Let me tell about some of the people that inspire me to play games, make games, and love games. I’m sure there are many more I could mention here, but these are the ones that come to mind at the moment. In the end, everything we engage with, whether we love it or hate it, will leave an impression on us.

MCDM

Matt Colville, James Introcaso, and the rest of the MCDM team just released their flagship heroic monster fighting game, Draw Steel. What I find so inspiring about them is their entire process of developing this game. They were open and transparent about the entirety of development, doing constant updates and blog posts and even playtest when those became viable. It’s a tactical game designed from the ground up, from first principles, while also being true to their inspirations, to where they came from. A big part of me wanting to do this blog was MCDM’s open communication about everything they do.

Spencer Campbell, Gila RPG

Spencer is an indie game designer with a host of games under his belt. Slayers, Thorn, Rune, Nova, and many more. Most of his games are of the rules lite kind–few rules, full of vibes. And while I don’t play these games much myself, I can’t help but be inspired by Spencer’s design streams and products. He’s just so excited about what he does. He gets an idea, and he just follows it wherever it leads. He’s not afraid to switch between WiPs as inspiration strikes, but always follows through with his plans. Just a beacon of positive vibes in the indie industry.

Trevor Devall, My, Myself & Die

Trevor is a voice actor who started a Youtube channel to play games by himself in front of a camera. Actually, it’s multiple cameras. He’s the one who got me into Mythic GME. I find his constant flow of ideas when using random prompts to create compelling narratives within a roleplaying game inspiring. He’s currently in the process of finishing his own bespoke Sim-Lite TTPRG, The Broken Empire.

Rodney Thompson, Scratchpad Publishing

Spectaculars is one of my all time favorite games. A comic superhero TTRPG of your own design. Rodney’s vision and insights of the genre of his games are something I always strife to achieve in everything I do. His game has lead to long friendships and an appreciation for allowing players to take control over the narrative and the fate of their characters.

Shawn Tomkin, Ironsworn

The design of Ironsworn (and Starforged) is absolute perfection. Shawn created this amazing game and just put it up for free as PDF for people to enjoy. The design insights of what makes solo play work are invaluable, and Ironsworn will always be one of these games that I will reference when coming up with interesting narrative mechanics.

Quinns, Quinns Quest

Quinns is titan in the gaming industry. From video gaming journalism, to boardgame reviews, to now having his own Youtube channel where he dives deep into a TTRPG. He guarantees that he has played every single game he reviews, adds creator interviews into the mix, and is as genuine as one can be in the process. He’s also funny. His ambition and professionalism is out of this world, and his love for the hobby is nothing but inspiring.

Rowan, Rook, and Decard

Creators of Spire and Heart, among many other things. Their approach to fractured world building, which is peppered throughout the entire rulebooks is fascinating. It reminds me of the incomplete, scattered story telling of games like Elden Ring. Every page has pieces of lore and story built into the rules and systems. Spire and Heart also games about heavy topics. The former is about a doomed revolution against the powers that be. The latter is about seeking your heart’s desire, and die trying. Their games are wild, but strangely focused in their chaos. One can only aspire to create worlds like that, and craft a system around it to make it memorable.