Continuing Conversations: Sci-Fi Storytelling & Star Trek Adventures

Science fiction and fantasy have always let us envision worlds beyond our own. But who gets to imagine those worlds, and whose voices get to shape the future? Today, we're joined by Shawyonia Pettigrew, the visionary behind Moonlight and Mawazo, an initiative dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices in speculative fiction and creating space for stories that challenge conventions, celebrate...

Writer and producer Jake Black joins Jim and Michael for his first appearance on Continuing Conversations! From head-writing The Ready Room with Wil Wheaton to crafting Star Trek stories, trading cards, and Starfleet Logbook, Jake has explored the final frontier across a remarkable range of formats. Get to know the creative mind behind the work—and a career built on writing, learning, and saying y...

Adam Good and Jamie Perez, creators of the amazing Infinity of Ships!! Learn about their journey from poetry to unlimited possibilities. An Infinity of Ships is an expansive toolkit for creating truly unique spaceships for your sci-fi tabletop roleplaying games. Featuring evocative ship illustrations by Rob Turpin (aka thisnorthernboy) and over 150 pages of tables, generators, and adventures, An I...

Get ready for a fantastic conversation with Diana Keng, whose sharp insights and deep love of genre storytelling make them a perfect guest for Continuing Conversations. We’ll be talking about the current season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Diana’s work with TV Fanatic and The Televixen, and more. Tune in for a thoughtful, inspiring, and wonderfully Trek-filled episode. https://linktr.ee/studi...

This week on Continuing Conversations, Michael and Jim welcome writer Christopher Cantwell to talk about IDW’s upcoming Star Trek #1 and the bold new era it launches for Captain Seven and the Enterprise. The conversation digs into Seven’s evolving voice, the challenge of moving Star Trek “forward, forward, forward” while honoring everything that came before, and what it means to explore not just s...

Jim and Michael get back on the soapbox to talk about lessons learned over the last 5+ years in the RPG and writing game. From where we are to where we have been, and how to shut down negativity and uplift others...we chat about it all and hope it inspires you to KEEP WRITING and DREAMING! https://linktr.ee/studiotembo

Unleash the power of probability matrices in this "Riffing Random Tables" session with Al Spader, Jim Johnson, and Michael Dismuke. Random tables are more than rolling and accepting the prompt. It takes creativity, imagination, and some flexibility to make each roll--and each gaming session--a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You're sure to be excited and educated by watching this show! https://link...

Al Spader guest stars to talk about how to market your RPG and your personal brand. I would like to call this a master class, but honestly, it is a tricky game where some strategies win and others lose. Tune in. Maybe you will find the perfect strategy that takes your game from bust to boom. https://linktr.ee/studiotembo

In this episode of Continuing Conversations, hosts Michael Dismuke and Jim Johnson welcome back the dynamic writing duo Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly (the Hive Mind), fresh off San Diego Comic-Con 2026. The creators share their 20-year journey as collaborative partners, offering invaluable business advice for aspiring writers, including establishing an S-Corp, hiring legal/accounting profession...

Jim and Michael at STLV and the Star Trek Timelines panel!!!   https://linktr.ee/studiotembo

We are diving deep into the world of sequential art to profile a creator who completely redefines what a comic book page can look like: the incredible J.K. Woodward. If you’ve ever flipped through the dark, atmospheric pages of Peter David’s Fallen Angel, or marveled at the hyper-realistic, stunningly painted characters in IDW’s Star Trek universe, then you already know his work. Woodward bridges...

Jim and Michael break down Star Trek Adventures RPG Core Rulebook chapter 8, Weapons and Gear! Are you optimizing the use of gear and Weapons in your game? Tune in for some serious riffing to inspire amazing ways to use equipment traits, insane weapons, and outlandish inventions. https://linktr.ee/studiotembo

What does it really take to turn an RPG idea into a finished game? In this episode of Continuing Conversations, Michael Dismuke and Jim Johnson sit down with veteran game designers Meric Moir, and Al Spader for an engaging discussion about the realities of RPG development. From the spark of an initial idea to the challenges of playtesting, refinement, and publication, the panel explores what happe...

