Goober Ramsley talks Everyday Arcana and GORGON

I really enjoy interviewing the good folks at Evil Genius Games who work hard to create incredible TTRPG adventures for you to enjoy. Last week we heard from Bryan CP Steele, who gave us a Gen Con recap and a look into the stars with Intergalactic Heroes, and before that Sig Trent came on TO talk about The Armory. Today we’re talking about number three of our major IP projects, Everyday Arcana, with Lead Writer/Designer Chris “Goober” Ramsley. Known affectionately by all simply as “Goober,” Goober embraced the moniker early on and is known so pervasively by it that I didn’t even know that they had another name for the first several months that I worked for Evil Genius Games. 

Together with Sig Trent, Goober provides the rules and mechanics backbone for the Everyday Heroes system. Their credits include the  Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook, The Vault: Rules Compendium Vol. 1, and the non-adventure content for half of our Cinematic Adventures, and they continue to have a hand in everything we do. In short, on top of being a fantastic GM and  remarkable mini painter, Goober continues to write, develop, design, and produce really cool stuff for Evil Genius Games. I invited them on to talk about their major project, Everyday Arcana, and about G.O.R.G.O.N, a one-shot adventure that, along with a Bonus Feature, is coming out in November on our Patreon. Let’s hear what they have to say. 

Thanks for coming on the blog, Goober.

Great to be here. I’m looking forward to it. 

Me, too! Look, so many people are chomping on the bit to learn more about Everyday Arcana that I should just cut to the chase. You have been wanting to do this project for a long time, haven’t you? 

Oh, yeah. I’ve been wanting to do Everyday Arcana since the very beginning, and it’s been the most consistently requested expansion by fans since day 1.

So, for the readers–if there are any–who aren’t familiar with Everyday Arcana, give us a brief rundown of the project and what it is about. 

So, Everyday Heroes is all about modern action in its many forms. And there’s a lot of scifi and fantasy stuff that you can do with the core rules—especially in The Vault—but the options are ultimately limited, particularly when it comes to supernatural hero abilities. 

And that’s where Everyday Arcana comes in! 

Yep. Everyday Arcana opens up the ability for Everyday Heroes players to play as all kinds of fantasy heroes like Elves, Wizards, Goblins, and Blood Mages. Or telekinetic clowns! 

Telekinetic Clowns?

Just for instance. 

So, it’s versatile?

Very much so. The game is a toolbox that allows you to play any kind of urban fantasy. You can run “monster of the week” stories with creatures lurking in the shadows, tales of secret vampire clans or magic academies hidden in plain sight, and all the way to high fantasy in the modern world. 

Which would be like…?

Picture it: your orc warrior hero rides a dragon, soaring between skyscrapers while shooting a machine gun at an evil sorcerer! 

Okay, that’s versatile. 

Yeah, it’s as down to earth or up in the clouds as you like! The game will be standalone, allowing you to play it without requiring Everyday Heroes. But it will also be fully compatible with Everyday Heroes, so you can mix and match in any way you like! 

That sounds awesome. So, tell me, how is this masterwork going to come out to the fans? 

We will begin by publishing the Player’s Guide, and then soon follow up with a Game Master Guide and a bestiary.

I can’t wait to see this all come together. So, where do things stand now in production with the Player’s Guide? 

We’re still a little ways out from release because other projects have taken precedence. But a lot has already been written and we have a pretty clear idea at this point of what’s left to do. We’ve got a lot of classes made (which I think is the real meat of the game), as well as Backgrounds, Professions, and Origins (that’s the one where you can be an elf, dwarf, gnome, etc.). And since  the rules themselves will be compatible with Everyday Heroes, a lot of that will just need to be brought over—with improved wording, of course. 

So, what’s still out there to figure out?

The biggest hurdle left for the Player’s Guide is going to be spells, which is also going to be a very fun and exciting section to write! 

I’ll bet. Then what?

Well, once the Player’s Guide is set, we will put together the Game Master’s Guide. This will include all kinds of optional rules, guidance for setting design, magical items, and sample scenarios. That way, you can tweak your game exactly the way you want to. And then we will take on the bestiary. which will include a wealth of both creatures to fight and monstrous origins for your heroes.

This all sounds fantastic, and I know that GMs and players are going to love, love, and love these three books. And even though getting Everyday Arcana together is a huge amount of work, I know that you have other projects as well. What else have you got going?

So, in the meantime, I’ve got a dark urban fantasy tidbit coming out soon that you can play with core Everyday Heroes! Our spooky October Patreon release will introduce you to GORGON, an organization dedicated to hunting down souls that have escaped from the Underworld into the world of the living.  

GORGON?

Yeah. It stands for “The Greater Office of Revenant Gathering and Outlaw Neutralization.” The release will include new Backgrounds and Professions related to GORGON and its world, the ability to play as one of the aforementioned escaped souls, and the option to play as an actual Gorgon—the creature, not the organization (though they did start the organization)—with the ability to petrify your enemies! 

That is going to rock! (Pun intended, of course.) What about the adventure?

In the accompanying adventure, the heroes become new GORGON recruits who take on what seems like a simple mission…

It always seems simple at the beginning…

Always. But things get complicated when they investigate the dark magics involved. An ideal October spookfest!

This sounds like it will be perfect for October and for those folks who can’t wait to get a little preview taste of Everyday Arcana. Thanks for bringing us up to date and giving us all something to look forward to! 

A pleasure! 

Okay, folks, don’t let October creep up on you—we have a bunch of terrific adventures and assets already up on our Patreon—so sign up today. And, if you want to get early access, be part of beta testing our upcoming products and releases, and have an influence on the direction of Evil Genius Games, make sure to sign up for the Influencer tier as well! https://www.patreon.com/evilgeniusgames/membership