A Talk at Outland Oslo

Karl Otto Kristoffersen
Mar 18, 2022
2 min read

On Saturday, March 12, 2022, I gave a talk at Outland Oslo, about my journey to becoming a roleplaying game author.

Photo: Thomas Flaaten Fredriksen

I concluded the talk with some learning points that I believe can be useful for other aspiring roleplaying game authors.

Make a choice. Maybe you have an idea or a manuscript you have been writing on for a long time. Ask yourself the question: should this continue to be a hobby - or should it become a release? Both are completely fine. At the same time, when you decide within yourself that this will become a product others can use, it changes the way you approach the work. It takes on a slightly different seriousness, in my experience.
Say it out loud. After you have made the choice within, a small maturation process follows. Eventually you become ready to say it out loud, to tell someone else. When you do, the project suddenly becomes real. It brings a kind of positive external pressure, since people who know about it will ask how it is going and check in on the work.
Seek help. I would not have made it without help. On the road to release, I recommend including others to help you at different stages of development. Start with the near and dear you trust, and gradually expand to acquaintances and strangers. You will need help with playtesting, reading of text, support when things get tough, and general sparring throughout the development.
Take chances. Sign up for various events where you can show what you are working on and meet people who are interested. It absolutely doesn't need to be a finished product. I showed KVAD publicly for the first time at ARCON 34 in 2018. Back then the game was totally different from its released form. Eventually, invitations to other showcases and opportunities may appear. My encouragement then - seize the opportunity when it is there!
Consume. I believe it is useful to surround myself with roleplaying games in different ways. Reading about roleplaying, in books or on various forums. Writing about roleplaying - whether on projects, ideas in my notebook, or contributing posts on social media. Discussing the hobby with friends and acquaintances. This constantly gives me inspiration, refills, and the chance to develop new perspectives.

Signing and Demonstration

After the talk I signed some books, and ran the module Hevnvisa with a group of players over a couple of hours. It was a wonderfully composed group, and we played through a highly dramatic saga tale.

Photo: Thomas Flaaten Fredriksen

When the game was over, we came together to write a kvad summarizing the story. It became a delightfully creative process that took us about 10 minutes. The whole group contributed. The kvad goes as follows: