A lot is going on with Sneak energy drink right now. Not to brag, but the long and short of it is;
I got to (e)talk to the award-winning illustrator and animator Gustaf Holtenäs.

• I found a new low-calorie drink I really like
• I did get a free drink
• I did not get a free sword
• I am an idiot

I got on Sneak’s radar by sharing this April Fools about eye drops and admitted to being curious about the drink. Does Sneak actually work? Does it taste good?

In this case, ‘work’ means does Sneak refresh or energise me enough to be worth it? Next, I got all giddy about the anime-inspired Year of the Bunny launch and this animation.

I think Sneak are being, er, sneaky. They’re being clever. Anime is on a boom now. It’s part of geek culture. The ‘energy drinks for gamers’ market is competitive, cliche and full of time-wasters. Drinks for anime fans that aren’t expensive imports is a fresher, just as cool and less competitive area.

Are drinks to survive an anime marathon actually a thing? More on that later because it’s more exciting to get to the Gustaf Holtenäs interview.

An interview with Gustaf Holtenäs

Gustaf Holtenäs has previously worked with Black Midi, Grimes, Iron Maiden and Adidas. That’s some heavy-hitting names! Some heavy metal names, too.

There’s an Instagram portfolio I recommend.

Where did your interest in creating anime start?

“When I grew up in the 90’s in Sweden, they showed Pokémon and Sailor Moon and I was hooked from that moment. I was also obsessed with the PlayStation one final fantasy games which where very anime world like. I’ve always liked illustrating but my first attempt at animating started when I was 25 when tried to make my first video game.”

What are your favourite animes and why are you such a deep fan?

“There are so many, I find new gems all the time but some that have always been at the top for me are: Perfect Blue, Angel’s Egg and Berserk.”

How did the collaboration with Sneak Energy come about and what was your inspiration?

“I got in contact with Sneak as I heard from a producer that they was looking for an anime intro commercial. I was instantly interested because it involved my favourite task of world building. They wanted the commercial to look like a real anime show, with a storyline, characters, locations etc. All those things that needed to be design and created to make a world of its own.”

What is the intended message behind the film you created?

“I see the video as a big homage to anime in general. We put in references to all our favourite anime shows in 1 and a half minutes. For example, 70’s Gundam, 80’s dragon ball, 90’s sailor moon, Neon Genesis and contemporary anime like Ranking of Kings.”

Why do you think the relationship with Sneak Energy as a brand relates to anime?

“The first thing that struck me when talking to Sneak’s creative director Tim Donald was that, this guy knows a lot of anime! The link between gamers and anime is big, so it doesn’t surprise me that a energy drink made for gamers would relate to anime.

What advice would you give to budding anime creators?

“That it gets easier after every try! Sometimes animation can feel like the most difficult thing ever, but teats also what makes it so stimulating.”

The Sword!

When I blogged about The Year of the Bunny, I mentioned you could also get a wooden sword.

Sneak has kindly provided me with some fantastic photography of it. The pictures speak for themselves.

A review: Does Sneak Energy actually work?

I was offered a complimentary drink sample while chatting to Sneak’s team about the interview and sword. Geek Native usually declines this (you can’t pay bills with free samples), but I admit I was tempted so graciously accepted some Raspberry Lemonade. I’m glad I did.

I wanted low calories; it’s 12 calories per glass, and my glasses are 400mls. That’s one success!

I didn’t manage an anime marathon, but I did have a weekend which started at midnight when I was still at a nightclub, dancing to music too cool for me and from which I walked home. That takes us to 3 am.

I was up at 6 am, went for a long walk, and spent an hour (first-time) rowing on the canal where I rammed two barges, scared a duck, upset some professional rowers and missed hitting some children before walking across town, catching up with the family and walking back home for about 9 pm, blogged until just after 11 pm and then sat down to watch some Chainsaw Man.

I was tired, but I was a dab hand at making my Sneak in my Sneak tumbler by now. So I rattled up 10 grams of the powder and 400mls of water and made myself a drink to watch a few episodes and refresh before the next day.

So, no, not an anime marathon, but I was sufficiently tired.

I also tried a shot of Sneak-and-vodka because I’m not a cool Twitch streamer. I’m a grumpy old Scottish geek blogger, and I can drink booze at home alone if I want.

My verdicts are;

• Sneak is better without the vodka. At least, the raspberry lemonade Sneak is better without the vodka.
• Sneak does help with my concentration and smooths out the energy curve without causing me jitters.
• I like the taste!

However, there are some complications due to my lack of intelligence.

• I expected to find a little scoop in the tub and did not, so I used a spoon for several days before I eventually found the scoop. That failure of observation would qualify me as a candidate for the Crystal Maze.
• On day three of my Sneak experiment, I made it only that long, I shook the tumbler without firmly enough securing the drinking cap. What! A! Sticky! Mess!
• Coordinating NOT having the Sneak tumbler in the dishwasher for when I AM likely to want some Sneak seems a task beyond me.

Sneaky Summary

Sneak Energy drink isn’t magic, and it’s not a superscience we’ll read about on the news. I guess it’s even closer to that ‘drink responsibly’ category of juice we hear about occasionally, and I note the recommended limit is two does a day.

It is rich in Vitamin C. It even has some Magnesium and Potassium in it, at least the Raspberry does, which are much harder to get in your diet. Ask a friend to name a food that’s not a banana with Potassium and see how well they do.

I like it, I like it a lot, and if it was a lower cost, I’d buy it more often. Now, after my free sample, I’ll watch for deals.

Please note: My sample of Sneak was provided for free and to review.

Quick Links

• Sneak: Webstore | Amazon.

Akha Hulzebos is an illustrator and graphic designer who has worked on various board games (occasionally turns a hand to game design herself) and several issues of the UK Games Expo magazine.

Geek Native, who sent grumpy Girdy to show, got to talk to Akha. Last Bug Standing, a game that Akha recently worked on, will be a prototype on display at the event. Exciting times!

How did you get involved in designing the cover for UK Games Expo?

I didn’t only do the graphic design for the cover, but the whole magazine (PDF) and printed Map Guide :) The art for the cover is made by the amazing Ralph Horsley.

I met the team by chance. In 2020 they posted a job offer (freebie) for a befriended boardgame cafe (Meeple Mayham) in need. They needed some promotional material for the windows done and a two menus. One for drinks and bites, and another with all their games. Normally I don’t do freebies, but I decided to make an exception as they could turn out to be a good contact to have in my network. However, I wasn’t the only one responding to the call and had to do a test to show off my skills. 

Thankfully I won and landed the job. 

After finishing the owner mentioned that the Expo team was looking for a new graphic designer (lucky me!), since their previous one was going to take a different career path. I was introduced and we met at Essen SPIEL. I was super nervous and didn’t dare ask too high of a price for my services. I wanted the job badly! They sensed this and called me way too nice, offering to pay double my suggestion. Astounded I happily accepted. 

It clicked and working remote worked well for us. I first worked closely together with Kate Evans, and now with James Bowles. Both great people to work with.

What can UK Games Expos expect to see on the front of the magazine this year?

The Jack in the Box Expo Dragon! Or is it the popcorn dragon? I’m not sure. Ralph, explain yourself! If you want to know more about the art, visit him at his booth to dive into the details. 

Do you have a favourite? Why that choice?

I really like the 2019 artwork (PDF link).

A sleeping dragon on a green background with gamers sliding from the dragon and hoard of games. It’s the contrast (green/yellow) and composition that does it for me. The other covers have the dragon centered on the page for the most part. This makes is a bit too ‘save’ for me.

It’s not just UK Games Expo covers you do; there are board games too. In fact, titles like Alarún, Biblios, Darwinning!, The Butterfly Garden and The Little Flower Shop. Do you have a favourite board game cover?

Yep, not only covers but cards, backgrounds, characters, logos, icons and more. 

Choosing covers between thousands of games… Oh man, is this a trap? How can I choose between so many covers I might not even know! Let’s play it save and pick on of the covers I did myself. I liked working on Alarún a lot. All was drawn traditional with ink and acrylic paint. Finding the right composition with sketches, trying out different colors with paint. How I love getting dirty hands! Digital art is and looks very clean. It takes me just as long as traditional art to create. In this case the little mistakes and textures helped bring more life into the piece. The logo was made digitally in Adobe Illustrator. The contrast between traditional and digital helped make it pop just that little bit more.

Is there a favourite game you like to play?

I love playing boardgames and have been playing as long as I can remember. An all time favorite of mine will be Talisman (2nd edition). My current my favorite game is Destinies. Astra and Alchemists taking second and third place. 

