One of the games that grabbed our attention at UKGE was Pirate Borg with the deliciously dark and tempting supplement "From the Depths Below" (which hits kickstarter today as part of Limithron's Boarding Party Campaign which is three campaigns together (the other two being: Westfalia's Pirate Borg Miniatures and Limithron's Pirate Map Collection.) We were lucky enough to grab a bit of time with Will, creator of "From the Depths Below," and as we can't wait to dive into our own supernatural adventures on the seven sea's we just had to find out a bit more about this title as well as about Will themselves...
Totally Pawsome: As a creator of From the Depth's Below, what inspired you to design it and with it coming to Kickstarter what do you feel it brings to a table that will have people falling in love with the setting?
Will RD: Creating different settings for Forbidden Psalm has always been the goal so that people can play whatever setting that they like the most. Pirates was one that I got asked about a lot and when I started chatting with Limithron last year it all fell into place. It was a no brainer and soon as I started the project it flowed so easily. Making a game that was both fun to play, silly and horror themed all at the same time was such a blast to do.
TP: What would you say is the best selling point of your expansion and what does it have in common with your other releases?
WRD: As a stand alone game it offers everything a player needs to get playing. If you've played Forbidden Psalm before there is a whole new campaign, ship to ship combat, pirate captains and so much more. If your new to Forbidden Psalm there has never been a better time to get involved. This game adds everything you need with no other books required to play. With the Pirate Maps by Limithron, miniatures by Westfalia you can get everything you need to play From the Depths Below. If you like skirmish wargames, narrative games and random tables this might be a game for you. The game is still based off of the core rules of Forbidden Psalm, so its easy to pick and learn and the award winning game design is still in place. But now you get to add a whole manner of madness and fun to your games. New monsters, weapons, a full narrative campaign and pirate captain hats.
TP: Within From the Depths below do you have a favourite character that you designed and why?
WRD: I think that less a character and more a piece of equipment haha. So each captain has a pirate captains hat and my favourite is the living octopus hat that either gives you or your opponent benefits in combat depending how the octopus feels. I am also fond of the Deep Sea Corpse Collector a shark variant of the same creature from Forbidden psalm.
TP: How do you see From the Depths below developing the Pirate Borg setting and what can you tell us anything about future products?
WRD: From the Depths below adds a whole narrative campaign to Pirate Borg that offers a detailed story of stopping a cosmic horror from beneath the waves. It adds monsters and new weapons to the RPG but also stands as its own skirmish wargame. So if people are RPG players or more into miniatures there is something here for them. It can also be run along side the TTRPG to add more tactical combat to games of Pirate Borg. Future projects end of this year there is a redesigned edition of Last War coming with all new art and layout [core rules have not changed] and a full expansion called into the Dead Woods!
TP: When you created the book what were the key things you wanted to include and why?
WRD: Unlike in other Forbidden Psalm games where you do not have a leader in the same way I wanted the pirate captains to be a major feature and so crew creation is very much centred around who your captain is and what class they belong to. I also wanted ship to ship combat as felt that it would not be a pirate game without the ability to fire cannons at each other and NPCs.
TP: Who do you think would love to play your Pirate Borg and why?
WRD: If you like roleplay games that take no time to learn and get you right into the game Pirate Borg is for you. Pirate borg is the perfect blend of the OSR philosophy and silly fun. If you like pirates you should check it out.
TP: Where do you see your TTRPG writing career taking you in 5 years?
WRD: Honestly no idea, when I set out to make games 6 years ago I did not predict it would be my full time career. so now that it is I guess I hope that remains the same and I keep making things people like. Failing that I might become a hermit or live in the woods somewhere. Lately I have been doing more and more of my own art tho and that has been a blast to do.
TP: If budget was not a problem and you had an infinite fund to call upon, what do you think you'd like to develop and bring to the fore?
WRD: I would love to convert Forbidden Psalm and its family of games into turn based combat video games if budget was no option. Another dream of mine is to create a big art book based off of my roleplay groups game that has been going for around 20 years now. The word and setting have been shaped by players and I would love to see that realised.
TP: Who do you admire in the Independent TTRPG writing space and why?
WRD: For me it is the authenticity of it all. You see people making art, sure to make money and live but mostly because they feel driven to create weird, wonderful and inspiring worlds and games. The refusal to give into AI, to 'sell out' and to make things people want to see made. Speaking with other creators and seeing people so passionate about games regardless of who will play them is a joy. I want to be clear I also see value in the mass produced TTRPGs as well. It's like some people want that mass produced food and others want a home cooked meal. Both can fill you up but they come from a different place and offer different experiences.
TP: What got you into TTRPG's in the first place?
WRD: I was the typical nerdy kid, bullied and too shy to do other things. Meeting other people that wanted to play games is what got me into them back when I was 14. What has kept me is the way the way in which RPG players come together to undertake a ritual of storytelling collectively, that is as old as mankind.
For more on this campaign, keep up to date with us alongside others in this Summer of Boarding Fun as we prepare to hoist the mainsail and keep those scabrous dogs in order...
Thank you,
ThunderMouser
