Great Games: Black RPG Creators And Publishers

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My privilege in tabletop roleplaying games is to raise awareness as an RPG journalist and reviewer. Writing articles moves the needle for a game, creator, and publisher whether through direct sales or simply raising awareness of their creations. Because Black Lives Matter, because a segment of society does not live in security and prosperity, because individuals of color are not given the same opportunities that I enjoy, I use my privilege to write for black RPG creators and black publishers through reviews, interviews, and articles. 

Recently, Medium, among others, did an uplifting article sharing many of the same creators listed here, plus more. They provided deeper profiles than I am as the scope of our articles differ. I highly recommend reading their piece, as well as any writing promoting underrepresented voices in tabletop.

This article is a mixture of links to my reviews and interviews with these innovative creators and publishers as well as links to their online stores. This is not an exhaustive list of African-American RPGers, and the numerous omissions are not meant to lessen any creator’s contribution to the industry. Instead, this list is a bibliography of my journalism to raise awareness of specific designers and their projects; it’s bringing back articles from the past to renew the spotlight on the most deserving gamers.  

• Eloy Lasanta of Third Eye Games (Part-Time Gods, AMP: Year One, The Ninja Crusade 2e, the PIP System, and more)
  • At EN World, I reviewed his PIP System looking at it from the perspective of the kids’ gaming table.
  • Part-Time Gods. This review on EN World looks at his game of gods with day jobs. 
  • When discussing Dragon Con 2019, Eloy agreed to let me use his quote in my review of the con for d20 Radio. 
  • Sins of the Father, the game in which your ancestor sold your soul and you’re paying the price, has a review in Knights of the Dinner Table’s Indy Game Scene column.
  • Third Eye Games’ online store
  • Third Eye Games’ DriveThruRPG storefront

 

• Jerry D. Grayson of Khepera Publishing (Mythic D6, Bastion, Atlantis, Godsend Agenda, Cowboy Dracula, and more)
  • Jerry contributed a Free RPG Day 2019 product, Mythic D6 Quick Start, to the event which I reviewed for EN World. 
  • At d20 Radio, I expanded my Mythic D6 library and reviewed Bastion, an “Afrocentric sword and sorcery fantasy” campaign setting. 
  • Jerry has an RPG Kickstarter coming soon, Terra Oblivion, that interests me. Click the link to get a reminder about it.
  • Khepera Publishing’s DriveThruRPG storefront 

 

• Misha Bushyager of New Agenda Publishing (Orun Quickstart, #Feminism, Misspent Youth, Masks Unbound, and more)
  • At the Tessera Guild, I’ve shared small news bites about New Agenda Publishing highlighting the news that Robert Jeffrey freelanced for them.
  • At EN World, Beth Rimmels talked to Misha and Jerry D. Grayson about New Agenda Publishing and, even though I had nothing to do with the article, it’s a piece worth sharing.
  • New Agenda Publishing’s DriveThruRPG storefront

 

• Robert Jeffrey, EiC at BlackSci-Fi and freelance author for Son of Oak Game Studio and New Agenda Publishing among a number of comic and prose projects
  • I’ve known Robert for years, and we’ve contributed to the Tessera Guild.
  • We catch up at the Atlanta Sci-Fi and Fantasy Expo each year.
  • We talked briefly about Dragon Con 2019 at d20 Radio.
  • I’m working on the same project as Robert that I’m eager to dig into (I get to read his scripts and that’s a win). 

 

• Mike Pondsmith and Cody Pondsmith of R. Talsorian Games (Cyberpunk, Teenagers from Outer Space, Castle Falkenstein, and more)
  • While I’ve never emailed or spoken to Mike or Cody, I have written interviews and reviews to support the projects their company creates. 
  • On EN World, I talked to J Gray and Kienna Shaw about their Gen Con 2020 Teenagers From Outer Space plans. Obviously, those plans have evolved since that interview. 
  • At EN World, I reviewed all of the Free RPG Day 2019 offerings including The Witcher: Easy Mode by Cody.
  • Switching to d20 Radio, I reviewed another Witcher product, Lords and Lands: A Witcher TRPG Expansion by Cody.
  • R. Talsorian Games’ online store
  • R. Talsorian Games’ DriveThruRPG storefront

 

