Where does the game end and the story begin? Continuing Conversations is your weekly deep dive into the art of Science Fiction storytelling, narrative design, and the creative process—hosted by Michael Dismuke and Jim Johnson.
While our roots are firmly planted in the Star Trek Adventures RPG, our mission has expanded. We are exploring how Sci-Fi worlds are built, how characters are forged, and how stories are told across every medium. Whether you are a Gamemaster crafting a campaign, an aspiring novelist, or a fan of deep lore, we bring you the insights you need to fuel your imagination.
Produced by Studio Tembo, this show is dedicated to "Infinite Stories in Infinite Combinations." Whether you're rolling dice or writing chapters, let's continue the conversation.
https://linktr.ee/studiotembo
Science Fiction Writing, Narrative Design, Star Trek Adventures, Creative Writing, RPG Design, World Building, Sci-Fi Authors, Jim Johnson, Michael Dismuke, Studio Tembo, Speculative Fiction, Tabletop RPGs, Game Writing, Storytelling.
Episodes
Jun 27, 2025
Jun 27, 2025
50 min
Michael Dismuke and writer Josh Allen open the writers' room to explore how to design dramatic stories for RPGs. In Part 1, they cover defining your story’s end goal, structuring a three-act arc, crafting inciting incidents, and building meaningful conflicts that keep players engaged.
https://linktr.ee/studiotembo
Jun 13, 2025
Jun 13, 2025
34 min
Jim and Michael welcome back Al Spader to show you how to build character arcs into your episodic Star Trek Adventure games. Drive drama. Encourage character growth. Create stories that you and your crew will remember forever. WARNING: We make it look easy.
https://linktr.ee/studiotembo
May 30, 2025
May 30, 2025
41 min
Jim and Michael invite Al Spader to talk about integrating the new Technical Guide into your Star Trek Adventures and Captain's Log RPG games. Time to riff!
https://linktr.ee/studiotembo
May 16, 2025
May 16, 2025
1 hr 10 min
Massive Star Trek and media tie-in writer Keith R.A. DeCandido graces us with his presence this week. From how he got started in his amazing career to his methodology for writing, we cover it all plus some!
Keith R.A. DeCandido has been writing about popular culture for this site since 2011, primarily but not exclusively writing about Star Trek and screen adaptations of superhero comics. He is also the author of more than 60 novels, more than 100 short stories, and more than 70 comic books, both in a variety of licensed universes from Alien to Zorro, as well as in worlds of his own creation, most notably the new Supernatural Crimes Unit series debuting in the fall of 2025. Read his blog, or follow him all over the Internet: Facebook, The Site Formerly Known As Twitter, Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, YouTube, Patreon, and TikTok.
https://Linktr.ee/StudioTembo
To preorder Supernatural Crimes Unit: NYPD Book 1: The Thin Blue Ley-Line, this blog post has all the links:
Other links:
Website: http://decandido.net/
Blog: http://decandido.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/kradec and http://facebook.com/KeithRADeCandido
Twitter: http://x.com/kradec
Instagram: http://instagram.com/krad418
Threads: http://threads.net/@krad418
Patreon: http://patreon.com/krad
YouTube: http://youtube.com/c/KRADCOVIDreadings
Blue Sky: http://bsky.app/profile/kradec.bsky.social
My writing for Reactor Magazine: https://reactormag.com/author/keith-decandido/
May 9, 2025
May 9, 2025
3 min
We have a very special announcement about the future of Continuing Conversations.
May 2, 2025
May 2, 2025
59 min
Lou Anders is the author of the novel Once Upon a Unicorn, as well as the Thrones & Bones trilogy of fantasy adventure novels (Frostborn, Nightborn, and Skyborn), and the novel Star Wars: Pirate’s Price. Listen in as Lou talks about his years of experience as a sci-fi reporter pumping out hundreds of articles about Babylon 5, Star Trek DS9, Voyager and more!!!
Apr 25, 2025
Apr 25, 2025
47 min
Lou Anders is the author of the novel Once Upon a Unicorn, as well as the Thrones & Bones trilogy of fantasy adventure novels (Frostborn, Nightborn, and Skyborn), and the novel Star Wars: Pirate’s Price. Listen in as Lou talks about his years of experience as a sci-fi reporter pumping out hundreds of articles about Babylon 5, Star Trek DS9, Voyager and more!!!
Apr 18, 2025
Apr 18, 2025
54 min
Romulans!!!!! Join Troy Mepyans and Alex Boer as we discuss those green-bloodied secret-keepers that some people love to hate and others love to love. How can you get the most out of your Romulan characters if you choose to play them in Star Trek Adventures RPG? Check this out!
htttps://linktr.ee/StudioTembo