INTERVIEW: Conquest and Conquest: First Blood Creators: Joel and Jacob Rasmussen - Para Bellum Games

Jacob (L) & Joel (R) Rasmussen

We love the opportunity to talk to people within the TTRPG community, and one of the interviews we're really proud of this year is this one with Para Bellum Games Jacob and Joel Rasmussen, designers of Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings and Conquest: First Blood.  Getting to delve into their past, their straight forward approach to gaming being easy to learn and where their love for TTRPG's all began...

Totally Pawsome:  As a creator for the Conquest games, what inspired you to design it and what do you feel it brings to a table that will have people falling in love with the setting?

Jacob:  Our goal with the new First Blood was to create a system with simple yet very flavorful and immersive rules. You can truly feel each clash as a struggle between two warriors which makes for some very heroic and memorable moments!

Joel:  For the new First Blood, a goal established early on was creating an experience that was truly unique yet familiar to the rank-and-flank version of Conquest. We asked ourselves: “how can we experiment and differentiate while maintaining the essence of the prior versions”? We feel that we landed on quite the sweet spot, incorporating some essentials such as rolling low=good and same statlines, while adding new innovations such as a dice comparative combat system and hidden card based deployment.

We also place a high value on variety, theming, and differentiation when writing statlines and armies. When you look at a miniature and read their lore, that should translate to how they play on the tabletop. The naming of abilities and addition of unique special rules act as a gateway to the full background and setting of Conquest. If a player reads a cool name or effect, they will be inclined to read more about the lore to get a better understanding of their faction and the world of Eä.

TP:  What would you say is the best selling point of your Wargames?

Jacob:  Something we are both very pleased with is that First Blood is a very approachable game, simple to learn yet hard to master, the best sort of game for all sorts of players. As players battle it out, they will slowly find ways to improve and get more out of each Warrior on the battlefield. (but none of these tricks/optimizations learned come at the expense of the experience!) It is truly magical when a competitive player can battle it out against a laid back opponent where both can walk away satisfied.

TP:  With so many Heroes and species within what was your favourite to design, play and why?  (This could be multiple answers.)

Joel:  I feel that the City States turned out very well. Translating a faction that relies on order, discipline, and the formation of soldiers into a skirmish game is no easy task. Having the choice of maintaining the strategy that you set at the start of the round which benefits your disciplined Hoplites  versus breaking formation that abandons the set gameplan which benefits your auxiliary troops such as Minotaurs is great fun. 

Jacob:  The Yoroni are an obvious choice when discussing fun, as each Warrior is of brutish stature (worth about 4x that of a normal warrior) they all are extremely noteworthy and unique. From their Unique Activation system to all of their fun flavor rules (Yes, the Sumo-like Kami Ayakashi can body slam Enemies), each individual Warrior truly brings something new to the table.

TP:  Where do you see the Conquest world developing to and can you tell us anything about future products?

Joel:  We would love to implement even more variety in how our players can interact with our games and setting. Official support for slow-grow league play, narrative map-based campaign systems, multiplayer battles, and anything else that we can add to the Conquest experience. For what shiny new miniatures are in the pipeline, all we can say is to tune into our Happy Hour streaming events for the first glimpses into what is currently in the works.

TP:  When you designed your world what were the key things you wanted to include and why?

Joel:  Our home lies in the dungeons of game design, such lore questions are better answered by Leo Stavros, as the world of Conquest is his brainchild. Para-Bellum does offer an incredibly beautiful and insightful lore book which covers factions not yet adapted into playable armies. I would recommend looking there if you want to see what the future may hold!

TP:  Who do you think would love to play your Wargames and why?

Jacob:  We like to think there is something in First Blood for everyone, but the players that will be most fulfilled playing First Blood are those looking for replayability, on-your-toes strategy, and memorable experiences. First Blood’s Dynamic Scenario system along with hidden deployment truly makes no two games quite the same. 

TP:  Where do you see your TTRPG writing career taking you in 5 years?

Joel: There are a plethora of new factions and mysteries to yet explore in the world of Conquest. There are also possibilities of even more ways to use your miniature collection, such as dungeon crawling games and siege battles. At Para-Bellum there are even more esoteric ideas and endeavors that are pondered that I cannot discuss here! 

