Monica Valentinelli is a writer and game designer who lurks in the dark. She creates original worlds and writers for media tie-in settings which include Dungeons & Dragons, Shadowrun, Firefly, and Vampire: The Masquerade.
Published stories and games include “Tomorrow’s Precious Lambs” for EXTREME ZOMBIES, IN VOLO'S WAKE for Dungeons & Dragons, and DREAD NAMES, RED LIST for Vampire: the Requiem by White Wolf Publishing.
Her non-fiction repertoire includes online articles, essays, and reference materials like the THE GORRAMN SHINIEST LANGUAGE GUIDE AND DICTIONARY IN THE 'VERSE for the Firefly TV show. She has written for sites like HowtoWrite Shop.com, Crackle.com, SFWA.org, GeeksDreamGirl.com, and BookLifeNow.com in addition to contributions for books such as FAMILY GAMES: THE 100 BEST and THE BONES: US AND OUR DICE.
For more about Monica, visit booksofm.com.
Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
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 […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
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 […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
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 […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
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 […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
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: […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
Love tarot? Want to get ready for Halloween? Take my writing-centric Clarion West workshop titled “How to Use Tarot for Storytellers.” This two-hour workshop will be conducted online on Sunday, September 29th and will have a seasonal theme. Unlike my other tarot workshops, this experience will also include small group exercises to help nurture collaborative […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
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 […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
The Wishing Pool and Other Stories is a brand new collection of fourteen, masterful tales written by American horror writer Tananarive Due. Due, a multi-award winning writer, presents a bloody tapestry of Black horror across multiple timelines, ending with Afrofuturistic stories. The celebrated author’s first collection was published in 2015; now, almost ten years later, […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
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 […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
Guard Cards is a pay-what-you-want game aid compatible with Pinching Tarts, a Wonderland-themed PocketQuest 2024 game designed by Monica Valentinelli. The cards can either be printed out and used as half-sheets or folded in half to create cards. Guard Cards is a digital download. The game accessory is not playable on its own without a […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
If you’ve ever wanted to try Pathfinder Second Edition but had trouble finding a game, there is hope. Beginner Box Days is a week of gaming using Paizo’s Beginner Box for Pathfinder Second Edition. Starting on April 13, 2024, new players can try out Pathfinder Remastered for free as experienced gamemasters guide them through two […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
Hiya, I am breaking a review hiatus to offer a review of Loot Goblins, by Michael’s Mind Online. The creator generously offered me a review copy, and I am happy to support their game design efforts-especially since this is their first, published game on DriveThruRPG! Loot Goblins was designed for PocketQuest 2024’s HEIST theme and, […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
Though “heists” may not be FlamesRising.com’s usual horrific fare, I think you’ll agree that it’s challenging and downright scary to not only create a game for the first time-but offer it for sale as well. Thanks to Kage at DriveThruRPG.com, I got my hands on a list of PocketQuest 2024 titles from first-time game designers*. […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
I Disappeared Them is a brutal, boy meets girl love story that delves into the Periwinkle Killer’s childhood to confront the age-old question, is a serial killer designed or destined? Like Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho and Joyce Carol Oates’s Zombie, Preston L. Allen‘s immersive narrative hauntingly occupies the peculiar psychological landscape of a murderer. […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
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 […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
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 […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
CCP Games launched EVE Online: Havoc, the latest expansion for spacefaring MMO EVE Online. Havoc adds new content and improvements that help players turn the tides of war or fan the flames of chaos on the frontlines. For the first time in the game’s 20-year history, players can now enlist with the game’s notorious pirate […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
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: […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
If you’re a tarot or Kickstarter enthusiast, you’ve probably heard about The Alleyman’s Tarot. To date, it’s the most well-funded and backed tarot card set on Kickstarter. As one of the original backers, I thought I’d review the set and the guidebook after drawing and reading cards for some time. The size of The Alleyman’s […]
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Posted on by Monica Valentinelli
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, […]
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