GenCon 2023 Chaosium Interview Overview with Marketing Director, Brian Holland
During the second day of GenCon 2023, an interview by Nathan of The Advanced Age Roleplaying Gamers took place with Brian Holland, the Marketing Director of the renowned gaming company Chaosium. For those unfamiliar, Chaosium is a legacy company, soon to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025. The company boasts games with a long-standing nostalgic value, comparable to TSR and DND, with titles like RuneQuest.
One of the major announcements during this GenCon was the introduction of the “Cults of RuneQuest” subline. This is particularly exciting for RuneQuest enthusiasts, a game set in a Bronze Age mythic fantasy realm. The new subline offers a series of player handbooks, which enhance character creation and advancement. Emphasizing their depth, these player-facing books are crammed with lore. For those familiar with other game terminologies, they can be seen as an extensive suite of character classes. Holland highlighted that this addition is pivotal and a good entry point for newcomers to delve into the world of RuneQuest.
Besides RuneQuest’s new subline, Chaosium showcased its Basic Role-Playing (BRP) Universal Game Engine core book. The BRP engine is instrumental in powering most of Chaosium’s celebrated games, such as RuneQuest, Pendragon, and Call of Cthulhu. What’s remarkable about this release is that it’s a stripped-back version of that engine, devoid of any game setting, allowing gamers to craft their own universe or integrate pre-existing IPs. The system’s openness is exemplified by its licensing; users can create and sell their RPGs using the engine under the “OWK license.”
Additionally, board game enthusiasts have something to anticipate. Chaosium revealed a prototype of their new game, “Horror on the Orient Express” board game. This game is inspired by an epic campaign of the same name from the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. It’s worth noting that the creative brains behind the successful board game “Nemesis,” which raised a whopping 5 million euros on Kickstarter in 2018, are developing this new offering.
In conclusion, Brian Holland emphasized the importance of fans staying connected with Chaosium via their social media platforms. He playfully remarked, urging everyone to “sleep soundly because the nightmares are coming.” The interview ended with a promise to return with more insights from other members of the Chaosium team.