More recently, you’ve been working on Last Bug Standing along with designer Bez, which will be published at Surprised Stare Games. If you’re allowed, what can you tell us about that game?

Sure thing! The game started as a nature themed game, as many of Bez’s games. I’m not sure what its original name was, but it was already underway with another illustrator who, luckily for me, had to stop working on the project for personal reasons. 

Alan (the owner of Surprised Stare Games) and I met years ago in Essen and have been friends since. We’d recently talked at SPIEL about his game and how fab it would be if we ever got to work together. Weeks passed and the chance actually presented itself! We started of and it turned out we work really well together as a team. Always positive and with good directions to help me further in the creative process. 

The original brief was something like “I need the art to be something apocalyptic. Mad Max like, and very B-movie-ish.” I remember myself thinking ‘Alright, that’s something new for me.’ as I’d never created this type of art before. I wanted it to be authentic and went for ink and watercolors. Like the old comic books. And tried to get that color scheme in, which was harder than you think to nail. A lot of sketches went in beforehand. Some too Games Workshop like (thanks for the compliment!) and others lacking something or in need of a bit more spice. I’m very pleased with how the illustrations and the overall feel turned out to be.

Will people be able to find out about Last Bug Standing at UK Games Expo?

A prototype will be presented at the Expo. Go and check it out at stand 1-352!

On your ArtStation I noticed these two fantastic Pokemon fan-arts: PokeCuddle & Gengar. I love the idea of captured Pokemon. Do you sell them? How on Earth did you go from designing board game covers to slate art.

As a girl born in the 90’s I had, and still have, a soft spot for Pokémon. I’ve played all video games, boardgames and collected the cards. (Okay, maybe I still do). I wanted to give something back to the community. As an artist I like experimenting on different materials. Slate and wood are among my favorites. On addition I recently started painting on old pokemon and energy cards. Which have been very well received. 

Are there any artists and illustrators you draw inspiration from?

No one in particular. I like to get inspired by what I see and talk to other artists about their work and what makes them do what they do.

And, back to board games and UK Games Expo, are there any upcoming or new games you’re hoping to find out more or get your hands on at the event? 

I was super busy before the Expo with work and had no time to dive into the new releases unfortunately. Last year I missed out on a copy of Subterra, so I hope to get my hands on one this year. Fingers crossed! 

Anno Domini 1252 is a solo RPG from Coleman Piskins Roleplaying Games. Designed by Giovanni Poli, the game is set in 13h century Brittany during the reign of the Holy Inquisition.

Geek Native had the chance to talk to Giovanni Poli about the game. It’s worth noting that Giovanni is also the talent behind the Italian language version of the RPG too.

Why did you decide to write a tabletop roleplaying game?

Everything comes from my passion for this world, which began in the late 80s, with falling in love with that “red box” that many of us loved, and in fact never ended. Dozens of role-playing games went under my nose, many of which I managed to play with some continuity. From these premises, it was easy for the spark to try to write something of my own.

Anno Domini 1252 is set, as the name implies, in the Middle Ages. Why this choice?

I thought that setting the game in a real world, and not fantasy, could paradoxically represent a novelty, a hint of originality. And what historical period, if not the Middle Ages of the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Heresies, the Knights Templar, the Monastic Orders, the plagues, would have lent itself better to this purpose?

The Middle Ages is always my favorite historical period, and the game was in many ways inspired by many of my passions. The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco, with the Benedictine Monastery, the diatribe between the Franciscans and the Papal Delegation, Bernardo Gui and his hunt for the “Witches”. Ladyhawke (by Richard Donner), Highlander (by Russell Mulcahy), with his Victor “the Kurgan” Krugen. To characterize the different Character Classes, all represented by solitary, melancholic, cursed creatures, many ideas came from classic genre fiction. Elric of Melnibonè, by Michael Moorcock. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Rice’s Witches (Witches’ Hour) and Vampires (Interview with the Vampire).

Why set the RPG in Brittany?

We liked the idea that in the veins of your character flowed Breton blood, blood of a people of Celtic origins, proud, tenacious, and very unwilling to be subjugated, to be put their feet on someone’s head. We needed the elements, in short, that fully justified the fact that, at some point, you decided to rebel against the system. To fight it with the means, and the ways, that you decide to make your own for the war on Power that you are about to move.

Thirteenth-century Christian Europe was a decidedly hostile place to live. Brutality, violence, corruption, had cast their grim shadow over everything, and everyone. The Rules of the Religious Orders, originally devoted to poverty and total dedication to a monastic lifestyle, were increasingly deceived, ignored, replaced with ambitions that had little, or nothing, to do with the charitable spirit that had given birth to them.

Keeping such a turbulent, explosive social context under control was certainly not a simple operation. In the Palaces of Power, therefore, it became increasingly urgent to find a “culprit” to blame for everything that was going wrong. This explains, at least in part, the birth of the Religious-Military Orders, of the first Crusades, of that immense, terrible cog that was the Office of the Holy Inquisition. And here we are, talking about you… a Beast of the Underworld, a Heretic, a Shapeshifter, a Necromancer, a Witch, or a Vampire… whatever Class of the Character you choose, it is obvious that you represent exactly that “different”, that “monster” that the society of the thirteenth century was not willing to accept.

Anno Domini 1252 is a solo RPG. Why not a traditional tabletop RPG?

It is the setting, the gaming experience, that requires it. Your character will be a Beast of the Underworld, a Vampire, a Witch, a Heretic, a Shapeshifter or a Necromancer. A cursed and solitary creature, in short, that would hardly accompany someone else. In Anno Domini 1252 you will represent the villain, the “monster”.

What differentiates your game from the many solo roleplaying games that have come out in recent years?

Solo role-playing games are, by their nature, generally skewed towards the Dungeon Crawler. In Anno Domini 1252 we tried to create a scenario, a story, a thread that links one adventure to the next. There is a big wrong at the base of everything, a plan of revenge and a precise enemy, with a name and a surname: Gustave Letienne, the Holy Inquisitor. All adventures, even those generated with the procedural system of the Dungeon Random Generator, will revolve around this central strand, representing the pieces of a story.

Do the core rules contain everything you need to play?

Absolutely, there are all the necessary rules and tables, including the first adventure and a rich appendix with everything you need to play in Dungeon Random Generator mode, which will guarantee you endless hours of autonomous play.

Are the rules complicated? Could this be someone’s first solo TTRPG?

We have tried to simplify all procedures as much as possible. Everything revolves around four characteristics – Physical Strength, Alertness, Strike Terror, Self-Control – and two skills – Roll to Hit and Roll to Defend.

Then there will be the magic formulas, concoctions, evil eyes and other powers typical of the class of the character you choose, but without ever weighing down the gaming experience.

Fans of RPGs sometimes like to buy for the collectibility of games, cartography, the aesthetics of layout and the game’s art. Do you think Anno Domini 1252 holds up?

And we, as authors, agree with them! It is useless to hide our love for everything that unites under the banner of the Old School, of those manuals with the scent of cardboard, of black and white printed paper, of ink illustrations, that many of us still remember and love.

I can only thank Fabrizio Peraldo Neia, for the passion and attention he has put into every detail of his beautiful designs. Jonathan Repetto, for the patience put into drawing by hand every single piece of every single map that you will find in the manual. Moreno Paissan, whose wonderful maps will embellish the historical-geographical expansion module that will be published in the coming months.

Can you help readers enter the world of Anno Domini 1252?

I can give you the first adventure, the one contained in the Rules Tome, with a pre-generated character and a summary of the main rules necessary for the game. Have fun!

Quick Links

• DriveThruRPG: Anno Domini 1252.

Geek Native’s patrons voted Zotiquest Games the winner of May’s RPG Publisher Spotlight.

The goal of the Spotlight is to help shine the light of discovery where it does not always get drawn. It’s much easier for a large publisher to get into the news when they announce a new game than for a smaller one.

This month, thanks to Roberto Bisceglie, the founder and sole author of Zotiquest Games, who agreed to talk to Geek Native and did so promptly.

In this Spotlight, we talk briefly about solo TTRPGs aka playing a traditional game or a specialised by yourself, the RPG scene in Italy and Zotiquest’s plans for the future.

Let’s shine on!

A Zotiquest Games interview

Roberto is Italian, and therefore English isn’t his first language. As usual, I’m humbled by those who’ve mastered more than one tongue, as I can barely write in one, and Bisceglie publishes in English. As it happens, he’s a translator too!

As we find out, Zotiquest is very much shaped by Roberto.

Who are Zotiquest?

