Reading D&D Aloud The Best RPG History You Haven't Read- Ep 47 with Stu Horvath
Mar 31, 2025
Stu Horvath, RPG historian and collector behind Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, walks through 50+ years of vintage tabletop RPGs. He tells how an Instagram hobby grew into a book, digs into Chaosium’s Thieves' World and Deities & Demigods drama, and recounts standout finds like the Rocky & Bullwinkle RPG and pandemic-era Call of Cthulhu runs.
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Why Thieves' World Was A Roleplaying Breakthrough
- Thieves' World worked as an RPG because it translated shared-world fiction into a plug-and-play city setting.
- Chaosium packaged Sanctuary with stats for many systems and conversion notes from original designers, making it universally playable.
Use Daily Posts To Turn A Collection Into A Platform
- Share your collection and commentary consistently to build audience interest.
- Stu Horvath grew a following by daily Instagram posts showcasing obscure RPG art and products, then used that as book material.
Owning Objects Eases Image Rights For Books
- Photographing items you own can simplify rights issues for publishing vintage art.
- MIT Press accepted Stu's photos as fair use and avoided most interior illustrations to reduce legal risk.
