Joining the Pacific Rim RPG Team for a Cinematic Adventure

Heya, I wanted to give you an update that I’m writing a cinematic adventure set in the world of Pacific Rim for Evil Genius Games! The Pacific Rim franchise is something I am having fun re-watching for inspiration. One of the reasons why I love Pacific Rim is because, at its core, it sends a strong message that in order to defeat a mysterious and world-ending threat, we need to overcome our differences and stand together.

From the Legendary Series Kong and Pacific Rim Kickstarter:

The Evil Genius Games team is back with a Double Feature tabletop rpg you won’t want to miss! For our second project, we are releasing two brand new officially licensed cinematic tabletop adventures, utilizing our signature modernized d20 roleplaying system, set in two of our favorite universes — Kong and Pacific Rim. Our Cinematic Adventures were just the beginning. Now, we’re introducing Cinematic Adventure Paths (CAPs) — long-form adventure campaigns using the Everyday Heroes™ system that take your characters from Level 1 to Level 10 across dozens of hours of exhilarating gameplay. CAPs are more than just a guided role-playing experience. In both of these scenarios, you’ll dive into the lore of each world and see places you didn’t see in the films as we introduce new canon into these beloved franchises! Insert yourself into the stories you’re familiar with. With our CAPs, it’s like you’re living the movies.

In Pacific Rim, it’s clear to me “standing together” isn’t just about immense, co-piloted Jaegers tackling Kaiju. It’s also about the Jaeger co-pilots meshing seamlessly, the politicians trying to decide where to allocate funds for the Jaeger program, the diplomats figuring out how to best ally with other countries, the engineers and construction workers building the Jaegers, the scientists and mathematicians studying Kaiju—the list goes on and on. I’m excited to write in this narratively-rich, near-world setting flush with fantastic and memorable characters and heart-thumping fight scenes. Can’t wait to see how my piece of the adventure comes to life!

Updates regarding the adventure path will be provided by Evil Genius Games. If you missed the Kickstarter, you’ll want to read this update about what happens next.

July 3, 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! Workshop to Help you Adapt your Stories to Games

Workshop to Help you Adapt your Stories to Games

Saturday, December 3, 2022

1-3 PM Pacific Time

Are you a writer with a fascinating world? Characters? Have you thought about turning your novel into an RPG or your short story into an interactive game? In this class, gaming industry veteran will walk you through the ins and outs of adapting your work to fit a gaming world. This class is not designed for adaptations of someone else’s work. Scholarships are available!

Join me in December for a fun online workshop to learn how to turn your fiction into a game. Registrations are now open! You’ll get a comprehensive overview so you can confidently learn the ins and outs of adapting your fiction. Hope to see you there!



December 3, 2022
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[New Release] One Night in the Catacombs Urban Fantasy Party Game

One Night in the Catacombs | a party game for three or more Guests | Monica Valentinelli | Cover Art

One Night in the Catacombs begins with your invitation to a fancy party that takes place in Naples, Italy. You and your friends are influencers invited to explore a newly-discovered section of the Catacombe di San Gennaro at midnight. You are all Guests who begin play as yourselves, just as you are now.

One Night in the Catacombs is a party game for three or more Guests (or players). In this edition, you’ll find:

  • set-up instructions
  • setting
  • rules
  • suggestions for props
  • examples
  • advice for your Maven (or host)
  • customizations for LARP and tabletop play
  • …and more!

As the title suggests, this party game can be played in one evening.

When asked why she set her party game in the catacombs, Monica said:

“After getting caught up on my favorite shows, I wanted to design a fun party game that didn’t take a long time to learn and could be played in one night. When I was brainstorming themes, my first thought was ‘How about necromancy?’ Only, it’s really hard to find an affordable lich these days and teach folks the proper spells in a few hours. Frustrated, I skimmed Twitter and was inspired by #MosaicMonday. The catacombs seemed like a nice, thematic compromise–with huge apologies, of course, to actual archaeologists and historians.”

Worried about dice? Playing cards? Need to skim the rules first? Don’t worry! The setting, rules, and objectives are presented to you as part of your gaming experience. When you download this game, you’ll find you already have everything you need to play.

Your Maven will also find stylistic suggestions to help guide your party with a feather-light or firm hand. And for the gaming aficionado, you’ll read about the game’s design philosophy, player tips, suggestions for props, and a FAQ, too–plus bookmarks!

For more games by the designer, browse games by Monica Valentinelli on DriveThruRPG.com.



March 14, 2022
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Hunter the Vigil Second Edition Now Available

Hunter the Vigil Second Edition Logo

Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition has been officially released!

Please help Monica extend a hearty congratulations to all game designers and artists who contributed to Hunter the Vigil first and second edition. Want awesome designers to follow? Check out her FlamesRising.com interviews with several Hunter the Vigil Second Edition creators on her team. This game would not exist without them.

Monica would also like to thank James, all the streamers, and backers. Like all Kickstarters, the Hunter: The Vigil 2E Kickstarter was extremely time-consuming. The good news? Monica said recently that: “James was a joy to work with. I greatly appreciated his support and Hunter love from backers. Couldn’t have cheered for Hunter without them.”

You can purchase a copy of Hunter the Vigil Second Edition on DriveThruRPG.com or check out Monica’s other games including the free-to-play Lit RPG Underwater Memories.



March 3, 2022
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Looking for Monica’s books and games that are still in print? Visit Monica Valentinelli on Amazon’s Author Central or a bookstore near you.

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