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?

Jacob:  This is a difficult one to pin down, there of course are many ideas that are kicked around and some are definitely more “realistic” than others but we feel that we can't share too much here as no one truly knows what the future holds…

Joel:  I see room for innovation by incorporating more digital aspects into miniature games, merging video game and tabletop game experiences together. Touch screen battlefields that interface with miniatures, dynamic apps that track ability cooldowns; the possibilities are endless!

TP:  Who do you admire in the Independent TTRPG writing space and why?

Joel:  We have to pay respects to the giants that exist in this space for their legacy and for onboarding new players into the wider world of tabletop gaming. With that being said, we are always appreciative of companies and individuals that truly try to do their own thing that offers game mechanics and experiences seen nowhere else in our sphere.

Jacob:  With how big the once-niche hobby of tabletop gaming has grown, it is a bright future where many individual designers and small teams are creating some truly unique experiences for all to have. We greatly appreciate when we see things that are genuinely new appear in the market, as their success pushes everyone else to grow and create better games for us all to enjoy.

TP:  What got you into TTRPG's in the first place?

Joel: We come from a very nerdy little area of the American midwest in Wisconsin, with a strong tabletop gaming community that stretches back decades. We are right by some of the largest miniature and tabletop gaming conventions, and also only a 20 minute drive to the town where Dungeons and Dragons was created. It was only a matter of time before we would get sucked in!

I love the blend of artistry, strategy, and creativity that miniature gaming consists of. There is something I find so satisfying about pushing your little dudes around the table that you built and painted yourself that you cannot find in any other hobby.

Jacob: When we set our first foot into our local hobby shop, it was love at first sight. The tactile experience of building/painting minis, rich fictional worlds to explore, AND fun games to play with your friends? The multi-faceted nature of TTRPGs is what makes it the vastly growing success that it is; no matter your mood, the individual, or your time to spare there is always some way to engage with it. As we become more and more attached to our technology, it really is no wonder so many people are picking it up!

For those going to UKGE please visit the Para Bellum Games area on Conquest Avenue (3-462) for a chance to learn how to play the games, discuss history and pick up some fab miniatures.

All the best,

ThunderMouser

KICKSTARTER UPDATE: Cyberpunk TCG - WeirdCo

Hail Mighty Readers, Followers of the Luck Gods Math Rocks, 

Our Chooms at WeirdCo have sent a message through the Netrunners that they will be at UKGE 2026 from the 29th May through to the 31st where you can demo the game and get the test decks at their location of 4-779 with them adding the new rules for their forthcoming Cyberpunk TCG which is still available to pledge to on kickstarter.  

In addition to this, a brand new card has been added to the Beta Box, that of Dexter DeShawn.  Prepare to lay down the undercities rules and become Legend.

For more information join the Official Discord and have the latest sent to your implants.

All the best,

ThunderMouser

 

GAMEFOUND CAMPAIGN UPDATE: Death and Beyond - Archvillain Games

Hail Mighty Readers and Followers of the Luck Gods Rocks,

ArchVillain Games gave a quick update to do with their Gamefound Campaign Death and Beyond, which launched on the 12th May which has (as of today 20 days left to run.)

Here's what they had to say:  

"Hi Adventurers of the Undead!

1 More Stretch Goal down, 14 in total!

You managed to unlock yet another pair of cards for each Boss Encounter Box, this time one more Magic Item card and one more Graft card added to the box, the decks are getting thicker, even more loot and gruesome prosthetics for you!

There is 1 more Soulcrown Metal coin, 1 more physical miniature and the character sheets on the horizon, let's see if we can unlock all of them too!

Once again we wanted to keep you in the loop that fabulous miniature painter, Angel Giraldez has a cracking tutorial on how to OSL effects on their Archvillain Games: Death and Beyond: Lilith, Mother of Vampires:

All the best,

ThunderMouser

SHIPPING UPDATES and new Live Q&A: Starcraft Miniature Game - Archon Studio and Blizzard

Our friends over at Archon Studio's have sent us an update for all those who signed up for their Gamefound StarCraft: Tabletop Miniatures Game.

