Mike

About Mike

Hi! I'm Mike, a professional science fiction and fantasy author (writing as Michael R. Underwood) as well as a ttrpg designer and actual play creator. It takes a lot of hats to make it as a creative these days. :) My author website: https://michaelrunderwood.com/ My most recent work is as one of the designers of Daggerheart (credit: Additional Designer), Critical Role's fantasy RPG from Darrington Press. I was a game design consultant and additional writer on Candela Obscura and my sci-fi comedy game The Only Logical Solution is Hijinx was published in 2022. I'm also developing Let's Go Steal an Ending: a Forged in the Dark RPG based on my novella series Genrenauts. As an actual play producer, I was a nominee for the Best Game Master (Actual Play Video) award at the 2023 New Jersey Web Fest for my work on VALLOWARD (which was an official selection at five web festivals). I've been playing ttrpgs nearly my whole life. RPGs were a major part of how I learned to tell stories, make friends, and imagine possibilities in what the world can be. I worked in a game store all through college, I wrote my master's thesis on ttrpgs, and I co-hosted an actual play show (Speculatesf.com) for six years. As a professional author, I love games that prioritize storytelling, cool worldbuilding, and collaboration. I grew up with D&D and I'm especially fond of Powered by the Apocalypse and Forged in the Dark games like Blades in the Dark, Masks, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Scum & Villainy, etc. Some of my other favorites include Heart, Exalted, 7th Sea, and Boy Problems. All of my game listing images and in-game art assets are human-made. Find my writings about and Daggerheart-compatible designs at patreon.com/michaelrunderwood