Black History Month: Black RPG Game Designers

[MGibster]

To be honest, I've been aware he was Black since about 1986... but don't recall HOW I came to that info. And it never mattered to me, but did to a couple of friends.

I started playing Cyberpunk 2020 back in 1990 or 1991, and didn't find out Mr. Pondsmith was black until 1993-94 at the earliest. I don't remember what publication it was in or what the article was about, but it featured a photo of him. I don't generally pay much attention to the people who make the games I play or other entertainment I consume so this new knowledge didn't make much of a difference to me. Given the lack of African American gamers I had seen in the 80s and 90s. I thought it was kind of cool that Pondsmith was black.

It occurs to me how different things are these days in how close we can get to our favorite creators. When Cyberpunk Red came out last year I saw Pondsmith all over YouTube promoting the game. Back in the 80s, I thought Laura and Tracy Hickman, authors of the original Ravenloft module, were sisters. Sure, I knew Tracy could be a guy's name but I never actually met a guy named Tracy.

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

The successfully kickstarted ORUN: Post-Apotheosis, Afro-Centric, Space Opera RPG features several Black game designers; the one I'm most familiar with is Misha Bushyager, who has worked on Chill: SAVE, Lovecraftesque, Dead Scare and the #Feminism game anthology. You can find her blog at BlackGirlGameWorks.com and she also works on the More Seats at the Table newsletter.

ORUN is a pretty cool-looking science fiction world in need of heroes to rebuild a galaxy following a devastating psychic virus attack. Players create Luminary characters from a variety of different species, each serving a different ascended Oluru. The setting is inspired by Yoruba traditions and the Horizon System uses a 2d10 roll.