Zotiquest Games is my personal independent publishing label under which I self-publish tabletop role-playing games rulesets, adventures, and translations. The name is a tribute to Clark Ashton Smith and comes from my blog (which alas, I have not updated in quite a while).

How did you get started?

I didn’t start very long ago. I played D&D in college for a while but haven’t been in the hobby for almost ten years. It was the pandemic that reawakened my interest. Since I was looking for alternatives to tabletop dungeon crawls (such as Descent and Gloomhaven) that I could get friends to play via skype, I started exploring OSR retroclones. As I got in touch with the Italian OSR community, I found a lot of ferment, eclecticism, and a wonderful attitude to DIY.

The step was short, I started writing my first adventures, a few classes, and soon found myself embroiled in extensive translations of manuals such as White Box and Cepheus Engine. I accumulated some competence in layout and revision. After a few months I was able to self-publish my first zines.

I write the games that I want to play but no one else writes. Or I write variants of games I like, but in lightweight systems; I don’t like crunch.

What have you learned on the way?

To not be sectarian, either as a style of play or as themes. Obviously I have preferences, which are for very lightweight and preferably tag-based systems. But if someone mentions a game, if I really can’t try it, at least I buy it and read it, if only for personal culture. This process has helped me compare different game design solutions and calibrate my rules against the style and effect I want. When asked for advice, I always urge “don’t reinvent the wheel.” Someone out there already had a better idea than I did. It is necessary to understand it and make it your own.

What would you like to be best known for?

Among those published are definitely Loner and Thálassa. To Loner I am devoting quite a lot of development and a nice community is growing in Italy. 

Thálassa is my love letter to my longtime fondness for classical mythology. For a high-school-educated Italian, it is normal to have grown up with Greek and Roman myths on your mind. It is something that clicks immediately with our culture. I wanted to give everyone the opportunity to play a fascinating and largely unknown world that can provide so much excitement and fun.

Although I am very proud of my other Cairn hacks and have a lot of fun playing them, they remain not very original, little more than variations of better known games

What makes a good RPG product?

The consistent development of theme and style. By coherent I don’t mean exhaustive like an appliance manual, but that the main mechanics are functional to what is intended. For istance, I favor “adventure games” because I like exploring and taking risks, but also the use of wit and lateral thinking. So I choose game engines that reinforce that direction. But they are not the only ones I like, in fact I am experimenting with something different that I hope will come out later this year.

Aesthetics is a completely secondary factor for me; a good game could be totally distributed in a text-only sheet and be excellent on its own. Of course, illustrations and good typesetting help both to better convey the theme and to make the game usable and appealing. But the heart just the rules and of course (a factor often overlooked) the playtest.

The Italian RPG scene

I almost did not ask this question. After all, it’s not fair to expect Roberto to answer for all of Italy or expect all of Italy to have similar views on RPGs. Here in Edinburgh, that’s certainly not the case.

I’m glad I asked, though, as Roberto stepped up with some proper on-the-ground insight.

What’s the tabletop RPG scene like in Italy? Is the hobby popular?

As I think most of the world, D&D is almost synonymous with RPG for most people. In years past, Vampire the Masquerade was very popular, but now I’m not much in touch with the reality of gaming associations (which are the focal points of gaming activity here). There is a lot of interest in Old School in recent years, partly because of successful titles like Old School Essentials and Mörk Borg. Fantasy is a preponderant genre in the tastes of Italians.

Outside the mainstream sphere, there is a rather vocal niche following of PbtA games.

Role-playing in Italy has not yet emerged from the niche. It is certainly more popular than it was 30 years ago, when it was considered just a hobby for losers and nerds.

The highly popular of TV series such as Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things has certainly provoked curiosity also in the general public and someone has landed in the hobby even so. But in Italy it has not yet reached mainstream popularity.

There seem to be many great RPG ideas published by Italian businesses recently. Why do you think that is?

The average Italian player (and an author is first and foremost a player) has a high school or university education, reads a lot (novels, essays, but also comics), and is curious. This is fertile ground for generating ideas, hybridizing, and creating something unique, if not necessarily original. In fact, if I may express my opinion, we often tend to be too timid and don’t exploit the enormous wealth of folklore and legends we have at our disposal to build something fabulous. 

We have strong regional cultures, each with its own dialect, tradition, and folklore. And we have layers of cultures that have succeeded and hybridized for almost 3000 years now. We have an enormous cultural heritage, often ignored or unknown even to ourselves.

If we make the most of all this, rest assured that you will see wonderful things coming from Italy!

Creepypasta tabletop RPGs

You may have noticed a few publishers taking advantage of and contributing to the creative commons creeps of the SCP Foundation.

If you’re already aware of the dangers in the shadows, then you may be delight-horrified to know that Zotiquest is contributing. If not, this Spotlight might actual be a gateway into darkness. 

Can you please tell readers about the strange world of the SCP Foundation?

The SCP Foundation is a collaborative writing project that originated from a creepypasta published over 15 years ago. The file “SCP-173” described a statue that only moves when not observed and kills its victim when visual contact is lost. It wasn’t so much the content (not entirely original, as it was inspired by Doctor Who!) but rather the presentation of this monster that sparked the imagination of many writers. The creature is described with a scientific and sterile dossier format, complete with a classification of containment risk. 

Additionally, it implicitly introduced lore about this elusive SCP Foundation that has been developed over the years—an international secret organization that studies and contains anomalies (creatures and events) posing a potential “end of the world” risk. The lore expanded to include descriptions of Foundation procedures, its organization, glossary, and much more. Hundreds of SCPs, anomaly dossiers, have been written, some even spanning hundreds of pages.

Why did you decide to write a supplement for it?

In my opinion, SCP Foundation is one of the most mature and elegant forms of creepypasta produced in the last two decades. Reading the SCP files gave me chills I hadn’t experienced in a long time. They tap into the realms of cosmic horror, but do so in a very direct and modern way.

I felt the urgency to give gameplay to this fascinating universe, and Liminal Horror was perfect for the task: minimalistic, set in a modern setting, and licensed freely.

How to play a solo RPG

We’ve covered How to play a tabletop RPG by yourself before, better still, even had experts talk about single-player RPGs. Roberto’s written then, so, yeah, let’s revisit and learn more!

Loner is a solo RPG and solo games also seem very popular. Why do you think that is?

Solo role-playing games have been around as long as RPGs themselves. The first article on solo play for Dungeons & Dragons was published in 1975 (authored by Gygax himself!), and the following year saw the release of Buffalo Castle, the first Tunnels & Trolls “gamebook.” I myself discovered the world of RPGs through gamebooks in the mid-1990s.

Solo RPGs allow for different needs to be met: geographic isolation, lack of a gaming group, or simply an interest in solo play itself. Fortunately, the pandemic helped break down certain prejudices in this regard. When isolation became mandatory, many people experimented with solo RPGs, and some enjoyed it enough to continue.

This is positive: it’s never good to have prejudices about “A and B-tier games.” Furthermore, solo RPGs serve as excellent training for group play, exercising improvisation skills and lateral thinking. They are a highly creative form of gaming.

Even journaling games (which I personally don’t enjoy) are very popular and pique the interest of many people. Variety and open-mindedness are essential to keeping the hobby vibrant and fresh.

What tips do you have for people tempted to try solo roleplaying games for the first time?

Relying on a comprehensive system (such as Mythic) or even free options like GEMulator or GUM that allow for experimenting within an established framework can be beneficial. It’s highly likely that you’ll eventually develop your own personal system, but having a foundation helps prevent the scattering of energy in continuous and exhausting searches for oracles, tools, tables, and materials that can ultimately lead to disorientation.

All the engines I suggested not only provide the necessary tools but also explain how to play solo. Without procedures, solo play can be disorienting and frustrating.

Loner owes much to Mythic and has evolved into a very lightweight and hopefully straightforward game for newcomers—a kind of introduction. It certainly may not satisfy more seasoned tastes, which is why after the appetizer, you’ll likely want to sink your teeth into something more structured.

The future of Zotiquest Games

It’s incredibly hard being an indie publisher, and most are in it for the love of the hobby, no one is getting rich. Does that mean there are no plans for the future? Far from it.

Roberto generously shared a look ahead at the Zotiquest roadmap.

What will Zotiquest Games do next? 

I’m releasing Adventure Packs for Loner, which consists of 12 thematic expansions to introduce classic and popular genres such as fantasy, science fiction, and horror, as well as lesser-known ones like crime, pirates, and spies. They are already available on the game’s website, but they still require some thorough revisions.

