enworld.org/threads/color-my-quest-review.694824. Session Zero as coloring book.

Zambrano, J.R. (2023 Feb 8) D&D: Five Forgotten Gaming Trends. https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2023/02/dd-five-forgotten-gaming-trends.html. Challenges and oddness in early RPG.

Zambrano, J.R. (2023 Feb 10) Hasbro Slapped By Bank Of American For “Destroying Customer Goodwill”. https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2023/02/hasbro-slapped-by-bank-of-america-for-destroying-customer-goodwill.html. Danger of stock and loan credibility.

© Copyright 2023 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, e-mail 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.