Interviewing Rich

By Alex White

- 4 minutes read - 675 words
Rich is a UK designer with a passion for engaging with an upcoming generation.

Please tell me a bit about yourself

I'm Rich, the director of Hatchlings Games, consultant at Tattered Bear, and recently the founder of Hatched Games, a starter indie video game studio. After studying for an MA in creative writing, I established a roleplaying group for local teens called "The Hatchlings".

After running the group for a couple of years, the kids insisted that I design an RPG for myself. Inspired by my work for a Deaf charity, I worked with my friends in the community to develop Inspirisles, a groundbreaking ttrpg that teaches sign language as you play.

What do you like best about designing games?

For me, it's the collaborative nature of the work. I'm a natural extrovert, so getting to do something I'm passionate about with a group of like-minded creatives is kind of special. I tried novel writing straight out of college, but its solitary requirements just didn't suit me. With ttrpg design, I have the best of both worlds, and when I'm not managing a team, I'm working in social spaces, such as cafes and libraries.

What are you working on at the moment, and what excites you about it?

I like to keep VERY busy, with my creative energy often cementing over whatever mental health struggles I'm experiencing. We've just concluded crowdfunds for BOW, a duet journaling card game, and Argo-0, a retro-futuristic odyssey of myth and mechs. Looking to next year, we have our first foray into folk horror with Preservation Tapes, an anthology and solo ruleset for recently published Cryptid Creeks, the final game in the sign language trilogy called Underisles, and Cryptid Cities, the sequel to Creeks set a decade later (think Stephen King's IT). Beyond next year, we're hoping to work on a couple of popular IPs, publish games by other creators, and establish a game design workshop for teens.

Can you tell me more about workshops for young creatives?

I've been wanting to establish a game design workshop for young creatives since The Hatchlings group disbanded during Covid. I plan to work with Cat McDonald of Peach Garden Games, using the Carta system to teach kids how to make a simple explorative journalling RPG. The system allows designers to place virtually any theme over the mechanics, so it should make for a really intuitive workshop.

What experiences are you trying to give to players?

I started making games in the first place because of The Hatchlings, and have been designing to accommodate them ever since. I don't think the next generation of roleplayers are considered enough, possibly because publishers don't feel there's enough money in games for all ages. I hope to prove them wrong, and to some degree I believe the Isles ttrpgs are doing just that!

I feel the fun in our RPGs stem from the core themes of freedom and camaraderie. Freedom to explore ideas and actions you couldn't in real life. Camaraderie in working together to achieve collective goals while still feeling that individual achievement.

Designing for younger players requires an economy of language and layout. For instance, with Cryptid Creeks we were careful to describe the mechanics in a straightforward way without ever restricting, or “dumbing down” the content. I feel this is a good principle for writing for any age, as it pushes you to make the most accessible ruleset possible. Accessibility can also be translated to the layout. We use using single columns, readable fonts, colour-coded page edges, and clearly defined text boxes. So when we talk about designing for all ages, we’re talking as much about accessibility.

Is there anything you would like to promote right now?

We have just published Cryptid Creeks, our Carved from Brindlewood RPG inspired by Gravity Falls. You can find the digital version on itch.io and order the hardcovers from our website. It’s proved a deeply personal project to design, and I believe that passion will come through in the final game.

Where should people go to follow you, and to find your products?