When Umut Comak of the Dream Realm Storytellers first contacted me it was to offer a press release about Svilland, their Norse 5e setting. The second time, a sneak peek of it. The third was to discuss an interview. With the Kickstarter for Svilland ending tomorrow*, we were able to talk with Umut about the project and the gaming scene in Turkey.
EGG EMBRY (EGG): Let’s talk about your Kickstarter, Svilland: The Norse Mythology Setting for DnD 5E. What’s it about?
UMUT COMAK (UC): Svilland is a campaign setting that is compatible with Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition system. We created it to reflect the true Norse mythology as much as possible. Although it has derivations from it here and there, it is a very close representation of what documented stories and tales have in terms of mythology. Svilland is a world of gray with ice and dust. It focuses on a gloomier, darker theme with harsh conditions for survival, unlike the themes we are used to seeing in DnD campaigns. Although it is still a high-fantasy, the lines between good and evil, right and wrong, and even demands of gods and goddesses are blurrier.
EGG: What inspired you to pick Norse mythology for this game?
UC: We like to read about mythology and history in our free time as much we as like playing tabletop RPG games. Towards the end of last year, some of us were into Norse mythology and culture related books. The interesting lore in those books quickly became a daily topic to talk about in our meetings or hang out days. On top of that, God of War got released. It marked our hype for the Norse mythology and culture. When we realized the lack of content for this theme in Dungeons and Dragons, as well as some inaccurate representation of the mythology in movies and other media as a common practice, we decided to come up with content that provides Norse mythology its value.
EGG: Beyond the setting, what made 5e the right engine for Svilland?
UC: As a group, we have been working on many contents for some years now. Most of them are based on systems either we modified or developed from scratch. Such content is tough and slow to work on with its many R&Ds and tests. In order to become a studio, we wanted to start small and work on content that both we and most of the global RPG community are compatible with. Dungeons and Dragons, especially 5th Edition, has the greatest player base in the world right now. It was a good place to enter for us.
EGG: You’re adding six new races for this setting, which one(s) do you think are going to be hits at the gaming table?
UC: All races are unique and it is hard to say which one would conquer the hearts of Svilland players the most. Yet, we would say the Sami (whose name will change into a fictional name) would create the most enthusiasm... Who doesn't want to purify death -literally- like a disease? We can say that based on the feedback we had for our demo booklet, as well as their authenticity on how they perceive the realm, and their wisdom. Still, because human is the most played race in 5th Edition, we expect one of the human-based races of the three kingdoms would be most played by Svilland players.
EGG: Vikings are perhaps best known for their raids against non-vikings. Are you going to have longboats and adventures based around raiding? Any special features around that aspect of Viking life?
UC: We have tested the realm from this aspect and know we are sure that raids will be fun and challenging in Svilland. The weather plays a role in encounters in the realm, so especially during voyages at sea, players should brace for interesting encounters. Moreover with our naval battle rules and island stretch goals unlocked, players will feel the immersion of real Viking raids. Also the forgotten shores, islands and cliffs will provide a sense of discovery.
EGG: You have a free Svilland Campaign Setting Demo Booklet on DriveThruRPG. What’s the reception been like on that book?
UC: To be honest, we were nervous about the reaction we would get from the community. We did not consider ourselves as experts on Dungeons and Dragons, and we are certainly fresh recruits on tabletop RPG development in an official scale. We were very grateful and surprised about the reaction we had from the community. Most of the people who reviewed our booklet not only liked but actually adored the content. The feedback was very constructive and inspirational for us as well. Many people have joined our enthusiasm about the work and shared some cool ideas and changes with us, which we took into account in our development.
EGG: You set up your own publishing company, Dream Realm Storytellers. Why did you go that route as opposed to shopping your product around and going with another publisher?
UC: We wanted to get into the global community as a self-sufficient studio and develop our own brand name. This also gives us the chance to develop the projects in our minds and hearts freely, as well as reacting and pro-acting to the wishes of the global community in our way. Thanks to crowdfunding and firms such as DriveThruRPG that have small-publisher-friendly procedures, we have managed to go this route.