Here's what they had to say:

"...shipping will being on the 25th May.  If you ordered through Gamefound and your order status updated to "preparing for shipping", this means that your order has been logged by our accounting team and should be sent out within the next 1-2 weeks (or more, if additional paperwork is required.  Please note that this is only for Gamefound orders - if you ordered directly from our stores, your status will directly update to shipped after it has been sent out....

Shipping Hubs

"If you're from the USA, Canada, or Australia, your status will only change once your packages have reached your local hub - it will take a couple of weeks for the ship to sail from Poland to the destination country, so its normal that there won't be any status changes to these countries for a couple weeks after shipping begins...

We're aware that you've been patiently waiting for the rulebook for some time now and we'd like to let everyone know that it will be available shortly on our website - right now we're just waiting for the final set of approvals to come through.

As we discussed in the past, we'd like to offer a thank-you gift for believing in our vision in the form of a free softcover rulebook.  Everyone with a two-player starter set will receive one, and if you're in the first batch of shipments and the rulebook hasn't been approved yet, we will ship it to you separately."

Finally if you're reading this today (22nd May 2026) before 20:00 CEST or 11AM PT there is a live broadcast where you can ask anything, here:

TO keep up to date with everything Starcraft sign up to the newsletter here on Archon's Miniature Game page

All the best,

ThunderMouser

TTRPG CREATOR INTERVIEW: Converge Games and their Appearance at UKGE 2026 - Converge Games

With UK Games Expo (UKGE) only a week away, we were lucky enough to be able to grab some time with one of the independent teams attending, Converge Games (Stand 3A-116) , who are bringing their brand new game "The Mad Kings Ire" to the event with live demo's on the stand.

Phill Glennpott kindly took some time out to chat to us about Shattered Destinies (their lead TTRPG that has a live play Shattered Destinies: Starfall available for you to watch here), the development of the world and what he's love to do with infinite resources...

Totally Pawsome:  As a creator of Shattered Destinies, what inspired you to design it and with The Mad Kings Ire soon to be added to Kickstarter what do you feel it brings to a table that will have people falling in love with the setting?

Glenn Phillpott:  Shattered Destinies really came about over a number of years in a number of stages, none of it was really planned, it just all sort of happened! 

First the setting, which has been built over 20 years collaboratively over countless home games with a great number of players, we built Kintsor (the world in which Shatteries Destinies is set) together and played through many of the ages of the world. I never repeated campaigns or storylines within Kintsor, every game became canon, every character added to the games lore.

Next, the mechanics, I’ve always been a game designer at heart, and was never truly satisfied with the systems we played (and I’ve played a lot), each had things I liked and things I didn’t, and I never really found a system that worked well for my table. Over the years I developed a number of homebrews for different systems to try and fix things I didn't like, and much of Shattered Destinies evolved from those homebrew hacks!

Finally it was the want to have a system that blended narrative and mechanics in such a way that felt intuitive and allowed cohesive and natural storytelling. The mechanics needed to make sense within the story and not be too jarring as to bring players out of the moment when the game started to get tense. The need to also make every result matter, if dice were rolled, there should always be an outcome that could go beyond just pass/fail with easy to apply rules to support it. Luckily I have a close circle of very talented and enthusiastic people that would help Shattered Destinies develop into the system it has become. 

But as creation process began, I also began thinking about my other passion, board games, the creative juices were flowing and I realised we could offer a lot more of the world of Kintsor, so I also began working on a number of board game ideas with the same underlying concept, that blending of gameplay and narrative. 

The Mad King’s Ire came about from my love of the old school dungeon crawlers, from my youth playing massive campaigns of the original Warhammer Quest, and other games like hero quest and space crusade. I wanted to evoke the same feelings of exploration and adventure, but go beyond it. The Mad King is one of the first Antagonists in the world of Kintsor and has been a constant threat in various stories over the past 20 years, so it seemed like the perfect focus for a game where you would be thrown into a dangerous dungeon by an unpredictable overlord. I wanted a stand alone experience that anyone could play needing no prior knowledge of Shatter Destinies that would pit you against unpredictable threats and foes, and have some similar mechanics and concepts to the Shatter Destinies TTRPG, I’m very happy with the results!

