I had a wonderful time at Origins Game Fair. Thanks to the folks there who brought me out and to everyone who joined me for all the fun and games. That especially goes to Ralph, Peter, Sean, Ellis, and the rest of the crew that ran the Marvel Multiverse RPG room. You can’t find people more dedicated and passionate about playing games.

I also got to hang out one night with the three gamers who have been to each and every of the 50 Origins Game Fairs. That includes my longtime pal Will Niebling, Carl Olson, and Alan Conrad.

The summer rolls on fast, though, and next up is Gen Con! I’m skipping Comic-Con International this year. I love the show dearly, but I got a great taste of it at Wondercon earlier this year. Also, the fact that it’s once again been bumped to the week before Gen Con makes it a bit of a death march, so I’m focusing on Gen Con instead.

I never miss Gen Con. I’ve been going every year since 1982, and I’m not about to break that streak if I can.

You can see many of the events I’ll be part of listed here.

Some of those events have already sold out, and others are going fast. This includes five two-hour games I’m running featuring the first act of the Planet Hulk adventure from the new Marvel Multiverse RPG Starter Set. Marvel is charging $100 a seat to join the fun, and — amazingly — most of the tables are already full. As I write this, there are still two seats available for Thursday at 2 PM and 3 seats available for Friday at 10 AM, but that’s it.

However, there are 5 seats left at the Coffee Klatch with Matt Forbeck, plus plenty for “For the Love of (Writing) the Game” (a panel about writing video games) and for the Andrew Hackard Memorial Munchkin Game that I play with my kids every year in honor of our pal. That one comes with a big stack of giveaways for those who attend, so join us for the fun!

On top off that, I’m also running the Diana Jones Award event on Wednesday night and emceeing the Costume Contest on Saturday afternoon. So I’ll be around. I hope to see you there!

This year, the fine folks at WonderCon invited me out to the show in Anaheim, California, as a special guest. I’ve never had the pleasure of attending it before, but they also run Comic-Con International in San Diego, which I’ve enjoyed countless times, so I was thrilled to accept.

I’ll be there for the entire show, from Friday through Sunday of this week, March 28–30. Please come out and join us! They have me on pretty light duty, so I’ll have plenty of time to wander around and join in the fun myself.

Here’s my schedule:

Friday, March 28:

• 2–3 PM: How to Design Tabletop Games: With over 5,000 tabletop games coming out each year, the need for new games is strong. Are you designing a tabletop game or want to know how to get started? Industry experts Juliana Moreno (game designer, Wild Optimists), Kami Mandell (game designer, The Op), and Matt Forbeck (game designer, Marvel RPG) share their best practices, ways to get started, and stories from their game designs. Moderated by Christopher Castagnetto.
• 3–4:30 PM: Creators Assemble: Charisma Check: Tabletop roleplaying game creators, publishers, performers, game shop owners, teachers, and library workers have brought greater acceptance to TTRPGS and fan culture. Take a break from hectic convention life to experience “speed dating” style networking with diverse TTRPG and board game enthusiasts from all backgrounds. This year’s lineup includes Reuben Bresler, Jeromy DeChant, Eddie Doty, Sarah Durnesque, Lemar Harris, Jason Patrick Galit (JPG), Jem Lugo, Cynthia Marie, Markeia McCarthy, Momo Meas, Ryan Omega, Jenni Powel, and Sidney Rubino, along with TTRPG educators and enthusiasts Joel Bakker, Joe Barrette, Moni Barrette, Janie Ghinazzi, and Dan Wood. (This actually starts at 2:30, but I have an overlap. I’ll be there as soon as I can!)

Sunday, March 29:

• 12:30–1:30 PM: Spotlight on Matt Forbeck: Matt Forbeck (Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game) has been creating novels, comics, nonfiction, video games, and tabletop games for a living for over 35 years, including the upcoming Minecraft: Roll for Adventure series of game books. Join him for a Q&A session about his storied career and what’s coming next.
• 2–3 PM: Autograph Session.

At the moment, this is the last show I have planned to attend until (possibly) Comic-Con or (definitely) Gen Con, so come out and say hi!