EGG: Beyond Svilland: The Norse Mythology Setting for DnD 5E, what other tabletop RPG projects are you working on?
UC: Actually, we have two big projects. We are taking our time in these as we want them to be large-scale, detailed projects in the end. One of them we cannot share as the very name of it signals its original content. The other one is a kind of low-fantasy system and setting that we currently call Crescent Realm. Our friend, Ekin, has been running campaigns on it for the past 10 years and has worked on it in a professional scale for the past three years. The setting will focus on depths and differences of cultures, religions, and characters. The lore will be very in-depth and detailed, providing a vast world for the players. The combat will be both more dynamic and cinematic than the simple “I roll to hit” that we are used to in other systems, but will let the game maintain a speed that is as fast as Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder. There will be a lot of room for character specialization, but the foundation of the system is simple. So the players can include as much complexity in their character and game-style as they wish, or keep it quite simple if they don’t want to work on such details. Other than that, we are currently planning about many adventures and other content that are universally-compatible with systems, which will be of smaller scale than Svilland. They will be easier to develop than Svilland but will be just as fun and inspiring to create and play. We are also planning for them in order to get used to Kickstarter more, as well as to be a part of the global RPG community more.
EGG: You’re based in the capital of Turkey, and its second-largest city, Ankara. When we’ve talked, you mentioned the Turkish RPG community. What’s the tabletop RPG scene like there?
UC: RPG is a sub-culture in Turkey for the past 20-25 years now. There is a vast community of tabletop RPG in our country. Many universities have science fiction and fantasy societies where hundreds of people play games every semester. Each university organizes their own conventions generally in spring, and we also organize a convention-like summer camp so that the people who organize these events can rest and chill. Still, word of mouth is stronger than social media in terms of RPG and many people play games with their friend circles in their houses rather than finding people online. Materials are quite hard to obtain. There are only some people who open up hobby shops, and they tend to include a burdening level of profit margin, to these imported goods that are already expensive because of the Turkish Lira’s weakness as a currency. This does not prevent people from playing though. Books that are shared by many people are common, as well as playing Warhammer with makeshift figures rather than Games Workshop models, for example. We would presume the country lacks the business interest and media for tabletop RPG. There are websites with RPG content but they are more interested in the global community and news from tabletop RPG giants rather than the works and organizations of the local community. Hopefully, we think that with us and more people putting their work and effort out to the global community like us, the sector will grow.
EGG: Among the games Dream Realm Storytellers has hosted is a LARP for Ankara by Night. This is for Vampire: The Masquerade? Is it anything that you’re considering writing for the Storytellers Vault?
UC: We love Vampire and its gloomy events and politics. Thinking about our country’s condition, it presents themes that we are somehow used to, at least in terms of politics. We organized a By Night for our city where players make actions and see consequences even during the times between sessions. The level of immersion skyrocketed with this method. We have some friends who we can define as encyclopedias on World of Darkness lore and content. Also given the historical authenticity of Anatolia, we could indeed come up with very authentic, original content for World of Darkness. We actually have a book about Changeling that we have written in Turkish but planning to translate it to English and share it with the world. Depending on how we will decide on the priorities of our upcoming projects, we may get into that area as well.
EGG: Changling from another perspective? That’d be interesting! In Italy, Lex Arcana is the RPG to beat. What are some of the most successful tabletop RPGs in Turkey?
UC: If we are to consider tabletop RPGs that are developed and released in Turkey, there have been none for the past 20-25 years. We don’t know the reason for it... There are many talented individuals or groups with their non-profit contents, in our age or older who could have come up with beautiful commercial content throughout all these years. So I guess this makes Svilland the successful tabletop RPG in Turkey. We hope this achievement does not hold for long though; seeing many tabletop RPGs from Turkey swarming Kickstarter and global RPG sector in general would, of course, make us proud.
EGG: For those interested in learning more about Dream Realm Storytellers or about your Kickstarter, where can they go?
UC: They can visit our website and our social media accounts, also contact us via our email, web site, Facebook, and Twitter.