In my plans, the next two games on the agenda are:

“Sol: Beyond Earth,” a retro-futuristic game of hard science fiction set in a solar system that never saw the end of the space race in the ’70s. It is populated by orbital colonies and blue-collar workers zipping between planets. The draft is already in place, but it requires significant refinement!

“SoLAR: Slice of Life Anime Realized,” on the other hand, is an experimental title that I have had in mind for a long time. It aims to capture the essence of an anime genre that I love dearly. The game engine will be based on tag traits and the use of a card deck. I’m still outlining it, and it will require thorough playtesting.

Completely off the agenda in the past few days, I quickly put together a system-agnostic setting in the sword-and-planet genre (similar to John Carter of Mars, for example) that is ready to be released. But I’ll probably accompany it with another Cairn hack titled “Savage Sands of Zalanthar,” which will allow players to delve into that setting. I also wouldn’t rule out adapting it for Loner.

Zotiquest Games

• Zoqiquest Games’ website.
• Zotiquest Games on DrivethruRPG.
• Zotiquest Games on Itcho.io.
• Zotiquest / Roberto on Twitter.

The Otherworlds RPG is out already. You can start with 50 pages and $5 with the Quickstart or $30 for the full RPG from Vindicated Entertainment and the core rulebook.

This post has an interview with designer Vincent Baker about what it takes to create a game like Otherworlds, and it’s a look at the new Kickstarter.

[Back this Campaign]

Vincent and Vindicated are on Kickstarter to crowdfund the physical edition of the RPG.

It’s a tabletop RPG inspired by computer games and anime, a future fantasy setting, a 2d6 system with milestone advancement, explosive rolls, an Attribute+Skill Proficient task resolution, and Edges.

The core rules have 12 races, 12 classes, 12 sub-classes, hybrid class options, 24 themes, 85 friends and enemies, 34 enemy variants, 10 vehicles, over 150 spells and, importantly, 12 worlds.

That means there are over a million combinations of character creation.

The 12 worlds are possible because Otherworlds is, set in The Veralysis Galaxy, home to many.

An interview with Vincent Baker

What are your top five tips on how to make a RPG on a budget?

1. Playtest and pitch your game to several people, friends and otherwise. The last thing you want to do is invest your time and money into a project that nobody wants, and maybe even at the end of the day, that would include you as well. Really try and come up with your pitch to be a sentence or two and see if people’s faces genuinely beam with excitement and if they ask follow up questions. If not, then maybe reconsider your pitch or approach. With people being excited at the idea, it should be easier to get players on board, whether it’s friends, family, local game shop attendees, or convention goers. As you show the game off and play it, keep an open mind to those who may be talented or know people who can help you in other ways for your tabletop RPG (whether it’s illustration, graphic design, etc.)

2. Kiss – Stands for “keep it simple stupid.” As a game designer it can be incredibly tempting to keep adding, but really your core game is finished when there’s nothing left you can take away, not when there’s nothing more to add. Keeping it simple will also mean less work… which means less cost. Make a game and get it out there. Remember kiss! 

3. Okay, you’re going to need somewhat of a budget. Once you playtest, you have your pitch, people are hyped. Invest at least a few hundred dollars into a piece of art that stands out and represents your game. Feel free to talk the concepts out with your friends and make sure they resonate with it, but this promotional art will do wonders for marketing your game and making it feel more real to others. 

4. Video. Videos are becoming more and more popular and social media is prioritizing them above all else. Luckily most phones have ample cameras for delivering a decent video (don’t underestimate it). Just be sure when you record, you do so straight ahead and not at a weird angle where it’s from bottom, giving you a butt chin. Keep the energy fun and don’t be too rigid. It’s nothing to take too seriously, just be you, the best you can and don’t be afraid to scrap it and start again another day if you need to. 

5. Art, design, layout are all going to be your biggest cost. Luckily for you it’s also one of the last steps you need to worry about and if you really have to, you can go to Kickstarter with your test game, written material, promotional art (+ bonus art), and videos to acquire the funding to fill out the rest of your book! You may also know someone in your life that you can partner with or use a plethero of sites, such as FB groups, Fiverr, Deviantart, etc. to find someone who fits your needs. Just remember to be respectful to the artist you’re working with and clearly lay out and detail exactly what you need. If you have them change things, once they’ve already moved onto coloring, don’t be surprised if they up the charge (and they should), BUT every artist you work with should also give you a chance to approve the art before they get to that point.

As with anything, it’s a learning process and the only way to really learn is to put your feet in the fire and move forward.

What three things would you tell your young game designer that you know now?

1. Really make sure you figure out the core identity of what your game is supposed to be and who it’s supposed to appeal to and triple down on that constantly. 

2. Use popular channels like DriveThruRPG when you can. You’re only hurting yourself by not doing so.

3. Have fun. Making a game takes a lot of work and can be stressful, but we’ve got one life on Earth, so let’s make it count and enjoy the journey. 

What are common game design on a budget mistakes and how to do you fix them?

I think a lot of people come at it from a similar place that I did, which is, “I want to make this really big, awesome game, that fits my taste 100%, regardless of how anyone else feels.” Doing that can feel a bit at odds when you start getting pulled in a lot of different directions, because maybe your game doesn’t fit neatly into a box of what people expect and so it can be a big struggle. You may also just be all over the place since you don’t have a clear focus and change art styles, genres, directions, etc. and with each change it’ll cause confusion, loss of attraction to your game, and more expenses for you! 

I’d recommend people’s first game be very small. Learn the ins and outs, start to finish, on a small project. Think as small as you can get and keep it there. When you get comfortable doing a small project, then you can expand to something bigger. I’ve now released over a dozen games and expansions, and my first game was Otherworlds, which is by far my largest… probably not the best idea from a practical sense.

Last but not least, it can be hard finding a good artist, let alone many to work with. It can even be awkward if you’re working with a friend and they’re not being professional about it. Best you can do is find a rising artist who has a proven track record of doing art, but not quite at the level to be working with Blizzard, Riot, or other big name companies. “Rising Artists” at this level tend to be highly professional and understand that you’re not a giant company, being more affordable to work with.

Otherworlds Kickstarter

People become Otherworlders for many reasons—knowledge, power, freedom, you name it. They’re only about one out of every thousand people, so not just anyone is cut out for the job.

Backers who can pledge $1 are buying themselves into the add-on options for later on.

At $25, backers get a digital copy of the core rules, and my research suggests that’s good value.

With worldwide shipping options, backers who pledge $45 or more qualify for both a PDF and a hardback.

So far, the $55 option is more popular, which adds a digital copy of Otherworlds Anthos.

The Vindicated Entertainment team estimated delivery this August.

Quick Links

• Kickstarter: Otherworlds RPG

With the tabletop RPG of plastic soldiers in a war-torn world, Army Men, by Josh Heath, it’s a great time to publish the April Spotlight.

In the Spotlight this month, as voted by Patrons, is High Level Games.

Josh Heath is the COO of High Level Games, as his bio on the Army Men Kickstarter reveals, but he is also a partner in Reach-Out Roleplaying Games and Inclusive Gaming Network.

If that’s not impressive enough, Josh is also an army veteran, has a Masters in International Peach and Conflict Resolution and ran The Open Halls Project, a heathen religious non-profit. There are podcasts, ENnies and community content too.

Let’s dig in!

A High Level Games inteview

Where else do you start? At the end or the middle? No, let’s be traditional.

Who are High Level Games?

High Level Games is a gaming company based in Edmonton, Alberta. Yes, we’re Canadian, we’re sorry. At least half the company is based there. Half the company is based in the Washington, DC area. 

In all seriousness, HLG started as a podcast and blog website that focused on listicles tackling all kinds of cool RPG stuff. We pivoted as a company to focus on content creation, both for our own project and for helping other smaller creators bring their games to market. We’ve helped with community content projects, and things like Snowhaven, and now our game Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic. 

As part of the partnership that forms the current version of HLG, we have two leadership figures, Quinn Moerike our CEO, and Josh Heath (me) our Chief Operations Officer. When I became a partner in the company I brought in two companies/projects of mine, Reach-Out Roleplaying Games and The Inclusive Gaming Network. 

So far we’ve produced a lot of different things for different games, including a series of 1 page adventurers, a few different 5e adventures, and things like Descendants of the Three Sisters, which is a Vampire: The Masquerade book written largely by an indigenous partner of ours, Lisa Ellwood, who helped us create an authentic group of vampires from Northeastern Native American Nations.

How did you get started?

Two different stories there. 

