At Role, we believe in the power of independent creators & publishers in the RPG community. More games, more worlds, and more voices mean better stories for everyone. To that end, we’re excited to highlight a few of the creators we’re working with as we gear up to launch the Role platform later this year. Each of these creators will also be part of our Kickstarter campaign, which you can follow here!
In this week’s Creators Spotlight, we’re happy to feature our friend Jammi of Sword Queen Games – a Filipino creator who’s independent work spans a wide variety of narrative games, GM-less adventures, tarot-powered play, and intimate collaborative storytelling.
Read on below for our full interview:
For those who are new to Sword Queen Games, can you give us an overview of your work? What are your games all about?
Sword Queen Games are written from the heart. These games reflect what I love most about this hobby and feature the narrative structures I’d love to see more of. My games are emotionally rich, support queer narratives, temper tragedy with hope, and encourage players to trust in their intuitive ability. My games offer players a space to be creative and tell fantastic collaborative stories together!
I love writing games about ghosts, Filipino folklore, intimate horrors, cool robots, and whatever I feel fiercely passionate about in the moment. Recently, I suddenly remembered how much I loved that weird time in comics: Vertigo in the 90s. Oathbreakers is based entirely on that, and my half-remembered sessions of Mage: The Awakening.
What got you started as a writer & designer?
I started writing games purely on hubris at first. I wanted to play a game that featured post-apocalyptic narratives, Filipino folklore, machines and robots, and a healthy dose of cool and weird spirit-magic. As far as I knew this game hadn’t existed yet. I loved Powered by the Apocalypse games and I foolishly thought “how hard can it be to make a PbtA game?”
Incredibly hard, it turned out! Haha! I worked on Cursed Children of Bathala for about two years, but I had to put game development on hold when playtesting got too difficult (this was before I discovered the potential of online play!)
I didn’t start creating games until a short time after, Ben Chong of Swords and Flowers was joining itchio jams and uploading his games! I really loved what he was doing, was so inspired by his work, and I realized there was this whole budding world of indie games. I just threw myself into it, and joined 1-4 game jams a month for about a year! The indie space has been a lot of fun and I’m grateful for all the game creators, most of us marginalized folks, who are making the games we want to play and shifting the gaming space significantly.
How long have you been working on RPGs? What inspired you to get started?
I created Cursed Children of Bathala three years ago! I’ve been an active part of the indie game space for over a year now. What inspired me, and continues to inspire me, is the number of awesome and exciting creators in the space. I love seeing everyone have so much fun by creating games! In just a year since that first real explosion of indie games (which personally I trace back to the Sad Mecha Jam), I’ve seen the space grow and evolve at a thrilling pace.
What’s your favorite thing about being an RPG creator? What are some of the best things you’ve seen come from your work?
What I love is that I can create what other folks refer to as “Heartbreaker” games. Heartbreaker games are supposedly what the mainstream crowd won’t like, a “waste of time” I guess. Obviously that idea doesn’t resonate with me at all. Why make a game unless I feel really strongly about it, unless I’m really excited to get it out there and have any number of folks play it?
Someone once asked me what my “Heartbreaker” game is, and the truth is I don’t have one. Each of my games is one I am aching to create, that I absolutely believe in. Each time I am happy about how it connects to several people!
I think a good example is Once More Into The Void. I wanted to make a game that encapsulated my love for Mass Effect 2 and how impressed I was with the new Star Trek: Picard series. So I just…made the game! The response was fantastic, and I still get messages regularly from people about how much they enjoyed the game.
Some of the best stuff I hear is about people who are completely new to ttrpgs, or who haven’t played in years, falling in love with the hobby and having a fantastic time because of the games I’ve created. This really inspires me and affirms that if we have more game designers, and more diverse voices, we can welcome more people to the hobby!
What are some of the most interesting and unexpected things you’ve seen your community do with your games? How has that changed the way you create?
I am honestly still getting used to how often folks play my games! I’ve seen BALIKBAYAN: Returning Home show up at a few cons, and the idea of folks playing in this Cyberpunk playground I’ve set up for them featuring machine magic and Filipino mythology and folklore is just stunning to me.
I’ve seen folks take a lot of my games and turn them into solo experiences. I saw them play Journey to the Whispering Tree, Their Love Destroyed This Land, and a few others in this way. It pushed me towards joining a solo game jam and creating We Forest Three, which plays out like a Choose Your Own Adventure game about creepy Filipino folklore. I love seeing folks playing the game online, and hearing about how far characters survive in the forest before their soul gave out. Great stuff!
I also decided to make more games with the same systems (Belonging Outside Belonging, Firebrands, etc) because of the feedback I’ve been getting. Hearing what people love about my games has helped me get clearer on my strengths as a creator. Honestly, the aspects of my design I worry about the most (is it too gay? Is it too Filipino? Is it too different?) are exactly what people love about the game.
Because of the encouragement I get from folks, each game becomes more and more me! I enjoy discovering new things about gaming, the people who play, and myself. I get to draw more confidently from games and creators I love and how they inspire me!
What makes role playing special to you?
Oh wow. There’s a reason why I love this hobby so much. I really love that special magic that comes from collaboratively creating a story together. There truly is no way to predict what will happen, what emotions will blossom, what truths will be revealed.
We’ve been gathering around what gives us warmth and telling stories for generations, for centuries. I feel role playing taps into and explores that ancient liminal spaces. We’re having fun, we’re telling stories, but there’s real magic going on under the surface. We are transforming ourselves in every game. With every story, we come closer to our brightest and truest selves.
I’ve become a better friend, partner, creator, and person, just by playing role playing games.
Where is Sword Queen Games going next? What’s on the horizon for you and your work?
One day I’ll slow down and stop coming out with a game every month! But for now I’m enjoying the process and joy of creation.
I’m working on some bigger projects! I’m very excited to work on Apocalypse Keys, a Powered by the Apocalypse game about monsters fighting monsters, about investigating the dark mysteries and holding back the apocalypse. It’s inspired by Hellboy and a lot of awesome TTRPGs!
I’m also starting work on VOIDWALKERS, which is a Role exclusive! It draws heavily from Mass Effect and Star Wars, because really can we ever have enough sci-fi TTRPGs? (The answer: No). I’m also a professional tarot reader, and love making tarot based games – Voidwalkers will be one too!
I’m also excited to continue to collaborate with amazing creators in the indie TTRPG space, and can’t wait for what we can accomplish together.
Sword Queen Games will be part of the Role Kickstarter campaign this summer!
