One of the reasons I enjoy talking with so many folks in the TTRPG creation space is hearing the unique circumstance which led them to design TTRPGs, and their game in particular. No one’s path is the same, and that is even more true when we look outside North America’s bubble of creators. Areas like the Global South play host to a number of TTRPG designers, unknown and underappreciated here, each with their own vision and desire for collective storytelling.
Tomas Gimenez Rioja is one such designer. Tomas was gracious enough to talk with me, about his path into TTRPGs, the inspiration for his latest game, and the game design scene in Argentina.
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Brent: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, Tomas. For our readers not yet familiar with your work, please tell me a bit about yourself.
Tomas: Hello! My name is Tomas Gimenez Rioja, a game designer, writer, and software engineer from Argentina (South America). I create games, small products for the DMs Guild, and write monthly articles for both Tribality and the Gnome Stew, as well as recording podcasts from time to time with the latter. I am a big fan of the macabre, mysterious, and emotional, as well as a coffee aficionado. As of this moment, I am a full-time game designer doing freelance work, so if there is some project you would like to collab on, just drop me a message!
B: What drew you into tabletop roleplaying games? What was your “hero origin story” in the hobby?
Tomas:I started GMing about 6 years ago after a friend who saw Stranger Things was curious about the game Dungeons & Dragons, and suggested we should play it. When I asked who was DMing it, he just shrugged, so I took the DM mantle. After 2 years of dungeon mastering, I started blogging because I was reading, watching, and processing too much information about how to be a great dungeon master and I wanted to share my own thoughts and ideas, which made me take a deep dive into the TTRPG space as a whole, making me fall in love with it. It wasn’t until one month later that Tribality saw me and decided to recruit me that I thought I could make something out of this great hobby. Now, I create content for games, work as a freelancer for big companies and indie projects, and create my own content, to the point of even offering weekly content via Patreon.
B: How and when did you shift from player/GM to designing your first game? Was that gradual or did you jump in right away?
Tomas: I have always been a huge fan of videogame design. When I started to notice that I could apply that knowledge to my GMing to create much better sessions and encounters I decided to dig much deeper into it. By that time, I had started finding other games besides D&D that drew my attention. However, it wasn’t until a playtesting session I managed to get into from the game Burn Brite with James Introcaso GMing, and Chris Bissette as a player that I found out I could actually create my own game. James introduced me to Chris, and we didn’t talk much, but they were just about to launch their Wretched game in Kickstarter, and that made me fall into a rabbit hole of checking out all of Chris’other games. I was amazed at how great some of their games were despite being very short in rules. That inspired me to create my first game “Stuck & Wretched” for the 2021 Global Game Jam, a small project I created in just one restless weekend.
B: You describe What Is It That Lies Beyond The Immenseness of the Dark? as a collaborative storytelling game. What is it about that style of game that attracts you?
Tomas: In the past few years I have become a fan of horror movies and content in general. I believe fear to be one of the strongest and most primal feelings someone can have, and that is something I find extremely interesting. This led me to research the whole Lovecraftian genre as a whole and the “fear of the unknown”. I am still extremely new in that space, but I still consider it fascinating.
Just like the moment the idea of the game came to me, I want to have the players think about what could be that lies beyond the immenseness of the dark. It’s mysterious, it’s complex, but at the same time, it is whatever you and your friends/family/significant other decide it to be. This game is to be used as a narrative tool to create your own urban legend, monster, alien, or whatever you want, and have it be unique. That’s what I find most unreal about this game.
B:In What Is It That Lies Beyond The Immenseness of the Dark? the players collectively create the horror that becomes their downfall. Why is it important that we share horror stories with each other?
