Interview mit dem Erfinder und Autor von „Vrahode: Age of Prophecy“ – einem neuen Fantasy-Game-System
Wir wurden eingeladen mit Jeffrey Irving, Gründer von Weathervane Games (in 2021) und Autor des kommenden Spiels „Vrahode: Age of Prophecy“ sowie Erfinder des Harbinger 3D Terrain Systems.
Uns interessierten dabei die Hintergründe zu Spiel und Verlag, wie er auf die Idee kam bzw. was ihn inspirierte. Wie lernte er die Mitarbeiter (Illustration,…) kennen und was kann man von den schon geplanten Erweiterungen erwarten. Und was soll der Spaß voraussichtlich kosten :).
Heimspiele.info: Hey Jeff, thanks for your time.
Jeff: Hey Pascal, thanks so much for having me!
Heimspiele.info: What made you found Weathervane Games and why this name?
Jeff: I originally founded Weathervane Games to house the Vrahode and Harbinger IPs. I knew that it was going to be a long road and that I wanted to develop the systems myself if I was ever going to learn the industry so voila Weathervane Games. I came up with the name because I wanted something simple and recognizable like a weathervane but to give it a fantasy twist with the Dragon on top.
Heimspiele.info: The world of your first title „Vrahode: Age of Prophecy“ is in works for 30+ years, how did it all start? And how did you come up with this (cool) name?
Jeff: I was always a fantasy buff and loved D&D and fantasy novels so the language of fantasy type settings was something that I was quite intrigued by. I loved how Tolkien was a linguist first and a writer second and that really showed in his approach to world building.
Heimspiele.info: So, you are a Fantasy-Fan, or maybe even a Fantasy-Nerd (by the best means of it)?
Jeff: Completely! It is definitely my favorite theme followed by sci-fi then post apocalyptic!
Heimspiele.info: Who inspires you (thinking of books like Lords of the Rings, Song of Ice and Fire or game-systems like Dungeons & Dragons) fantasy-wise?
Jeff: All of those for sure. I would also say that my admiration for director Guillermo del Toro and his style of lore, direction and storytelling as well as Terry Gilliam and Ridley Scott. Eighties fantasy authors like Robert Jordan, David Eddings, Stephen R. Donaldson, Terry Brooks, etc.
Heimspiele.info: You created a compelling system for the game, what is so compelling about it? Are there further plans to evolve it time after time (thinking of systems like the 5th Edition of D&D-Rules, even if Vrahode isnt a RPG)?
Jeff: I think a fresh fantasy world can be compelling by avoiding tropes and concepts that have already been overdone. Our world is based on some pretty profound concepts that tie it to familiar concepts but in ways that are intentionally hidden behind layers and webs of complex lines for the players to dig into, uncover and then act upon that new knowledge. I would say the complexity of our plot structures is a strongsuit we can draw from. We have plans for eight Vrahode products and four Harbinger 3D Terrain sets to compliment it. But after that I think new products would only be in reaction to player demand. The products we have planned we feel strongly about!
Heimspiele.info: The background story so far sounds quite interesting and there are already expansions in the „mind“-making 😉, what should we expect from those? And will they be relevant from the beginning, meaning: wont the base-game suffice for lots of hours of gaming – how many hours? – or will they be released at a later time (e.g. new campaign after a year)?
Jeff: Yes. We had already developed a large core box with three expansions as well as the Harbinger sets but the marketing teams suggested we first launch an affordable entry point product to prove to folks 1) that I am a good game designer and 2) that Weathervane Games makes great products.
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Heimspiele.info: How did you connect to the writers and illustrators?
Jeff: That took a while. Artstation.com is great for artists. Writers were a bit more challenging at first but you just slowly build up connections as you go. It was through game design Facebook groups that I found Flo our graphic designer.
Heimspiele.info: Are they as inspiring, involved and interested in all your ideas and the game-system? I know writers and illustrators who are really good and cool and all, but not necessarily in boardgames.
Jeff: I think what has helped the most is how clear my vision of the world of Vrahode has been since it has been in my head so long so it is easy to direct artists and writers as to what I want. Once I give them that vision however I must step back and let them put their mark on things and have feel they have adequate artistic license to make concepts and creatures their own.
Heimspiele.info: Getting back to your world-creation….i got a hint that you are aiming at a gaming-universe as big and (hopefully) popular as GLOOMHAVEN? Its sheer, vast amount of elements in story and lore would be a great „opponent“ 😊. Which makes me want to know even more about your game and getting my hands on it sooooooooooner better than later 😉.
Jeff: I think Vrahode will eventually outshine a Gloomhaven type world and game system because what they have done is super heavy and the number of folks that will actually commit to playing in that system is pretty small! It is great for what it is but our system is far more accessible to a far larger group of players, even families that want to enjoy a fresh fantasy world with their kids!
Heimspiele.info: Are there plans of including some kind of soundtrack(s) with the game? Big fantasy worlds nowadays do so quite often. And/or some kind of digital „helper“ (APP)?
Jeff: We have a custom adaptive music and audio app by TableTone which offers a wonderful immersive audio aspect to the world. Age of Prophecy and each game to follow will have its own skin and unique soundscapes for fans to enjoy. Each scenario has a preset so you can just set it and forget it.
Heimspiele.info: Will there be some kind of AI involved in the process of story-telling or graphics? Some publishers/authors use them for simple iconography etc., some for whole chapters of campaign-books.
Jeff: No AI in our system through technology or art. This is a completely human made and directed game system employing real human artists from around the world and the enemy AI was a complex if/then statement that I designed to make their behavior challenging and realistic.
Heimspiele.info: Are there already some numbers you can talk about? I asked already for the play-time, but with a game becoming this big there are surely a lot of components included, so what about a possible price-tag?
Jeff: Vrahode – Age of Prophecy will be well under $100! The core box to follow will be the only product in the line that will be rather pricey and it will be around $170. The expansions to the core box will all be well below $100.
Heimspiele.info: thanks again for all the informations and best of luck to the upcoming campaign, which we d love to cover in news, too 😉.
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