High Level Games was started by Quinn Moerike who wanted to create a podcast and journalistic website to support his gaming hobbies. Around the same time, I (Josh) was getting out of grad school and was looking at getting into the RPG industry to help support work around using RPGs as a form of intercultural dialogue. We met in 2016 online and started working together informally and eventually realized we worked really well as a team. 

In 2018 we ran a convention in Atlantic City and made the deal formal with us running High Level Games as a team. In that time we built a journalistic team of close to 30 regular writers, had an editing team, and eventually pivoted to working on products much more instead of the website. It was a big shift, to be fair.

And you do a lot with podcasts, too; how did you get started there!

The funny thing was Quinn and I started doing podcast right around the same time with different places and different focuses. He and his friend Joel started High Level Games (the podcast) as a way to geek out over their games and things they loved. I started off by creating a podcast about Werewolf: The Apocalypse because I wanted to do a retrospective review of the game. 

Quinn and I met and started working on Leveling Up, which was a podcast about doing better, being better because and through role-playing games. It was really a powerful thing to do, but it didn’t last forever. We’ve gone back and forth on creating shows together, some that published, some that didn’t. Always though, we’ve been working on cool things together and with others. 

I’m currently actively hosting a podcast called OpCast: Arms Around the Trinity Continuum with Simulacra studios. The cool thing with all of this is podcasts just require a good microphone and a friend to talk to… but the real struggle is *good* editing, which is super time consuming. If you want to put out a good show, an hour long episode takes 3-5 hours to edit. 

Really, that’s the limiter right there. You have to like editing. You have to want a good sounding show, and you have to work at it to make it happen. So only start a podcast you *REALLY* want to see exist.

What have you learned since starting?

Planning, planning, planning lol. That’s the biggest thing to learn about both a website with articles, a podcast, and books. You really have to make a plan, stick to it, and work on it on a regular basis. The worst is when you get out of the routine, and then you have to work super hard to get back into it. 

The other weird thing I’ve learned is that creative people undervalue their work. 

When we were running articles every day we initial were doing it for fun, and people were on board. The second we started to pay people, people stopped submitting articles. They thought their work wasn’t worth being paid. That was weird and it’s imposter syndrome speaking. If you are being offered money to write a fun thing… that’s ok! It means you are worth it! The same thing happens with books too though. People sometimes try and put their 300 page book up for a Pay What You Want amount… that’s wild! Don’t do that! Your work is worth it. Charge what it is worth. I’ve read *AMAZING* books that someone posted for $1 for like an 80 page book. 

Stop this, folks! Ask for what you are worth! The market is there.

What would you like to be best known for?

We’d like to be known for giving new or small-time creatives a headstart. 

When I was running my first website, concurrent with HLG, I was the first person to pay several writers. Those writers went on to write for game companies. Some of them for WoTC and other companies. That was super awesome to know we helped get them a platform, build confidence, and go big places. We’d love to be seen as an incubator for talent, supporting, uplifting, and making the community of designers broader and better.

The RPG Industry

With all that experience and insight, I had to ask Josh about his views on the industry. Additionally, with Josh’s social good ventures, I also had another angle to explore.

How important are community content programs for publishers who offer them?

HUGE! Community Content is such a great way to build a stable of writers for your games! 

It lets you see who the movers and shakers are that you don’t even know about yet! Every game company with an IP should have a community content program. It helps you by having creators take the things they love and bring them to a bigger audience. It also saves you as a company from investing in a book if you don’t know if it would sell. Let a CC creator pick up a little of the risk, and if it’s good? Help them bring a new official edition of that thing into existence! It’s a super win-win situation.

And on the other side, how useful are community content programs for people who write for them?

Community content is an amazing way to get started writing for games. It builds your name, and your reputation, and it helps you show you can tackle projects. 

One of the hardest things in the RPG industry is showing you can work to spec, you can demonstrate you understand the voice of a game, and that you can hit a deadline. 

Now, the first two of those things are proven in community content. Deadlines are harder, because you don’t have a deadline as a community content creator. But, proving you can write 5000, 10,000, or more words and it’s decent? 

That’s huge. 

A publisher can look at your work and see that you get it, and see what you’ll need work on and if it is worth it for them to hire you and help you become better. And all through that… you are making money. You are making between 40-70% of the cover price of your book and you get to reinvest that back into games lol. 

Most community content creators I know use that money to fuel their hobby, but the best ones help it to build their RPG career bonafides. 

You’ve an ENnie to your name and for Big Bads Booklets. Did the award move the sales needle for you? Do awards help?

You know, I don’t think it did. The weird thing is that it was a *personal* milestone, right? 

It proved to me that my work was really high-class possible. But, it did not help with sales at all. I didn’t see anything that looked like a benefit there. It didn’t even really help me get new work in the industry. Which has been weird. But, that’s ok. 

The really cool thing is I know I won it. I know my work is top class enough to be recognized like that, and that’s more important to me than anything. Now I want to help other folks earn ENnies and any other award they are shooting for. That matters so much more to me, to be a good mentor and supporter of other creatives.

Do you think RPGs can help people with real-life issues? How?

Heck yes! 

I have been deeply involved with the transformative game side of the RPG industry for the last 7 years. That is what brought me into the industry, actually. I wanted to use RPGs as a tool in intercultural dialogue, and created a program to do so called Reach-Out Roleplaying Games or RORPG (Roar-pig). 

This has led me to being highly involved in the academic discourse around RPGs, and there is so much research to demonstrate the impact of these games in therapeutic contexts, in personal development, and in other really serious places. 

This year I was invited to speak at the Serious Play Conference, which is focused on things like wargames and education games. Our talk is going to be about the ways to use off-the-shelf RPGs like D&D as tools for creating transformative experiences for people. We are bringing in folks from the history side, the therapy side, and some other angles to demonstrate how games can make a difference. I’m going to be talking about RORPG too, and how these games can help us do intercultural dialogue, and what value that can bring to peacebuilding.

Could you tell us more about Inclusive Gaming Network? It sounds ideal but is High Level Games associated with it?

Yeah! So, the Inclusive Gaming Network is a subsidiary of HLG as I mentioned before. I started this because at the time there wasn’t a lot of stuff that I knew about that was focused on inclusive gaming spaces. I’m queer, so I’m super invested in the value of game spaces for people who are LGBT+ and marginalized gamers from the global majority. 

After I kicked it off I saw a lot of other great projects in this space, so I’ve focused more on helping to find ways to amplify other voice from people who are trying to make a name for themselves. I’m working right now with an indigenous creative publisher to create a fellowship program for indigenous RPG writers. That’s all thanks to the work of the Inclusive Gaming Network focus over the years.

How do people or publishers get associated with it?

Email me! I’d love to work with more people who want to get their projects out. We were a really formal program for awhile, but that didn’t seem to work for folks to engage with us. I’d love to see that happen again though, where we had a formal network for pushing out inclusive RPG content. 

High Level Games

• High Level Games on DriveThruRPG.
• High Level Games’ website
• High Level Games on Facebook.
• High Level Games on YouTube.
• High Level Games on Twitter.
• High Level Games on Patreon.

Latest High Level Games products

As we’ve seen, High Level Games is on DriveThruRPG, so we can see their latest edits and releases. As we’ve also seen, the team embraces community content.

• 2nd of March 2023, The Price of Iron.
• 2nd of March 2023, A Kingdom’s Edge.
• 24th of March 2021, Dealing With Your Demons
• 10th of March 2021, Snowhaven Savage Worlds.
• 10th of March 2021, Snowhaven.

Jack Kellum was a combat medic for marines and self-taught on myths, legends and religion, which he studied since he was only six.

Jack also runs Of Gods and Gamemasters, which Geek Native’s patrons have voted into the RPG Publisher Spotlight for March. Thankfully, Jack agreed to make time for me to ask him questions and discuss the horrors of marketing and the strengths of different RPG systems.

As we’ll see in this interview, Jack’s an upfront guy and on his About page on the website he solicits interaction, saying;

I’m here to help you build worlds and run games, and make that as easy and fulfilling as possible. Please leave comments, reviews, etc. so I can improve the process.

There’s also a strong streak of individualism, and there’s also this;

I’m mixed ethnicity (indigenous American and Gaelic), polyamorous, and progressive. At the same time, I’m a bit of a libertarian (by philosophy, not party: regulate corporations strictly to allow human liberty) so don’t expect me to fit your party pigeon holes.

An Of Gods and Gamemasters interview

Regular readers will know that these interviews tend to start at the start. Jack’s agreed so let’s find out his company.

Who are Of Gods and Gamemasters?