TP:  What would you say is the best selling point of your TTRPG's?

GP:  It’s very accessible and easy to pick up, the base mechanics can be explained in 5 minutes, but there’s depth to find within the mechanics and as you advance your character. 

I’m very proud of the character builder. We’ve designed a system where every choice you make when generating your character not only gives you mechanical benefit, but adds to your character's backstory. By the end of character creation you’ll have a fairly good idea of where your character comes from and what their motivations are, it goes beyond numbers on a page and breathes life into something you’ve created.

The attrition system allows you to spend your Vigour (a form of HP), and even take wounds  to modify your die rolls and push for a greater level of success, but the cost there is these resources are not available to you later, there is the narrative element of the adventuring party slowly succumbing to their ordeals as they push themselves further and further. Resting and downtime is important, there are a number of useful activities you can perform to develop your character while they rest from their adventuring ordeals and replenish their resources.

Combat flows smoothly, there is very little break in narrative flow when combat begins, and no jarring change of rules during combat, initiative is fluid, turns are fast paced your actions can be split to allow you to combo up with others, there are easy rules for doing more than just an attack or casting a spell, using the environment to your advantage is easy to do and feels intuitive.

The magic system is flexible, allowing you to modify a spell as you cast it, using additional successes to increase damage, targets or add other effects. 

We also have a full crafting and harvesting system for those that like to dig in to seeking out the best materials and building the most powerful gear.

TP:  With so many characters to design and play, which is your favourite and why?

GP:  That’s a difficult one! I’m fond of all of the Paths (classes) in Shattered Destinies, but I think my favourites are the ones that do things a bit different from what I’ve seen in other game systems.

The Troubadour - allows a bard to be a bard, changing the course of events with their music and song, it’s really fun to have a character that could be a full non combatant playing their music to buff the party and distract foes in tense situations.

The Juggernaut - All about wearing big armour and being unstoppable, feeling powerful in combat and intimidating out of it. There’s something about being able to charge around the environment, sending foes and obstacles flying that is really satisfying and a lot of fun when using elaborate battle maps.

The Inquisitor - A pure investigator that gains bonuses every time they glean information which can then be applied to later tests. I’m currently playing this path in a home game and it’s really fun to be able to apply all your gathered bonuses in one go to find important information that would have been missed.

TP:  Where do you see Shattered Destinies developing and can you tell us anything about future products?

GP:  We’ll continue to expand upon the world of Kintsor, developing our TTRPG with new paths, backgrounds and adventures and providing more detail about the world itself.

We have a number of other board and card games being developed, all add to the lore of the world in some way.

We also have a few D&D related projects, taking some of our favourite aspects of the Shattered Destinies system and converting it to be 5th edition compatible. Enhanced Origins is our first of these projects, taking our advanced character creator from the Shatter Destinies TTRPG to allow anyone playing 5th edition to easily create a character with a better idea of backstory elements, with rules to support it, a slew of species options, origin feats and an advanced background system will allow you to create a 5th edition character that feels unique, with over 3 million combinations available! 

Enhanced Origins will also serve as an introduction to Kintsor, and would be a good resource for anyone interested in running games in our world.

TP:  When you designed your world, what were the key things you wanted to include and why?

GP:  The world of Kintsor has evolved naturally over the years, the main concept of the world was to make something that felt big, but also make it very obvious that the stories you took part in mattered.

Much like the rules we write, I wanted the world to be fairly easy to jump into, but with history and depth once you begin to scratch the surface. 

It’s a jumping off point for groups to naturally evolve their version of Kintsor as they play their games. I’ll be very excited to hear about how the various realities of Kintsor change from table to table as more groups play in the world.

I also wanted the world to make sense! 

The rules of the game needed to match the rules of the world, for example the need to explain why powerful mages don’t rule Kintsor, and more serve in the shadows led to magic being heavily policed, along with emerging technology. It creates a kind of tension when a character might want to bust out a powerful spell or weapon to deal with a threat, should they do it? What will the repercussions be? 

