We interviewed Cezar Capacle RPG designer all about his work!
1. What inspires your work?
The cliché (although true) answer would be: everything. Media I consume, games I play, conversations I have, places I visit, art I see. Those can all be direct sources of inspiration, or they can go to a sort of backlog of input that you can then resort to when a new idea for a game pops up.
But more specifically, I am mostly inspired by “the next thing”. The “what ifs”. The constant investigation of what a game can be, of different ways to provide story-focused experiences. As soon as I finish a game, I can’t wait to do some completely different right after it, to explore a new direction, a new mechanic, a new format… this never-ending curiosity is definitely the main source of inspiration for me.
Also, constraints. Self-imposed limitations such as specific components, word count, weird themes, certain types of art, and so on can be quite inspiring!
2. Where can people support your work?
Right now, the best way to support me is through my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/capacle
Members have access to all my future releases, as well as a behind-the-scene view of my creative process, WIPs and more. And that is a nice way to get involved in the process, exchange ideas and help me shape my future games.
You can also find all my games on itch as well: https://capacle.itch.io/
3. How long have you been in the RPG space?
I’ve been playing for more than 25 years now, and I’ve been designing my own games for the past 6 years or so.
The idea of creating my own games has always been exciting to me, since I was a child. I started with small hacks of other systems, and little experiments that I tried out with friends and family. I published my first game in Brazil back in 2017.
Now since 2020, I’ve been a full-time game designer, and I have published nearly 20 games.
4. What would you tell someone who wants to do what you do? Any advice?
Make imperfect games. Start with what you have, right now. Circumstances will never be ideal if you wait for the “right moment”. Use free software and free images. Hack existing games. Type on your phone.
There’s no “game designer license”; if you create a single house rule, you’re already a game designer. You are going to make a lot of mistakes, and that still is the best way to learn.
Also, consume a bunch of different games. Go to itch and explore physical games there. Thousands of new indie games are released every year, with unique perspectives on what games can be. Open your mind to different approaches. Don’t be afraid.
5. Plans for 2023?
Honestly, my biggest wish is to keep doing what I do. Having a sustainable income as an indie game desiger is no joke, specially if you are not creating content for well-established games.
I started my Patreon to help support my career. If it goes well, I’ll keep creating my quirky games, releasing one new thing every month or so.
If that doesn’t work… well, I’ll have to think of something else. 🙂
