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,
As I write this, I’m preparing to go on the most physically demanding challenge of my life: a week-long hike at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. This trip is a milestone for several reasons: it is the last trip my son will go on as an Eagle Scout (he turns 18 in August), it is the last trip with my son before he goes to college, and it’s the last High Adventure trip we will be doing with our Boy Scout troop. It’s also an opportunity to bond before he moves into his dorm.
But it’s not going to be easy. We’ve run three practice hikes with 30 lbs. of gear on our backs, 5 miles a day, for 5 hours — and then for good measure, covered the same distance in 2.5 hours. We’ll be traveling 30 miles over the week, with elevations varying by a thousand feet, culminating in a scramble over the Tooth of Time. We’ll likely be facing thunder showers, punishing heat, and challenging terrain throughout.
I often think of how these experiences inform my own game writing, and the newfound respect I have for my fictional adventurers who easily hoist full plate armor, a shield, and several weapons on their backs across far more dangerous terrain and in dungeons filled with monsters. It’s also an exercise in teamwork. Party dynamics are key in any adventure, and the 11 of us will be tested as a group. We’ve trained for this for years, but we’re about to find out what everyone is like when they’re hot, tired, and dirty.
At 52, I have much humbler aspirations: I’d like to not slow my troop of 14- to 17-year-old boys down. I’m in as good a shape as I can be for someone who exercises every day on an intense fitness regimen, but at heart I’m still a desk jockey who works from home.
I hope you spend this summer doing hard things and having great adventures. I’ll see you on the other side!
Sincerely,
Mike Tresca
Committee Chair
ARTICLES
Adam’s Educational Electrum
July 2025
Hello, and welcome to my column for the monthly CAR-PGa newsletter! For those readers out there who are educators, 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.
As we celebrate the 4th of July this year, we are reminded that a special anniversary happens in 2026: the 250th birthday of our nation. What better way to celebrate than to play a TTRPG that could easily be inserted as is into a social studies lesson, unit, or an entire U.S. History course?
Flagbearer Games released Nations & Cannons in 2021, a game set in America’s Revolutionary War in the late 1700’s. The core rules are based on D&D 5e, but with clever twists that ground it in 18th century realism. “Origins” such as Officer, Scout, or Veteran set up new background possibilities. Several D&D classes can still work, but N&C adds Firebrand (with subclasses Chaplain and Demagogue) and new subclasses such as Grenadier (Barbarian) and Turncoat (Fighter). Magical spells are converted into more mundane yet still powerful Gambits, with some unique N&C examples such as non sequitur and ignite fervor; the Firebrands are the main “spellcasters” in the game. There are pre-generated characters based on real historical personages. Expansion materials have been added, such as maps and a campaign setting based on the years 1775 to 1778. For U.S. educators, there is an opportunity to get a soft-cover version of the core rules shipped to you for free!
Nations & Cannons can be an immersive, engaging way for students to experience history. If you use N&C in your own classroom – particularly if your students played it extensively over a unit or the whole course – I’d love to hear how it went!
Until our next time together at the table,
Adam Watson
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 and GAMA Expo. In 2022, he launched Kentucky Educators for Role Playing Games, sharing how TTRPGs can positively impact student learning. His forthcoming book Tabletop Role-Playing Games in the Classroom: Infusing Gameplay into K-12 Instruction will be published by McFarland. For more about Adam, visit his personal site.
CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES
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.
Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design (2025 Jun 21) 2025 Winners Announce. https://www.originsawards.net/news/2025-winners-announce. Winners of the 48th Annual Origin Awards, 2024 AAGAD Hall of Fame Inductees, and GAMA Industry Awards.
Andersen, Mikkel Bistrup (2025 Jun 17) Designing Larps for a New Generation. https://nordiclarp.org/2025/06/17/designing-larps-for-a-new-generation. Content, twists, and transparency.
Appelcline, Shannon (2025 Jun 8) Homaging the D&D Classics III: The Easley AD&D Rules. https://www.designers-and-dragons.com/2025/06/08/homaging-the-dd-classics-iii-the-easley-add-rules. Visual legacies of D&D second edition.
