Old School Fantasy TTRPG Fans REJOICE!!! Darkworld: Legends of Lornea IS COMING!!!
By Tom Hyland
It was the other day on Facebook where I spotted a post from Fantasy writer RICHARD A. KNAAK, one of the most underrated fantasy writers that deserves the recognition reserved for the likes of R.A. Salvatore or Brandon Sanderson. In this post, Knaak gave a shout out to a Fantasy TTRPG creator, writer and artist PATRICK E. PULLEN, whom this past Tuesday had launched a kickstarter campaign to fund the first of a trilogy of anthology books of five novelettes set in his dark fantasy set IP DARKWORLD. The novelettes are written by renowned writers JEAN RABE, RICHARD A. KNAAK, DONALD J. BINGLE, RICHARD LEE BYERS, and PATRICK E. PULLEN himself.
It is an IP that the creator is continuously employing artists, cartographers, and writers to make DARKWORLD as much of a visual experience as a writer's experience. When I went through the kickstarter, I just knew I had to reach out to PULLEN himself, because there’s clearly something special here that is taking shape before our very eyes.
I had to know more. So, I reached out and he was kind enough to answer a few questions for me, which I’ve posted below. Prepare to be blown away.
1.) Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for me. I have been going through your kickstarter for DARK-WORLD. It’s really neat looking. What brought you to the world of DARK-WORLD? How did it get started?
(A) Darkworld has been about 10 years in the making. I wanted to create a world that was unique and came up with the idea that a planet which was always half dark and half light would be interesting. I also wanted to create a world/IP that could revive that 80s and 90s feel (much like the old fantasy books from TSR). That world was named Torbalin (AKA Darkworld) and the main focus was a continent named Lornea. I contacted Richard A. Knaak and we began talking about the idea and I ended up commissioning him for the first story, The Pyre of Despair. From there, I started talking to other former TSR employees and writers and here we are at my 1st Kickstarter; Darkworld: Legends of Lornea: Volume One.
2.) What are your plans for DARK-WORLD? Is this the beginning of an IP you’ve developed out of your love for fantasy world building? What can we expect?
(A) I have plans for two more anthologies, a novel, A Role-Playing Campaign Setting and Role-Playing Adventures set in Darkworld. This is just the beginning, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. I need this Kickstarter to do well before taking my next steps. All of the authors have agreed to return to Darkworld in Legends of Lornea: Volume Two. I am also in talks with more former TSR authors to expand the amount of stories in the next anthology.
3.) What is your creative process look like? How does a day look like for you when you’re creating DARK-WORLD?
(A) Chaos! I have so many ideas, it can be difficult settling in to any one project. I am a writer, artist and cartographer, so keeping focus on one thing can be difficult. A typical day of creating usually has me doing a little of everything. I love world building and every aspect of it so, even though its chaotic, I enjoy the challenges it presents.
4.) Tell us about your kickstarter campaign. What do you get?
(A) The Legends of Lornea is an anthology of novelettes by Jean Rabe, Richard A. Knaak, Richard Lee Byers, Donald J. Bingle and myself. It covers a wide range of history set in Darkworld. There are PDF, paperback and hardback (print on demand) versions available, as well as a braille version. There's also limited signed book plates, a poster, map and a 1st - 4th level 5E adventure; Terror at Murkwell. One of the add-ons is a chance to play Terror at Murkwell with me, Richard Lee Byers and Donald J. Bingle. Only 3 slots left as of this interview (9-20-24).
5.) What got my attention was the list of authors that will be contributing stories to your book. One of them being RICHARD A. KNAAK who is a fan favorite. How did it come together for you to work with him and other authors?
(A) I reached out to Richard as a fan and he responded. I was working on the Darkworld campaign setting at the time and asked if he would be interested in writing the foreword (which he did). We began talking about my vision for Darkworld and he was very interested in it. After a few months of corresponding, I came up with the idea of an anthology to accompany the setting. I approached Richard about it, and he was very willing to write a story. I asked him for recommendations of other offers and was directed to Jean Rabe. She was interested in the IP and suggested Donald J. Bingle and Richard Lee Byers. They all agreed, we came up with story ideas and here we are.
6.) Give us an elevator pitch of DARK-WORLD for the readers. What is it? And who would love to explore it? Who is your target audience?
(A) Darkworld is an epic “open world” campaign setting of dark fantasy. The planet has a solar-synchronous rotation around the sun (a tidal lock planet). As it orbits its sun, one side is always in light and the other in darkness. It has a unique magical atmosphere that keeps both sides inhabitable. The world currently has one major continent, Lornea, which is positioned just right on the side of the planet to be in both the light and the dark. It is separated into three main areas. The scorch in the west is always in the sunlight. The Darkfell in the east is always shrouded in darkness. And the area in the middle, known as The Grey, is in a constant state of dusk.
Darkworld: Legends of Lornea: Volume One is about 260 pages of dark fantasy. It includes a hand-drawn map and five pieces of original, black and white art that depict a scene from each story.
My target audience is anyone that loves dark fantasy and great story telling or people who want to role-play in a unique fantasy setting.
7.) Where can people find you to learn more?
(A) I'm not a big presence on social media platforms, but I do frequent Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/patrick.e.pullen I also run a Facebook group for Darkworld at https://www.facebook.com/groups/darkworldrpg
I am also in the process of building a domain site and it will be simply
https://www.patrickepullen.com
and it will contain a section for Darkworld as well as my art and writing projects.
The link to the Kickstarter is https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darkworld/darkworld-anthology-legends-of-lornea?ref=5ulc33
This sounds shades (no pun intended) better than AD&D (or as I call it, Advanced Death & Disabilities.) Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Is there a link that we can go to?