Tomas: The card game is all about creating a Horror, but I wouldn’t say it has to be the players’ downfall. Horrors may be weak or target certain specific people, maybe without even killing them. I wouldn’t say that it is important to share horror stories, but it definitely is interesting. Urban legends and stories of great dangers have been shared from the beginning of history itself. Tales told around the campfire, conversations while at work, gossip during a party… How are the stories of these Horrors created? It’s always an amalgamation of numerous viewpoints and ideas from thousands of people that told the story before, changing it little by little, or incorporating new information. That’s how serial assassins like Jack the Ripper became as popular, with folk adding new bits to the story, some of them not even real by letting their imagination go wild. The mysticism behind telling a story of this kind is what I intend to recreate with What Is It That Lies Beyond The Immenseness of the Dark?. The photo mechanic I implemented, taking a picture of the place you are playing in, and by the end of the game making a drawing of the Horror adds up to this whole concept. From the playtests I’ve had, by the time we all draw the Horror, we all had a different idea of what the entity looked like. It all varies on perspective and how everyone interprets the stories told.
B: The base game of What Is It That Lies Beyond The Immenseness of the Dark? is compact and very portable, and as you mention in the description, this is so players can seek out spooky or unsettling locations in which to play. How important was this aspect of the game and how do you feel the environment can enhance the shared storytelling?
Tomas: I believe that is the principal factor that sets it apart from other games in this same vein. You are creating a Horror, lying somewhere within the darkness, while not necessarily an entity of the dark. By putting yourself in a place surrounded by darkness, or with at least a dark point to look at from where something could come out at any moment you establish this sort of ritual while playing the game that everyone becomes a part of. You aren’t necessarily discovering the Horror as you play, but creating it. The fact that the game suggests the players do a chant (saying out loud the name of the game) adds up a huge amount of mysticism to this, making it feel as if you were toying with an Ouija board. The place you play from needs to be mysterious and/or spooky in nature, fueling the players’ imagination to come out with unexpected stuff for the Horror to have. Thus, playing the game in different places will most probably have you come out with entirely different Horrors. Playing the game with different players also helps with this, but I believe that the game needing them to go out to seek this mysterious place adds an extra layer of fun. I find the excuse to go find those places you wouldn’t normally go to to be a great selling point about this game.
B: You’re a creator from the Global South, specifically Argentina. For folks unfamiliar with tabletop gaming outside of North America, could you talk about what the community of creators is like where you are? What’s one thing you wish more folks in the TTRPG space understood about TTRPGs in the Global South?
Tomas: TTRPG creators in the Global South lack the reach that many other game designers, especially from the Global North have. For that very reason, at least from what I’ve seen and am from, I don’t see as many creators reaching high numbers in sales when it comes to their creations. Lately, I’ve tried to do some research and see what other Argentinian game designers have made, and there is fantastic content to be found. It’s just our voices don’t reach as much as others, especially if we don’t work with the big companies in the TTRPG space. We have amazing stories to tell, and a whole part of our culture we want to share (not only us Argentinians but many from the Global South). I was fortunate enough to have been invited to Big Bad Con last year, where I got to meet with a lot of colleagues from the TTRPG space as part of the POC program, causing me to reach a bigger audience. At the time, I didn’t have the time to dedicate much time to game design so I didn’t have as much to show or talk about as I would have liked, but if I was to go again, I would make sure to make every second count and connect more with other creators to work collaboratively. I can’t thank Big Bad Con enough for that opportunity they gave me.
We people from the Global South can’t usually afford to live from making TTRPG content, mostly because the economy in our countries isn’t as stable as the one on the other side of the world, and because many people decide not to see the content that comes from here. However, I am sure, that if people opened their minds and decided to try more indie stuff instead of sticking with the regular few popular games, they will be able to find a huge plethora of fantastic imaginative content from not only here, but the Global South as a whole.
B: You are funding What Is It That Lies Beyond The Immenseness of the Dark? through Crowdfundr. What made Crowdfundr an attractive platform for you? Can you talk a bit about how you found the process of using the site?
Tomas: I talked with several creators, especially Armanda, the creator of Grandmothership, who had just created a crowdfunding project in that website, to know where I should research to start my first crowdfunding project. Kickstarter and Backerkit did sound like great sites to do this and still are where most projects from the TTRPG space are crowdfunded. However, from what I’ve heard, these websites make the whole process of us Argentinians to get the money from the project very difficult. Being this my first project, I wanted to try out Crowdfundr, which at the same time seems to make the whole process easier for us people from the Global South. Additionally, this serves as a way to try out the site and if it does as well or better than other crowdfunding sites, to know if I should take it into consideration for future projects. As this was not enough, creating the project is absolutely free, and the site allows the creator to take the money even if the goal is not met, allowing me to use that money to still create the sold copies for the people who decided to back my game. I am positive and hopeful that I will meet the 3k goal in a month but still need to prepare myself in case the worst-case scenario does happen.