TP:  Who do you think would love to play your TTRPG's and why?

GP:  Anyone that wants a blend of narrative and gameplay in equal measures. 

We don’t make purely crunchy games, nor do we take a rules-lite narrative only approach. We sit somewhere in the middle. Anyone that wants to tell a story with friends with clear rules to support the story telling, and level of risk/reward and push your luck with a little character building on the side will enjoy our games. Theme and feel is very important to us, as is that feeling of a satisfying gameplay loop. 

TP:  Where do you see your TTRPG writing career taking you in 5 years?

GP:  The dream would be to do this full time, there’s so many ideas to develop and test, Kintsor is constantly evolving and growing, I would love to add more to the system, we have a lot planned for the future!

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?

GP:  Firstly, more art! We are slowly building up an amazing art bank with our very talented artist, but I would love to be able to get more artists involved in bringing Kintsor to life. Being able to afford to bring everyone in the Converge Games team on board full time would be a big plus with infinite funds. 

Upgrading our live stream would be one here, providing a dedicated space for shooting actual plays and gameplay previews in an environment that feels immersive.

TP:  Who do you admire in the Independent TTRPG writing space and why?

GP:  Anyone that had an idea and a passion and made it a reality. I’ve picked up a number of games from independent writers who either had an idea to fill space that they felt was missing in the space, or had a passion for the world they were writing that comes through in their work. 

As someone that enjoys character stories, world building and interesting gameplay loops, anyone that has a system that blends these in new ways will always get my attention.

Honestly anyone that gives it a go, not for money but because they love what they are doing! I can relate!

I just wish I had time to play and run more games, there is so much out there to discover!

TP:  What got you into TTRPG's in the first place?

GP:  Ever since I was young, I was telling stories and making games for my friends and family, I did more board gaming and wargaming when I was young, the closest I got at a young age was playing sprawling Warhammer Quest campaigns and making my own TTRPGs based off of JRPGs and Warhammer (an interesting mix!). I didn’t really get into the TTRPG space until later, I actually started LARPing first, from doing Performing Arts in sixth form I was introduced to the concept of LARP (which I still enjoy to this day), the friends I made there introduced me to the TTRPG space, and everything just clicked from there, 25 years later, here we are! 

NEWS ROUND UP: Kickstarter Wrapping Up for Firebase: Horizon Station and Cogfort Alternate - Dark Fantastic Mills

 

Hail Mighty Readers and Followers of the Luck Gods Math Rocks,

We're doing a bit of a round up with the latest news from our friends, Dark Fantastic Mills.  Starting with their Kickstarter, Firebase: Horizon Station we wanted to remind you that it closes shortly (29th May 2026) so if you're going to want to join, you'll have to do it quickly.

Here's what they had to say about it:
"Firebase: Horizon Station has romped along, and is now entering the final week (it ends of the 29th of May).  So far we've unlocked 20 Goals (hopefully 21 or 22 by the time you read this), taking the overall number of models in the set to over 160!"

Secondly, if you're an Age of Sigmar fan, you are more than aware of the soon to be released Cogfort, and whilst a fair few people have waited, the Steam Fort from Dark Fantastic Mills range has exploded (not literally, we're not to blame for over pressurising the boiler) in popularity both in its physical Miniature and STL version, which they've shrunk to work wonderfully well with the AoS Scale.

This week, in honour of its launch, it comes in  20% less and whilst its ready now, DFM are hard at work on an Ironclad version which will be available in June.

All the best,

ThunderMouser

BRAND NEW FEATURE: Unboxing and Building of Alternate Jarl - Para Bellum Games

Hail Mighty Readers and Followers of the Luck Gods Math Rocks,

Well, we finally did it, we're doing our first unboxing and build on our You Tube Channel and wanted to put it up here.  I won't say it was a smooth job, but as they say, you learn by doing.  (Or in my case you learn by incompetency.)  So hopefully you'll enjoy our first endeavour for Para Bellum Games. Conquest, where we built the Nord Alternate Jarl.

All the best,

ThunderMouser