https://www.nellraban.com/press daily 0.75 2020-08-29 https://www.nellraban.com/contact daily 0.75 2020-09-24 https://www.nellraban.com/bio daily 0.75 2020-11-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1596263066611-15KQ6SIGU0G4AFL4MZ92/author-photo.jpg Bio - Bio Nell Raban started making things at a young age. When she decided her Batman toys needed a Batcave, she found some cardboard boxes, scissors and tape, and got to work. She hasn’t stopped imagining new play spaces. Nell studied theatre in college and graduate school, and has professional credits as a playwright, dramaturg and critic. Now she develops interactive media. In her role at The Jellyvision Lab, Nell works on new features for and supports the ALEX Benefits Counselor and other products. Nell also maintains an active solo and freelance design career. Her tabletop game Home Again uses the foundation of popular RPG design trends, building upon some tenets and subverting others to create an utterly unique play experience. As a freelance writer, she’s had the pleasure of contributing to such works as The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, Sea of Legends, Orun and Quietus, among others. Download résumé https://www.nellraban.com/testimonials daily 0.75 2020-08-31 https://www.nellraban.com/freelance-writing daily 0.75 2020-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1597465325353-H5X64TBSCGMHCHP8DPNF/cover-the-ultimate-micro-rpg-book.jpg Freelance writing The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book — Contributed a micro-tabletop roleplaying game called “Breaking Rank.” Published by Simon and Schuster. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1597465525433-BY34NTB8WSX75IRZQOFP/cover-sea-of-legends.jpg Freelance writing Sea of Legends — Wrote branching adventures (accessed through a smart device app) for this narrative-driven, pirate-themed board game. Published by Guildhall Studios. Cover artist: Jocelyn Millet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1597467443264-MZSBWOO3ZKMPJ3P1YYRU/cover-street-magic-easy-streets.png Freelance writing Easy Streets — Created a quickstart city deck (“Estralia”) for this supplement to i’m sorry did you say street magic, a tabletop story game by Caro Asercion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1598639123744-C7EVQNJJIJ8Y2442Z2XD/cover-maze.png Freelance writing The Maze — Contributed a special chamber (“Graveyard of the Behemoths”) for this system-agnostic tabletop roleplaying game supplement inspired by the Cube film series. Published by Axo Stories. Cover artist: Duamn Figueroa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1583979912520-52K2RH9253TR2XDT6ZAI/quietus.png Freelance writing Quietus — Wrote a scenario (“A Knock At The Door”) for this tabletop roleplaying game of melancholy horror. Published by Sinister Beard Games. Cover artist: Thuy L. Tran. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1583979984442-VNJ5WBE62GU3NBZ8Q06Z/mythic.jpg Freelance writing Mythic D6 Adventure Anthology — Contributed a character biography for this superheroic tabletop roleplaying game. Published by Khepera Publishing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1598640327508-QNBY7LGGRWSOEH3OGBMP/cover-orun.jpg Freelance writing Orun — Designed and wrote antagonists for this space opera tabletop roleplaying game inspired by African mythology. Published by New Agenda Publishing. https://www.nellraban.com/splash daily 0.75 2024-01-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/ae18a63f-7490-4375-804a-a1f36332e6c3/round.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1598634670435-12INRR4OM8SX1WYCBRLU/cover-sea-of-legends.jpg Splash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1597465398709-F7KW2OJMWJS6YK9RAPGG/cover-the-ultimate-micro-rpg-book.jpg Splash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1626739084419-1BQYHPW36Z2QKB3HR6ED/mother-tongue.jpg Splash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1583979761664-5EOI5QJULO9RBAVZ12NN/home-again.jpg Splash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1597467465062-0RTROB2A8FTW18TDM1V1/cover-street-magic-easy-streets.jpg Splash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1598639123744-C7EVQNJJIJ8Y2442Z2XD/cover-maze.png Splash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1583979912520-52K2RH9253TR2XDT6ZAI/quietus.png Splash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1598632374704-F9SCZTFGMDQMK9NJN4L8/cover-mythic.jpg Splash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1626739506581-OE062ZY5PHELLHYTTJSP/orun.png Splash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Splash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694644871-IC85FNH781UNZSZEGHDR/Aro+Ha_0428.jpg Splash https://www.nellraban.com/interactive-media daily 0.75 2021-04-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1600921677164-IWCC9SDJ5KOUNTJ3VMZE/q4k9ax-ALEX-tablet-phone.png Interactive media https://www.nellraban.com/home daily 1.0 2025-03-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/0e61050f-cd95-43ef-9510-af2eb627524d/IMG_2532.