Appelcline, Shannon (2025 Jun 23) Homaging The D&D Classics IV: The BD&D Adventures. https://www.designers-and-dragons.com/2025/06/23/homaging-the-dd-classics-iv-the-bdd-adventures. Imaginative imagery legacies.
Balcı, Doruk, Jaakko Stenros, and Olli Sotamaa (2025 Apr 9) Game Rules as Player Tools: Introspective Rulebook Method. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3718056. Viewing game rules as malleable constructs to create varied play.
Campbell, Steph (2025 Jun 2) Review of Table Titans Club, a graphic novel about a lvl 11 middle schooler finding D&D. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2025/06/02/review-of-table-titans-club-a-graphic-novel-about-a-lvl-11-middle-schooler-finding-dd. Adventures in the life of an eleven-year-old and learning about D&D.
Campbell, Steph (2025 Jun 12) Review of Honor Among Thieves by Minakie. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2025/06/12/review-of-honor-among-thieves-by-minakie. Quick, fun heist game.
Campbell, Steph (2025 Jun 16) Review of Just Roll With It, a graphic novel about TTRPGs, mental health, and middle school. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2025/06/16/review-of-just-roll-with-it-a-graphic-novel-about-ttrpgs-mental-health-and-middle-school. YA tale of self-discovery.
Campbell, Steph (2025 Jun 19) Interview with Jonathan Truitt, Ph.D. from CMU Press on Scholarly Gaming. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2025/06/19/interview-with-jonathan-truitt-ph-d-from-cmu-press-on-scholarly-gaming. Studying, publishing, and playing games.
Campbell, Steph (2025 Jun 23) Review of Shadowlight & Personae. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2025/06/23/review-of-shadowlight-personae. Generic RPG system designed with middle schoolers in mind.
Campbell, Steph (2025 Jun 26) TTRPGkids on Ludology Podcast Episode 24: Using TTRPGs to teach social studies. https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2025/06/26/ttrpgkids-on-ludology-podcast-episode-24-using-ttrpgs-to-teach-social-studies. Methods and implementation.
Carpenter, Nicole (2025 Jun 10) TCGplayer union wins additional severance, benefits for laid off workers. https://www.rascal.news/tcgplayer-union-wins-additional-severance-additional-benefits-for-laid-off-workers. Workers negotiate in the face of shutdown.
Carter, Chase (2025 Jun 21) New York-based Tabletop Workers United win a union contract after prolonged battle. https://www.rascal.news/new-york-based-tabletop-workers-united-win-a-union-contract-after-prolonged-battle. Negotiations and results highlight increased prominence of unions in the business of gaming.
Carter, Chase (2025 Jun 23) DriveThruRPG delisted a tabletop game about revolutions over “hateful” politics. https://www.rascal.news/drivethrurpg-delisted-a-tabletop-game-about-revolutions-over-hateful-politics. Roll20 policy tries to balance art and antagonism.
Codega, Lin (2025 Jun 5) Cephalofair Games’ Mister Johnson Goes to Washington. https://www.rascal.news/cephalofair-games-mister-johnson-goes-to-washington. Another company trying to manage shifting tariffs and working with others to advocate with the federal government.
Codega, Lin and Chase Carter (2025 Jun 26) The Bundle for Ukrainian Hospitals stands by its humanitarian credentials. https://www.rascal.news/the-bundle-for-ukrainian-hospitals-stands-by-its-humanitarian-credentials. Addressing concerns about uses of charitable donations.
Codega, Lin (2025 Jul 1) Gamefound launches a crowdfunding initiative with an intentionally selective guestlist. https://www.rascal.news/gamefound-launches-a-crowdfunding-initiative-with-an-intentionally-selective-guestlist. Curating and supporting crowdfunding for less-visible projects.
Dragons Research Tavern (2025 Jun 6) Event Five. https://sites.google.com/view/dungeonsanddragonsinhe/events/event-five. Research presentations about TRPGs as a SEL Intervention in Public Schools in Southern Oregon, Adopting TTRPG safety tools in the HE classroom, researching, constructing and templating an educational escape room, and identifying behavioral fluidity in teams with TTRPG’s.