Honestly, it’s kind of hard to believe that Gary Gygax has been gone for 17 years, but I’m always delighted to join his family for Gary Con to celebrate his legacy as the co-designer of Dungeons & Dragons. This year’s tinged with a bit more sadness at the loss of Gary’s eldest son, Ernie, a couple weeks ago, but that emphasizes even more why it’s important to gather with friends and enjoy each other’s company while you still can.

I’ll be at Gary Con this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, March 20–22. I’d be there longer if I could, but deadlines and life are competing hard for my time at the moment. That Avengers Expansion for the Marvel Multiverse RPG apparently isn’t going to write itself.

I’m running a few games at the show and playing in others as well. Most of them are already sold out, but there are still tickets left for Catacombs & Comedians Presents Death or Glory (Traveller), which I’m playing Thursday at 9 PM with my friends Dan Taylor, John Kovalic, Sarah Babe, Bryan Cp Steele, and Rob Wieland. Join us!

Plus, I have an autograph session in the exhibit hall on Friday at 1 PM.

And on Saturday morning at 10 AM, I’m on Adapting RPG Stories—Games to Other Mediums, a panel with my friends Jim Zub and Erik Mona.

If you spy me wandering around otherwise, be sure to say hi. I’m looking forward to seeing lots of people and hopefully signing some of those brand-new Spider-Verse Expansion books!

I’ve had a long, busy day, but I want to thank everyone involved with the production of the Spider-Verse Expansion of the Marvel Multiverse RPG that debuted today. The book is already selling well and garnered some glowing reviews. So…

Big thanks to CJ Cervantes, Amir Osman, and Brian Overton at Marvel for being the best team to work with in the business. They always push us to make the book better at every step, and their love for the work shines through. On top of that, I’d like to thank the rest of the Marvel staff who help us make these books happen. None of this could happen without them.

When it comes to making the book look great, many thanks to RB Silva and Jesus Aburtov for their spectacular cover, and to Ruairi Coleman and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo for the great chapter headers. Plus to Brian Patterson for his amazing maps and Simeon Cogswell for their fantastic design that ties it all together.

While I handled the bulk of the writing and game design, I had a lot of help from some wonderful writers. This includes three consummate pros — Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore, and Matthew Manning — plus my son Marty Forbeck, who wrote not only most of the profiles, but also a full chapter too. On top of that, my son Pat Forbeck did some uncredited work on the profiles too.

On top of all that, I want to thank the players out there who buy these books and play them. With your support, we can keep doing this, hopefully for years to come, and there’s no better treat than that. Thanks!

Wow, what a wild summer that was. Three books I worked on came out — which I haven’t even mentioned here yet. I hit Origins, Comic-Con, and Gen Con. And I caught Covid (again).

I recovered well, but that and some family health issues put me way behind on deadlines, so I’ve barely looked up from my keyboard for the past several weeks. I canceled trips, concerts, and catching up with friends to get it all done.

But it worked! Which means I can skate into Gamehole Con 11 this weekend with a clear conscience.

Gamehole Con is one of my favorite shows of the year. Alex Kammer, Andrew Hitchcock, and the rest of the amazing crew there do such a fantastic job with it and have built a wonderful show. I’m just lucky that it’s right up the road from me, making it an easy trip too.

I’ll be there all weekend, and if you’re in the area, come on out and say hi! Here’s where you can find me:

Thursday, October 17

• 3 – 7 PM: Gamehole Con is running a bunch of D&D demos to help celebrate 50 years of Dungeons & Dragons, and I’m pitching in to help with a few of them.
• 9 – 11 PM: The 608th Annual Baron Munchausen Charity Ball: A charity game run by Rob Wieland, featuring Sarah Babe, Ethan Eichstedt-Anderson, Jordan Fishburn, Thomas Gofton, Jenny Higgins, LaTia Jacquise, Crystal Mazur, Elisa Teague, Tawnie Thompson, and me.

