You live in a world, a culture, and a place where there are particular ideas and norms about gender, sexuality, and attraction. These are valuable and important ideas, but they are just that: ideas. Seeing them as such can free your creativity to build something original and unique. You get to choose which elements from your own world to include in a world you create. Just as it's interesting to imagine a species that's a silicone-based lifeform, a culture where the rich invest in cybernetic modifications, or a place where food can grow in the palm of your hand, it's interesting to imagine a species with three fluid sexes, a culture where each gender wears a different metal, or a place where sexual attraction to multiple genders is considered the default. On the other hand, it can be interesting to place realities and concepts from your own world into an entirely different context so you can examine them in a different light. With modular gameplay built for different numbers of players, levels of worldbuilding, and experience with queer terminology and ideas, a game of Imagine Queer Worlds slowly increases in complexity, as you craft the details of a world in the realms of Bodies & Biology, Gender & Expression, Relationships & Attraction, and Sex & Sexuality. The game takes creators on a journey to imagine how the fictional societies, cultures, and environments they craft engage with the personal questions of sex, gender, attraction, and more – and how those ideas and norms shape the characters who live in them. Contributors Derekah Kingery (she/her) Crowdfunding Consulting, Marketing, Writing (Avey) Queer, Black, all-out nerd who loves gaming. Professionally, she does marketing for creatives and helps get projects launch-ready for crowdfunding. Outside of work, she is a volunteer game master for youth through her local community resource center and is currently world-building with her equally nerdy wife for a future setting and campaign in which they can play and be chaotic. She loves roleplaying as a variety of player characters but keeps accidentally making lil cinnamon rolls. Sometimes art imitates life! Jaclyn Lewis (they/she) Design, Editing, Layout, Marketing, Project Management, Writing (Introduction, Instructions, Sections, Prompts, and Examples) Professional game master, writer, and lifelong queer weirdo. They run TTRPGs for groups like OutFront Kalamazoo, WMU’s Office of LBGT Student Services, and Tabletop Gaymers. She is the world-building lead for the Squeeeee!!! TTRPG, writes essays, adventures, and more for Young Dragonslayers, Shewstone Publishing, and Daylight Publications, and is the author of Rolling with the Youth, a guide for running inclusive and safe games for young players. They enjoy crafting words, gifts, and community, and can be found at conventions of all sorts in the Midwest and beyond. Kitsch (he/they) Writing (Aisling) Performative storyteller, subversive drag thing, nefarious BBEG, and perpetually engrossed in a world of silly voices. Owner of Goblin Forge, Kitsch is a queer chaos gremlin that recently received their certification in Therapeutic Gaming, so let's have fun and talk about your feelings! Don’t worry, he’s brought snacks! Makenzie Marts (any/all) Design, Sensitivity Consulting, Writing (Abdastartus, Sections, Prompts, and Examples) Queer (adjective), queer (noun), writer, sex educator, and proprietor of batmanisagatewaydrug dot tumblr dot com. GM to the best dang party in the world. I love you, Honky Cats! Marx Shepherd (he/him) Line Editing Marx Shepherd is a freelance editor, voted "TTRPGs' Most Horrible Goose" three years in a row. His credits include Sam Leigh's Anamnesis, Binary Star's Apocalypse Frame, Jon Boyle's Trash to Treasure, and countless games for the Far Horizons CoOp, for which he’s also community manager. He also makes weird games for cool people and cool games for weird people as Marx of High Water, including ghostbox and the ever-forthcoming The Drover's Almanack. You can find Marx on Bluesky @phophos.bsky.social, or you can contact him through marx-shepherd.carrd.co Rick Hershey (he/him) Illustrations (All) Rick Hershey is an illustrator, graphic designer, writer, and tabletop game publisher. He has worked in the gaming industry for over 15 years providing work as a freelancer for a multitude of clients including Wizards of the Coast, Dreamworks Entertainment, Pinnacle Entertainment, Fantasy Flight Games, Monte Cook Games, and many more. Scriv the Bard (she/they) Cultural and Sensitivity Consulting Creator of Bard RPG and owner of the Bard Commune Editorial Service, Scriv is a cultural psychologist, writer, and game designer specializing in all-ages game design and authentic worldbuilding. When not writing, they can be found hyper-fixating on new indie games, reading stories to their baby bardling, and happily sailing the waves of gender fluidity. Steph Campbell (they/them) Crowdfunding and Sensitivity Consulting, Writing (Bet) Game designer, consultant, and creator of the ENnie-award-winning TTRPGkids resource. Steph enjoys playing TTRPGs with their kiddo and using their work to help others find new worlds to explore and be seen in.
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