Just me, right now. I’m a one man show. Sometimes I can do work trades for art, but I do my own writing, layout, editing. I also modify free use art that I get from Pixabay and the like.

How did you get started?

I’ve been GMing since I first encountered Dungeons and Dragons 41 years ago. I told my dad at the time, ‘we could use this to play Tolkien together!” I’ve played or run so many things I have to list them on the front page of my website and that’s not even all of them. Recently I became partially disabled, and took it as a sign I should leverage my creativity and skills to try to make a living instead of destroying my body working in warehouses and driving forklifts.

What have you learned on the way?

I can’t really distil 41 years of experience into a soundbite, but I’ve learned that deep worlds are more compelling to players than shallow ones, and allow eay improv on the spot because you know more of how things work.

What would you like to be best known for?

Worldbuilding and compelling mythology. I’m fantasticat making monsters, and villains, but I’m even better at gods, their myths, and the worlds they make.

What’s the hardest thing about being a publisher of your size?

Marketing. Getting my stuff seen and hoping folks like it enough to buy.

I’m a professional marketer and get told by publishers that marketing is the hardest part. I believe it! Indie publishers have to wear so many hats, and marketing is an extra task needed when energy is at its lowest, but I’ve never asked this question before: what do you find so hard about marketing?

It takes up tons of my time, and I still don’t get seen enough for people to come and buy, really.

I love your branding and get the connection between worldbuilding, gods and Gamemasters but has it ever caused any problems for you?

Not yet. I don’t think it will, it says what I do pretty clearly.

There’s a pantheon of RPG outs there…

You can find Of Gods and Gamemasters books in the DMsGuild and at DriveThruRPG, and perhaps that’s a clue that Jack’s not a one-system wonder. 

What makes a good RPG product?

Depth and ease of use, I think.

You’ve published for both 5e and Cypher System. What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of the two?

5e is easy to get into, but maybe overcomplicated in some ways, too simple in others. It also has a very constrained idea of what your characters are and can do, like any system with defined classes. Cypher is open and malleable, but in some cases that can be intimidating to players and GMs alike. I’ve also designed for Mutants and Masterminds, Pathfinder , Pathfinder 2e, Scion 1e, FATE, GURPS, Chronicles of Darkness, and more. I can’t publish GURPS but there’s free stuff on my website. The other systems are on my website too. I plan to actually publish for M&M, but comics based games need specific art more than most.

Okay, that sounds like you’ve published for so many systems! Do you have a particular favourite?

I’ve only *published* for two so far, but I’m getting there. I’d say I’m fond of each of them for different reasons. If I don’t like a system, I don’t build for it.:) 

What’s your reflection on the direction of 5e and the OGL? Has it changed your plans?

It reminded me to expand into other games and not depend on one. I pivoted away from 5e, then back again after they backed off, but I’ll be making sure to publish for other systems, and I may pivot to whatever Black Flag is when Kobold Press gets it out. 

We’re seeing a boom in RPG systems offering licenses for third-party publishers to adopt and use. Is there anything they can do to make your life easier or their system more attractive to write for?

Make the license cover all the rules, and not just a picked-out SRD with a single background…as a for instance… 

Do you hope One D&D achieves anything?

I wish it was looking less like something they want to make easier for virtual play and easier for GMs, honestly. They look like they are losing flavor in favor of simplicity. I don’t know if I’ll be making things for that system at all, so far it doesn’t appeal to me.

Black Flag has had a great start. Is there anything that Kobold’s done that might help explain that?

Timing. The ORC has a lot of support for the same reason, as does what MCDM is working on. They saw WoTC drop the ball and picked it up. 

Looking into the divination pool of the gods

As these features tend to start in the start, I like to try and peer into the future to finish. Often, this is a forlorn quest as publishers keep their cards close to their chest and their plans for the future but Of Gods and Gamemasters are happy for us to look into their divination pool.

What can we expect from Of Gods and Gamemasters in the future?

I’m currently working on combining the settings of Mage: The Ascension and Mage: The Awakening for a charity actual play game I plan to run later this year using the Chronicles of Darkness system. I’m also in the middle of building my M&M supplements, and will be running a charity game with that soon. 

As for 5e, I have a big monster book on the way for my Successor States of Rega setting, called Lusus Naturae, that has 101 monsters in it. I am also working on a Book of Better Beasts, which takes the animal statblocks WoTC has made and makes them match real world animals better; another monster book called the Fomor Folio which reimagines many monsters from Celtic Myth for 5e; I run an actual play set in the Successor States every other Thursday at 8 pm EST on Tales from the Table Studios. 

I need to build Pathfinder 2e versions of all my stuff as we’ve taken the AP to that system. There’s really too much other stuff for me to go into all of it, like more entries in my Alternate Ecology series on DM’s Guild, and more entries in my Pentagrammaton: Aberrant Apocrypha series on Drive Thru.

You’re working on a lot! I’ll pick just a few – like the Book fo Better Beasts to dig a little deeper into. I love the concept, how and why did you decide to do that? Is there a market for it, just a thing you feel should be done better or something else?

I just got tired of all the beasts being not capable of things the real world animals are, and just being inaccurate. It started with cats not being able to jump and not having darkvision, and then having apes punch people when they can’t even make fists, and kinda went from there. 

What about Lusus Naturae? How to work out which creatures or monsters a setting would benefit from?

I basically just figure out what myths and legends suit the culture I’m working with, and fill in the blanks with things that fit the overall feel , and with critters *I’d* want to use in a game.

Of Gods and Gamemasters

• Of Gods and Gamemasters on DriveThruRPG and the DMsGuild.
• Of Gods and Gamemasters’ website.
• Of Gods and Gamemasters on Twitter.
• Of Gods and Gamemasters on YouTube
• Of Gods and Gamemasters on Facebook.
• Of Gods and Gamemasters on Patreon

Latest Of Gods and Gamemasters products

You would think this would happen more often but for the first time I’m merging DriveThruRPG and DMsGuild into a single list, since oGoG are on both!

• 7th of March 2023, Beast-kin Vampires, Cypher Edition.
• 1st of February 2023, Canon of the Void
• 8th of December 2022, Successor States of Rega bundle.
• 8th of December 2022, Aberrant Apocrypha bundle.
• 7th of July 2022, The Illicit Illithiad.

Warners Group’s Tabletop Gaming Magazine, which covers board games and RPGs, will relaunch. The company is recruiting a new editor as Christopher John Eggett is set to leave.

Geek Native talked to Christopher about his time at the magazine, which you can find below. The magazine, YouTube channel and site he’ll be leaving also offers in-person events and, from issue 77, will shift focus to new players and offer new hooks into the hobby. That’s in line with Geek Native’s founding principles.

Claire Ingram, the publisher of the magazine, said;

We wanted to get new gamers to the table and give everyone a way into the hobby, whether they’re coming from the point of view of nostalgia, totally fresh, or someone who has just dabbled in the hobby before,”

The relaunch includes;

• The Gateway – Tabletop Gaming’s introductory feature for new players. Learn the basics of a classic gateway game, why everyone loves it, and even a few tips on winning. Ideal for handing to someone who has never played a hobby game before – and getting them hooked.
• Connect 4 – The team take a big-name game, hobby gem, or cult classic and gives readers four next games to try out based on one of the main game’s key features.
• Out of the Box – A dedicated look at all of that stuff that doesn’t come with rules. The Tabletop Gaming crew will look at gaming accessories, puzzles, building activities and other weird and wonderful stuff that might catch the eye before you dive into the reviews.
• What’s In Your Attic – A look at gaming discoveries players have found in their attic, and work out whether they’re selling or keeping for the nostalgia. A great way for the community to reflect on the good, bad and sometimes ugly of classic games of their childhood.

An interview with Christopher John Eggett

Editor & Head of Content, Tabletop Gaming

What’s your most fond memory of Tabletop Gaming?

It’s hard to put a single moment in amber because I really like the people in this industry. Everyone is motivated by the love of games to such an extent that it’s all good. I am very proud of my Oath interview with Cole Wehrle, as it hit home on so much of gaming that connects our childhoods and, with my having recently becoming a parent at the time, the future. I was also very pleased with the Carcassonne 20th Anniversary cover we did for subscribers

What’s been your bleakest moment there?

It’s all sunshine! But really it’s the middle of the pandemic, where we were all in lockdown, no games were coming out, and there were more pages in the magazine to fill than usual as advertising was largely paused. It felt like the world was ending in a general sense, and in that moment it’s hard to know if it’s important that we talk about games. But the answer is that, yes, it is important to talk about games – even at our darkest moments as they transcend whatever is going on around us at any given time. The fact that we made it through the pandemic and all the associated difficulties in the industry is an important win for me – and the hobby, I hope.

