October 31, 2026: An Interview With Award Winner Rachel Olsen-Cooper

We recently sat down with Rachel Olsen-Cooper, one of the winners of the 2026 the*gamehers awards. Yearly, members of the gaming community nominate and vote for women, non-binary, and femme-identifying gamers contributing to the industry and moving it forward. This year, 100 winners were selected in 10 categories, including Advocates for Representation, TrailblazeHERs in Gaming, and the category Rachel won in, Impact Through Education. Her award is for those who are "teaching games as a real career — in classrooms and far beyond."

Tell us a bit about yourself, Rachel. 

My name is Rachel Olsen-Cooper, I'm originally from Belle Vernon, PA but now call Dallas, TX, with my husband Zack and my dog Nala. I spend the majority of my time working for a drug prescription company, but outside of that I love to play video games, listen to music (specifically K-Pop and EDM), watch my Pittsburgh . . .

[more]

October 30, 2026: Crowdfunding Focus: Elle Cordova's Curiosities

I'm a big fan of Elle Cordova's online efforts. If you're not familiar with the name, you may well have stumbled on her work via social media, with tunes such as "Modern Day Typographer (a parody of "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General") and her ode to Sylvia Plath, as well as non-musical writer-beloved sketches such as "Grammarian vs Errorist."

Well, she's got a full album coming out, and it's on Kickstarter, from now 'til November 2 or so. I'm personally really looking forward to more melodies that scratches that clever geekery itch for my music-loving mind.

-- Steven Marsh

October 29, 2026: Always A Game Master, Never A Player

You ever hear the expression "forever DM/GM?" Well, that's this guy right here. I have been running RPGs off and on, of one sort or another, for friends and playgroups for almost four decades.

Don't get me wrong, I love crafting a narrative environment and building a story collaboratively with players – it's fantastic fun and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But every now and then, even the most stalwart GM would like to play a character in someone else's story, you know?

I was a little late to the craze, but earlier this year I'd been introduced to Baldur's Gate 3 and hoo boy, did I not know what I was getting myself into! The depth and complexity of both the game and story are so impressive, and while it's not a strict translation of a tabletop experience, I can still play with friends online and/or alongside the companions provided by the game to enjoy much of what . . .

[more]

October 28, 2026: The Future Is Soon

I don't know who needs to hear this, but there's just about 60-something days until 2027. This means that there aren't too many days left to plan something fun and geek-related before the end of the year.

Whether you're devising a Halloween-themed game night, a Thanksgiving get-together of blessings and backstabbings, a holiday hootenanny with games for all, or a New Year's festivity that will show 2026 to the curb with a curious boxcar, now is a great time to start deciding on what you want to do . . .

. . . unless you're reading Daily Illuminator backscroll and it's January, in which case – yeah – it's too late for 2026, but you can get a decent head start on events for the rest of the new year.

-- Steven Marsh

October 27, 2026: GURPS Fourth Edition Halloween Celebration 2026

Christopher Rice, GURPS author, is hosting a special contest on the GURPS Discord server: Halloween Player Fright Fights . . . and there's a prize!

Halloween Player Fright Fights challenges you to adapt a creature from mythology, or your own original abomination, with a full stat block and a scenario.

The requirements are:

• A monster stat block

• A short scenario

• Your Discord handle or email so we can actually award something

• Minimum 250 words and maximum 500 words, not including the stat block

There will be three winners chosen in total for this contest. The last day to submit will be November 3rd, and winners will be announced on November 7th.

The first-place winner will receive a physical copy of GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised, the second will receive a $25 gift certificate for Warehouse 23, and the third will receive a $15 gift . . .

[more]

Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

The Legion of Doom resurrects the maniacal jukebox and the poor dictator. October 31, 2026: An Interview With Award Winner Rachel Olsen-Cooper We recently sat down with Rachel Olsen-Cooper, one of the winners of the 2026 thegamehers awards. Yearly, members of the gaming community nominate and vote for women, non-binary, and femme-identifying gamers contributing to the industry and moving it forward. This year, 100 winners were selected in 10 categories, including Advocates for Representation, TrailblazeHERs in Gaming, and the category Rachel won in, Impact Through Education. Her award is for those who are "teaching games as a real career — in classrooms and far beyond." Tell us a bit about yourself, Rachel.*  My name is Rachel Olsen-Cooper, I'm originally from Belle Vernon, PA but now call Dallas, TX, with my husband Zack and my dog Nala. I spend the majority of my time working for a drug prescription company, but outside of that I love to play video games, listen to music (specifically K-Pop and EDM), watch my Pittsburgh . . . [more] October 30, 2026: Crowdfunding Focus: Elle Cordova's Curiosities I'm a big fan of Elle Cordova's online efforts. If you're not familiar with the name, you may well have stumbled on her work via social media, with tunes such as "Modern Day Typographer (a parody of "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General") and her ode to Sylvia Plath, as well as non-musical writer-beloved sketches such as "Grammarian vs Errorist." Well, she's got a full album coming out, and it's on Kickstarter, from now 'til November 2 or so. I'm personally really looking forward to more melodies that scratches that clever geekery itch for my music-loving mind. -- Steven Marsh October 29, 2026: Always A Game Master, Never A Player You ever hear the expression "forever DM/GM?" Well, that's this guy right here. I have been running RPGs off and on, of one sort or another, for friends and playgroups for almost four decades. Don't get me wrong, I love crafting a narrative environment and building a story collaboratively with players – it's fantastic fun and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But every now and then, even the most stalwart GM would like to play a character in someone else's story, you know? I was a little late to the craze, but earlier this year I'd been introduced to Baldur's Gate 3 and hoo boy, did I not know what I was getting myself into! The depth and complexity of both the game and story are so impressive, and while it's not a strict translation of a tabletop experience, I can still play with friends online and/or alongside the companions provided by the game to enjoy much of what . . . [more] October 28, 2026: The Future Is Soon I don't know who needs to hear this, but there's just about 60-something days until 2027. This means that there aren't too many days left to plan something fun and geek-related before the end of the year. Whether you're devising a Halloween-themed game night, a Thanksgiving get-together of blessings and backstabbings, a holiday hootenanny with games for all, or a New Year's festivity that will show 2026 to the curb with a curious boxcar, now is a great time to start deciding on what you want to do . . . . . . unless you're reading Daily Illuminator backscroll and it's January, in which case – yeah – it's too late for 2026, but you can get a decent head start on events for the rest of the new year. -- Steven Marsh October 27, 2026: GURPS Fourth Edition Halloween Celebration 2026 Christopher Rice, GURPS author, is hosting a special contest on the GURPS Discord server: Halloween Player Fright Fights . . . and there's a prize! Halloween Player Fright Fights challenges you to adapt a creature from mythology, or your own original abomination, with a full stat block and a scenario. The requirements are: • A monster stat block • A short scenario • Your Discord handle or email so we can actually award something • Minimum 250 words and maximum 500 words, not including the stat block There will be three winners chosen in total for this contest. The last day to submit will be November 3rd, and winners will be announced on November 7th. The first-place winner will receive a physical copy of GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised, the second will receive a $25 gift certificate for Warehouse 23, and the third will receive a $15 gift . . . [more] Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 1339th robot sea monster here today. (33855952 since August 1, 1995)