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June is Pride Month, a time set aside in places around the world to celebrate and increase the visibility of folks in the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Below, you can get to know just a few of the talented queer creators who write third-party content for Dungeons & Dragons.
Why We Celebrate Pride Month
Pride Month takes place in June and honors the historic 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a series of events primarily led by lesbian and trans women of color that became pivotal moments in the history of the queer rights movement. Today, Pride Month blends elements of visibility, celebration, and joy, with continued advocacy for rights and protections for all queer folks.
Many things have changed in the decades since that rebellion, like language. Some words have fallen out of use, new words have been created, and older words have taken on new meanings. Terms like “gay” and “queer” that were previously wielded as slurs have been reclaimed with pride and confidence. In the sections that follow, the words used to describe each creator came directly from them; these are the words they have thoughtfully chosen to identify themselves. Each of these creators are more than simply their queer identity—they are formidable writers and designers whose work stands on its own merit. And yet, as I think you’ll see, their queer identities are intricately and beautifully woven into their work, simply because queer people write queer content.
- Leon Barillaro
- Imogen Gingell
- Noah Grand
- V.J. Harris
- Brittney Hay
- Jacky Leung
- Jessica Marcrum
- Jasmine Yang
- Basil Wright
Leon Barillaro
Leon Barillaro (they/he) is a genderfluid transmasc whose work often explores themes of forming and communicating identity. Hair of the Dog, one of their first adventures, features an arcanaloth searching for a locket that contains their true name. “It’s a clear allegory for dead names,” says Leon. “It’s something they have to do to assume control over their identity. A lot of the NPCs I write are working on themselves in some way, which I think makes them fun for players to interact with. You can help them! You can learn from them and watch them grow.”
Leon also enjoys language and studying linguistics—a hobby that really shines in their recent article for Arcadia, “Arcanolinguistics,” which gives new language-based lore and rules for casting spells in various languages. “While it’s not explicitly tied to my identity,” he explains, “studying language and linguistics has been a hobby for me for a long time, because gender and identity are tied up with communication.” “Arcanolinguistics” also showcases Leon’s tendency to experiment with form, pushing game systems to be more than they were supposed to be.
You can find Leon on Twitter, and find their work on his website.
Imogen Gingell
Imogen Gingell (she/her) is a lesbian, trans woman, and academic space astrophysicist. As a game designer, she specializes in writing for Eberron. “One of the reasons I love Eberron so much as a campaign setting,” she explains, “is that it asks how human conflicts and experiences might be expressed differently—or stay the same—in the face of magical and fantastical elements.” Her adventures center around a cause she feels deeply about and make space for the characters to enact change. Escape from Riedra confronts the characters with a lesbian couple caught in a repressive society. It’s an adventure dear to Imogen’s heart “because it’s entirely a story about queer love—two women finding a way to be together when the odds are so stacked against them. Until that adventure, I don’t think I’d really put my queer identity to paper in such a wholehearted and celebratory way.”
More recently, Imogren wrote the bestselling Chronicles of Eberron alongside the setting creator, Keith Baker. “Working with Keith and the rest of the team was a joy, and seeing my name alongside his in a hardcover book would blow the mind of my 2004-self!”
You can find Imogen on Twitter, and her work on her website.
Noah Grand
Noah Grand (they/he) is a panromantic, nonbinary, Jewish writer who holds a Ph.D. in sociology. They draw on their sociology training when writing lore. “So when writing a world of gem dragons, I’d focus on how they can all change shape, which means they could all change gender presentation if they want to, which means they are largely panromantic. Cultural details give DMs tools for roleplay,” Noah explains. Their villains tend to be petty and absurd, over-the-top exceptions in their world. “As a queer, trans-identifying Jew, there are places where I can’t live safely. So the last thing I want is a grim universe in my games!”
Noah is a three-time ENNIE nominee, yet when I asked what writing he is the most proud of, they instead recalled an interaction at a past convention: “I was wearing a they/them pronoun sticker. One of my players was too. They came up to me and said it was so cool and important to see a nonbinary person able to openly DM at a convention.”
Noah views egalitarianism in their work, at the D&D table, and within the larger community as an important queer value. “I never would have been able to come out to myself, let alone anyone else, [without] some of the great people I met along the way,” he says, “It’s the people who matter most.”
You can find Noah on Twitter or connect with them on their website.
V.J. Harris
V.J. Harris (he/they) is a Black, disabled, bisexual, nonbinary, trans guy with a background in creative writing and social activism. V.J. makes a concerted effort to ensure worlds he builds are filled with people from his identities, as well as those from other groups. “A lot of my published stuff centers around dealing with race in [fifth edition] in a better way—one that not only gives players more options but removes unnecessary and likely unintended bigotry,” he explains. Their bestselling series, An Elf and an Orc Had a Little Baby, was created with Adam Hancock and separates traits into parentage and upbringing; V.J. incorporates this system into most lineages they write.
More recently, V.J. published HuntRPG, a solo RPG where the player is a vampire agent hunting a rogue agent, trying not to go rogue themselves. “The themes I’ve been exploring with that center around depression, anger, and addiction,” he says. “All three of those things are issues I’ve dealt with, and just being able to explore that through game design and play has been energizing me.”