• Chris Spivey of Darker Hue Studios (Harlem Unbound 1e and 2e, Haunted West, and more)
  • My 2020 RPG project plan includes a note to complete my review of Harlem Unbound 2nd Edition, and conduct an interview with Chris. 
  • In the meantime, I’d recommend checking out Harlem Unbound 2nd Edition (during June, Chaosium is giving 25% of their net proceeds from this title to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund). 
  • Chris requested fans back his project, Haunted West, a historical weird west RPG.  
  • Darker Hue Studios’ online store
  • Haunted West preorders
  • Harlem Unbound 2nd Edition at Chaosium
  • Darker Hue Studios’ DriveThruRPG storefront

 

• Brandon Dixon of Swordsfall (Welcome to Tikor)
  • I used to do a column at the Tessera Guild where creators with RPG crowdfunding projects shared what excited they about other RPG crowdfunding projects that were currently running. For a month, every article included a creator recommending Brandon’s Welcome to Tikor. So, one week I asked Brandon what RPG crowdfunding projects interested him and he shared his thoughts. 
  • Swordsfall's online store
  • Swordsfall’s DriveThruRPG storefront

 

• Rich Lescouflair of Alligator Alley Entertainment (Esper Genesis, Dungeon Master's Guild Adept)
  • I reviewed Esper Genesis in Knights of the Dinner Table 262.
  • For the 2019 ENnie Award Dream Dates at Gen Con where the highest bidder gets to attend the ENnies with an RPG publisher, I wrote a brief piece spotlighting Alligator Alley Entertainment’s offer as well as others.
  • Alligator Alley Entertainment’s online storefront

 

• Sebastian A. Jones of Stranger Comics (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Niobe)
  • Niobe, She Is Life gives me life. At d20 Radio, I did a review/interview about Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Niobe with Sebastian. The supplement was developed by Paizo for Pathfinder First Edition and dropped just before Pathfinder Second Edition so there’s a chance that history will note that book as the last unofficial/official Pathfinder 1e product. 
  • Stranger Comics’ online store

 

• Jabari Weathers, freelance artist (Bluebeard's Bride: Tarot Companion, Bluebeard's Bride: Book of Lore, and more)
  • At Gen Con 2018, I had the good fortune to run into Jabari a few times outside of the con and talk. Fun conversations and good memories. 
  • Jabari Weathers’ online store

 

• Milton Davis of MVmedia (Ki Khanga Sword and Soul Role Playing Game: Basic Rules)
  • At Multiverse 2019, I talked to Milton (he shared a quote about the convention at d20 Radio).
  • Ki Khanga is available with the original system or the OpenQuest d100 ruleset.
  • As with Robert, I’m working on the same project with Milton. As with Robert’s writing, I’m excited to read Milton’s work.
  • Because I’m an Audible fan, here’s Milton’s Audible page
  • MVmedia’s online store

 

• Dedren Snead of Subsume and Greene County Creative (Sorghum & Spear)
  • Got to hang out with Dedren at Gen Con 2019.
    • My buddy, John McGuire, touched on hanging out with Dedren on the Tessera Guild.
  • Dedren gave me a quote about his experience at Dragon Con 2019 for d20 Radio.
  • He’s working on a project and invited me to contribute to it. I’m excited about what it will add to the world. 
  • Sorghum & Spear online store

This article was written to showcase those blue underlined links, to drive interest in their work; please, scroll through them and click on some of the online stores. Each link represents a creator’s website or an article/blurb that I, or a colleague, wrote to support black RPG creators and publishers. These handful of articles boost their creations and, as a journalist, I want to do that, to share their contributions to gaming. As a human, I want to praise these projects because their sales puts money in their pockets. As a fan, I wrote these articles because these are well-crafted games from some of gaming’s brightest minds.  

All of the platforms I write for elevate these creators, give them space, and let them do what they do: Shine. I know I speak for myself and every publication I write for when I say thank you to every black gamer, you make the gaming table more fun to be at. You matter. 

#BLACKLIVESMATTER

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Egg Embry is a freelance tabletop roleplaying game journalist writing for EN World, Knights of the Dinner Table, RPG News, d20 Radio, the Tessera Guild, the Open Gaming Network, the AetherCon Convention Magazine, GAMA’s Around the Table, and more. His areas of focus are RPG crowdfunding projects and RPG reviews as well as interviews with a range of gaming professionals from freelancers to CEOs. Beyond journalism, he dabbles in freelance writing and producing gaming zines for the roleplaying zine-aissance.