Meet Jörgen Karlsson, an acclaimed writer with a long history in the RPG-writing business.

When did you first come in contact with the Swedish editions of Dragonbane? 

The year was 1984, and I was 10 years old. A couple of schoolmates were playing during the breaks between lessons, and I was immediately enchanted. Later that year, the Dragonbane RPG was at the top of my Christmas wish list and Santa Claus didn’t disappoint me. A shiny new black box was waiting for me under the Christmas tree. Ever since, my love for Dragonbane has been cemented.

What do you consider to be Dragonbanes greatest strength?

The greatest strength is the name recognition. Most people from my generation in Sweden have played or at least know what it is all about. It is and most likely always will be the flagship for Swedish role-playing games. The fact that it’s also fun to play and doesn’t have a particularly long break-in period is a great advantage. 

Why third-party adventures? 

As many others that created adventures, campaigns and bestiaries at home I dreamt of making a real adventure. I had before the Dragonbane third-party license dipped my toes in the sea but nothing that stood out in any way. My ego demanded of me to at least make one adventure in the style of the beloved adventures from my youth. With one successful Kickstarter under my belt I began to realise that anybody could make a living out of this. And my journey down the third-party path began. 

Have you done any previous writings for RPGs, aside from your third party products?

I have written for smaller game companies in Sweden like SagaGames and Mylingspel. I also did some minor chores for Free League long before they became the juggernaut as we know them today. My one claim to fame was my blog called Medusa Games where I mostly published adventures to the version of Dragonbane that was created by Riotminds. It is still up and running if anyone wants to take a look. 

You received the gold prize at last year’s Fenix Awards for your adventure The Creeping Darkness. How did it affect you?

Not very much to tell you the truth. It was of course an honor to get the recognition, but I have always been bad at receiving praise. Firstly because anything I have done somebody else can do better, and secondly I have a major case of imposter syndrome. I know what I have created is really good, but there are many people that create on my level or higher that don’t get any recognition. In the end, it’s just a question of taste and liking. I for one likes to give praise, not receive it. 

Can you tell us about your current Kickstarter and the adventure?

The Kickstarter for The Godwolf from the Crooked Mountains is my 19th Kickstarter over all, my 6th for Dragonbane. So I got some experience of how to run a crowdfunding campaign. The Kickstarter came roaring out of the gates and was fully funded in 54 minutes. With that said, it’s always a struggle to keep up the tempo during the “dead zone”. New backers are ticking in all the time, but they are fewer and more spread out until the final sprint. But overall I can’t complain with almost $19.000 in the bag already. However, it would be nice if we could unlock all the stretch goals. 

What can I say about the adventure without revealing any spoilers? That’s a hard question to answer, but I can say without a doubt that this is the best adventure I have ever produced, and that I have spent far more than usual to make it so. This adventure really takes it up a notch.

Where did you find inspiration for the adventure?

Mostly from the popular culture all around us, whether it’s other role-playing games, books, movies, comic books, music and other forms of media. I also have a lot of dusty notebooks with jottings from the last 30 years that come in very handy when ideas are needed.

Do you have any tips and tricks for others who want to publish their own adventures?

I have two very important pieces of advice that all newcomers should take to heart. Firstly, begin with something small, something you can bring to life. It’s better to start with a pamphlet scenario than a 300 page campaign book. Secondly, start a newsletter as soon as possible and make it grow. This will later be your most important tool when you are ready to market your product.

Favourite RPGs: Dragonbane (of course) and Star Wars (the D6 version from West End Games).

Favourite third party supplement: Creatures of the Northern Wilds from Lehto Spel & Media. 

Favourite RPG author: Nils Hintze. 

Three inspirational authors/game designers: Sandy Petersen, Magnus Seter and the entire Free League.

The Kickstarter can be found here (click on the image):