Eijk, Peter (2025 May 6) The Five Laws of Roleplaying Games. https://monstermind.substack.com/p/the-five-laws-of-roleplaying-games. Based on Ranganathan’s laws of library science to encourage openness and growth in the hobby.
Embry, Egg (2025 Jun 20) Free RPG Day 2025 Offerings. https://www.enworld.org/threads/free-rpg-day-2025-offerings.713821. Many offerings from many publishers.
Ennie Awards (2025) Judge Application. https://ennie-awards.com/judge-application. Become a judge for the Ennie Awards.
Gamehole Con (2025) Gamehole Con 2025 POC Industry Dinner Open Call. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewUmOy2UDtrtfc-rOD_u6LLq16M2rVhEru8v21RBden1ucGg/viewform. For new and veteran POC in the tabletop industry.
Girdwood, Andrew (2025 Jun 1) UK Games Expo Awards: Monte Cook Games and Free League Publishing win Best Roleplaying in new format. https://www.geeknative.com/173496/uk-games-expo-awards-monte-cook-games-and-free-league-publishing-win-best-roleplaying-in-new-format. People’s Choice and Judged awards.
Girdwood, Andrew (2025 Jun 2) Pay versus Play: Women in TTRPGs. https://www.geeknative.com/173516/pay-versus-play-women-in-ttrpgs. Recognition, community building, and economic clout.
Girdwood, Andrew (2025 Jun 16) Quebec’s tabletop scene faces potential TPK from French language law. https://www.geeknative.com/173858/quebecs-tabletop-scene-faces-potential-tpk-from-french-language-law. Costs of translation.
Girdwood, Andrew (2025 Jun 17) Todd Kenreck laid off from Wizards of the Coast. https://www.geeknative.com/173870/todd-kenreck-laid-off-from-wizards-of-the-coast. More turnover.
Girdwood, Andrew (2025 Jun 18) It’s official: Patreon is taking a bigger cut, and the next wave of RPG creators will pay the price. https://www.geeknative.com/173896/its-official-patreon-is-taking-a-bigger-cut-and-the-next-wave-of-rpg-creators-will-pay-the-price. Simplification of fees costs small accounts.
Girdwood, Andrew (2025 Jun 18) Ivan Van Norman exits Darrington Press after five years. https://www.geeknative.com/173899/ivan-van-norman-exits-darrington-press-after-five-years. Rapid comings and goings.
Girdwood, Andrew (2025 Jun 19) Power Word Resist: Tabletop community unites for charity show. https://www.geeknative.com/173916/power-word-resist-tabletop-community-unites-for-charity-show. Indianapolis Repertory Theater right before Gen Con to support RAINN and GenderNexus.
Girdwood, Andrew (2025 Jun 21) Hasbro’s boss seems certain that AI is in the future of TTRPGs: Does he mean a free tool like CharGen?. https://www.geeknative.com/173929/hasbros-boss-seems-certain-that-ai-is-in-the-future-of-ttrpgs-does-he-mean-a-free-tool-like-chargen. Interview with Nikita Vorontsov, creator of CharGen.
Girdwood, Andrew (2025 Jun 24) Roll the dice and pour a dram: Quest’s End NPC bourbon arrives with a game. https://www.geeknative.com/174028/roll-the-dice-and-pour-a-dram-quests-end-npc-bourbon-arrives-with-a-game. Another line of bourbon from Find Familiar Spirits.
Hisham, Khairul (2025 Jun 7) EREKA 2025 Competition Results. https://hishgraphics.com/ereka-2025-competition-results. Video of “Tabletop Role-Playing Adventures in English Language Learning” presentation at Universiti Malaysia Perlis event.
Hoffer, Christian (2025 Jun 4) Wizards of the Coast Hiring New Lead Designer and Head of Game Ecosystem for D&D. https://www.enworld.org/threads/wizards-of-the-coast-hiring-new-lead-designer-and-head-of-game-ecosystem-for-d-d.713685. Replacing Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins.
Hoffer, Christian (2025 Jun 16) Jess Lanzillo Departs Wizards of the Coast. https://www.enworld.org/threads/jess-lanzillo-departs-wizards-of-the-coast.713833. VP for D&D.
