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Dr. Emily Friedman

@friede.bsky.social

16K followers 2.9K following 39K posts

Storyteller about storytellers. 18th century to today & beyond. J.W.Liles Prof of English Words: Polygon (RIP), LARB, etc Next book: HOW STORIES ARE PLAYED (#TTRPG Actual Play & digital storytelling performance) ecfriedman.com (free) patreon.com/ecfriedman

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Dr. Emily Friedman @friede.bsky.social · Nov 14

Howdy, y’all.

I’m a tenured prof who studies storytelling outside the rules of mass media. This has included never-published manuscripts from during the age of print (1750-1900) & of late has made me a leader in the study of #TTRPG Actual Play.

I’ve learned a lot about friendship along the way.

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Dr. Emily Friedman @friede.bsky.social · 6m

I’m very spoilt: I actually had a course release before, & between that & some other labor this fall has been the first one in a while with two different preps.

But I’m going from an extraordinary concatenation of circumstances that led to 7 in-person visits in fall to a spring budget of $0.

Dr. Emily Friedman @friede.bsky.social · 15m

No — nor was it considered the best in her lifetime (though of course 2 were published posthumously)

THE MAKING OF JANE AUSTEN is a great history of what happens to Austen’s work & reputation

The Making of Jane Austen

An engaging account of how Jane Austen became a household name.Just how did Jane Austen become the celebrity author and the inspiration for generations of loyal fans she is today? Devoney Looser's The...

www.press.jhu.edu

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Dr. Emily Friedman @friede.bsky.social · 17m

I won’t!

Dr. Emily Friedman @friede.bsky.social · 23m

Pride & Prejudice isn’t the best Austen, it’s just the one that can most easily be hammered into shape for adaptations.

(Which isn’t unhinged it’s just right, and Austen agreed with me)

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 7h

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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Deborah McDowell @dem8z.bsky.social · 3h

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!

The University of Texas-Austin is beginning a process to eliminate the Black Studies, Latino Studies, and Gender Studies departments in the College of Liberal Arts. This is a grave threat to the educational liberty of students, faculty, staff, and the people of Texas. 1/

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Central Michigan University Press @cmichpress.bsky.social · 35m

Liv and Ian, two recent graduates from our Game Design Thinking Minor, went to the Strong National Museum of Play for the 2025 Board Game Academics Conference. Thank you to the Strong and BGA for hosting such a wonderful conference!

Collage of polaroid-like photos with thumbtacks holding them to a white background. Central photo has a picture of two young people smiling and posing in front of the Strong museum.

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Dr. Emily Friedman @friede.bsky.social · 33m

Good news on a hard day: looks like I’ve been given a course release & am only teaching my game course this spring.

But how on earth I will meet the expectations of the students who enroll I cannot possibly imagine.

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Dr. Emily Friedman @friede.bsky.social · 1h

Folks asked about the book.

So here you go: the state of the Actual Play book, free to read.

Book Report: about the Actual Play Book | Dr. Em Friedman

www.patreon.com

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EN World | D&D/TTRPG News & Reviews @enworldrpg.bsky.social · 3h

Gaming Journalist Rob Wieland Passes At Age 48 #ttrpg #dnd

www.enworld.org

Gaming Journalist Rob Wieland Passes At Age 48

twp.ai

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PVincent (Table Cat Games) @tablecatgames.com · 2h

Rob Wieland wasn't just a ttprg guy, he wrote great nerdy themed articles of Milwaukee Record (one of the greatest Milwaukee indie news outlets)

milwaukeerecord.com/arts/r-i-p-r...

R.I.P. Rob Wieland

Rob was a steadfast contributor to Milwaukee Record since its founding in 2014. He will be forever missed.

milwaukeerecord.com

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Quinns @itsquinns.bsky.social · 3h

What is the best or most impressive 2 player RPG you've played? 📢

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Dr. Suzanne Scott @iheartfatapollo.bsky.social · 3h

Are you 18 or older with a fandom-related tattoo (or know someone who has one)? Please take 10 min to fill out this survey for my new book project on embodied fan identities and practices. Share widely! utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... Contact info: [email protected].

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Sistah Scifi @sistahscifi.bsky.social · 3h

“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it.” – Octavia E. Butler

Read the full article: nofilmschool.com/octavia-butl...

#sistahscifi #WritingTips

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Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · 3h

Rdg through A Toolkit for Gathering, I’m remembering all of my favorite events — incldg most recently @stacyewood.bsky.social + @ubiquity75.xyz’s Peer2Peer @ the Feminist Center for Creative Work. Plus, my friend Mel, a 🎞️maker/potter made clay pendants for all attendees of the Flaherty film seminar…

A spread from the book addressing the importance of choosing an appropriate site

Choose a Site
PEOPLE ANO PLACE D A. CHOOSE A SITE
Compare your list to the attributes of similarity and difference on the
previous page. Are there gaps?
CHOOSING A SITE can feel overwhelming. Start by asking practical questions: Can we afford it? Is it available? Does it have the spaces and amenities we need? Is it accessible?
Then, use your goals to evaluate a potential site:
What is the site's vibe? Does it fit our goals? Is it appropriate for intentional collaborative activity?
What would we need to change or rearrange?
What new ideas does it give us?
The site, facilitation, and programming have to work together to reinforce your goals. If the goal is to dig into deep and difficult work at a retreat, but the site is an office space, it's going to feel more like a conference than a retreat.
Find a site that is special enough to put people into a new headspace, but not so remote that it becomes inaccessible to those with money, time, or mobility concerns. Distance is a powerful way to escape the norm, demonstrate intentionality, and create a bonding experience, but it can reinforce existing power systems around resources and access. There are ways…

A spread from the book addressing the value of meaningful swag

Stuff We All Get (SWAG)
POOLS FOR PLANNING D 13. SWAC
THE SWAG GIFT is one of the most enduring rituals of planned gatherings. Swag is an opportunity to create an identity for your gathering and to signal its vibe. At its best, swag amplifies the nature of an event and is a wonderful way to thank participants. At its worst, swag is mass-produced junk that's headed straight for the landfill. It's hard to say something original in the vocabulary of swag: the cheaply made t-shirts, pins, lanyards, single-use plastic name tags, notebooks, water bottles, pens, tote bags, stress balls, flashlights, and use drives we know so well.
When thinking about what keepsakes to give your participants, ask the same questions you asked at the start of your planning process: What is the goal (TOOL 2)? What are all the ways that swag can achieve that goal? It could be that your answer is: no swag.

