Wellspring, is a manga, fantasy, lo-fi Japanese style RPG and when blended with synthwave sounds as well as dying earth themes, presents a TTRPG that will strike a chord with a great many players out there, so we were enthralled enough to ask our interview questions to the two creators...
Totally Pawsome: As a creator of modules for TTRPG's, what inspired you to write the one you're most proud of?
Mirage Company: As far as modules go, we don't create those, but Abby's made Cephalopod Squad which is a Honey Heist hack. She was playing a hell of a lot of Splatoon while waiting for me to finish up a Wellspring update so she had the time to make that. We're proud of that one.
TP: What would you say is the best selling point of your TTRPGs?
MC: A fresh take on fantasy. Our games will mostly take place in our Wellspring setting, which is inspired by our love for manga and vaporwave stylings. We're calling that combination mangawave, and we want to tell a progressive sort of fantasy story with our works.
TP: Why the TTRPG space?
MC: Just like everyone else, we love collaborative storytelling and the conversations that brings. We wanted to make a game about journeying through a grim sort of world, and we couldn't find one that played the way we wanted it to. So we're making games.
TTRPGs aren't the only ones we'll be making, but it's where we'll be starting.
TP: What is your favourite product that you produce and why?
MC: Our main project, Wellspring RPG, is in alpha. It's been about a year in development; we're super excited. It's got journeys and a tactical battle system that's on the way very soon.
TP: What is your current work in progress and what can you tell us about it?
MC: See #4.
TP: Who do you think would love to play your TTRPG's and why?
MC: Anyone who's tired of not being represented in media. You can be anyone - yes, anyone - in Wellspring. We've opened the space for this, and that design is intentional. We want you to be yourself, or anyone else you love in manga, anime, and fantasy.
TP: Where do you see your TTRPG writing career taking you in 5 years?
MC: Season 1 of Wellspring will probably be ending in 5 years, then we'd be thinking of a second edition. I think we'll have some books printed in 5 years, if there's enough interest for that.
We're really making games for people like us, and we think there's enough sickos out there to at least do a li'l baby print run. I gotta market this thing, huh? One day...
TP: If you were given the time and opportunity to develop something unique, what would it be and why?
MC Gwaja: Man if I had a the time and resources, like infinite money, I'd make a vaporwave/glitch-core-styled RPG. I'd do it like NieR, or something. Just wacky shit because I'm not normal.
Also a persistent sort of live-service game, probably played on a website. I have a really good idea for that; I'd like to do that one day.
MC Abby: A serialized comic, probably? Honestly I don't know, like, what it would be about, it could be, like, theoretically anything. I really love sequential & visual storytelling and it would be a fun way to flex my artistic muscles. But given the sheer amount of time that sort of thing requires on any professional scale, it's definitely a pipe dream at this point. Someday, maybe.
TP: Who do you admire in the Independent TTRPG writing space and why?
MC: Man, we really love everything Luka Rejec is doing. We get to chat with him sometimes and it's always a blast. Actually it's been a while, where has the time gone? Big shout out to him, one of our first supporters actually.
We love GreyWizard and Rey, the Break!! RPG guys. They also support us and we've had a couple chats with them. If that game was out earlier when I was thinking of making games (it's coming, finally!) I might have just ended there. That's totally in our wheelhouse.
We're also big fans of Massif Press. Literally everything they make is our shit. I think we arrive at the same answers for how games should be designed, crunchy or not. They're totally starting a D&D 4e-themed renaissance and we're a little bit on that wave from a different angle. Our battle systems are little 4e-like by accident and association. We like those tightly designed card games, tactical combat games, and mech games too.
Wellspring's got a little bit of Lancer and ICON in it, for sure. Tom owns.
TP: What got you into TTRPG's in the first place?
MC Gwaja: Demon magic. Nah, but for real, I was in a club in high school that lasted like 2 weeks. A friend wanted me to play D&D in his club that he started, and that got me interested. I made a character sheet and then didn't touch 'em for 15 years. Another friend hit me up and was like, I wanna DM for you and our friends since I think it's your shit.
It was. Then he quit after 2 sessions. He hated DMing. So I was like yeah let me just do it. I'll learn the rules and just let it fly. Then I used none of the 5e reference manuals because I just wanted to toss people into my universe and some of the stuff in those books really sucked, man. Not to be a hater, but... I didn't feel like I fit into those fantasy stories as a minority. That was my intro.
MC Abby: Literally everyone says Critical Role but tbh for me it was The Adventure Zone. I'd played a little bit with my family before that but TAZ was what really sold me on the concept and got me searching for groups to play d&d with for real.
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