Tales From the Tavern Interview with Jason C
NOTE: the opinions expressed in interviews are those of the guests, not necessarily those of shadomain.com
Holy Schlamoley, we're interviewing ourselves! Today we talk to lead writer Jason C! You can find him, well, here! And on all the socials as shadomain. Let's see what he has to say!
How did you first get started in TTRPGs?
I first heard about Dungeons & Dragons around 1981 in an article in Dynamite magazine, a kids magazine from Scholastic, Inc. I loved the idea and went out and bought the “red book” (the Basic Dungeons & Dragons book by Tom Moldvay). I didn’t understand it at all, but found a friend of mine had played with some friends, so he was my first DM. We were obsessed and played every weekend for most of the decade.
Do you prefer to GM or play, and why?
GM, forever GM by choice. As a teenager we all just wanted to play, so we took turns being the DM to make things fair. I didn’t play RPGs for more than 20 years and I got drawn back to it by a friend who asked me to teach their daughter. I love GM’ing because I love writing - I look at the game system as a framework for my creative writing. Now I only play as a player character so I can see how other GMs run games.
How did you get into running a TTRPG website?
I had a few ideas for articles about RPGs and nowhere to publish them. I’ve been creating web sites since 1997 so it was easy enough to just make my own site. Once I’d been deeper in the hobby for a while I expanded to doing interviews and news.
Have you created a TTRPG NPC or Character that you really like? What do you like about them?
I am sentimental about a couple of PCs I created as a teen; Thanin Ironbeard the dwarf fighter and Vaiquarax the bard, but I honestly don’t remember much of their adventures and we weren’t that into deep characters yet. My favorite NPC is probably Wren. He was created as a minor henchman, but the players hated him so much I just ran with it, having him return to murder other NPC and ultimately becoming a servant of the Raven Queen in one of the final battles.
What other hobbies do you have outside of TTRPGs?
I play harmonica at local open mics and jams and sing a bit. I also paint when I have time, which hasn’t been very often lately.
What TTRPG would you like to play that you haven’t had the chance to play yet?
Right now I’d like to run EZd6 and Index Card RPG. I’d also like to play 10 Candles.
Is there a particular piece of media (book, movie/show, music, art) that inspires your TTRPG work?
There really isn't a particular piece of media that drives me, but I try to take inspiration from everywhere, If you break down even a children's book or humorous cartoon short to its basic elements, you'll probably find things you can use to build an adventure.
If you could create a TTRPG table of anyone, living or dead, who would be at it?
Neil Peart, the late drummer of the band Rush, Oscar Wilde, and maybe Hunter S. Thompson.
What’s the TTRPG creation you’re most proud of?
I’m more proud of specific moments in games I’ve run, but I’m proud of the Horrors of Pinocchio short adventure collection we released fall of 2023.
Thanks, Jason!
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