Tabletop Tuesday — Gaming Group Pride (Part Three)!

It’s Tuesday again, which means I’m back to being a nerdy about tabletop gaming, and as such today I’ll be discussing two more queer authors from my Star Trek Adventures gaming group—I really meant it when I said my gaming groups are basically made up of authors.

So, allow me to beam another two books directly to your Pride Month reading lists…

Engineering and Science Teams, Checking In

In my USS Bellerophon campaign group, the crew of the Intrepid-class starship are exploring the Shackleton Expanse (part of an official campaign setting available from Modiphius) and in said campaign, the crew discovered multiple times that what they needed was an expert in ancient technology, as it’s clear an ancient species capable of powerful advanced feats of engineering used to thrive in the area.

And so, Claudie Arseneault’s Ammalia joined the crew. Ammalia is a Denobulan civilian specialist in ancient technology—and especially focused on the interplays of mass and gravity modification—and her growing understanding of how the ancient technology of this long-lost race might actually function has come into play more than once.

What’s also come into play more than once is her status as a civilian who doesn’t much care for Starfleet rules, which the first officer of the Bellerophon—routinely and unironically referred to as “By the Book Bob”—doesn’t always love. Still, there’s no stopping determination when it’s paired with skill.

Speaking of skill and determination, though, allow me to point you in the direction of Arseneault’s Baker Thief, where you’ll find character equally skilled and determined (and just as “free” when it comes to the rules and laws). I freaking loved this story, and the sheer joy and playfulness with tropes to be found in this aromantic-centred relationship story (including bread puns) is phenomenally good.

“I love you” would never be right for them, but they had their own words—Je crois en toi—better and more tailored to him. They fit him, and he hoped they’d fit her too.

Adèle has only one goal: catch the purple-haired thief who broke into her home and stole her exocore, thus proving herself to her new police team. Little does she know, her thief is also the local baker.

Claire owns the Croissant-toi, but while her days are filled with pastries and customers, her nights are dedicated to stealing exocores. These new red gems are heralded as the energy of the future, but she knows the truth: they are made of witches’ souls.

When her twin—a powerful witch and prime exocore material—disappears, Claire redoubles in her efforts to investigate. She keeps running into Adèle, however, and whether or not she can save her sister might depend on their conflicted, unstable, but deepening relationship.

BAKER THIEF is the first in a fantasy series meant to reframe romance tropes within non-romantic relationship and centering aromantic characters. Those who love enemies-to-lovers and superheroes should enjoy the story!

Next up from our crew in the USS Bellerophon is the ship’s science officer, Lt. Commander Timor Eku, a Joined Trill who’s got more experience than most of the rest of the crew even before you take into account his previous hosts. An older scientist, Timor is also the first host of the Eku symbiont to be male, and the influence of Eku has led to Timor having some interesting takes on the subject of gender.

I believe he was also the first character of the group to utter the now almost team-wide rallying cry of “It’s more of a Prime Suggestion, really…” when the Bellerophon encountered an inhabited planet facing down imminent destruction and realized their survival would depend on the actions of the crew—despite the civilization in question not yet having achieved warp drive.

Lt. Commander Eku is played by Jerry L. Wheeler, and if we’re going to talk about characters with long histories, then I have to take the opportunity to discuss his novel, Pangs. Wheeler takes the notion of Vampires and turns them slightly sideways—instead of blood, these vampires feed on talent.

Finding uniquely talented individuals that might feed them for a long time, if properly “cared for” (which isn’t quite the right turn of phrase) rather than tearing through their ability and dooming them to burnout and an early grave, is something of a moral core for Wheeler’s Warner, whereas Seth—with whom Warner has clashed often over the decades—is more willing to burn it all down. But the two end up having no choice but to work together when someone new and talented crosses their awareness, and then something much worse than either of them arrives on the scene as well.

The turning of mythology, the otherworld portal fantasy vibes of the book, and the ongoing tension between Warner and Seth keeps this book humming all the way through. I would cheerfully read an entire series with the characters, but Pangs satisfies as a single bite, too.

Unlike their blood brethren, Warner and Seth are vampires who subsist on talent.

They have been enemies for centuries, competing to feed on artists with the most prodigious musical gifts, and country blues singer Wade Dixon is no exception.

But the pursuit and capture of Dixon unleashes unexpected forces that carry these combatants from the earthly realm to a dangerous land of eternal night where they must work together or die alone.

Got any queer and skilled favourites who don’t particularly respect the law much? Or how about a long-lived queer character with a fascinating view? Tell me all about them.