Hoffer, Christian (2025 Jun 16) Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford Join Darrington Press. https://www.enworld.org/threads/chris-perkins-and-jeremy-crawford-join-darrington-press.713839. More analysis from Andrew Girdwood. And still more from Lin Codega and Chris Hutton.
Hoffer, Christian (2025 Jun 21) François Froideval Passes Away. https://www.enworld.org/threads/fran%C3%A7ois-froideval-passes-away.713900. A leader in French RPGs and D&D author.
Høyer, Frederikke (2025 Jun 10) Design for young adult players: The relevance of designing for hope, agency and inclusion. https://nordiclarp.org/2025/06/10/design-for-young-adult-players-the-relevance-of-designing-for-hope-agency-and-inclusion. Creating games and growing communities.
Hutton, Christopher (2025 Jun 5) Many Sided Media Expands Into Official Podcast Network. https://www.ttrpginsider.news/p/many-sided-media-expands-into-official-podcast-network. Growing collaboration amongst individual gaming podcasts.
Hutton, Christopher (2025 Jun 14) News Roundup: Behind the Scenes with VTTs. https://www.ttrpginsider.news/p/news-roundup-behind-the-scenes-with-vtts-b5be3baf19c8299e. The complexities of creating platforms for games.
Hutton, Christopher (2025 Jun 21) Tomb Raider Loses Its Evil Hat. https://www.ttrpginsider.news/p/news-roundup-tomb-raider-loses-its-evil-hat. Creative differences end IP-based RPG plans.
Hutton, Christopher (2025 Jun 24) Are Actual Plays Infringing on Copyright?. https://www.ttrpginsider.news/p/are-actual-plays-infringing-on-copyright-25a4c3d4b2aedd13. Study out of Vanderbilt law school raises complicated, sticky questions.
Hutton, Christopher (2025 Jun 28) News Roundup: Daggerheart Warms Up to Foundry. https://www.ttrpginsider.news/p/news-roundup-daggerheart-warms-up-to-foundry. Part of the shifting landscape of VTTs.
Ionita, Serban (2025 Jun 4) GMing for the Visually Impaired: A Guide. https://therpggazette.wordpress.com/2025/06/04/gming-for-the-visually-impaired-a-guide. Factors, resources, and play.
King, Aaron (2025 Jun 18) The Tight 90. https://aaronsrpgs.tumblr.com/post/786737656203706368/the-tight-90. Running short, tight game sessions and the benefits of doing so.
MacDougall, Nico (2025 Jun 2) May 2025 TTRPG Crowdfunding Retrospective. https://ttrpg-spider.blogspot.com/2025/06/may-2025-ttrpg-crowdfunding.html. Data across three platforms shows slight drop from April.
Maliszewski, James (2025 Jun 10) Smoke Rings and Sorcery: An Ode to Wormy. https://grognardia.blogspot.com/2025/06/smoke-rings-and-sorcery-ode-to-wormy.html. Early, playful RPG imagery and narrative.
Maliszewski, James (2025 Jun 12) The Hidden Masters of Pulp Fantasy. https://grognardia.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-hidden-masters-of-pulp-fantasy.html. Roots and influences on fantasy, science fiction, and RPGs.
Maliszewski, James (2025 Jun 20) Stuck. https://grognardia.blogspot.com/2025/06/stuck.html. Resist commodification of nostalgia, explore and share something new.
Manuel, Thomas (2025 Jun 2) BackerKit’s quest for investment and the future of crowdfunding. https://www.rascal.news/backerkits-quest-for-investors-and-the-future-of-crowdfunding. Initiated during uncertain times for publishing.
Manuel, Thomas (2025 Jun 20) Itch charity bundles aren’t everything but they can have an impact. https://www.rascal.news/itch-charity-bundles-arent-everything-but-they-can-have-an-impact. Making a difference.
Morrissey, Russ (2025 Jun 3) Goodman Games: Our Efforts Have Been Mischaracterized. https://www.enworld.org/threads/goodman-games-our-efforts-have-been-mischaracterized.713653. Further comments on the City State of the Invincible Overlord collaboration with Judges Guild.
