Lux Adversaria Influences

Before I say anything else, I have to tip my hat to Kenneth Hite and Robin D. Laws. The “casual academic” tone those two have used in a lot of their work has been a huge inspiration to me over the years. Both of them look at real-world inspirations and are willing to turn to material outside of the roleplaying sphere, like film, novels, and history, and find ways to incorporate it.

Ron Edwards and The Forge deserve credit/blame for shaping some of my sensibilities and for teaching me that a) some things deserve to be taken seriously, b) if you take them too seriously, you come across as a douchebag, and c) some people will take any discussion of doing things in a way other than the one they’re used to as a personal attack.

Having to write a million papers during my academic journey gave me the tools to organize my thoughts and evaluate ideas. My roleplaying notes honestly look like these papers, and a lot of the Lux Adversaria essays are almost verbatim, but cleaned up for public consumption. Go study theology, become a technical writer, and then get a business degree and see how your writing style turns out.

Finally, I need to include the wide range of video essayists I follow on YouTube and Nebula. When a layperson can take a topic, get passionate about it, and turn it into several hours of video analysis and commentary, it’s inspiring. The topics of those essays aren’t always my jam, and making videos certainly isn’t for me, but seeing other people talk about their jam is uplifting.

I hope you’re doing well today.

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Lux Adversaria is a series of informal essays where I delve into different aspects of tabletop roleplaying. "Adversaria" refers to "miscellaneous writings" in Latin, representing my personal collections of notes and reflections. The term "lux adversaria" roughly translates to "light of adversity," reflecting my exploration of challenges and difficult topics.

Lightspress believes in keeping roleplaying simple, focusing on useful content rather than flashy presentation. After all, the real magic of roleplaying happens around the table, where creativity and collaboration thrive, not in a book. Visit Lightspress.com to learn more.

Berin Kinsman is a writer and publisher in the roleplaying community, best known for his work at Lightspress. He specializes in creating narrative-driven resources that enhance storytelling and accessibility in roleplaying experiences.