Friday, October 18

• Noon – 4 PM: The Poker Knights. A Marvel Multiverse RPG adventure written by Kevin Melka with a bit of help from Marty and me. I’m running this session, and Kevin’s taking over right after that for another run.
• 3 – 5 PM: Catacombs & Comedians presents Catacombs & Creators. Featuring Dan Taylor, Tommy Gofton, Matthew Sargent, John Kovalic, and me. Maybe. (Yes, there’s an overlap here. Marty might be subbing in for me if I can’t figure out how to warp space-time by then.)
• 5 – 7 PM: Planet of the Apes w/ creator Andrew Gaska. Plus Matt “KC Rift” Everhart, Erik Frankhouse, James Lowder, Toni Winslow-Brill, and me.
• 7 – 8 PM: How Did You Get Published. A panel about writing fiction, with Peter Brett, Monica Valentinelli, and me.

Saturday, October 19

• Noon – 4: The Poker Knights. A Marvel Multiverse RPG adventure written by Kevin Melka with a bit of help from Marty and me. I’m running this session (again), and Kevin’s taking over right after that for another run (again).
• 8 – 10 PM: Catacombs & Creators – The Cthulhu Edition. Featuring Dan Taylor, Sarah Babe, Skeeter Green, John Kovalic, and me.

Whew! During my downtime, I’ll be wandering about the show, catching up with friends, and playing games with my kids (who are all adults now). If you see me, be sure to say hi. I hope to see you there!

I’m off to Gen Con on Wednesday for my 43rd time in a row. It’s my favorite time of year, and I hope you can all join me there. It’s going to be packed with the Diana Jones Award ceremony, Marvel games and signings, an all-star slate of 50 Years of D&D panels, MCing the Costume Contest, and playing the Andrew Hackard Memorial Munchkin Game.

Here’s what I have planned for the show. Note that several of these events are sold out, and others might be soon. The seminars and panels are all free. Come out and join us for the fun!

Wednesday

• 9 PM: Hosting the Diana Jones Award ceremony. (This is an industry-only event, not open to the public.)

Thursday

• 10 AM: Matt Forbeck Presents: Deadpool Role-Plays the Marvel Universe. A 2-hour run through the first part of the new adventure for the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game. SOLD OUT!
• 2 PM: New Books! New Games! New Love! Writer and host S.E. Lindberg asks Howard Andrew Jones, J. B. Garner, and me about the inspirations and challenges behind our new books, games, and works. 
• 3 PM: Signing in the Marvel Room
• 4 PM: Catacombs & Comedians Presents Catacombs & Creators. Mirth meets myth. Dan Taylor, Dungeon Master of the live show featuring comedians playing Dungeons & Dragons on comedy club stages, will task Alex Kammer, Jim Zub, Zeb Cook, and me with playing as characters in the “Catacomediaverse” D&D setting. There will be audience participation and giveaways. Roll for hilarity!

Friday

• 10 AM: Matt Forbeck Presents: Deadpool Role-Plays the Marvel Universe. A 2-hour run through the first part of the new adventure for the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game. SOLD OUT!
• 2 PM: Getting into Visual Writing: Comics, Cards, Graphic Novels, and Games. Join our panel of experts as they discuss how to get into the business of writing for visual media. Featuring Dedren Snead, Carlos Hernandez, Lucien Soulban, Toiya Kristen Finley, and me. SOLD OUT!
• 3 PM: Signing in the Marvel Room
• 4 PM: 50 Years Of D&D — Endless Quests. Rose Estes (the writer of many of the original Endless Quest books) — joins me (the writer of the latest Endless Quest books) to talk about the development of early D&D fiction.
• 5 PM: 50 Years Of D&D — Ravenloft. Join Tracy and Laura Hickman (the creators of Ravenloft), James Lowder (Ravenloft novelist), Anne Browne (Ravenloft writer), and me to discuss the scariest of the official D&D settings and how it first spawned. SOLD OUT!
• 6 PM: 50 Years Of D&D — History. Join Dungeons & Dragons historians Ben Riggs, David M. Ewalt, Jon Peterson, Mike Witwer, and me to discuss the history behind the design and development of D&D. SOLD OUT!
• 6 PM: Catacombs & Comedians Presents Catacombs & Creators. Mirth meets myth. Dan Taylor, Dungeon Master of the live show featuring comedians playing Dungeons & Dragons on comedy club stages, will task Jeff Richard, Chris O’Neill, Jesse Brady, and my son Marty Forbeck with playing as characters in the “Catacomediaverse” D&D setting. There will be audience participation and giveaways. Roll for hilarity!
  • NOTE: I’m not in this one, but my son Marty is! It’s his first live play event!