Morrissey, Russ (2025 Jun 4) UK Games Expo Attracts 42,000 Attendees Making It World’s 3rd Largest Tabletop Convention. https://www.enworld.org/threads/uk-games-expo-attracts-42-000-attendees-making-it-worlds-3rd-largest-tabletop-convention.713671. Essen Speil and Gen Con hold the first and second spot. UKGE impressions from Chase Carter.
Morrissey, Russ (2025 Jun 18) 3% Of Hasbro’s Workforce Laid Off. https://www.enworld.org/threads/3-of-hasbros-workforce-laid-off.713861. Recent staff cuts.
Morrissey, Russ (2025 Jun 25) Origins Game Fair Confirms 19K Attendees in 2025. https://www.enworld.org/threads/origins-game-fair-confirms-19k-attendees-in-2025.713993. More exhibitors and events as well, making Origins the 5th largest tabletop game gathering in the world.
Nicholls, Florence (2025 Jun 3) Drafting the Archaeological Mental Model of Blue Prince. https://florencesmithnicholls.com/2025/06/03/drafting-the-archaeological-mental-model-of-blue-prince. Researching what we do when we record our play experiences in play.
Russell, Mollie (2025 Jun 6) The meteoric rise of the professional Dungeons and Dragons DM. https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/professional-dungeon-master. Background, issues, and advice.
sarahdoom (2025 Jun 6) Girl games. https://www.patreon.com/posts/130878407. Categories, marketing, assumptions, and traps.
Thomas, Tim (2025 Jun 11) Unionizing NYC’s Board Game Cafés. https://jacobin.com/2025/06/unions-nyc-board-game-cafes. Chronological exposition on worker organizing and advocacy.
Thorne, Scott (2025 Jun 23) A Few Thoughts on Free RPG Day 2025. https://icv2.com/articles/columns/view/59857/rolling-initiative-a-few-thoughts-free-rpg-day-202. Successful celebration and discussion of trends amongst local consumers.
Tireless_AlphaFox (2025 Jun 4) leveling up must be one of the biggest cultural shock I got as an Eastern ttrpg enjoyer encountering Western-styled ttrpg. https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/1l2xyrw/leveling_up_must_be_one_of_the_biggest_cultural. Discussion of variations in play and expectations in East Asia.
Turner, Nicholas Frank Munro (2025 Jun 26) The UK’s First Industry Supported PoC TTRPG Networking Event In Review. https://www.keengamer.com/articles/entertainment/tabletop-games/the-uks-first-ever-industry-supported-poc-ttrpg-networking-event-who-to-watch-out-for-and-why-these-events-matter. Taylor Navarro is working to create real support across the hobby industry.
Watson, Adam (2025 Jun 1) KyEdRPG Spotlight: Ben Little and his Periodic Table TTRPG. https://watsonedtech.blogspot.com/2025/06/kyedrpg-spotlight-ben-little-and-his.html. Adventures in chemistry and imagination.
Weird Places (2025 Apr 24) Japan’s Favorite Tabletop Role Playing Game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyi_ytn1JbU. Call of Cthulhu.
Weird Places (2025 May 16) Why Japanese Fantasy has Dungeons…and sometimes Dragons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqHLeBcKVh8. Development of fantasy games in Japan.
Weird Places (2025 Jun 14) The Rise of China’s Tabletop Scene. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIM9P7DbAPE. Cultural trends and differences, jubensha, censorship, and the first domestic Chinese RPG.
Wieland, Rob (2025 Jun 17) Mark Meer And Samantha Béart Talk About Their Call Of Cthulhu Tour. https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwieland/2025/06/17/mark-meer-and-samantha-bart-talk-about-their-call-of-cthulhu-tour. Growing prominence of live game performances.
Zeoli, Rowan & Thomas Manuel (2025 Jun 25) Jeff Stormer’s quest to make the Hot Ones of RPG podcasts. https://www.rascal.news/jeff-stormers-quest-to-make-the-hot-ones-of-rpg-podcasts. Actual play with a focus on the player, not the character in the imagined story.
Zhang, Jiayi, Jing Xu, and Muru Li (2025 Jun 8) The impact of educational live action role-playing games on social–emotional competence: a mixed-method study with Chinese college students. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1538761/full. Benefits across social–emotional competencies.
© Copyright 2025 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.