2024 has been a wonderful year to rebuild, grow, and produce my own game. I’ve re-established a wonderful baseline for my writing practice, presented at the Gen Con Writer’s Symposium and Game Hole Con, taught an online workshop through Clarion West, and began blogging again here at FlamesRising.com. I also recently celebrated a new partnership […]

Hello, hello! I am popping in to share that I’ve updated the rules for Pinching Tarts to clarify a few, key aspects of gameplay. I ran a few sessions of Pinching Tarts at Game Hole Con XI in Madison, Wisconsin, and based on the sizes of the groups and their feedback, I’ve made a few […]

Hello and welcome to the last installment of #WitchyWednesday! Today, I wanted to dive into creatures of the night that are often associated with haunted locations, bad omens, and Halloween. At the end of this post, I’ll share a round-up of all my Witchy Wednesday posts to share and highlight the magical topics I wrote […]

Today, my Witchy Wednesday post is about magic systems and rules. When I was thinking about what topics I wanted to cover, I broached the subject with K Tempest Bradford, from Writing the Other, who encouraged me to talk about magic systems and their intersection with theme and narrative. As such, this post may resonate […]

Hey, hey, hey! I’m back from Game Hole Con XI, where I ran lots of games, led an indie game design jam, and spoke on panels. It was a very, very busy convention for me, so if we missed each other (or didn’t have more time) feel free to reach out. One of the things […]

Violet Core is a sapphic focused ttrpg about sad mecha piloting lesbians dueling each other and making out while stranded in space. Drawing inspiration from the absolutely wonderful visual novel Heaven Will Be Mine as well as GunBuster, Zone of the Enders and Knights of Sidonia. It focuses the dramatic tension between friends, rivals and comrades. It’s a game whose beating heart is deeply lesbian in a way that is a touch tricky to put into words…its indelibly infused. It’s a game preoccupied with a looming horizon of destruction and what we do in the face of calamity.

Currently funding on Kickstarter with less than a week to go as of this post! Today the Flames Rising crew is thrilled to offer a guest blog spot to Kiki Kwassa.

When you conjure a witch in your mind? What do they look like? Are you picturing an older woman with deep wrinkles and gnarled hands? What’s their demeanor? Cruel, mischievous, or kind? Depictions of witches around Halloween are influenced by folk tales, like the German “Snow White” fairy tale collected and published in 1812 by […]

True to the #WitchyWednesday theme, I wanted to share historical insight about witches and witch trials in Colonial America. There are several nuances to this conversation, because there’s so many cultural aspects that intersect with the topic; additionally, definitions of the “witch” shift depending upon the decade and century. This topic is so huge, I’m […]

To celebrate Halloween this year, I’m partipating in #WitchyWednesday to highlight different subjects in magic. Today, I’m diving into tarot. Tarot’s origins are often conflated with medieval card games, like Minchiate, Tarocchi, and early poker decks, because there’s some similarities in the card art and design. There are, however, three distinct pieces within tarot’s history: […]

Hiya! I’m heading back to Game Hole Con to help celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons! This year, I’m speaking on panels, running adventures I designed for Pinching Tarts and Scarred Lands 5th Edition, and a fun DMsGuild.com adventure called Sweet Dreams are Made of Cheese by the amazing Jamie Chan. I can’t […]

This year, GenCon: Indianapolis takes place Thursday, August 1st through Sunday, August 4th. I’m presenting this year at the GenCon Writer’s Symposium and am offering a couple of workshops for ten dollars and am participating in several free-to-attend events. In addition to these events, I’ll have some wares on hand. I’m bringing print copies of […]

Pinching Tarts is a caucus game of tart-stealing nonsense inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865). You and your friends play Wonderland creatures who infiltrate the Red Queen’s castle to steal Her Majesty’s tarts while protecting what you hold most dear-your heart. I designed this PocketQuest game to be played without a GM. Suitable for […]

A creative outlet in any form seeks to make something that evokes emotion. Game design, much like any creative outlet, wants to evoke those same emotions. That said, the methods to achieve them are a bit different from other more “traditional” art. It vicariously rides the lines between inspiration and execution, as both are imperative to game design.

A game mechanic is much like a seed, planting an idea or story in the player’s mind so that it may grow into something more. This sprout takes shape within the player’s mind, often as a character, creature, or specific scene of action.

I’m extraordinarily proud of the releases I had in 2023. These games and books are affiliate-linked to pages where you can purchase or find out more information about them. Yep, affiliate links. Because I am an artist and I enjoy food. Hah! 2023 didn’t yield a ton of publications for me, but that’s okay! I’m […]

To celebrate GameHole Con’s 10-year anniversary, I opted to run a collaborative DnD 5E scenario. I ran the scenario four times, and by the fourth time I ran it–thanks to over 20 players’ feedback–it turned into something that I’m proud to share with you to celebrate Halloween. The conceit behind The Cursed Citadel is simple: […]

Odysseys & Overlords is an old-school fantasy inspired setting. Most of the gods died in a divine Schism 1000 years ago. Only two gods remain. Chandra, Goddess of the Moon, Justice, Nature, and Life empowers her clerics to work good miracles in her name. Ragnar, God of War, Cold, Death, and the Sea demands his clerics march forth spreading the influence of his domains throughout the world. Both divine beings remain cloistered in their respective seats of power, bound from direct interference with mortal affairs by the terms of their truce.

Odysseys & Overlords Second Edition brings this setting to the popular Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. The Kickstarter has recently launched!

The 2023 nominees for the ENnie Awards have just been announced, and I’m proud to mention I’m a finalist for the 2022 Level 1 Anthology from 9th Level Games along with a slate of fantastic folks! The full contributor list for the ENnie Award-nominated 2022 Level 1 Anthology is: Gabrielle Rabinowitz, Evlyn Moreau, Dustin Winter, […]

Did you know I’m writing a cinematic adventure set in the world of Pacific Rim for Evil Genius Games? One of the reasons why I love Pacific Rim is because, at its core, it sends a strong message that in order to defeat a mysterious and world-ending threat, human beings need to overcome our differences […]

The Tarot of the Divine is a rare treasure illustrated and designed by California-based artist Yoshi Yoshitani. Each card is illustrated in vibrant colors and line art to depict scenes from fairy tales, folklore, and myths found all over the world. Vasilisa the Beautiful inspired the Nine of Wands, for example, and its illustration is […]

DriveThruComics, a part of DriveThruRPG’s network of online shops that focuses on digital comics, graphic novels, and related content just launched their annual New Year, New Hero Sale. There are 375 digital titles 25% Off for a limited time. The goal is introduce you to new characters and new publishers and try some new comics!

While many of those are focused on superheroes, there are also a number of excellent Horror and Dark Fantasy graphic novels. We’ve made a short list of a few of our favorites here at Flames Rising!

Check them out and let us know what your favorite comics and graphic novels are!