On this episode of the Epic Realms Podcast, we're joined by author, game designer, and RPG historian Shannon Appelcline for an in-depth conversation about his life, career, and passion for tabletop roleplaying games.

Shannon shares how his journey into Dungeons & Dragons began after spotting an advertisement in a comic book, convincing his father to buy the game, and diving into the rulebooks before running his very first adventure. From growing up alongside D&D and discovering a love of writing at an early age to earning a computer science degree that proved valuable mainly for its access to libraries and the early internet, Shannon reflects on the experiences that shaped his career.

We explore his path through the tabletop RPG industry, from cataloging every issue of Dragon Magazine to writing for roleplaying games and serving as the longtime steward of RPG.net. Shannon also takes us behind the scenes of his landmark Designers & Dragons series, discussing the years of research that went into documenting the history of the RPG industry and why it's so important to preserve the stories of the countless creators whose contributions often go unnoticed.

The conversation also covers his latest project, Designers & Dragons: Origins, fresh from a successful BackerKit campaign, where he continues to uncover the roots of the hobby. Along the way, we discuss his meticulous research process, the influential figures who helped shape tabletop gaming, and the importance of giving credit to the many people who built the industry behind the scenes.

Finally, Shannon gives us a look at what's next, including his upcoming work for Call of Cthulhu, his Losing Sanity project, and his exciting Free Trader Beowulf project.

Whether you're a lifelong tabletop gamer, a student of RPG history, or simply fascinated by the people behind the games we love, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Shannon Appelcline's Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/designersanddragons Designers and Dragons Origins - https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/evil-hat/designers-dragons-origins

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