Jim and Michael invite 2D20 System Designer Nathan Dowdell onto Continuing Conversations to chat about the NEW Star Trek Adventures Allies and Adversaries Sourcebook. Learn about new encounters, optional rule sets, and a menagerie of NPCS to throw into your games for unlimited fun!

Sorry for the late episode, folks. But we wanted to do something special. We were in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for Shore Leave 46 and in fabulous hands with many of Star Trek adventure’s most prolific writers. We will take you on the tour of Vendor Hall, meet some familiar faces, and talk about convention etiquette. Let us know what you think of this episode. It’s different than what we usually do....

Adam Selvidge, founder of Star Trek Book Club, joins Jim and Michael to talk about the vast universe of stories contained within Star Trek novels and comics. Hear about our favorite books in addition to how to choose where to start if you want to get into the novels and comics. It is a big galaxy of stories. This episode will give you some good options for starting points. https://linktr.ee/studio...

Star Trek Adventures writer Stephen Near joins Jim and Michael to riff about building an episodic campaign to tantalize your players. How to do it? What are some cool ways to keep players invested in the episodes and character development? What tools are available (FOR FREE) to help build a great episodic gamer? Tune in to help plan your next great adventure.   https://linktr.ee/studiotembo

Star Trek Adventures writer Stephen Near joins Jim and Michael to tackle the controversial question, "Can the captain be an NPC in your Star Trek Adventures game? What are the pros and cons? Opportunities and threats?" Get ready for some distinct opinions and new ideas to get your tribbles chirping. https://linktr.ee/studiotembo

Join us on Continuing Conversations as we sit down with legendary Star Trek author Dayton Ward to discuss his thrilling new novel set after Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard. We dive into temporal mysteries, Wesley Crusher’s return, Romulans, what’s at stake when history itself begins to unravel, and how Star Trek Adventures seeps into the novel. Along the way, we also celebrate 60 years of Star Trek...

What happens when tabletop roleplaying moves beyond entertainment and becomes a tool for transformation? On this episode of Continuing Conversations, Jim and Michael sit down with storyteller, educator, and game designer Marcy Brown to explore how roleplaying games can unlock creativity, build empathy, and create deeper learning experiences for young people. As Lead Storyteller with the Mycelium Y...

Al Spader and Alex Boer join Jim and Michael to dish out some good advice about running a one-shot Star Trek Adventures RPG. Whether your friends are short on time, you are introducing the game to newbies, or you are taking up the GM mantle at a convention or online, these tips will ensure everyone has an incredible time in 2-3 hours (or even less sometimes). https://linktr.ee/studiotembo

Al Spader and Alex Boer join Jim and Michael to explore Scars and Trauma in STA. Featured in the 23rd Century Sourcebook, scars and trauma can deepen your characters' back stories and make for amazing storytelling. Time to riff! https://linktr.ee/studiotembo

In this episode of Continuing Conversations, we sit down with acclaimed cartoonist and animation director Derek Kirk Kim to explore a creative journey that moves seamlessly between indie comics and major animated series. From his Eisner and Harvey Award-winning work on Same Difference and Other Stories to his time directing on Amphibia, Derek shares how his approach to storytelling has evolved whi...

Unlock the Secrets of Global Storytelling with Author Nova McBee!  How do you turn real-world adventures into an international bestselling series? In this episode of Continuing Conversations, we sit down with Nova McBee, the powerhouse author and screenwriter behind the hit young adult thriller series, Calculated. Drawing from over 20 years of living in China, Asia, and the Middle East, Nova revea...

The definitive Star Trek history is finally here! Join the "Trekstorians"—Derek Tyler Attico, Kelli Fitzpatrick, Jim Johnson, and Michael Dismuke—for an exclusive look at the groundbreaking new release from DK Books: Star Trek Timelines. Launching November 3, 2026, for the Star Trek 60th Anniversary, this 336-page hardcover masterwork charts the entire franchise history from the Big Bang to the en...