Tales From the Tavern Interview With Kage
NOTE: the opinions expressed in interviews are those of the guests, not necessarily those of shadomain.com.
Today we talk with Kage, a TTRPG writer and community manager, you can find her here:
ragekagegames.com/
twitch.tv/rage_kage_games
bsky.app/profile/ragekagegames.com
tiktok.com/@rage_kage_games
Community Discord server: discord.gg/8CKQ6qw
Let's get to the questions!
How did you get started in TTRPGs?
My wife actually got me into TTRPGs! She used to play D&D 3.5e back in high school and when we met, we connected over board games. In grad school we’d occasionally attend the gaming student org group and one of the members was starting a campaign, so she encouraged me to join.
Unfortunately, that game didn’t last very long and we didn’t try playing again for a few years, but she again started a campaign and we invited some friends to play and that was my first real experience playing more long term.
This was around the time that shows like Critical Role, Not Another D&D Podcast, etc. were starting to gain popularity, so then I got into listening to and watching actual plays. It was through streams/podcasts like Adventure, They Wrote; d20 Dames; and The Venture Maidens that I joined some great communities and met some really cool people—some of whom worked in the industry.
It was through these connections that I discovered the Storytelling Collective (known for the RPG Writer Workshop) and started creating TTRPG content.
You’re a community manager for DriveThruRPG as well as for Storytelling Collective. Can you briefly describe your responsibilities?
The way I manage these two communities is a bit different, but there are also quite a few similarities. In general, I’m there to set and enforce the Discord server guidelines in order to maintain an inclusive community and provide moderation where required (usually taking action against bots). I also help with some troubleshooting in both servers.
My work with the Storytelling Collective started with overhauling the RPG Writer Workshop Discord server as the membership numbers outgrew the space. I continue to work both in this server and the Storytelling Collective general Discord server to make sure members get access to channels related to the courses they’re signed up for and help answer troubleshooting questions.
The Discord server for Roll20/DriveThruRPG is a space designated for our publishing partners and creators, so the types of questions I’m answering in there are usually regarding our site tools or general publishing inquiries. It’s a place that allows us to communicate information directly to our publishers as well as a place for our publishers to provide feedback on our services.
You wrote the adventure The Brewski Jubilee which is something that can be used as a “cool down” or down time session. What was your inspiration for that?
The idea of a drunken obstacle course was bouncing around in my head for a while, but I had no intentions of doing anything with it until I had heard about the RPG Writer Workshop, which a few friends had taken.
I thought about taking the course in 2019 but ended up talking myself out of it. But then when COVID happened and we went into lockdown, I was working from home and suddenly got back time that was otherwise used for commuting, so I signed up for the course. I wrote The Brewski Jubilee that July and published it in August. It continues to be one of my favorite 5e one shots to run for groups.
You also wrote Delivered! A Solo Journaling RPG. What do you think is the best part of solo journaling RPGs, and how does Delivered work?
There are a few things that I like about solo journaling RPGs; the most obvious is probably scheduling—you only need to consider your own availability. But it’s also nice to sometimes just slow down and really consider how you would react in certain situations, and I find that writing down your character’s intentions and actions can provide that.
Delivered! uses the Caltrop Core system, which uses d4s to determine outcomes. The synopsis of the game is that you’re the captain of a solo courier vessel, set to deliver parcels across the galaxy. You use playing cards to draw prompts and then roll dice against three stats to determine whether the action you’re taking to resolve the prompt succeeds. When you’ve reached a number of successes, the parcel you’re delivering makes it to its destination.
That’s a description in its simplest form, but your character will travel to many different planets, have to get themselves out of tricky situations, and meet (and maybe befriend) others along the way. I’ve also adjusted the rules to play them with a second person where we collaboratively write the narrative for one character.
You’ve streamed video games on Twitch as well as RPG actual plays. How did you get into that and do you have a preference between those 2 types of streaming.
I started streaming on Twitch back in 2018 because I had a friend who was doing it and I thought “I like playing video games and talking to people…why not?!” It ended up being a bit more difficult than that, but it’s something I still really love to do.
The majority of my streaming is still video games, but I do product RPG shows from time-to-time. Producing one-shots can be really rewarding and I always have fun doing it, but they also take a lot of energy to do right, so they’re not something I can sustainably do for an extended period of time. Thus, they’re more of an occasional treat on my channel. 🙂
What’s your favorite TTRPG (current and all-time)?
My most-played RPG is absolutely D&D 5e. It’s the first system I played and is the system that most of my friends know how to and want to play.
I think the most impactful game I’ve played is Alice is Missing, which I’ve played a couple different times. I always feel it’s easier for me to drop into the character in this game, especially playing it virtually via Discord and using Roll20 for the cards.
And since we asked that, what’s your favorite video game (current and all-time)?
This is much harder to choose. Currently, my Discord community has really gotten into playing Overwatch 2; we’re almost always able to get a group together to fill up a lobby.
I’ve also recently enjoyed playing Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Dragon Age, Outer Wilds, and Slay the Spire. My Discord community is also currently voting on my next stream game and Mass Effect is winning—I’m really excited to play it for the first time!
Have you ever thought about creating a TTRPG game system, or do you prefer writing adventures?
While I do find it fun to write within already-existing systems, I do have my hands in a project right now that some friends and I are creating. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a TTRPG, but hopefully I’ll be able to share more soon about this project. 😀
What haven’t we asked you that you’d like to tell us about?
I feel very fortunate to have everything that I do.
I have an absolutely lovely Discord community that I’ve run a four-year West Marches–style D&D campaign for, that I get to play video games with, and that brightens my day with all sorts of shenanigans (like changing their server nicknames and profile pictures to characterizations of me 😆). I have several best-selling titles on the DMsGuild and DriveThruRPG and have recently been distributing my solo RPGs through Indie Press Revolution, which means I get to see them at game shops and conventions (a literal dream!). And last year, after operating as Rage Kage Games in some form for over 5 years, I formed an LLC.
But I think it’s also important to note that I didn’t just wake up and have these things. I streamed to 0 viewers, I scrapped RPG projects or watched sales slowly trickle in on titles that I thought would do really well. There were times I wondered whether my Discord server would ever be more than just a couple of friends.
In addition to this, I came into the industry with experience from elsewhere. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design, which helped me get a jump start on layout design. I also worked several years full-time at universities managing LGBTQIA resources and spaces—managing communities.
I say all this to say that if you’re interested in getting into the industry, 1) you probably have skills you can tap into even if they don’t feel relevant at face value, 2) everyone starts somewhere, even if it feels really small, and 3) never lose sight of what you enjoy about what you’re doing—it’ll fuel you when things don’t feel like they’re going as planned.
Thanks Kage!
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