They also produce VJ Talks, a biweekly podcast exploring the depth of TTRPGs and wider pop culture. You can find him on Twitter, or on their website.
Brittney Hay
Brittney Hay (they/she) is an asexual, biromantic, femme-presenting, nonbinary designer. Often known online as Friendly Non-Binary Dungeon Mom, they use some feminine-coded descriptions like “mom.” However, as Brittney explains, “Woman, girl, daughter, etc., are not words I would use to describe myself.”
Reclaiming childhood nostalgia is an especially important theme they’re exploring lately. One of Brittney’s inspirations is her own child. “I love seeing her imagination and free spirit when it comes to just playing and being creative. It helps me remember what it was to be a kid and just be free of any sort of constraints that often come with adulting.”
Their website is Dungeon Mom Designs, and she has a new podcast called Game N’ Gab.
Jacky Leung
Jacky Leung (he/they) is a bisexual, greygender, Chinese-American TTRPG freelance writer and editor. Greygender is a type of nonbinary identity. “In particular,” they explain, “I am extremely ambivalent about my gender identity and expression; I don’t feel it constantly, and there’s also sometimes no desire to express it.”
Jacky describes their work as “‘chaotic mashups,’ blending different themes that are usually kept separate.” They compare it with putting together Legos. “Sometimes you rearrange things that don’t work. Other times you end up with something surprising.” When he was on the DMsGuild Design Dash—a contest challenging authors to design an adventure outline in 15 minutes—he had an idea for combining Transformers, Eberron, and The Brave Little Toaster, resulting in “kitchenforged” preparing for a mechanic uprising. Their indie game Project: Day Breaker is the epitome of their chaotic mind and has been very well received—including being featured in Hit Point Press’ Constellation RPG Anthology. “I’m absolutely thrilled people love the idea of Dracula in space with some pop culture inserts,” he said.
Jacky is currently an editor for Fallout: The Roleplaying Game by Modiphius Entertainment, and is a contracted writer for Shewstone Publishing. You can find Jacky’s work there, or on their website.
Jessica Marcrum
Jessica Marcrum (she/her) is a bisexual and pansexual ENNIE award winning author. She is also neurodivergent, chronically ill, and has invisible disabilities. Most of her work showcases the dynamic parts of the entire queer identity, from beginning to question one’s identity through queer joy. “After working through my own issues with Erasure [a game about bisexual erasure],” Jessica says, “I created The Buddy System because I wanted to capture the feeling of found family and community that is so prevalent in queer spaces. I created the We Love in Whispers system to specifically capture queer love in the face of revolution.”
Beyond queer themes, Jessica is also known as the Cats and Hags Lady of TTRPGs, because her writings frequently feature “the magic of older, misunderstood women in full control of their power. ‘Fluffy or cute horror’ is another description that gets tied to my work a lot. I love exploring the macabre through the adorable and safe,” she says. This is especially easy to see in her work for Uncaged, an adventure anthology themed with subverting tropes around female mythological creatures. Jessica is particularly proud of directing Uncaged Goddesses, and the opportunity to mentor a wide-ranging group of writers.
You can connect with Jessica on her Twitter, and find her on her website.
Jasmine Yang
Jasmine Yang (she/they) is a bisexual, Asian, trans woman. “Being Chinese is a much more important aspect of my life and has always colored how I grew up and how I live my life,” Jasmine says. “I think though, that my life as a trans person has influenced my worldview, which in turn reflects into the themes I put in my writing.” They enjoy stories where characters actually confront fate, rather than fate being sealed at birth, and they love weaving in found families. “I know how important they are when your biological family is estranged or unsupportive,” they explain. Jasmine notes their social media channels are mostly trans-based jokes. “But I think that’s inherently important because I believe having a shared sense of comedy is essential to fostering a community and identity sense,” they say, citing hearing about trans folks feeling less fear around coming out.
Jasmine is really proud of her Hamund’s Harvesting Handbook series for D&D, a three-volume collection of supplemental rules for harvesting components and crafting items. The series was inspired by their own players, who continually wanted to harvest and loot creatures after combat.
You can connect with Jasmine on her Twitter, and find their D&D work on DMsGuild.
Basil Wright
Basil Wright (they/he/xe) is a Black, Indigenous, disabled, and neurodivergent writer and sensitivity consultant who describes themselves as a biromantic, asexual nonbinary babe. (Fun fact: Basil was a sensitivity consultant for Leon Barillaro’s aforementioned article, “Arcanolinguistics!”)
Community and forming bonds with other folks is important to Basil, and xe sees a connection between that and remaining hopeful about the future. “Largely what inspires me and captures my attention are games with themes about family, redemption, connection, community, etc.,” Basil says. “I think we as game designers respond not only to our current environment, e.g the upswing in apocalyptic games, but also we respond and resonate with each other.”
You can connect with Basil on xir Twitter, or his website.
Alyssa (she/they) is a freelance writer who lives in Canada with her husband, four children and dog. When she isn’t pursuing one of their many special interests, they are researching, analyzing or rambling on Twitter (@alyssavisscher) about yet another special interest. They love games, plants, sci-fi, painting, and stories. She queer, disabled, neurodivergent, and is impressively terrible at small talk.
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