What’s been your most mind-blowing story?

I recently got to talk to Daniel Sell of Troika! fame – and apart from being a supremely articulate individual has made one of the great ‘weird’ roleplaying games. In the piece Daniel eloquently expands on the concepts of wonder that he develops in the game and talks about the

What’s the most challenging part of being an editor of a gaming magazine?

The readers, naturally.

No, in honesty it’s a pretty easy job. You just have to be totally submerged in the hobby and ready to write about it a lot. The challenge comes from developing your sense of what’s important to include, what to ignore, what’s important to the reader. But that becomes second sense…

Do you have, ahem, any tips?

How about three?

1. Get ahead. If you can have pages and interviews in your back pocket, or arranged well in advance, that will help when the inevitable chaos of publishing and gaming arises.
2. It’s a contact sport. You need to be able to talk to everyone, ask for anything and not be particularly shy about it. The industry is made up of real people who are extremely lovely and passionate, they want to get on with what they love and if you can be direct, that helps.
3. If all else fails, do a list.

Do you know if there are any plans for Tabletop Gaming Live? What changes would you personally like to see made?

Not as of yet. We’ve got a few cool mini events coming up, including one where you can play ticket to ride on a real steam train (yes, really!). You can read a bit about that over at the site.

What’s your helicopter view of the board game scene? What’s on the horizon?

I think we’re looking at a world of gaming that refines itself further. So we’re going to get blended RPG/Board games more – but from the roleplaying game direction. We’re going to get some really slick lighter Eurogames that are going to be family level in weight. And the indie scene is thriving across the board. Elsewhere I think we’re going to see miniatures games pick up a bit more and wargames become a little more mainstream over the next few years as those gamers who came in during the pandemic wave look to find their permanent home in the hobby.

What are your top 5 tabletop games, including board games, card games, and RPGs?

1. Oh my goods
2. Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
3. Carcassonne
4. Call of Cthulhu
5. Go

Is Kickstarter and crowdfunding nothing but wholesome goodness for board game makers?

Yes. It keeps people employed that would not be in the hobby otherwise, or wouldn’t be getting paid at all. We can moan about the practices of large companies as much as we like, but Kickstarter is one of the main drivers of professionalising the industry. We need that if we want to keep people in it and to be able to expand it further.

Do you think RPGs get edged out of consideration by businesses due to the big numbers sometimes attached to board games?

Sometimes, but also board game publishers don’t go round comparing every game they make to Monopoly. Roleplaying and D&D are the same in most people’s minds, and getting over that barrier can be tricky.

Any predictions for what Asmodee, CMON or the other giants might do next?

Asmodee will probably slim down the in-house production a bit, and focus on the core range and supporting retailers further. We might see some more miniatures stuff from them too, although that’s pure speculation.

CMON will bring out a miniature that is bigger than you.

The one to watch is Hachette Board Games, who are do so much for the hobby right now it’s unreal. They’re bringing games in that might not get a release in the UK otherwise and producing stuff under their own studios. It’s going to be interesting watching them grow further.

What next for Chris Eggett?

I’m thinking of running another silly Kickstarter for another stupid little game I’ve made. Oh, and I’ll be crafting some of the worst tweets you’ve ever seen @CjEggett – follow me there for information on my future gaming follies.

Quick Links

• Want the job? Head of Content.
• Tabletop Gaming Magazine

Let’s get indie RPG publishers some attention. Writing, designing, producing and publishing a game is especially hard. Imagine trying to market it at the same time.

Take that challenge and throw in the spiky complexity of competing in a marketplace dominated by Wizards of the Coast.

Arranging this interview with Jörgen or Random Rambling Press raised another awkward challenge. Imagine also if the only emails you get from people offering interviews, exposures or anything that smells like marketing turns out to be a scam. It’s a real risk.

Fortunately, Jörgen was convinced. Thanks to Geek Native’s Patreons for making this possible. The RPG Publisher Spotlight this month is a chance to light up some interest for Random Rambling Press.

Getting to know Random Rambling Press

Jörgen is Swedish, and English is not his first language. My Swedish is awful, less than zero, and I can’t pronounce Mork Borg correctly. So, we compromised and conducted the interview entirely in English.

Who are Random Rambling Press

An old gamer, an artist at heart and a forever GM. Someone who loves to convey and tell stories.

How did you get started?

When I was introduced to tabletop role-playing games, the classic “Drakar och Demoner” (the Swedish version of “Dungeons and Dragons”), I started creating my things, both adventures and rules. I fondly remember the first rules a friend and I wrote, “Task of the Bounty hunters”. It’s based on our favourite character, Boba Fett, from Star Wars, when there were only three movies. Still have it, typed on an old typewriter and totally unplayable :)

Running a small RPG publisher

We’ve already discovered how hard it is for indie RPG publishers to get noticed. What’s it like being a solo publisher?

What would you like to be best known for?

I don’t know. I just hope that people find and use the stuff I do. That makes me super happy.

What have you learned on the way?

I have learned, among many things, that people don’t necessarily like everything you do, which is fine.

What makes a good RPG product?

There are so many good products out there from super-talented people. All are different and superb in their own way. I don’t know. It’s a feeling, something that resonates with me. It can be a fantastic backstory, plotline, illustration, or layout.

What’s the hardest thing about being a publisher of your size?

If I tried to live on it, it would be much different. Now I’m happy to be able to find the time to create. And finish things before a new idea pops up and demands my attention ;)

You’ve published several books as Pay What You Want. Do you think that model works for publishers?

Yes and no. I want people to use what I do rather than shy away because it costs. But people might shy away from something because it doesn’t cost. So it’s a balance. I have a problem putting a price tag on my work, knowing what it’s worth.

Random reflections on the RPG scene

It’s always an awkward question asking publishers to summarise whole scenes because it’s a hard ask. Worse, answers might flirt with disagreement with readers and stir arguments.

So, I asked them anyway.

What do you think about the role-playing scene in general?

I see the value of having a brand like DnD to make role-playing more accessible. I wish that DnD is not the only game people think about when they think about role-playing games. There are so many great games out there worth exploring. And I’m not too fond of labels. A role-playing game is a role-playing game. People don’t need to fight over what is right and wrong or best.

Can you tell readers about Dakuhausu – The Dark House?

Dakuhausu is a classic ghost story set in Meiji-era Japan. It started as a drawing that grew into an adventure. I had just bought Yokai Hunters Society, and they just clicked together. I wanted to support YHS, such a great game, so I included a guide for the Meiji era and horror gaming.

You’ve written a few books set in or inspired by Japanese history. What’s the attraction?

I have always been fascinated with Chines and Japanese history and culture, and I love the difference between our cultures and trying to understand and learn more about them. A lot comes from movies by Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi, and Takashi Miike, to name a few. It’s a harsh and complex way of life but still filled with such beauty and love for small and simple things. And, of course, I have a very soft spot for Martial Arts in all its forms and shapes.

Looking forward a little, I have started looking at Finnish and Karelian mythology and culture, which is very fascinating.

Do you prefer a particular genre to create/write for?

Horror! I love horror movies and stories. It’s among the hardest, especially for gamemasters, but it’s the most rewarding. I also love to write historically based role-playing rules and adventures. I wish people would embrace it more. But it’s also a hard genre because people seem to believe they must get everything right.

Jump right in, dare to explore, making mistakes, that’s what I do :)

Role-playing games can be a great way to educate, not just in history, but in many things. Embrace that opportunity.

What’s the tabletop RPG scene in Sweden like? It seems pretty healthy, given the success of some publishers.

Sweden has a robust role-playing culture, resulting in some great publishers. It’s definitely a hobby that has good traction for the moment. Being one of the founders of KryptCon, a small OSR convention held in Gothenburg, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with some wonderful people. But I wish that we, as a community, were more including.

There is a lot of fragmentation between social groups. And it is less open than one might think. People tend to stick with their group of friends and use a specific set of rules. Trying to find players for more obscure things is hard.

Is it possible for a few publishers to be too successful?

Yes! I would love for people to discover the plethora of role-playing systems out there. There is a tendency for super-large product ranges to put indie things in the shade. But I guess it is the same problem on any Indie scene, whatever it is.

The future

I always ask about the future. I want to take this chance to fish out a scoop. Let’s see how well I do with Jörgen.

What will Random Rambling Press do next?