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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 3h

Things that have helped me recently:
1) little things still matter
2) the power of a solid meal, a big glass of water, and a good night's sleep
3) remembering how much words of encouragement or a compliment meant after a tough day
4) action is the enemy of despair
5) I can do things through spite

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Dr. Emily Friedman @friede.bsky.social · 3h

A different era?

In honor of JASNA & the East-Central ASECS meetings I sadly missed this weekend, here’s a reminder of when I was trying so hard to become a Notable Austen Scholar.

Devoney Looser in a custom Regency gown with Miller High Life print, next to her former student Emily Friedman

George Justice and his former student Emily Friedman, dressed very different parts of the long 18th century.

Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman

Robert Mackenzie @robertmackenzie.bsky.social · 15h

Gutted to hear about Rob Wieland. Cool in my short interactions with him, long in the hours of joy he indirectly contributed to my table. Tabletop is a small place in a lot of ways, despite the ever growing player base. Voices sound a long way, Rob's sounded very loud but always graciously. RIP.

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Jeff Stormer @jeffstormer.gobirds.online · 14h

The first game played on Party of One was a Fate Core hack Rob Wieland wrote. He was a constant advocate for games and the people who make them, always working to spotlight games, introduce them to people, and lift as many boats as he could.

May we all do a little more of that in his memory. RIP.

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Kieron Gillen @kierongillen.bsky.social · 12h

Sad to hear of the passing of Rob Wieland, who was clearly a much loved bastion of TTRPG coverage. I only met once, but he showed huge unexpected kindness during and after the interview.

Cam Banks 🇳🇿 ❌👑 @rustysellsword.com · 16h

I am absolutely gutted to hear of the death of Rob Wieland, literally one of the greatest tabletop reviewers and commentators we had. Tirelessly tracked industry news, omnipresent in our collective circles and communities. I am so sad for his young family. These are dark days, friends.

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Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 10h

devastated to wake up to the news that our friend Rob Wieland has passed away. When I started Wyrd Science, Rob was one of the first people I asked to write for us & he's been a constant presence in every issue we've since published

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LaTia de los Muertos 🔜 Gamehole Con! @latiajacquise.com · 18h

I met Rob during my MCG days when his “everything but D&D” group wanted to cover The Darkest House. I became him for a couple sessions to run it for them.

They became my con group after that; we played so many games and raised so much for charity.

I don’t wanna be Rob in a world without him.

Tom Lommel @tomlommel.com · 19h

Gutted to hear about the passing of @robowieland.bsky.social today.
He wrote games, wrote about games, and was a smart, passionate advocate for the TTRPG hobby. Gone too young.

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Just, like, Albi @owlberto.bsky.social · 4h

Hadn't realised Rob Wieland was the author of Camelot Trigger - in addition to his journalism, I have to thank him for one of the most satisfying long games I've had.

Fred Hicks @deadlyfredly.bsky.social · 7h

Rob Wieland's first email to me was on Sat, Oct 21, 2006, asking to get the PDF of Spirit of the Century to go with his physical-copy purchase.

There since the beginning.

Wish he could've been there until the end.

Cover of Fate Worlds Volume 2: Worlds in Shadow, featuring cover art taken from Rob Wieland's contribution to this book, the amazing King-Arthur-in-Mech-Suits CAMELOT Trigger setting. Armored mech-knights suit up to face the robotic horde led by the giant-floating-head MerGN-A!

In this interior image from CAMELOT Trigger, we get a closer look at the giant floating head MerGN-A as her mouth opens to disgorge endless flying robots.

Writing credit:

CAMELOT TRIGGER
by Rob Wieland
editing by Tom Cadorette, Mike Olson, and Brian Engard
art by Brett Barkley

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Coyote & Crow Games @coyoteandcrow.bsky.social · 5h

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day! Today we celebrate the heritage, beauty, and perseverance of hundreds of cultures and nations across North America that have thrived and endured here for thousands of years, and will be around for thousands more.
If you want to support this Native: bit.ly/3L67Yrs

A display of Coyote & Crow, the roleplaying game, Wolves, the cooperative board game, Naasii, the Coyote & Crow Dice Game, and a set of custom dice for the RPG. All created by Cherokee Nation citizen, Kenna Alexander.

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Dr. Emily Friedman @friede.bsky.social · 4h

Same.

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Jason Cordova @jasoncordova.bsky.social · 5h

Big announcement: Public Access is now Pay What You Want on @drivethrurpg.com! Public Access is our hit game about analog horror and childhood trauma, Carved from Brindlewood. Pick up a copy today!

www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/4...

Public Access - The Gauntlet | DriveThruRPG

A roleplaying game of analog horror, based on the Brindlewood Bay mystery system! Public Access is a tabletop roleplaying game about a group of people in 2004—the Deep Lake Latchkeys—who find themselv...

www.drivethrurpg.com

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