NOTE: the opinions expressed in interviews are those of the guests, not necessarily those of shadomain.com.
Today we talk with Peter Saloom about their TTRPG projects including their current Kickstarter, https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peartreestudio/echoes-of-beacon-island-for-savage-worlds
You can find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556429124598
You can find his products at DTRPG at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/26261/pear-tree-studio
Let’s hear from Peter!
Hi Peter, you’ve got a cool TTRPG Kickstarter campaign coming soon, but first let’s hear a bit of your story. How did you get into TTRPGs
I started playing D&D around age twelve with Second Edition. I loved creating my own adventures to put my friends through. I took years off from TTRPGs and circled back to them in my 30s. Now, I’m almost 40 and I have been writing Savage Worlds adventures since around 2018.
Your project Beacon Island for Savage Worlds launches soon. Can you tell us about it?
In a nutshell, it’s a 90s themed, youthful sci-fi investigation game set on a remote island off the coast of New England. Players take on the roles of kids and start to have some eerie encounters and uncover some conspiracies.
This isn’t your first project, can you tell us about your other work?
Of course! My first published adventure was Shadows of the Sacred Hills, a weird west one-shot. After that I published The Iselion Hybrid which is a sci-fi survival one-shot set on an imperiled space ship.
The art for Beacon Island looks great. Who did the art and layout?
Art is all by Lyn Redder. She is fantastic. Layout is by Karl Keesler. They are both perfect for this project and I am so lucky to have them.
Do you prefer being a Game Master/Referee, or playing a character?
I enjoy both but I feel most in my element as a GM.
What made you decide to start designing games?
I had been writing and running games at conventions for years and the community around me really pushed me to publish.
What’s your current favorite TTRPg? Do you like reading and trying out new games?
Savage Worlds is my favorite system to write for because of its flexibility. I have been loving Mothership lately and running a bunch of great modules from various publishers for that.
What are some influences on your work (movies, games, books, etc)?
In general my influences come from great media I have consumed over the years. Books, comics, television, movies, and music. For example, Beacon Island draws a lot of inspiration from movies like The Goonies, Dreamcatcher, Super 8, and even Men in Black.
What takes up your time aside from RPGs?
I’m a proud dad of a three-year-old son. I’ve got a great wife. I own my own business and work a lot on developing that. I also really love hiking in the mountains of New England. I stay really really busy.
What haven’t we asked you that you’d like readers to know?
Writing for TTRPGs is more than just making dungeons for people to crawl through. You can, as a writer, say what you want about the world through this medium. I think that is often overlooked. I always begin my writing process by asking myself what emotions and feelings I want to evoke in my reader or players.
Thanks, Peter!
If you’d like to do a Q&A here, please send an email to shadomainrpg@gmail.com. We’d love to hear enyone’s opinion form new players to grizzled veterans.
About The Author
