How I Got into Tabletop Game Design

Hey everyone, my name is Chris and I am one of the developers of Stock & Bull working to create Project: Powerpunk. This is my first time formally posting on this site but, as S&B’s editor, I’ve proofread and greenlit a number of the posts already up. I figured I’d make this post to remove a bit of the veil surrounding us to give readers a better sense as to who we are. So, I’d like to start with how I personally got into role-playing games.

I was first introduced to tabletop RPGs sometime after I had finished high school. One of my new friends invited me to his home to hang out with the rest of our group. Hanging out there soon became a regular thing and I would always be fascinated by these stories they told about the campaigns they ran: cyborgs fighting werewolves on the moon, a billionaire villain who insultingly tossed cash in his enemies’ faces, a mage who missed every fight because he was too busy trying to cast complex spells. I was trying to figure out where I could find and play these games they were talking about.

That’s because I thought they were talking about video games.

I found out that they weren’t talking about video games.

I learned that tabletop RPGs allowed for the type of creativity and imagination that I had always wanted in a game. I’m a huge fan of open-choice games and at the time, I believed the epitome of open-choice gaming was Fable; good, evil, or neutral with a few different paths to get to any of those outcomes. My mind was blown by the possibilities story-telling games offered. In a matter of days, I was filling out a character sheet for the Exalted campaign they were running. Next thing I knew, I was running my own long-term campaign for everyone. Now, years later, I’m working with that same group of friends to create our very own storytelling system.

I want to share our game not only with veteran players who love story-telling games as much as I have come to love them myself, but also with new, inexperienced players who want to find a great new way to unwind with friends. All of us here at S&B feel this way. That’s why we’ve been working to make Project: Powerpunk accessible and flexible for anyone to enjoy.

I’m glad to have you all here checking this blog for updates on our progress and I’m looking forward to all the feedback and suggestions you’ll have for us after we release our game. We want Powerpunk to keep growing and we have big plans for the direction we want to take it. So, thank you for sticking around and watching us grow. Trust me when I say that the payoff is going to be worth it.
 
Chris
High Eldritch Scribe |Stock & Bull Entertainment