Luke Gygax, son of the late Gary Gygax – co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons – is building his next tabletop role-playing game on the open-source version of 5th Edition D&D. called weird and seriousDieselpunk is the first project announced for the setting. everyday heroes‘ Third-party licensing platform. A crowdfunding campaign is expected to begin in October. Designer Matt Everhart, a friend of Gygax, is co-developing the game with Gygax.
everyday heroes Founded by serial entrepreneur and writer David Scott, Evil is the first TTRPG published by Genius Productions. Created with the help of game designer Jeff Grubb, it is the spiritual successor to d20 Modern, a spinoff of D&D first published in 2002. A crowdfunding campaign raised close to $400,000 in June. Gygax’s participation was announced just ahead of Gen Con, the largest tabletop gaming convention in the United States.
In an interview with Polygon, Gygax described weird and serious As a world where magic is tormented by science. The vibe is similar to 1920s and 1930s America, with all the industrialization of the war and the political overtones of that period.
“Magic has become more accessible,” Gygax said. “So you’re looking at the industrialization of magic. So in addition to high fantasy magic — like someone who can cast magic or throw a bolt of lightning out of their hands — there would also be magical science, that aethertech, which is essentially magical. The technology is there. So you can have a lightning bolt gun that a craftsman is capable of making.”
“It’s a mix of Hellboy meeting Indiana Jones and throwing in a little layer of a touch of horror in there too,” he said.
in addition to the following weird and seriousGygax is also known for creating the world of Okkorim, which has been the setting for many published adventures.
“Back in 2013, we hadn’t seen the 5th edition yet,” Gygax said. “We weren’t in this beautiful renaissance of D&D, this explosion of D&D we’re experiencing right now. I was looking for a way, something to get down to the bottom and grab the attention of gamers that might be taking some time.” Was an experienced player.
Image: Carlos Martins / Guxx Works
“I wanted to take it away from a traditional European setting and think of a place that was like a crossroads of cultures – like a Bosphorus region in the real world – and give it a flavor that would be a little bit different, ” He continued. “So I came along [the] The world of Okorim. And, you know, my wife is Moroccan and, don’t tell anyone, but Okkarim is kind of Moroccan in the back, right? I talked to him about it all [and used] My experience in Iraq, as well as my trip to Morocco, to help inform some of the features that may be of interest. ,
Gygax recently retired from the US Army, where he served for 33 years. Since 2009 he has also been responsible for hosting the annual Gary Cone event in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, a celebration of his father’s life and legacy. The first Gary Con was relatively informal, but it has become a mainstay of the global gaming convention circuit.
“The people who came and told me how important my father was to them,” said Gygax, “[and to tell me how] even if they don’t know him personally […] How transformative the Dungeons & Dragons game was and how, in a sense, they also played a role in their development. maybe not as a father Actually, but certainly as an influential figure who informed his thinking and who he became. So that’s why the people who come to Gary Cohn are very passionate.”
It is this passion that has helped Gary Cohn flourish, even in the face of an ongoing pandemic.
“People went out of their comfort zones to do this,” Gygax said. “Well, you know, I’ve never done a game on Zoom, or you know, roll 20 or [another virtual tabletop] But I’m going to try it because I want to celebrate Gary Cohn and I want it to happen. And so they did, and it was a really amazing achievement. So I think it helps to show other conferences you didn’t need to cancel. You can go virtual and it can work. ,
The next Gary Conn is scheduled for March 23, 2023.