People write game systems left and right without backing them up with adventures and expansions. It’s a shame and somehow unfair to potential players and GMs. I love supporting things like Yokai Hunters Society because I want that to stay around. And there are so many others out there and so little time :(

But I also have plans for some game systems. But we have to wait and see :)

For the moment, I’m working on a hack for the Firelights game jam by FariRPGs that I call Kunoichi. And as mentioned, a game based on the Kalevala, the Finnish and Karelia national epic. Folklore and mythology.

But there is so much more, too much to mention.

Random Rambling Press

• Random Rambling Press on DriveThruRPG.
• Random Rambling Press on website.
• Random Rambling Press on Twitter.
• Random Rambling Press on Redbubble.
• Random Rambling Press on Ko-fi.

Latest Random Rambling Press products

Random Rambling Press is on DriveThruRPG, so we can see where the latest updates to their catalogue have been made.

• 23st of January, 2023 Yokai Case File #2.
• 1st of January, 2023 Yokai Case File #1
• 16th of November, 2022 The Dungescape Issue 2.
• 13th of September, 2022 Incantamentum
• 10th of May (a fine date), 2022 Grave of the Last Warrior.

DriveThruRPG publisher Catilus and Patreon-funded illustrator is in the Spotlight this month.

How did this happen? It’s due to Geek Native’s Patreons, who voted Catilus as the first interviewee of 2023. You can see this month’s Spotlight vote.

As a bonus, Christina, the talent behind the brand, has given Geek Native permission to use any of her publicly shared art in this post, so I’ve taken that kindness to heart and been liberal.

Lastly, as a warning, I took the chance to talk about One D&D and OGL. That’s a moving feast with several updates this week, so please contextualise this chat in time. I know; I was a jerk for asking!

Who is Catilus?

As usual, starting at the start… is a start. I’ve talked to RPG creators who have named their brand and studio after favourite worlds or characters before, but Catilus has a twist on that tale (tail?).

Who is the RPG publisher Catilus, and where did the name come from?

The catilus was originally a tiny familiar-type creature I created for one of my RPG characters that I played online with friends. It’s a magical hybrid, half-cat half-nautilus, hence the name.

Once I started making art professionally, I chose Catilus as an artist name, since it’s whimsical and fun nature does express my art style very well.

Which products do you think you’re best known for?

I believe I’m best known for my TTRPG item cards. It is thanks to them that people started to notice my art in general. Some of them have been getting thousands of daily views for years on Pinterest. I can still hardly believe it.

Which products would you like to be known for?

Frankly, everything I do. I make all my art with the hope that it will entertain and that it will reach as many people who like my stuff as possible. I don’t really see my creations as commercial products, to be honest. Although I do art professionally, my priority as an artist has always been to create things that inspire and offer value to other people’s lives.

Cute Creatures Compendium is a silver best seller at DriveThruRPG. Well done! Are you surprised at the success?

I was at first for sure. The Cute Creatures Compendium Kickstarter almost didn’t happen after all. The book began as a small reward for my amazing Patreon supporters. Then one day my GM and I wondered if it could make a decent Kickstarter campaign. It totally surpassed our

expectations and now the book is doing fine. (It might even be an electrum best seller by the time you post this!)

Cute animals and responsibility 

In a quick chat with Cat before the interview, I picked up some extra insight which meant I could keep talking about cute animals. So what’s what we did!

You’re trained in veterinary medicine, is that right? Did that experience influence the Cute Creatures Compendium

Yes and no. I always loved animals and drew them a lot. Studying to become a veterinarian was partly due to that love. So, the interest in drawing animals and cute monsters started much earlier than my university years. Some of my very first drawings were of horses. Then I started drawing fantasy creatures after Pokemon and Digimon became a thing.

Do you have any concerns or highlights on how tabletop RPGs and their supplements tend to portray animals or animal welfare? I’ve seen mules in equipment sections in books, and wolves are sometimes disposable magically summoned cannon fodder for fights.

I think it’s important to separate fantasy from reality in this case. While I certainly am against the abuse of real animals, writing (or playing) a story is a different thing. RPG worlds can be very dark and cruel in general. Characters can be assassins, barbarians, and all sorts of violent things.

So, abusing animals in fantasy settings may sometimes just be part of that world’s overall cruelty. Having said that, I hope that my work helps those who want to create peaceful settings get a few ideas for adventures with animal friends and quests that aim to save the world and the creatures in it.

I have got a similar question about art. Does the RPG community treat artists well?

You will get a whole array of different reactions from the community. Most people are either indifferent or silently supportive. Then there are the typical trolls and the people who instead of commenting on the art, attack the artists themselves, something that happens mostly to young artists and newcomers but remains a problem later on as well. Many amazing creators have been bullied away from major platforms because they just expressed themselves.

The great thing about the RPG community is that it’s full of creativity. Almost everyone who’s in it is a creator and it’s a pleasure to be among so many who love to create fantasy worlds and characters like I do.

Do illustrators in the RPG community have any social responsibility? For example, if illustrating a fantasy scene, should creators have second thoughts about burly male adventurers rescuing a scantily clad princess in distress?

I believe that people always have a social responsibility in everything they do. For me, in the context of this question that responsibility lies in drawing more colorful, inclusive, and ultimately more authentic and interesting themes. Let burly adventurers rescue scantily clad

royals regardless of gender. Let scantily clad royals rescue burly adventurers too (for example, from dangers they can’t handle, like political intrigue). Let red dragons be kind-hearted, and let unicorns be sneaky. I generally think stereotypes limit storytelling and artistic expression.

Art or death?

I thought I’d ramp up the questions with even harder ones… but as you can read, I didn’t do very well. Cat has clever and thoughtful answers to every one of my attempted diner table enigmas. 

Here’s one of those nightmare hypothetical party game questions; if you could only have one of the three in your life, which would you pick; animals, art, or gaming?

That’s an easy choice. You can’t have life without animals. Biologically, humans are animals as well. Gaming is a subset of art, and you can’t have art without life. So, I have to pick animals because if I choose anything else I’d be killing us all!

Here’s less of a hypothetical question about marketing and selling your creatures, and that’s which platform is most important to you. Patreon, Facebook or DriveThruRPG?

All are equally vital and function synergistically. I could not work with only one.

I’m taking this chance to ask designers and publishers about One D&D. What are your hopes, if any, for the next evolution of Dungeons & Dragons? What should Wizards of the Coast do next?

Due to the recent events, I’m quite disenchanted as far as One D&D is concerned. I found the basic idea great: an online platform to play D&D, created by the those considered to be the best to do so. Now, that’s one. WotC should, in my opinion, work hard to win back the trust of the community. RPGs in the online age might be the next step in the evolution of storytelling, and

WotC could have been at the heart of this evolution if only they looked at the bigger picture and worked together with the community.

I’ve been asking that question for months, but brand new for you, hot in the heat of the Open Game License (OGL) drama. Have you been tracking that? Do you have any thoughts?

As a 3rd party content creator, I am directly impacted by this. All I ever wanted was to share the fun I experience when playing RPGs with other people. The original OGL allowed me to do that, and I will continue to do so regardless of what license I’ll end up using for future creations.

Perhaps some business-focused people don’t understand that for many of us, the money we make from RPG games is just a means of making more RPG content for everyone to enjoy.

That’s how I approached this originally and this won’t change. However, even if WotC cares only about money, it’s still in their best interest to allow the broader RPG community to grow. Indie creators are also some of the most passionate and dedicated players.

Lastly, next

As regular readers know, I like to take this chance to get some insights into one’s coming. Can I land a scoop?

What will Catilus do next?

I have just launched my fantasy comic “MageQuest” on Webtoon. I’m also working on my next Kickstarter. Whatever the future brings, I’ll continue to work hard for the people who have so kindly supported me and for all those who might consider supporting me in the future.

Catilus

• Catilus on DriveThruRPG.
• Catilus on Patreon.
• Catilus on Discord.
• Catilus on Twitter.
• Catilus on Pinterest.
• Catilus on Instagram.
• MageQuest.

Latest Catilus Products

As noted, Catilus is an artist whom you can support through Patreon, but there’s also a growing collection of tabletop RPG successes. We can find these on DriveThruRPG and so filter by the latest updates.

• 19th January, 2023 Cute Creatures Compendium – PDF + Foundry VTT Module [BUNDLE]
• 19th January, 2023 Cute Creatures Compendium – Foundry VTT Premium Module
• 1st December, 2022 Cute Creatures Compendium
• 26th February, 2022 Shattered Staff of Elemental Mastery (5e Items, Shattered Artifact, and Adventure Hooks)
• 30th December, 2022 Adoptable Spider Eggs (5e Items and Stat Blocks)