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1743084550054-IMZWPM8NZGSG14FMZN4G/civ.jpg Home Sid Meier's Civilization VII https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1743448981576-GTE4ZEIOYET5OE6SF3QY/Screenshot_4.jpg Home How Civilization VII's powerful narrative system helps players experience unique parts of history https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1742001450516-5NVX5WG3YQDLJM2DJ97U/fl.jpg Home Fallen London https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1743448774232-HCB7DS6TZIS2C9UTST0A/rapplers-2019-board-of-directors-november-5-2019.jpg Home Q&A: Filipina ‘Civ VII’ game designer Nell Raban on creating narrative, Rizal as leader https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/2294701f-6760-4709-89a2-c912d499e417/cbr.png Home Top 10 TTRPGs For Fantasy Fans https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1742000804035-JF4PFXQNZDPY37RNHUNA/5thseason.jpg Home The Fifth Season RPG Gamemaster's Kit https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1742001644793-BB6FGM1PPTPTRLBAN4L1/umrpg.jpg Home The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1743449177652-SIIFZ9QVX2RMNHQ190EK/Screenshot_6.jpg Home Q&A: Nell Raban, the Filipina who developed 'Home Again,'a tabletop RPG about reclaiming one's lost cultural heritage https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1598634670435-12INRR4OM8SX1WYCBRLU/cover-sea-of-legends.jpg Home Sea of Legends https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/2897b719-bd26-4658-82ed-9ed1d3c1d249/bt.png Home Titles with Nell Raban https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/a6a76e3d-3f8c-4818-9bd8-c72b12aef183/sg.png Home Chicago Game Developer Spotlight On Nell Raban https://www.nellraban.com/new-page-1 daily 0.75 2021-07-19 https://www.nellraban.com/writing-samples daily 0.75 2021-07-22 https://www.nellraban.com/writing-samples/comedy monthly 0.5 2020-09-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1601085076466-10AND6KFRPH7HVEOGSPH/microphone-5108825_1920.jpg Writing samples - Comedy - Comedy Trivia games that only exist in the mind I once wrote a bunch of questions and host banter for some non-existent trivia games. Just for fun. Really. https://www.nellraban.com/writing-samples/branching monthly 0.5 2020-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1598634670435-12INRR4OM8SX1WYCBRLU/cover-sea-of-legends.jpg Writing samples - Branching - Branching from Sea of Legends, age of sail fantasy Sea of Legends is a pirate-themed board game that generates choice-driven adventures dynamically through a companion app. The video examples below show two of the many possible paths through one of the adventures I wrote for the game. Published by Guildhall Studios. https://www.nellraban.com/writing-samples/dialogue monthly 0.5 2020-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1598635338747-X0B35C4SS3SIJ9BSTZUE/Tretower_Court_-_geograph.org.uk_-_550255.jpg Writing samples - Dialogue - Dialogue medieval fantasy I wrote this piece, “Eating’s Good,” as an exercise set in a generic medieval fantasy setting not unlike those of many popular video games. The scenes represent ambient dialogue that plays sequentially as the player passes through the same zone over the course of the game. Unpublished. https://www.nellraban.com/writing-samples/zone monthly 0.5 2020-08-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1598635001534-P5GYFAQA3Y43RJZFBYMM/corridor-4415517_1920.jpg Writing samples - Zone - Zone medieval fantasy The Idol of Oasis is the basis for an attempted submission to the One-Page Dungeon contest. While technical issues prevented me and my project partner from completing it, the dungeon provides a compelling space to both question the traditional hack-and-slack mentality and achieve a redemptive outcome. Unpublished. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1596308397140-HG4OGNCOHUJ9LRQXY162/idol-of-oasis.png Writing samples - Zone Room layout for “The Idol of Oasis” https://www.nellraban.com/writing-samples/character monthly 0.5 2020-08-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1598634423153-XU8LIA2K4C57NBVW39R1/mythic.jpg Writing samples - Character - Character from the Mythic D6 Adventure Anthology, modern fantasy I was commissioned to do rewrites on a biography for a nonplayer character in the Mythic D6 Adventure Anthology, a sourcebook for a superheroic tabletop roleplaying game. The character is named Mahogany Johnson, a Black transgender woman working for a covert paranormal investigation unit. Published by Khepera Publishing. https://www.nellraban.com/writing-samples/setting monthly 0.5 2020-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e56e8df1fb797198396091e/1598634222179-AKTK3JTSZ4IXL1CEBI54/home-again.jpg Writing samples - Setting - Setting from Home Again, urban magical realism Home Again is a roleplaying game of my own design based on the Apocalypse World system. Players portray members of a magical diaspora that occurred mysteriously and without notice, and now they must work to make space for themselves in an uncaring and often hostile new world. The quickstart setting “Applewood” conveys a seemingly mundane and familiar setting that is nonetheless rife with intrigue and magic. Self-published.