STEFFEN BRAND
GERMANY
MAP MAKING |
TABLETOP RPG
DESIGNWEBPicture: Iconic
region map made
for “The Dark Eye”
RPG game (detail,
faded for text —
full version is seen
overleaf).DAL: Thanks. What are your ‘greatest hits”?
SB: My greatest hits I'd say are the iconic map-
style for The Dark Eye (seen above and
overleaf), that I keep alive with the help of
talented freelancers I regularly commission. And
the work for the SIXMOREVODKA Studio in
Berlin with the Degenesis RPG game.
DAL: Excellent. To set the scene, tell us a more,
about what a “regional sourcebook” is. For our
reader unfamiliar with the output of the RPG
publishing world. I think everyone knows that an
RPG gamer has a “core rule-book” for the game
— but where does the “regional book” fit in?
SB: Regional sourcebooks in these type of
games are usually focused on an area of the
gaming world, going in-depth and providing
additional content. Degenesis from
SIXMOREVODKA ‘ups’ the game by including
campaign hooks or even complete campaigns
anchored in that region. In my opinion, this
captures the feeling of that area in a unique way,
a way that is immediately personal to the
character you play. With the new Justitian there
are over 130 NPCs [non-player characters]
introduced into the game, with an intricate
interwoven web of hooks and ideas — that I
think will empower gameplay for years to come.