* Writer’s note: Funding for Svilland: The Norse Mythology Setting for DnD 5E ends at 10:01 AM EDT on Thursday, October 4th, 2018.
This article was contributed by Egg Embry as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Egg is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
EGG EMBRY (EGG): Let’s talk about your Kickstarter, Svilland: The Norse Mythology Setting for DnD 5E. What’s it about?
UMUT COMAK (UC): Svilland is a campaign setting that is compatible with Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition system. We created it to reflect the true Norse mythology as much as possible. Although it has derivations from it here and there, it is a very close representation of what documented stories and tales have in terms of mythology. Svilland is a world of gray with ice and dust. It focuses on a gloomier, darker theme with harsh conditions for survival, unlike the themes we are used to seeing in DnD campaigns. Although it is still a high-fantasy, the lines between good and evil, right and wrong, and even demands of gods and goddesses are blurrier.
EGG: What inspired you to pick Norse mythology for this game?
UC: We like to read about mythology and history in our free time as much we as like playing tabletop RPG games. Towards the end of last year, some of us were into Norse mythology and culture related books. The interesting lore in those books quickly became a daily topic to talk about in our meetings or hang out days. On top of that, God of War got released. It marked our hype for the Norse mythology and culture. When we realized the lack of content for this theme in Dungeons and Dragons, as well as some inaccurate representation of the mythology in movies and other media as a common practice, we decided to come up with content that provides Norse mythology its value.
EGG: Beyond the setting, what made 5e the right engine for Svilland?
UC: As a group, we have been working on many contents for some years now. Most of them are based on systems either we modified or developed from scratch. Such content is tough and slow to work on with its many R&Ds and tests. In order to become a studio, we wanted to start small and work on content that both we and most of the global RPG community are compatible with. Dungeons and Dragons, especially 5th Edition, has the greatest player base in the world right now. It was a good place to enter for us.
EGG: You’re adding six new races for this setting, which one(s) do you think are going to be hits at the gaming table?
UC: All races are unique and it is hard to say which one would conquer the hearts of Svilland players the most. Yet, we would say the Sami (whose name will change into a fictional name) would create the most enthusiasm... Who doesn't want to purify death -literally- like a disease? We can say that based on the feedback we had for our demo booklet, as well as their authenticity on how they perceive the realm, and their wisdom. Still, because human is the most played race in 5th Edition, we expect one of the human-based races of the three kingdoms would be most played by Svilland players.
EGG: Vikings are perhaps best known for their raids against non-vikings. Are you going to have longboats and adventures based around raiding? Any special features around that aspect of Viking life?
UC: We have tested the realm from this aspect and know we are sure that raids will be fun and challenging in Svilland. The weather plays a role in encounters in the realm, so especially during voyages at sea, players should brace for interesting encounters. Moreover with our naval battle rules and island stretch goals unlocked, players will feel the immersion of real Viking raids. Also the forgotten shores, islands and cliffs will provide a sense of discovery.
EGG: You have a free Svilland Campaign Setting Demo Booklet on DriveThruRPG. What’s the reception been like on that book?
UC: To be honest, we were nervous about the reaction we would get from the community. We did not consider ourselves as experts on Dungeons and Dragons, and we are certainly fresh recruits on tabletop RPG development in an official scale. We were very grateful and surprised about the reaction we had from the community. Most of the people who reviewed our booklet not only liked but actually adored the content. The feedback was very constructive and inspirational for us as well. Many people have joined our enthusiasm about the work and shared some cool ideas and changes with us, which we took into account in our development.
EGG: You set up your own publishing company, Dream Realm Storytellers. Why did you go that route as opposed to shopping your product around and going with another publisher?
UC: We wanted to get into the global community as a self-sufficient studio and develop our own brand name. This also gives us the chance to develop the projects in our minds and hearts freely, as well as reacting and pro-acting to the wishes of the global community in our way. Thanks to crowdfunding and firms such as DriveThruRPG that have small-publisher-friendly procedures, we have managed to go this route.
EGG: Beyond Svilland: The Norse Mythology Setting for DnD 5E, what other tabletop RPG projects are you working on?
