James Holloway: monsterman.org
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gonzohistory.bsky.social
James Holloway: monsterman.org
@gonzohistory.bsky.social
Game writer, podcaster, occasional educator. Cambridge, UK. Host of Monster Man: monsterman.libsyn.com. He/him. Games are for everyone who thinks games are for everyone. My website: monsterman.org
Reposted by James Holloway: monsterman.org
We are in London for Dragonmeet, come and say hi!
Stall FG-19, right on main street, right under the Dreambanner!
November 28, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Morning post: the prelaunch page for my next project, the Booklet of Bounties, is now live. Sign up now!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/mon...
Coming soon: The Booklet of Bounties
A zine of fantasy fugitives and bounty-hunting scenario seeds.
www.kickstarter.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Reposted by James Holloway: monsterman.org
Prelaunch page for my next zine, the Booklet of Bounties, is up! Words by me, art by the peerless @toadlett.bsky.social and the inimitable @hodagrpg.bsky.social .

www.kickstarter.com/projects/mon...
Coming soon: The Booklet of Bounties
A zine of fantasy fugitives and bounty-hunting scenario seeds.
www.kickstarter.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:32 PM
I do think that one answer to the "why do people who like cozy pancakes stuff play 5E, a game that offers little support other than in the illustrations for cozy pancakes stuff" question is just that players are accustomed to a game's narrative and mechanical sides being distinct.
November 27, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Standing in my kitchen last night doing absolutely nothing strenuous and my knee decided this was the perfect moment to betray me. Dragonmeet is going to be ... interesting.
November 26, 2025 at 8:54 AM
One of my favourite projects is the Budget Bestiary, a zine I did of monsters based on toys & found objects, w/ instructions & tips. I was trying to channel frustration at the Tragedy of the Owlbear in a positive way. PWYW digital or you can buy it in print.

james-holloway.itch.io/the-budget-b...
November 25, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Patreon backer Ben brings you this special episode digging deeper into the overlap between fantasy and science fiction monsters!

monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...
Monster Man: Special Episode: Son of Sci-fi Monsters
Patreon backer Ben brings you this special episode all about further developing the complex relationship between fantasy and science fiction monsters! If you're enjoying the show, why not consider&nbs...
monsterman.libsyn.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Piracy discourse again! I am fortunate to be able to speak solely from a small-press perspective, and for me the deal is: if you're in a tough place and you would like a digital copy of a zine, but can't afford it, please have a community copy with my compliments.
November 24, 2025 at 7:04 PM
You can find digital copies of the new supplement I co-wrote for Lion Rampant, Viking Blood Feud, at @drivethrurpg.com! Even if you don't play LR, it's got lots of historical background, a campaign that shouldn't be hard to adapt to your favourite system, etc.

www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
Lion Rampant: Viking Blood Feud - History and Games Lab Edinburgh | DriveThruRPG
Lion Rampant: Viking Blood Feud is an expansion for Lion Rampant Medieval Wargaming Rules: Second Edition. It brings to tabletop life the dramatic and evocative blood feuds of the Icelandic sagas, and...
www.drivethrurpg.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:10 AM
I have said it before and I will say it again in the coming week: @lostpages.co.uk and I are doing a talk at Dragonmeet about "making magic marvellous," and it's going to be fun. It's at 1430 on Saturday and if you're going to be there we would like it if you came!
November 23, 2025 at 11:00 AM
One of the nice things about publicly being a weird nerd about monsters is that people send you links to things that you would never find yourself, like @hodagsoup.bsky.social's GMless monster-capturing RPG that uses Tarot cards.

www.kickstarter.com/projects/521...
Creature Capture Cards!
A GM-less Monster Catching Tabletop RPG that uses Tarot Cards as dice! Play solo or collaboratiely with up to 4 players.
www.kickstarter.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Dang, no Bring and Buy at Dragonmeet this year, it looks like? I'm starting to have enough old gaming stuff that I could do my own. At least I won't have to schlep stuff to London on the train; that was no fun.
November 22, 2025 at 12:11 AM
I think I cut a bit from the most recent episode in which I described my game writing style as "elevated hack." Some would say I'm not so elevated, but I only mean that I enjoy writing more or less conventional action-adventure or horror-mystery stuff, I just try not to insult your intelligence.
November 21, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I like to think that I'm a pretty engaging writer, except for my book reviews, which always sound stuffy and formal and weird. I am really trying to make this one flow better. It's surprisingly difficult to change things you're not doing on purpose!
November 21, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Reposted by James Holloway: monsterman.org
Diehard Black Friday deal now ON, use 'BLACKFRIDAY10' code at checkout and receive a 10% discount on orders of £40 or more! Offer ends December 1st, if you spend over £150 you'll also get free postage! Grab yourself a bargain while stocks last! diehardminiatures.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:26 AM
In today's episode, I sit down with Dean Gkane, creator of Trenchcoat Raccoons, to talk about Medusa, retellings of myths, raccoons in trenchcoats, and more!

monsterman.libsyn.com/episode-596-...
Monster Man: Episode 596: My Favourite Monster with Dean Gkane
Dean Gkane, the creator of , joins us to talk about Medusa, the difference between a monster and a cryptid, and more! If you're enjoying the show, why not consider ? You'll get access to lots of ...
monsterman.libsyn.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Letty drew amazing covers and interiors for both THE GUIDE TO GRUNTS and THE TOME OF TOMBS -- and you'll see more soon!
Time for a new pinned post!
Hi! I'm Letty, a comics artist, game-maker and illustrator based in Scotland! I spend a lot of time thinking about oak galls and things that happen in caves.
My portfolio: toadlett.com
A free game about a sandwich: toadlett.itch.io/the-king-in-...
November 20, 2025 at 8:55 PM
I'm going to be at Dragonmeet on the 29th (and at the event the previous night as well). I'm doing a seminar on Making Magic Marvellous with @lostpages.co.uk at 2.30, but other than that I'm just gonna be stooging around.
November 19, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by James Holloway: monsterman.org
🙏CHAPTER SERF🙏

I finished it! A Warhammer 40K adventure & TTRPG where you *don't* play Space Marines. Instead you play those little hooded freaks loitering in the background while Space Marines hog the limelight.

PDF here: drive.google.com/file/d/1V4Mt...

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November 18, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Patreon backer @diplomatist2.bsky.social brings you this special episode all about what happens when good monsters go bad!

monsterman.libsyn.com
Monster Man
A show about monsters, because monsters are great.
monsterman.libsyn.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:19 AM
In some ways, Viking Blood Feud has been developing in my mind for over 20 years, although the finished product looks very little like those early efforts.

www.monsterman.org/blog/i-have-...
I have a new book out — JAMES HOLLOWAY
When I moved to Durham in the early 2000s to do my MA, I was already pretty into the early middle ages, and I already had a little bit of a collection of early medieval miniatures, but that collection...
www.monsterman.org
November 17, 2025 at 1:41 PM
I co-wrote this new supplement for Lion Rampant, which is all about the rivalries, feuds and revenges of the Sagas of the Icelanders!
November 17, 2025 at 11:53 AM