New Gaming Release! Mistborn RPG Nobles The Golden Mandate

Mistborn RPG | Nobles the Golden Mandate | Cover art of a noble on a balcony with his back to us.

Of Gilded Words and Poisonous Tongues!

In the Lord Ruler’s Final Empire, blood is destiny. A skaa birth condemns you to a hard life of labor and service. A Terris birth marks you forever as an outsider, an uncomfortable reminder of a bygone era. To be born noble is to live at the peak of political and social power, blessed with the potential for Allomancy — but it also means a life of vicious politicking, ruthless competition, and the perpetual risk of betrayal and ruin. As a noble Hero, you face the same question as all who defy this grim order: do you have the courage to shrug off blood and destiny, to stand against the brutality of this world, and fight for a better future… for everyone?

Nobles: The Golden Mandate is the final supplement for the Mistborn Adventure Game. Developed in cooperation with Brandon Sanderson and Dragonsteel Entertainment, this book dives deep into the history and intrigues of Mistborn’s most notable families, from the ten Great Houses who dominate the halls of power to the up-and-coming Lesser Houses that forever nip at their heels. This essential guide melds information from the novels with background developed for the Mistborn: House War board game to form a rich environment for storytelling in the cutthroat world of the Final Empire’s nobility.

For players of the Mistborn Adventure Game, this supplement offers extensive guidance for playing a rebellious noble Hero, adding nobles to a skaa thieving Crew, and exploring what it means to defy the Lord Ruler. Also included are new rules for creating Noble Heroes: Traits, Stunts, and a new Power, Family, which lets you bring the full power of your name to bear in cunning and creative ways. For nobles with a more daring streak, there’s also new background information and character options for playing an elite, Allomancer-hunting Hazekiller!

For Narrators, an exciting multi-session adventure titled “Thieves in the Ninth House” takes your Crew to the Eastern Dominance, where they’re hired to liberate an honor hostage from the clutches of House Urbain. This seemingly simple job soon proves to be anything but, for in the world of Mistborn there’s always another secret…

Nobles: The Golden Mandate is not a complete game. You need a copy of the Mistborn Adventure Game, some dice, and imagination to play.

Who the Book’s For
Fans of the Mistborn novels and the Mistborn: House War board game; players and Narrators of the Mistborn Adventure Game; or gamers who love RPGs of politics and intrigue like Amber, Houses of the Blooded, or Vampire.

Important Notice
Mistborn Adventure Game Digital Editions will no longer be available after December 31st, 2023. Get them now or they’re gone forever.

September 26, 2023
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My Debut Poetry Collection is Now on Kindle!

into shadow | a poetic exploration of personal fears

Written by Monica Valentinelli, into shadow: a poetic exploration of personal fears is the author’s debut collection of twenty-one poems. The collection’s theme is broken into three books inspired by parts of the shadow: the umbra, penumbra, and antumbra. The fears presented run the gamut between surface-deep and existential. As such, some readers may be uncomfortable with light swearing and unsettling imagery.

In book one: umbra, twenty-one original poems expose the author’s shadow. Notes and references for each poem follows in book two: penumbra, naming her fears and how she tackled them. Lastly, in book three: antumbra, the original drafts of each poem—including improper punctuation and sloppy word choices—are reprinted in their entirety, extending well beyond the umbra.

into shadow: a poetic exploration of personal fears is now available for your Amazon Kindle!



July 8, 2023
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New Release! into shadow: a poetic exploration of personal fears

Written by Monica Valentinelli, into shadow: a poetic exploration of personal fears is the author’s debut collection of twenty-one poems.

The collection’s theme is broken into three books inspired by parts of the shadow: the umbra, penumbra, and antumbra. The fears presented run the gamut between surface-deep and existential. As such, some readers may be uncomfortable with light swearing and unsettling imagery. In book one: umbra, twenty-one original poems expose the author’s shadow. Notes and references for each poem follows in book two: penumbra, naming her fears and how she tackled them. Lastly, in book three: antumbra, the original drafts of each poem—including improper punctuation and sloppy word choices—are reprinted in their entirety, extending well beyond the umbra.

into shadow: a poetic exploration of personal fears is currently available in multiple digital formats.

Smashwords: (epub, mobi, pdf, lrf, pdb, txt, html)

Amazon’s Kindle

DriveThruFiction: (epub, pdf)

If you’re new to DriveThruFiction, please note that purchasing a copy from that eTailer automatically grants you access to all additional formats and corrections uploaded for that title’s listing.

You can also find this collection at additional online booksellers, including the iStore, pending approvals required for broader distribution. Additional announcements may be forthcoming collating these new venues.

Funded on Patreon (@BooksOfM), into shadow: a poetic exploration of personal fears would not be possible without the support of Monica’s patrons and supporters.

Interviews and review copies are available upon request from the author.

February 7, 2023
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My Year-End Summary and 2022 Publications

Hello, hello!

2022 was an interesting year in many ways. Reflecting on 2021, this year was a time to start shedding everything that wasn’t working for me. My 2021 New Year’s Resolution was to write for myself every day and the most important part of this goal turned out to be the importance of writing for myself. As it turned out, one of the things that wasn’t working for me was worrying about what comes after release/submission or—even worse—predicting what those outcomes would be. To be blunt: no sphere in publishing has fully recovered from the pandemic. Past Monica might have worried about that, because this affects my future. Present Monica says: “Well, shit. That sucks. Nothing I can do about all of that except focus on what I’m doing now.”

