Tales From the Tavern Interview: Crazy Weasel

NOTE: the opinions expressed in interviews are those of the guests, not necessarily those of shadomain.com.

Today we talk with Crazy Weasel, a TTRPG gamer and designer. You can find him at:

Website: https://bit.ly/CrazyWeaselGaming

Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/crazyweaselgaming.bsky.social

Now let’s hear from Crazy Weasel!

What came first in your gaming life: board games, card games, video game, tabletop RPGs? How did you get into tabletop RPGs?

I got into gaming through video games and card games. I got into both very early. When I was very young, I remember my dad bringing home a second computer, which was a big deal at the time, and we would sit together and play The Realm and later WoW. At the same time, my older brother was getting me into card games like Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokémon cards. Though, neither is the reason that I got into TTRPGs.

I got into TTRPGs through the Dragonlance novels. My dad handed me the first book around the time I entered middle school, and I was hooked from page one. I became a bit obsessed, and tried to find out everything I could about Dragonlance, which is how I discovered that it was a setting for D&D. By that time, I was in high school and I convinced a childhood friend to help me get a group together.

What attracts you most to tabletop RPGs?

There’s a lot to like about TTRPGs, but if I had to choose one aspect, I’d say community. TTRPGs are inherently a social hobby, and I love it. My friend I mentioned earlier and I became so much closer because of these games, and after joining the Cypher Unlimited Discord, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many amazing people through these games.

Would you rather GM or play a character, and why?

That’s a hard question, but I would rather GM. I do like playing characters, but I am a storyteller by nature. I love crafting the narrative outline that the players flesh out. I love getting to challenge the PCs and root for them when they overcome it. I love inviting people to my table (literal or metaphorical) and helping them smile and forget about their troubles for a few hours.

Do you prefer playing TTRPGs online or in person, and why?

I don’t know that I can pick; both have been important to me. My in-person game has always been about my friends and me. It started with a few nerdy high school kids and expanded in college to bring in new friends, including my partner. My in-person table has always been a way to bring together people I cherish and the storytelling that I love.

Online games are also great, and I’ve been doing them as long as I’ve done in person. When we couldn’t meet physically, my friends and I played online, though we hardly knew what we were doing. My group migrated online when I moved away, which allowed me to still be involved. Online platforms like CypherCon also gave me the push to meet and play with many new, amazing people.

You’ve released some adventures for RPGs. What got you interested in doing that and could you tell us about your releases?

Near the end of 2024, I joined an adventure writing contest on a whim. This contest was my first attempt at publishing TTRPG content. I had a lot of fun, and I decided that at the beginning of 2025 that I was going to start publishing TTRPG Products.

My first published adventure, “The Curse of Sleeping Harrow”, was written as part of that initial contest. It’s a Halloween-themed adventure set around the town of Sleeping Harrow, the heart of a monster, and the town’s headless guardian.

The second adventure I released is “How the Grouch Robbed Father Winter”. This adventure is meant to be highly lethal. This adventure sets goblin PCs to steal the first present of Midwinter from Father Winter’s village.

The third adventure I published is the one I am most proud of, “Matriarch Lost”. It was designed as a Cypher Short. An elephant matriarch has gone missing, and the PCs are park rangers and staff who have been tasked with finding the matriarch before poachers do.

What Game System have you not played that you really want to try?

I have always wanted to play Call of Cthulhu.

What other hobbies are you interested in?

TTRPGs are my main hobby. I play video games, and I have recently gone back to collecting and replaying games from my childhood. I’ve always enjoyed reading, especially fantasy novels like Dragonlance, Powder Mage, and the Knight’s Masque Trilogy.

Describe a favorite scenario you ran in a TTRPG

In a recent Cypher System campaign, the PCs were trapped in the prison dimension of a mad wizard. I had planned for the PCs to fight the wizard in a massive boss fight, and the players brilliantly thwarted him. They gave one PC a time-stopping cypher and a sword of wizard slaying they had found. The PC used the cypher, walked up to the wizard, and between XP and rerolls, they killed the wizard in less than one round. We all celebrated; it was epic.

Do you watch streamed RPGs, and do you have a favorite?

I watched streamed games all the time, but I don’t watch as frequently now. Critical Role is still one of my favorites.

What haven’t we asked you yet that you’d like to tell us?

My current and primary project is writing the campaign setting “Antediluvian Awakening”. This is a Renaissance fantasy setting. It is a world trying to rebuild itself after millennia of darkness and oppression.

This campaign setting holds a special place in my heart. It is inspired by the first campaign that I ran, but it is more than that. This campaign setting has pushed me. In the time it has taken to write this book, I have become a better writer and a more well-rounded person. I have done so much research into history, mythology, chemistry, and so many other topics in order to make this setting a reality.

Thanks, Crazy Weasel! We do interviews with people from all over the TTRPG-sphere. If you’d like to do a text based interview, just email shadomainrpg@gmail.com