Monica Valentinelli is an Italian-American game designer, author, essayist, editor, and game developer. She studied at
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
, and holds a B.A. in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis. She started working in the hobby games industry in 2005. She is the author of several
roleplaying games
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...
and supplements, as well as short stories and essays, and is an anthologist as well. Since 2016 she has been an industry speaker and Guest of Honor at several game conventions.
Career
Monica Valentinelli contributed to ''
All Flesh Must Be Eaten'' and the ''
Ninja Burger RPG'', and also served as Marketing Director for
Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games (SJGames) is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and (until 2019) the gaming magazine ''Pyramid''.
History
Founded in 1980, six years after the c ...
. She rose to prominence as a game designer when
Margaret Weis Productions
Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. is a games publisher located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States and founded in 2004 after Margaret Weis and Don Perrin, the two founders of Sovereign Press, divorced.
Games
Margaret Weis Productions is ...
hired her as lead writer and line manager of the ''
Firefly RPG'', which was released in 2014. After leaving MWP, Valentinelli was announced by
Onyx Path Publishing
Onyx Path Publishing is a publisher of tabletop role-playing games that produces company-owned and creator-owned games as well as licensed products.
History
The name "The Onyx Path" and the company's logo appeared on White Wolf products and th ...
as the lead designer for the second edition of ''
Hunter: the Vigil''.
Aside from her contributions to roleplaying games, Valentinelli co-edited the
anthology, ''Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling'' with Jaym Gates. ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' described as "both enjoyable to read and an incisive work of commentary on the genre" of speculative fiction.
Charles de Lint
Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a Canadian writer of Dutch, Spanish, and Japanese ancestry. He is married to, and plays music with, MaryAnn Harris.
Primarily a writer of fantasy fiction, he has composed works of urban fantasy, co ...
wrote that he loved the anthology, ''Upside Down.''
Valentinelli has also authored reference works in the
Firefly franchise for
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and ...
, including the ''Firefly Encyclopedia'' and ''Firefly: The Gorramn Shiniest Language Guide and Dictionary in the 'Verse''.
Valentinelli was one of the selected Industry Insider speakers for
Gen Con
Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...
2016, the first time that the convention had majority of women speakers, and she wrote on her blog that she had seen critics falsely describe the list as being composed of
indie gaming people, which she felt indicated it was "meant as a slight as it is inconsequential to the opiners. Much like small press or self-published to some, in fiction." She cancelled her Guest of Honor invitation to OdysseyCon in 2017, citing a previous experience of
sexual harassment by OdysseyCon volunteer
Jim Frenkel
James Raymond Frenkel (born 1948) is an American editor and agent of science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction, and other books, formerly for Tom Doherty Associates (Tor Books and Forge Books). He has edited numerous pr ...
, leading to a discussion of sexual harassment at gaming conventions and more generally in the RPG industry. In 2017 she was Guest of Honor at
Ropecon in Finland
Bibliography
Short fiction
2015
*“Furies (Three of a Kind).” ''Gods, Memes, and Monsters'', Stone Skin Press, 2015.
2012
*“Bored to Fu.” ''The Lion and the Aardvark'',Stone Skin Press, 2012.
*“Fangs and Formaldehyde,” ''New Hero'' Volume 1,an anthology from Stone Skin Press, 2012.
*“Tomorrow’s Precious Lambs.” ''Extreme Zombies'', Prime Books, 2012. (Reprint)
2011
*“Tailfeather”, ''Apexology: Science Fiction and Fantasy'', Apex Publications, 2011. (Out Of Print)
2010
*"The Queen Of Crows." e-book, FR Press, 2010.
Novellas
*''Redwing's Gambit''. for the
Bulldogs! RPG, Galileo Games, 2012.
Reference Works
*''Firefly Encyclopedia''. Titan Publishing, 2018.
*''Wonderbook (Revised and Expanded): The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction.'' Edited by Jeff VanderMeer, Harry N. Abrams, 2018. (Contributor)
*''Firefly: The Gorramn Shiniest Language Guide and Dictionary in the 'Verse''. Titan Publishing, 2016.
Roleplaying Games
*''
Hunter: The Vigil Second Edition'', Chronicles of Darkness, Onyx Path Publishing/Paradox Interactive, 2022. (Developer)
*''
Unknown Armies'' 3rd Edition Books 1, 2, & 3, Atlas Games, 2017.
*''Robert E. Howard’s
Conan RPG'',
Modiphius, 2016.
*''
Firefly Role-Playing Game Corebook'',
Margaret Weis Productions
Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. is a games publisher located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States and founded in 2004 after Margaret Weis and Don Perrin, the two founders of Sovereign Press, divorced.
Games
Margaret Weis Productions is ...
, 2014.
*''Exquisite Replicas'', Abstract Nova Entertainment, August 2008.
*''Aletheia'', Abstract Nova Entertainment, 2007.
*''Noumenon'', Abstract Nova Entertainment, 2006.
*''Ninja Burger'' 2nd Edition, Aethereal Forge, 2006. (Editor)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentinelli, Monica
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Role-playing game designers
Atlas Games people
White Wolf game designers
American fantasy writers
Women science fiction and fantasy writers
Women horror writers
University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni
American writers of Italian descent