Interviewing Kayla Dice

By Alex White

- 4 minutes read - 642 words
Kayla was a stand up comedian and pro wrestler before turning to full time TTRPG writing and publishing!

Please tell me a bit about yourself

I'm Kayla Dice, I'm a current full-time TTRPG writer/designer publishing and a former stand-up comedian and pro wrestler. My games (available at ratwave.uk) cover a range of genres and styles but usually explore the themes of alienation and connection.

I also host a weekly improv design podcast called Game Soup (with Chloe from Biscuit Fund Games) and a seasonal interview podcast called This is Your Lifepath. My most recent release was PSYCHODUNGEON, a fantasy workplace action drama, played with no dice and no masters.

What do you like best about designing games?

That's actually a hard question for me to answer. I think I find joy in different parts of design depending on the project. I think there's a noticeable enjoyment of writing in my work, like a clear level of fun I'm having with language.

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

I'm finishing off a crowdfunding campaigns for Transgender Deathmatch Legend II, a two player card based beat em up, and will be working on the layout and production for the book soon.

In terms of writing I've been working on a sci-fi film noir inspired game, set on a retro-future space station. I've been seeing this game almost as a bit of a puzzle. I know a lot about what I want the game to do, but to accomplish that I need to find what the game wants to be. If I can figure this game out I think it could really connect a lot of different strands from my previous work together in a way I'm excited about.

Sci-fi noir has long been one of my favourite combinations of genres. Do you have any film or book touchstones which have inspired you?

So I had a special interest in film noir when I was younger and so I've watched a lot of films. In terms of things I'm drawing on the Third Man is in there, the Big Sleep and Maltese Falcon too, and Kurosawa's Stray Dog informed decisions I made with the setting. There's much more though, especially drilling down into individual scenarios rather than the game as a whole. It draws more from the noir crime thriller strand rather than the melodramas (mainly in the interest of being a cohesive and focused game, I think Mildred Pierce is a great film but it's not really in the game).

For sci-fi elements the imagery of Blade Runner and Alien was definitely on my mind, though this setting doesn't have a focus on extraterrestrial life or mass produced androids. Two things that informed the space station setting was the video game Citizen Sleeper and the book Deep Wheel Orcadia.

What experience(s) are you trying to give to players?

It changes depending on the project for me. The experience of Transgender Deathmatch Legend II is meant to be thrilling, aggressive and schlocky with lots of room for intuitive strategy. The fun comes from embracing the world of the game and letting the mechanics immerse you in that feeling. PSYCHODUNGEON is very different for instance, there is more focused on dramatic character moments. The noir game will focus a lot on feeling isolated and unsure of who can be trusted, the fun here is in creating a flawed character and seeing how they navigate the moral darkness they find themselves in.

Is there anything you would like to promote right now?

My latest release PSYCHODUNGEON is available now and for people who missed the Transgender Deathmatch Legend II campaign pre-orders are now up on BackerKit at https://gender.ratwave.uk

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