by Dave Kot Charlie, Eric, and Shawn introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons in the mid-1980s. Our rural bus ride to school gave us about thirty minutes each way to play throughout the week. We used the 1983 Red Box set, and I still own my original copy. I became the referee almost immediately. I …
Continue reading Why Scripted Play Exhausts Me as an Autistic RPG Referee
EZD6 continues to earn its place at my table as a reliable system for one-shots and short arcs. Dreadful Doomscapes, the newest playset expansion for Scotty McFarland’s EZD6 system, reinforces my assessment. These modern horror-genre rules do not reinvent the core engine. Gameplay refocuses encounters around something more measurable and immediate at the table: stress, …
Tabletop roleplaying combat with miniatures and scatter terrain can feel overwhelming. New players often feel pressure to make the right move while others watch. This performance anxiety can lead to hesitation. Every option feels too risky. I suggest a simpler approach. In old-school play, success did not come from choosing the perfect action. Instead, we …
Continue reading Finding Confidence in RPG Combat: Use the Terrain Before the Dice
AFV is creating a Community Coloring and Activity Book. We want to feature YOUR creativity! The sun is out and the brisk smell of spring onions in the air tells me it's FUNDRAISING SEASON for AFV! Submit an entry for $5 Receive a book with your submission included! (You may pre-order a book to show …
Continue reading 🎨Call for Art+! Now Accepting Submissions 🌟
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By Dave Kot, MS Running a tabletop role-playing game requires sustained judgment in uncertain situations. The Game Master responsibly paces a shared story by applying rules and maintaining social order. Autistic adults often hesitate to take on this role because current cultural narratives overvalue spontaneity and charisma. In practice, effective game mastery grows from preparation, …
by Dave Kot, MS Introduction I’ve spent much of my professional life thinking about grief. Like a parasite, it drains strength from people who still need to function and make life decisions. Over the last several years, I’ve become increasingly convinced that tabletop roleplaying games offer a uniquely accessible way to explore grief without forcing …
A Practice-Based Framework for Therapeutically Applied Roleplaying Games Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing (TARP) games function as structured social environments, where participants engage through known rules, a shared narrative, and collective problem-solving. My work does not claim to replace psychotherapy or clinical mental health care. Instead, TARP exists as a community-based practice that supports social participation with …
Continue reading Structured Mythic Play as Community Practice
by Dave Kot, MS Role-playing games have long supported imagination, cooperation, and problem-solving in group settings. When designed with intention, these games can also support social-emotional learning, communication, and community connection for autistic and neurodivergent players. Emerging research suggests that structured roleplaying games can enhance social functioning and communication in neurodiverse individuals, though the field …
Something magical unfolds in tabletop roleplaying games when shared imagination takes flight. We witness it in an eager posture of players who lean forward, anticipating what lies around the next dungeon corner. You sense it in the hush that descends when a silhouetted figure drifts across a torchlit hallway, or when an oaken door groans …
Continue reading Veiling Details: Surprising Players and Nurturing Imagination at the Table
Autism at Face Value 