On Halloween we start this column of interviews. The column generated a great surprise in the community and above all, it generated the interest to know, at least a little, who are the participants of it. In this opportunity we are going to be talking to: Grognar.
As far as we know a fan of Dungeon And Dragons, Pathfinder, indie games, ttrpg content creator and above all memes creator. The content he creates can be found at: Grognar's Hoard. We will surely find out more about him during the interview. So, as we said, with great emotion and very happy we start by presenting: @grognarTS
@grognarTS: You can refer to me as Grognar, as that's my account name or as Jeff.
Games of Turtle: Ok, Jeff thank you very much for your time! So, now we are diving into this world of sword, sorcery and dragons! Tell us a little about how you started your path into this world? Do you remember the first time you approached this gaming dimension of rpg / tabletop games? How was it?
@grognarTS: I've always been a big fan of fantasy since I was a kid. Me and my friends were always making rpgs, both pen and paper and live action. Of course we didn't know what we were doing. My friend's older brother had enough knowledge to know we needed to make character sheets and that was about it. It wasn't until I was older that I was introduced to proper dungeons and dragons.
Games of Turtle: You said that when you were older you were introduced to proper dungeons and dragons. In which edition did you start playing D&D?
@grognarTS: I started with 3.5 in the early 2000's. And then when I was in high school I was in a table-top gaming club for a couple of years. I didn't play much after that until my mid 20's when I picked up 5th edition. Currently I play Pathfinder 1st edition and I'm playing a solo game of Basic Fantasy RPG.
Games of Turtle: What kind of character do you like the most? Class, alignment? Favorite spell? Favorite martial weapon? And what is, for you, the best monster and why?
@grognarTS: As far as what characters I like, I'm pretty basic. I like martial classes and I'm big on the classic tropes. Giant barbarians, dwarf clerics, armored vaguely Anglo-Saxon fighters, etc.
I don't know what I would consider to be the best monster. As a DM, rust monsters can be fun. Aesthetically though I'm always drawn to the classics. Orcs, goblins, trolls, dragons, etc give the game a certain feel that's starting to become uncommon.
Games of Turtle: You didn't mention anything about magic. So…what about magic? you don't like magic or you try to avoid it? Do you have a special concept about magic?
@grognarTS: I don't necessarily have anything against magic, or magic users I'm just not drawn to them in the same way as I am the martial classes. Although I do think spell casters can easily 'break the game' after a certain point.
Games of Turtle: To continue the conversation...we're looking at the concept of magic, let's explore this a bit more. Do you consider that all spell casters can break the game or only some of them? What elements of the character or what spells could you mention as a game breaker and what limits do you see possible to avoid that breaking step?
@grognarTS: I am going to generalize because I think the system, the individual dungeon master, how often a party can rest, and the players at the table are all factors in this. As an example a fighter, a barbarian, rogue etc will always be a guy with a sharp piece of steel. A wizard, after a point, can wipe out a village.
Games of Turtle: Since you started in 3.5, what environments have you browsed? Do you have a preference between a particular setting, like Eberron, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun, Ravenloft ect…?
@grognarTS: I am a dungeon master. I've always been a big fan of Forgotten Realms. I discovered The Thousand Orcs by R.A Salvatore at Walmart around the time I started playing and immediately became hooked on the series. Dark Sun looks fantastic as well although I've yet to play it. My preferred setting however tends to be homebrewed.
Games of Turtle: That was the next question...Dungeon Master or Player. So, DM. And you preferred homebrewed settings. How many adventures do you have going on? How many members does each group have?
@grognarTS: I have a pathfinder 1e game with a group of 4 players although I will be bringing in a 5th player soon. I've also recently started a solo game of Basic Fantasy RPG.
Games of Turtle: Perfect! Lots of players. What attitude or DEMing style do you have? how to prepare the campaign? and how does the group start it?
@grognarTS: As a DM, my main goal is for everyone to have fun. I still do silly voices and accents, I allow my players to attempt anything as long as they can justify it and they are prepared to deal with the potential consequences.
I prepare my campaign by coming up with a basic synopsis of a story and creating a location. I make some npcs, businesses, factions etc. Nothing too in-depth. I create more as necessary based on the decisions my players make, and what I think they may enjoy in the future.
Games of Turtle: I understand, you create a mold that is malleable in the face of the actions or omissions of the players. Do you have any house rules? Can you share an idea?
@grognarTS: The house rules I use tend to be minor and situational so I can't think of any atm. Lately though I have been finding that pathfinder is a little more complex and involved than some of my players can really handle so we try to simplify things as much as possible.
