I had the pleasure of talking with Zac Goins from Snapback Game Studio about his newest project, Raptor Ruckus!
- Can you give us a quick overview of the game, and what makes it unique?
Sure! Raptor Ruckus is a survival horror RPG set within a collapsing island park filled with dinos, CIA operatives, eco-terrorist organizations, and other pleasantries. You’ve survived the initial chaos, but actually finding a way off the island is another thing altogether. It’s a d20-based game, like D&D, but much simpler, deadlier, and more chaotic. If you’re familiar with the Mork Borg system, we started there and then twisted things till they fit what we envisioned. - What inspired the game?
You’ve probably already guessed, but Jurassic Park is at the top of the list. Secondary inspirations are the Alien RPG from Free League, Deathmatch Island RPG from Evil Hat Productions, and the novel Primitive War. - What is your favorite dinosaur?
Can I give you three for different categories?
The most terrifying is the Quetzalcoatlus. Nothing more awe-inspiring than a flying dino larger than a giraffe with a beak that’s longer than I am. The coolest is the Baryonyx. It has the vibes of piss and vinegar, it could swim with the best of them, and pops up in a bunch of JP releases. And then my favorite dinosaur that’s not a dinosaur is the Dimetrodon. It’s the alligator looking fellow with the big sail on its back and the short legs. It’s not a dino, it’s not even a reptile. What’s crazy is that it’s classified as basically a mammal, which breaks my brain every time I think about it. - Will Raptor Ruckus feature only real dinos, or will there be mutant dinos (mutadons, etc.) too?
The core book only features “real” dinos and megaufauna, but there’s a build-your-own dino section for you to go nuts with, and some of the adventure pamphlets get weird real quick. - Were there any specific design challenges you had to overcome?
100%. This game sat on the back-burner for like 6 months because I wanted an elegant, simple system for chase scenes and escaping dinos in general. I absolutely abhor almost all chase mechanics, stealth modes, and things like that in most games, so it was a long process of research, revision, and playtest to find something that I was really happy with. - What part of the game are you most proud of from a design perspective?
Definitely the chase mechanics. That’s all bundled up into Maneuvers, which are things characters can do inside combat other than attack the dinos (usually a bad idea). All dinos and NPCs have Hit Points, so you could kill them, but they also have a Tenacity score, which functions like Morale but is burned down by successfully evading, hiding, or otherwise outmaneuvering your opponents. - What can you tell us about the Raptor Ruckus team?
It’s definitely a project with heavy collaboration. Once I had the bones of the system together, I brought in 3 of my best friends and dino enthusiasts. Frank Tedeschi is a real-world geneticist and board game / adventure designer that has been invaluable. He’s written a large chunk of the game, including our hacking mini-game. Zack Allen has added a lot to the setting and the overall flavor of the game. He’s the one that pushes us into strange territory and you need someone like that on the team. Eric Lillard is a friend of mine that’s one of the greatest GMs known to man. He’s also a Borg-fanatic, and he wrote our quickstart adventure. We also snagged Derrick Nau as our lead artist. You can see his work on our GM screen currently. Matthew Myslinski is doing more of our art and the books’ layout. He’s also tackling Chainsaw, Rangaborg, and Wasteland Degenerates in the Borg space. John Baltisberger is a horror fiction writer who also works in games. He’s doing a novel for us and a set-piece in the campaign book. We also have Cory Holman and Daniel Fox contributing set pieces, and Daniel is our Dev Editor. Finally, Brian Colin of Vast Grimm fame is our publisher and the last piece of the artist team. - When the creation of this game inevitably becomes a movie, who will play you?
I guess in the movie adaptation, the closest the writer gets is a cameo or serving as the narrator.
So if it’s a cameo, I’ll play myself. And if it’s “me” as the narrator, maybe Andrew Scott? - What items will be offered in the Kickstarter?
The core book (plus a special edition), a campaign book (10-12 sessions of play), GM Screen, 4 pamphlet adventures, a Kickstarter-exclusive adventure zine, T-Rex, Spinosaurus, and Raptor minis, the tie-in prelude novel, a hacking deck, and probably something else I’m forgetting. - What can backers expect as far as stretch goals?
Some of this is still getting sorted, but we’re looking at a lot of physical book improvements (multiple robbons, custom endpapers, Spot UV cover, etc.) and then maybe a smattering of extra dinos, minis, and the like. - A hungry raptor has picked up your scent. Will you survive the encounter?
Only if I’ve got a beaker full of some larger dino’s urine. I don’t have the charisma to woo a raptor, and I’m about as athletic as Dr. Malcolm with a cane.
About Zac:
Zac has written for dozens of publications, including the Marvel Multiverse Starter Set, the Zweihander RPG core book, and dozens of supplements for Mork Borg, Mothership, D&D 5e, OSE, and more. In another realm, he is the Director of Marketing for Limithron and the former god of death.
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