From Mary Shelley to Monster Manuals: The Gothic DNA of TTRPGs
Before the dice hit the table and the dungeon doors creak open, there was a stormy night in 1816, a lakeside villa, and a challenge among literary minds to conjure ghosts. What emerged wasn’t just Frankenstein—it was the birth of a genre that would ripple through centuries, shaping the very monsters, myths, and moral quandaries we now wield in tabletop roleplaying games.

This post dives into the apocryphal origins of Frankenstein, the tangled web of authorship and inspiration, and how the gothic tradition—from Shelley to Stoker, Machen to Tolkien—laid the groundwork for the rich tapestry of fantasy creatures and characters we summon in our campaigns. Whether you're rolling for initiative or crafting a tragic backstory for your tiefling warlock, you're drawing from a lineage of literary shadowcasters who turned nightmares into narrative gold.