It isn’t often that our favorite game creators are able to provide a moment to talk about themselves and the process of creating the various titles we play. Luckily, I was able to catch the interest of Free League Publishing’s co-founder and tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) designer Tomas Härenstam. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I tried to think of some questions from the perspective of a player and a game master. Given he creates the games himself, along with a team, of course, there were a lot of questions that came to mind. After narrowing them down a bit, here’s the discussion we had on his work and general TTRPG interests.
Interview with Tomas Härenstam
Q: Which title was your favorite to design?
“Hard question! Personally, I think it’s a toss-up between the Blade Runner RPG and our new original game Dragonbane. Very different games, but that also made them very fun to work with.”
Q: Which system was your favorite to create? Is it the same system as your favorite to play with?
“I have been tinkering with what is now known as the Year Zero Engine (YZE) for over ten years, since the days before Free League even existed, and it's the game that we’re using in most of our games today, so it’s certainly a system I have enjoyed working on as well as playing. That said, it’s been a really fun challenge to dive into Dragonbane that uses a different, D20-based system, but still includes many learnings from the YZE games.”
Q: What has been the most demanding title that your team is, or did, work on?
“I think the Blade Runner RPG was a big challenge to turn into a tabletop roleplaying game, with its complex moral and philosophical issues, and its focus on lone protagonists. I think we did a pretty good job with it.”
Q: Was there a series that was unexpectedly well-received?
“Several, actually! We had no expectations at all when we released our first game in English, Mutant: Year Zero back in 2014. It was really well received and the starting point for Free League as an international RPG publisher. Tales From the Loop a few years later was perhaps our first “breakout hit” that really put us on the map. And the ALIEN RPG turned into quite the phenomenon.”
Q: Do you find yourself ever wanting to dive into the classic Dungeons & Dragons style or are you fully embellished in your team's creations?
“We have game night here at the Free League HQ every Tuesday, and we play all kinds of games - our own but also many others, including D&D. Dragonbane is also a fantasy game of the classic dungeon-delving variety, but designed for fast and fun gameplay and easy access.”
Q: As a player, do you prefer Role Play or Combat? If you do any game mastering, is the answer the same?
“Hmm, I like some of both in my games, anything that pushes the story forward and makes everyone at the table excited. I’m generally a pretty impatient person though, so I prefer games that move along quickly, not getting bogged down in excessive roleplaying or rules minutia.”
Q: Would you say that making titles based on well-known IPs is easier or more frustrating than creating a unique title?
“Both, really! There is definitely a benefit of having a known universe to work with, but with that comes also the responsibility of doing the IP justice and making the players feel immersed in the universe that they already know and love.”
Q: Have you already designed your dream TTRPG or is that still in the works?
“I think all of the TTRPGs I have worked on have been dream projects for me, I can’t believe how fortunate I have been to be able to work on games like Mutant: Year Zero, ALIEN, Blade Runner, Dragonbane, and more. I do have some dreams left though, we’ll see what happens…”
Post-Interview Thoughts
After having a chance to play a handful of Free League’s latest titles, including Ruins of Symbaroum, Vaesen, Death In Space, and Dragonbane, I would have to say that his answers make sense. The various systems they use to design these games and the playstyles of each title are all so vastly different that they all manage to bring their own experience for both game masters and players. I haven’t had a chance to check out their Year Zero Engine personally yet, but knowing that the brain behind some of these titles finds that to be his favorite system - let alone the fact it was personally designed by him - makes me pretty excited to pick up one of their games using that engine!
What are your thoughts following this interview with Härenstam? Is there anything you would have wanted to ask along with this list of questions?