Saturday

• 10 AM: Signing in the Marvel Room
• 11 AM: Autograph Session with Rose Estes, Jeff Grubb, Jeremy Bernstein, and Matt Forbeck. Rose and Jeff aren’t listed in the program for this, but Jeremy and I are bringing them along anyhow. Join us in the back of the exhibit hall!
• 12 PM: Matt Forbeck Presents: Deadpool Role-Plays the Marvel Universe. A 2-hour run through the first part of the new adventure for the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game. SOLD OUT!
• 3 PM: Non-Fiction For, Not About Genre. Featuring Mikki Kendall, Alexander Bevier, James Lowder, and me.
• 4 PM: 38th Annual Gen Con Costume Contest. I’m MCing this for the fourth year in a row. Come see all the amazing cosplayers on the big stage!
• 4 PM: 50 Years Of D&D — Forgotten Realms. Join Ed Greenwood (the creator of the Forgotten Realms) and Forgotten Realms novelists Jeff Grubb and James Lowder to discuss how some of D&D‘s most legendary stories came to be. Hosted by Steven Schend. SOLD OUT!
  • NOTE: I was going to host this, but it conflicts with the Costume Contest, so Steven Schend is stepping in for me.
• 5 PM: 50 Years Of D&D — Comics. Join D&D comic-book writers Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb, and Jim Zub, along with editor James Lowder, to talk about how D&D made the leap from collaborative storytelling to sequential storytelling. Hosted by Ben Riggs.
  • NOTE: I was going to host this, but it conflicts with the Costume Contest, so Ben Riggs is stepping in for me.
• 6 PM: 50 Years Of D&D — Fiction. Join us for an all-star panel discussing D&D fiction throughout the years, featuring Rose Estes, Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb, James Lowder, and me.

Sunday

• 10 AM: Matt Forbeck Presents: Deadpool Role-Plays the Marvel Universe. A 2-hour run through the first part of the new adventure for the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game. SOLD OUT!
• 12 PM: Signing in the Marvel Room
• 1 PM: Andrew Hackard Memorial Munchkin Game. Every Gen Con Sunday for a full decade, Andrew Hackard hosted a game of Munchkin for me and my kids at the Steve Jackson Games booth. While Andrew passed away in 2021, we continue the tradition in his memory by playing Munchkin every year at the show. Come join us as we stab each other in the back and laugh to close out this year’s Best Four Days in Gaming. Steve Jackson Games has donated loads of promos and prizes for the audience!

After that, I probably collapse in happy exhaustion — hopefully after I get home. Whew!

I just got back from a week and a half in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and Michigan, and I’m off to Comic-Con International this week. You might have noticed that Deadpool Role-Plays the Marvel Universe came out for the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game while I was gone, and that World of Warcraft Chronicle IV (which my son Marty wrote most of) released too. If those are your kinds of things, I hope you enjoy them!

For Comic-Con, Marty and I have a signing at the Dark Horse Comics booth on Wednesday night, plus a few huge events set up with MAVERiC Studio and UCSD on Thursday and Friday. I also have a panel on Saturday.

Here’s a cool promo video for the UCSD event:

Details for all events here:

Wednesday, July 24

• 6 PM: Signing for World of Warcraft Chronicle IV in the Dark Horse Comics booth (#2615), inside the convention center.

Thursday, July 25

• Noon – 9 PM: A Day with Matt Forbeck. This is at Park & Market, a short walk from the convention center, and it’s free! No badge required! Marty and I and a fantastic cast are doing an actual-play game — set in my Shotguns & Sorcery world — to celebrate 50 years of Dungeons & Dragons. That runs from 1 –5 PM. Afterward, there’s a steampunk cosplay mixer with music and wild new drinks, including (hopefully) a dragonfire cocktail.
  • Tickets are free, but you should grab them here to guarantee you can get it.

Friday, July 26

• 10 AM – 1:30 PM: A book signing at the UC-San Diego Bookstore. This is also free, and no ticket necessary. Just come out and say hi!
• 1:45 PM – 3 PM: A live discussion being recorded in The Basement, Room 151.
  • This is free too, and you can get tickets for it here.

