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
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
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.
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...
james-holloway.itch.io/the-budget-b...
November 25, 2025 at 2:09 PM
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...
james-holloway.itch.io/the-budget-b...
Patreon backer Ben brings you this special episode digging deeper into the overlap between fantasy and science fiction monsters!
monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...
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
Patreon backer Ben brings you this special episode digging deeper into the overlap between fantasy and science fiction monsters!
monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...
monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...
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
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.
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...
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
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...
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
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
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!
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...
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
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...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/521...
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
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.
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 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.
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
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!
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
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
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-...
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
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-...
monsterman.libsyn.com/episode-596-...
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-...
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
Letty drew amazing covers and interiors for both THE GUIDE TO GRUNTS and THE TOME OF TOMBS -- and you'll see more soon!
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
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.
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...
1/
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...
1/
November 18, 2025 at 4:59 PM
🙏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...
1/
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...
1/
Patreon backer @diplomatist2.bsky.social brings you this special episode all about what happens when good monsters go bad!
monsterman.libsyn.com
monsterman.libsyn.com
Monster Man
A show about monsters, because monsters are great.
monsterman.libsyn.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Patreon backer @diplomatist2.bsky.social brings you this special episode all about what happens when good monsters go bad!
monsterman.libsyn.com
monsterman.libsyn.com
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-...
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
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-...
www.monsterman.org/blog/i-have-...
I co-wrote this new supplement for Lion Rampant, which is all about the rivalries, feuds and revenges of the Sagas of the Icelanders!
Viking Blood Feud.
New supplement for Lion Rampant.
www.northstarfigures.com/prod.php?pro...
#northstarfigs #lionrampant #wargames #wargaming #wargamer
New supplement for Lion Rampant.
www.northstarfigures.com/prod.php?pro...
#northstarfigs #lionrampant #wargames #wargaming #wargamer
November 17, 2025 at 11:53 AM
I co-wrote this new supplement for Lion Rampant, which is all about the rivalries, feuds and revenges of the Sagas of the Icelanders!
Reposted by James Holloway: monsterman.org
Hurrah! My article on the Twilight 2000 RPG in the Journal of American Studies is now open access (OA), so anyone who wants to can have a read. OA is important to me, as I want my work on RPG history to go beyond the academy and reach the gaming public.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
When You Say, “Thermonuclear War,” I Think You Mean “the Call to Adventure”! The Twilight: 2000 Tabletop Role-Playing Game and the Postapocalyptic World’s Imaginary Spaces | Journal of American Studie...
When You Say, “Thermonuclear War,” I Think You Mean “the Call to Adventure”! The Twilight: 2000 Tabletop Role-Playing Game and the Postapocalyptic World’s Imaginary Spaces
www.cambridge.org
November 14, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Hurrah! My article on the Twilight 2000 RPG in the Journal of American Studies is now open access (OA), so anyone who wants to can have a read. OA is important to me, as I want my work on RPG history to go beyond the academy and reach the gaming public.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Want to see my recent talk on medievalism and Warhammer from the GW Research Day -- now with slides? It's up as a free post on the Monster Man Patreon; you don't need to be a subscriber to watch it.
www.patreon.com/posts/143561...
www.patreon.com/posts/143561...
GW Research Day talk: now with slides! | James Holloway
Get more from James Holloway on Patreon
www.patreon.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Want to see my recent talk on medievalism and Warhammer from the GW Research Day -- now with slides? It's up as a free post on the Monster Man Patreon; you don't need to be a subscriber to watch it.
www.patreon.com/posts/143561...
www.patreon.com/posts/143561...
Reposted by James Holloway: monsterman.org
There's no stopping November 17th! Just three days left to submit an abstract!
November 14, 2025 at 10:01 AM
There's no stopping November 17th! Just three days left to submit an abstract!
Patreon backer Liam brings you this episode all about structuring weird and chaotic environments in RPGs:
monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...
monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...
Monster Man: Special Episode: The Unseelie Court
Patreon backer Liam brings you this special episode all about how to organise game settings that ought to be strange and chaotic! If you're enjoying the show, why not consider ? You'll get access...
monsterman.libsyn.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Patreon backer Liam brings you this episode all about structuring weird and chaotic environments in RPGs:
monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...
monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...
They have good stuff at Iglootree. Stuff made by talented, passionate, and dare I say devastatingly handsome people.
Y'know what I love about Iglootree.com ? The easy thing to do would be to stock and promote indie stuff from people with huge followings; have your cake and eat it, so to speak. Instead it's a huge pile of mad books made by people who loved something.
Iglootree, the home of unusual books and games
Iglootree is a bookshop founded in 2020 with the intention of bringing the best and most undiscovered parts of the comic, literature, role playing game, and occult publishing worlds together in one pl...
Iglootree.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:18 PM
They have good stuff at Iglootree. Stuff made by talented, passionate, and dare I say devastatingly handsome people.
I know nothing about Pokemon, but Patreon backer Bob asked me to talk about it, and the Patrons are in charge, so here we are! Pika pika or whatever, I guess.
monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...
monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...
Monster Man: Special Episode: Pokemon
Patreon backer Bob brings you this special episode all about Pokemon, a type of creature I know nothing at all about. If you're enjoying the show, why not consider ? You'll get access to lots of ...
monsterman.libsyn.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:53 AM
I know nothing about Pokemon, but Patreon backer Bob asked me to talk about it, and the Patrons are in charge, so here we are! Pika pika or whatever, I guess.
monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...
monsterman.libsyn.com/special-epis...