I’m happier than I’ve ever been despite substantive cuts and losses—this year was full of surprises. At the beginning of the pandemic, I made a huge wish list of stuff I wanted (or wanted to learn and do). Many of the things I was hoping for came true in an unusual way. I’m not a “true believer” in magic in a fantasy sense, but I absolutely believe in the psychology of perspective and how that shapes your reality. For example, if you’re convinced that artists must suffer, deep down, in order to make great art? Well, if you’re an artist you’ll wind up suffering—with or without the art. Deprogramming harmful messages to release the outcome is challenging AF because there are a lot of them! For me, this year I knew I wanted to get back into photography. I had no idea that desire would turn into snapping pics of animal ambassadors and guests at an AZA-accredited zoo—a fabulous and joyful outcome.

This, dear Reader, is also the reason why I’ve decided to abandon my New Year’s Resolution this year because it doesn’t work for me. Instead, I’m focusing on a symbol and all it represents—the sun—to “color” my perspective with a little warmth and light. Timely, too, because the sun is having a very hard time getting past all the clouds and snow. And, with a little luck, I’ll be going to Egypt.

With that in mind, here’s a list of my 2022 publications. In addition to this list, I had the pleasure of teaching through the Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers. If you get an opportunity to take one of Cat Rambo’s classes or check out her books, please do so! You can check out one of her recent stories online; read “The Woman Who Wanted To Be Trees” on Slate.com. Cat is a rare gem who builds community in an empowering way, and she’s an important part of the speculative fiction community and publishing landscape.

I’m looking forward to a productive 2023. On Saturday, January 7th, I’ll be teaching a new class called Emotional Self-Care for Creatives. Also in January, I’ve got an essay about the witch hysteria in Apex Magazine along with a new project I’ll announce via BooksOfM on Patreon.

Thanks for sticking with me in 2022. If you’ve got your own end-of-year blog posts, please link to them in the comments. And Happy New Year!

Published Games in 2022

I am pleased to announce that two of these games topped DriveThruRPG.com’s best-seller’s lists in 2022 according to Geek Native. Congrats to all who worked on these games with me!

HUNTER: THE VIGIL SECOND EDITION, 2022, Onyx Path Publishing/Paradox Interactive – Number One Best-Selling Horror RPG of 2022 and the Number One Best-Selling Modern Era RPG of 2022!

ONE NIGHT IN THE CATACOMBS, 2022, BooksOfM
TALES OF THE RED: STREET STORIES, 2022, R Talsorian Games – Number One Best-Selling Science Fiction TTRPG of 2022!

LEVEL 1 Volume 3, “One Night in Bain House,” 2022, 9th Level Games

DEAD MAN’S RUST, Scarred Lands 5th Edition, 2022, Onyx Path Publishing



December 26, 2022
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[New Release] Dead Man’s Rust 5th Edition

Scarred Lands: Dead Man's Rust Cover Art

Hello, dear readers!

Today I’m excited to celebrate the release of Dead Man’s Rust. It’s a Scarred Lands campaign, set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world, that’s compatible with 5th edition. Developed by Travis Legge, I’m one of many contributors who wrote for this campaign book packed with narrative value.

“Welcome to a broken world, a place where mortals try to eke out a simple existence within these Scarred Lands. Not long ago, the gods and titans clashed in a war that ripped the earth asunder. Now, the titans lie defeated and the divine victors have retreated to the celestial realms, leaving their mortal followers to settle disputes among one another. This is not a peaceful time — far from it. Belief is not as simple as it once was when the gods regularly walked the lands, and nations eye one another’s resources as they embroil themselves in wars and conquest in the wake of the Titanswar.

However, there is still some brightness in Scarn. There is hope of rebuilding a world where all people can live together in peace. Within the Broadreach Horizon, bucolic villages come together in solidarity; within Leoni, people of all creeds celebrate under one banner. However, there is also fear that the world will fall into greater darkness. The question is, how will your heroes influence what comes next?” — Dead Man’s Rust: Introduction, pg. 6

Keen on picking up a copy of a detailed campaign book filled with sidequests, lore, loot, and so much more? Head on over to DriveThruRPG.com where you’ll find the Scarred Lands Player’s Guide and Scarred Lands: Dead Man’s Rust in both digital or print.

If you’re brand new to the Scarred Lands, I also recommend checking out these 5th Edition-compatible adventures.

    Gauntlet of Spiragos – You can download the introductory adventure for free and learn all about titanspawn artifacts and the creatures drawn to them.

    Eyes of Spiragos – I designed this Slarecian Vault adventure and Travis helped lay it out. The story fits neatly in the timeline and strengthens connections to the remaining adventures.

    Dagger of Spiragos – The players have retrieved two titanspawn relics—the dagger and ring of Spiragos—and are tasked with destroying them. I developed and contributed to this adventure but, like all my games, I’m part of a team.

    Ring of Spiragos – On this team, I also developed and contributed to this adventure. It’s the grand finale filled with gut-wrenching decisions and jaw-dropping scenes.

The Spiragos adventures are themed around the recovery and destruction of accursed titanspawn artifacts. Be prepared to fight off cultists, thieves, and more!



August 11, 2022
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