In the future I will likely switch to a simpler system, at least with this particular group. I'm leaning more towards OSR style games atm.
Games of Turtle: Do you use images to run the adventures or not? And in the same order of ideas do you use minis a lot or not? Why?
@grognarTS: I do use minis and battle maps when it makes sense to use them, the rest of the time we play theater of the mind.
Games of Turtle: Do you make specials like for Halloween, Christmas, new year… (one shot style) or do you add any special to the current game? Or...?
@grognarTS: I do enjoy one shots and holiday specials. I recently collaborated with Fight Guy Studios and wrote a one shot adventure for his system Brains & Brawn which should be released sometime soon. I had also planned to do a Halloween special with my regular group but unfortunately we haven't been able to get together and play for about a month now so it never happened.
Games of Turtle: Good! Let us know when the collaboration comes out so we don't miss the material. Moving a little further we have seen that you uploaded photos of DIO. Is it your favorite music or is it one more of many in a musical list?
@grognarTS: I do enjoy Dio although I don't think I would say he's a favorite. I do primarily listen to metal but I listen to a wide variety of other music as well.
Games of Turtle: ok! So, you have a wide range! In your twitter account you upload many images, most of them memes. Tell us about why you create memes and what do you look for to create them? And what kind of message do you want to give?
@grognarTS: While I do create some of the memes I share most of the ones I share are taken from other places. I don't have any message I am attempting to spread, I simply share memes I think are funny.
Games of Turtle: Just to explain to our audience, Grognar has a page in which he has several projects under way. We have read them, some are about game reviews and some campaign notes. And he also plays a solo RPG game that he is journaling. Tell us a little about the parts and the whole project.
@grognarTS: The website, along with this page is just a small project. I have a few simple web apps I have created for it. A digital dice roller and a character generator and I have more I intend to make in the future. I also have a blog on my website that I try to update weekly. I like to showcase indie creators and their projects. The solo game I am currently playing is a Basic Fantasy RPG campaign. I am currently doing a write up of the first session, it will be available on my ko-fi page for a week or so prior to when I upload it on my website.
Games of Turtle: That sounds like a lot of work and very focused energy! Can we have an exclusive of some advance of the solo adventure?
@grognarTS: As far as an exclusive with the solo game there's nothing really to give.
Games of Turtle: Ok! Why do you start tweeting about rpg / fantasy art? Is this important for you?
@grognarTS: As to why I started tweeting about tabletop games, it's just a hobby.
Games of Turtle: Who is @grognarTS? How would you define yourself? What do you do in your free time? Do you have a pet?
@grognarTS: I don’t really know how I would define myself. I’m just a guy, I have a woman and kids, I work a full time job on top of what I do online. This is one of my main hobbies right now, I also train martial arts. Boxing and Muay Thai primarily. I have a lot of pets. A ball python, a cat, 3 dogs, and several chickens.
Games of Turtle: You are a family man. How good!
The little ones are a joy. And... wow! You practice martial arts. Are you at an advanced level? What do they represent for you and what do martial arts contribute for?
@grognarTS: I've trained at a Muay Thai gym consistently for the past two years. And I trained for a little more than a year at an MMA gym prior to that. I find martial arts, particularly combat sports, to be an almost necessary part of modern life. The discipline and physical toughness you gain from training, and competing give you the confidence and perspective to deal with other stress in your life.
Games of Turtle: Do you have a pending or postponed project? Like to publish a book, an adventure, plant a tree?
@grognarTS: I have a lot of projects I'm currently working on. There is a digital spell tracker I've been procrastinating on in favor of smaller projects for like two months. I have a dungeon with a map I plan on releasing at some point. A couple of reviews, etc..
Games of Turtle: Some classic questions:
1. A book? The moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein.
2. A movie? School of Rock
3. A place? Thailand
4. A meal? Good bbq
5. A game? Witcher 3
Games of Turtle: We have reached the end of the interview.
Last question from an old and wise turtle: Does the afterlife exist or not?
@grognarTS: I don't really know. We have no evidence or reason to believe it does beyond our collective desire for it to exist. I'm going to go with a strong maybe. But I do think it's probably better to believe in something, or to at least hope than to assume there is nothing.
Games of Turtle: Jeff, we hope you felt comfortable in the interview! And of course we look forward to another opportunity to repeat the meeting because there are many things to walk through! We had a great time! We are in contact! Thank you very much!
@grognarTS: Thank you!
That was a fun read! I will enjoy these going forward 馃槂
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. Very in depth and interesting. Can’t wait to read more of them.
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