UC: Actually, we have two big projects. We are taking our time in these as we want them to be large-scale, detailed projects in the end. One of them we cannot share as the very name of it signals its original content. The other one is a kind of low-fantasy system and setting that we currently call Crescent Realm. Our friend, Ekin, has been running campaigns on it for the past 10 years and has worked on it in a professional scale for the past three years. The setting will focus on depths and differences of cultures, religions, and characters. The lore will be very in-depth and detailed, providing a vast world for the players. The combat will be both more dynamic and cinematic than the simple “I roll to hit” that we are used to in other systems, but will let the game maintain a speed that is as fast as Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder. There will be a lot of room for character specialization, but the foundation of the system is simple. So the players can include as much complexity in their character and game-style as they wish, or keep it quite simple if they don’t want to work on such details. Other than that, we are currently planning about many adventures and other content that are universally-compatible with systems, which will be of smaller scale than Svilland. They will be easier to develop than Svilland but will be just as fun and inspiring to create and play. We are also planning for them in order to get used to Kickstarter more, as well as to be a part of the global RPG community more.
EGG: You’re based in the capital of Turkey, and its second-largest city, Ankara. When we’ve talked, you mentioned the Turkish RPG community. What’s the tabletop RPG scene like there?
UC: RPG is a sub-culture in Turkey for the past 20-25 years now. There is a vast community of tabletop RPG in our country. Many universities have science fiction and fantasy societies where hundreds of people play games every semester. Each university organizes their own conventions generally in spring, and we also organize a convention-like summer camp so that the people who organize these events can rest and chill. Still, word of mouth is stronger than social media in terms of RPG and many people play games with their friend circles in their houses rather than finding people online. Materials are quite hard to obtain. There are only some people who open up hobby shops, and they tend to include a burdening level of profit margin, to these imported goods that are already expensive because of the Turkish Lira’s weakness as a currency. This does not prevent people from playing though. Books that are shared by many people are common, as well as playing Warhammer with makeshift figures rather than Games Workshop models, for example. We would presume the country lacks the business interest and media for tabletop RPG. There are websites with RPG content but they are more interested in the global community and news from tabletop RPG giants rather than the works and organizations of the local community. Hopefully, we think that with us and more people putting their work and effort out to the global community like us, the sector will grow.
EGG: Among the games Dream Realm Storytellers has hosted is a LARP for Ankara by Night. This is for Vampire: The Masquerade? Is it anything that you’re considering writing for the Storytellers Vault?
UC: We love Vampire and its gloomy events and politics. Thinking about our country’s condition, it presents themes that we are somehow used to, at least in terms of politics. We organized a By Night for our city where players make actions and see consequences even during the times between sessions. The level of immersion skyrocketed with this method. We have some friends who we can define as encyclopedias on World of Darkness lore and content. Also given the historical authenticity of Anatolia, we could indeed come up with very authentic, original content for World of Darkness. We actually have a book about Changeling that we have written in Turkish but planning to translate it to English and share it with the world. Depending on how we will decide on the priorities of our upcoming projects, we may get into that area as well.
EGG: Changling from another perspective? That’d be interesting! In Italy, Lex Arcana is the RPG to beat. What are some of the most successful tabletop RPGs in Turkey?
UC: If we are to consider tabletop RPGs that are developed and released in Turkey, there have been none for the past 20-25 years. We don’t know the reason for it... There are many talented individuals or groups with their non-profit contents, in our age or older who could have come up with beautiful commercial content throughout all these years. So I guess this makes Svilland the successful tabletop RPG in Turkey. We hope this achievement does not hold for long though; seeing many tabletop RPGs from Turkey swarming Kickstarter and global RPG sector in general would, of course, make us proud.
EGG: For those interested in learning more about Dream Realm Storytellers or about your Kickstarter, where can they go?
UC: They can visit our website and our social media accounts, also contact us via our email, web site, Facebook, and Twitter.
* Writer’s note: Funding for Svilland: The Norse Mythology Setting for DnD 5E ends at 10:01 AM EDT on Thursday, October 4th, 2018.
This article was contributed by Egg Embry as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Egg is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