Saturday, July 27

• 10 – 11 AM: Celebrating 50 Years of Dungeons & Dragons. Room 6DE, in the convention center. Industry experts Anjali Bhimani (Desi Quest, Critical Role), Kailey Bray (producer), Luke Gygax (founder, Gary Con), Jim Zub (author, Dungeons & Dragons, IDW Publishing), and Matt Forbeck (writer, game designer, Endless Quest) share how Dungeons & Dragons has taken its place on top of the pop culture dungeon. Moderated by Ross Thompson.

Whew! That seems like enough! Anyhow, I hope to see you there — and if you’re not there, I hope to see you at Gen Con next week instead!

(If you get this via email and don’t see any images, I’m not sure what’s going on, but you can go to my website to read it in all its color-splashed glory. If you know how to fix such things, let me know. I’m too busy getting ready for the show to tackle it now.)

I just realized that the Origins schedule I linked to yesterday is missing a few things, so here’s my full schedule for the show. When I’m not at one of these events, you can likely find me in the Authors Alcove in the exhibit hall (Booth 1918) — at least when it’s open. I’ll have copies of the Marvel Multiverse RPG books with me, plus Shotguns & Sorcery game books too, so be sure to stop by and say hi!

THURSDAY

• 11 AM – 12 PM: Meet the Game Designers (Booth 1752)
• 3 – 4 PM: Meet the Game Designers (Booth 1752)

FRIDAY

• 11 AM – 12 PM: Meet the Game Designers (Booth 1752)
• 3 – 4 PM: Meet the Game Designers (Booth 1752)

SATURDAY

• 10 AM – 11 AM: From Game to Story (Room A212)
• 11 AM – 12 PM: Meet the Game Designers (Booth 1752)
• 1 – 2 PM: Meet the Game Designers (Booth 1752)
• 3 – 4 PM: Writing for the Ages (Room A213)

SUNDAY

• 11 AM – 12 PM: D&D: Celebrating 50 Years of Adventure and Imagination (Short North Ballroom A)
• 12 – 1 PM: The Intersection of Games and Books (Room A212)
• 1 – 2 PM: Meet the Game Designers (Booth 1752)
• 2 – 3 PM: Tips and Tricks of the Trade (Room A212)

Next week — June 19–25 — I’m heading back to the Origins Game Fair for the first time in 17 years. I used to hit it every year, starting in 1988, when the show merged with Gen Con for a year, up until 2000 or so. Then the quadruplets came along, and I started writing novels, video games, and such, and I had to cut back on the number of gaming conventions I hit.

The last time I was at Origins was back in 2007, when I was a guest of honor for the first time. This year, they invited me to be a guest of honor again, and I eagerly accepted. (And now we apparently know what it takes to bring me back!)

I’m pulling double duty as a gaming guest of honor and as the author guest of honor as well. You can find my schedule at the show listed here. On top of all that, I’m going to have a table in the Authors Alcove where my minions kids and I will be selling books and games. That includes some of the newer stuff, like the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game and Shotguns & Sorcery: The 5E Sourcebook books, plus some older stuff that’s been sitting in my attic for years — like copies of the Brave New World Roleplaying Game, which is 25 years old this summer!

As part of being the author guest of honor, I chipped in a short story to the Origins anthology, edited by my pal Aaron Rosenberg and featuring stories from all the fantastic writers in the authors program. Mine is a Deadlands story called “The Devil You Know” that’s a direct sequel to the yarns I spun for the Dealands Dime Novels back in the ’90s. This is a book available only at Origins, so be sure to grab a copy if you can.

On top of all that, the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game is up for the Origins Award for the Best Roleplaying Game. That means I’ll be sure to hit the Origins Awards ceremony on Friday night. (Side note: I commissioned the sculpture for the statue for the Origins Awards many years ago, from Hall of Famer Julie Guthrie. She did a fantastic job, and I’m honored to have several copies on my mantel.)

So, come on out and help me make this a triumphant return to Origins. I’m looking forward to getting back to it again, and I hope to see you there!