Reading D&D Aloud A Conclave of RPG Historians- Ep. 60
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Jul 7, 2025 
Join RPG historians Jon Peterson and Shannon Appelcline as they dive into the rich tapestry of role-playing games. They reflect on the social significance of gaming, especially during the pandemic, and speculate about D&D's digital future amid industry shifts. The conversation also tackles the potential and pitfalls of AI in tabletop gaming, and the dominance of D&D in the RPG market. With personal stories and historical insights, Peterson and Appelcline illuminate the past and future of this beloved genre.
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Unexpected Meeting in Berkeley
- John Peterson and Shannon Appelcline met coincidentally at a Berkeley game store after waiting for 90 minutes.
- Both had lived in Berkeley for years but never met before that day, illustrating surprising real-world proximity without meeting.
RPGs as Introvert Social Spaces
- Role-playing games attract introverts by providing a regular, structured social space.
- The games draw out introverted players by forcing social interaction in a comfortable setting.
Hidden Variant D&D Games History
- Many variant D&D ('VD&D') games existed in the 70s and 80s but were poorly documented.
- Warlock was a little-known variant published in a small print shop and only discovered through obscure publications and archives recently.
