Watch Well Games: Issue #6
In This Issue:
Interview with creator of SWOLbolds (you read that right)
Welcome to Issue #6. I'm K.J.
You can learn more about me here if you want.
I interviewed Arch of "The Lucky Die" Podcast about his one-page RPG SWOLbolds based on a few episodes from podcast.
K.J.: What inspired you to create SWOLbolds?
Arch: So, I'm one of the cast members of a D&D AP Podcast called "The Lucky Die." I'll try to keep this as spoiler free as possible. We had a few episodes involving our party being on a ship being piloted by primarily Dragonborn and Kobolds. Our Dungeon Master described two of the kobolds that were working the rigging as being "very muscular and strong" so the party took to calling them 'SWOLbolds.'
When the episode released to our listeners, some people expressed an interest in playing this specific type of character in a fun and goofy way. So it got me thinking of how I could turn this silly concept into a simple one-page RPG for people to use. And so I did!
K.J.: For fun: Describe your creation in 10 words or less.
Arch: Play as obscenely muscular kobolds with your friends!
K.J.: If you could go back and do it all over again, what would you do differently in the creation process?
Arch: I would definitely hire professional artists to pretty up the document, make a much better logo than my silly MS Paint design, and just kinda make it look more unique in a sense.
K.J.: What advice would you give new indie creators?
Arch: Hey. You. Yes, you. Your ideas are not stupid. They're not silly. They are just unrefined. And that's a good thing. That is where all ideas start. That is your foundation to build up from. That is how you learn and grow. Even if it doesn't work out. Even if you decide it isn't worth it. Learn from it. Experience is a great teacher for most walks of life and this is no different. If nothing else, I believe in you.
K.J.: Do you have a future creation you can give us any teasers or hints about?
Arch: Nothing as of yet. I would like to do another one-page RPG at some point in my future, I'm just waiting for inspiration and motivation to hit me.
K.J.: How did you discover RPGs?
Arch: My father! When I was a kid I loved playing video games with him and that carried on throughout the years. When I was a teen I had in passing mentioned seeing something about D&D to my dad and how I thought it seemed interesting. Well for that next birthday he got me the D&D 3.5e Starter Kit and it all snowballed from there!
K.J.: Favorite RPG item(s)?
Arch: Ooooo this is a fun one. So my absolute favorite is a set of 4 massive posters I have. They're all special professional art pieces made by one of the other cast members of The Lucky Die depicting each of our characters in an iconic scene from episode 10. I have the 4 posters saved in a special sealed tube until I can get them all framed.
The other is a pairing I got a few years ago at PAX Unplugged. It's a wood dice box with a set of blue sandstone dice. It's my first ever set of special fancy gemstone dice and they're absolutely gorgeous to behold and oh boy do they favor me in my rolls (usually.) I've had many a great game with them and they now have a reputation for being my ace in the sleeve when things are going sour.
K.J.: Anything else you want to share about this project?
Arch: If you're curious about trying SWOLbolds, by all means give it a go. It's on itch.io as a pay what you want model so you don't need to spend a penny on it (though any money thrown my way is greatly appreciated!) I can almost guarantee you and your friends will enjoy it.