B: When does the Crowdfundr campaign start? What are some of the highlights (stretch goals, etc) people can expect?
Tomas: The campaign starts on Monday, June 12th. Among the stretch goals are making the cards tarot sized (because that’s how I really wanted the game to look like, but I want to know if I’ll be able to afford it), a soundtrack for you to use as you play as background music, long enough to last a whole run of the game, changing as the game keeps going. Additionally, I would love to add metallic ink to the back of the card, making them easily readable, even when low in light, and a custom coin to be used with the game. Further stretch goals are planned out, but I don’t want to get too greedy yet. Just know that they will be worth it if we manage to get there (I know we can! Help me accomplish it to create an even better game! 😀 )
B: As a designer, what other games out there right now excite you? What are you drawn to as a designer and as a player/GM?
Tomas: I’m a board game and TTRPG enthusiast. However, I’ve lately been paying more attention to the weird things coming out. The Revenant Society is a game I can’t wait to have in my hands because I love time-travel stories. Forgery is another one that is on my radar, and that I have backed, because I want to fully comprehend what the game is going to be about, and the theme is extremely exciting.
As for games that have come out, I like to see how the mechanics interact with the narrative and the kind of stories the games can tell. Alice is Missing is one that I absolutely fell in love with (and I can’t wait to get the expansion). Dread is one that has a bit more time since it came out, but still remains one with a mechanic I adore (and I look forward to creating some original game that can make use of a Jenga tower in the same way). Additionally, I’ve been playing a game of Kids on Brooms for the past year and a half. The game isn’t designed to play how we do, but the mechanics, character building and worldbuilding tools were amazing to create the world me and my players wanted to play. Lastly, Orbital Blues has been on my radar for some time, and I think I am ready to try something out with it, involving a group of sad space cowboys, soon enough.
In conclusion, I look at the weird, and things that can help me and my friends feel lots of emotions, and most of these come out of indie creators and publishers. I’ve played D&D for a very long time, and while I still enjoy that style of game, I want to try something different.
B: It may be too soon to ask, with your Crowdfundr launching soon, but any future projects coming up? Anything you can tease or talk about?
Tomas: I’m glad you asked! Yeah, the same walk to the coast that caused What Is It That Lies Beyond The Immenseness of the Dark? to be born gave me many other ideas for future games (I really need to do those sorts of walks more often). Possibly the closest to coming out is a book with content for Mork Borg I’ve been teasing for some time on my Twitter account (@TGimenezrGM) which for the moment is being titled “Goth Borg”. This is a book with monsters, lore, a region, character content, and a short adventure for your Mork Borg game, with a gothic horror theme (if you liked the Castlevania animation from Netflix you’ll surely love this). I’ve shown many of the monsters that will be featured in my Patreon, with their stats and art. You can still have access to them by becoming a Patreon! I’m thinking of posting much more over there, so if you want to be the first to get it all, as well as a digital copy of the book when it comes out, make sure to come aboard!
B: Thank you again for talking with me! Where can folks find you if they want to see what you’re up to?
Tomas: You can find me in most social stuff under the same handle: @TGimenezrGM (Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok). If you want to help me create more content while being able to afford some food (and possibly a pet), you can go back me on Patreon or invite me a Ko-Fi. I’m really easygoing, so don’t be shy to come to talk to me at any of those places. If you want to know more about me or get me for some project, you can find all my information in one place here.
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Make sure to check out the Crowdfundr page for What Is It That Lies Beyond The Immenseness of the Dark? and sign up for notifications so you don’t miss the launch. And make sure to follow Tomas on socials to stay on top of what he has coming next.
Know who I should interview next? Are you a marginalized creator in the TTRPG space? I would love to talk with you next. Shoot me a DM on twitter @DorklordCanada. [or @TheRatHoleDOTca -dc]
