Narratively Speaking
We’re continuing the peek behind the GKG curtain again, this time to celebrate Narrative Lead and Social Media Manager, Suzie. You can read the article about Tom and another about Joe, the one about Mick will follow soon.
For now, let’s chat to the writer-er and editor-er and marketing-er-er…
Where did it all start - how did you get into gaming?
My Uncle introduced me to miniature painting when I was around seven. He had a whole series of little pewter minis and he told me where to go to buy my own and get some paints. I did a terrible job but loved it, yet it never stuck as a hobby as none of my friends did anything similar. Then in around 2007 I met my now husband and another close friend. The friend played 40k and we began playing with him (I dabbled with Necrons but Chaos Demons are my favourite) - we dipped in and out of it, yet it never quite stuck either.
In 2012 I began playing D&D and that’s when gaming for me properly kicked off. From there I began regularly playing Pathfinder 1e, dabbled with other systems (like World of Darkness, Fate, a couple of the Star Wars systems, Call of Cthulu, and many others), obsessively played then dropped Magic the Gathering, played Malifaux a bit (mostly for painting the minis), then have regularly played D&D 5e since around 2019.
Early on I felt I needed existing friends to play whatever gaming hobby it was (as some experiences weren’t brilliant even with friends), but I’m older and more confident now. In fact, I have some close friends now who I met as strangers in a gaming setting.
1) I enjoy GM’ing and my cats like to stick their noses in too. 2) I enjoyed painting Malifaux and it led me into Moonstone. 3) I’m a keen board gamer and I completed Pandemic Legacy (both of them) with some friends, this were some of the mods we made to the board! 4) I was thrilled to see Critical Role in London a few years ago. 5) Dimension 20 too, Brennan is a superb DM!
How about Moonstone, when and how did you stumble on this game?
I met Tom at Salute not long after the Kickstarter for the first Starter Set and other boxsets had completed in 2017. He had charmed another trader into giving him some shelf space and had one table set up right at the very back of the hall. By that point I was tired and had spent a lot of money already, but then I spotted Faeries. I’d not seen fae in any gaming setting to that point and I wanted to know more. Tom was chatting away with some other people, so I didn’t stop in the end but just kept thinking about the minis.
Later on we found ourselves not far from the stand but were at the point of heading home, so I said I wanted to look again. Luckily the kid and dad Tom was talking to left quite quickly after we arrived, and Tom gave us a quick demo. I fell in love with it. I bought a Starter Set and some Goblins (as all the Faeries had sold out!), so am the proud owner of an alt sculpt Doug the Flatulent head.
From there I dipped in and out of painting the minis and backed the Leshavult Kickstarter, yet only had a handful of games as few gaming friends lived locally at that time. Then things changed a bit…
When did you start working for Goblin King Games and what do you do here?
Writing ‘The Arising’ was so much work but I absolutely loved it.
I really enjoyed reading the stories in the Rulebook and thought a female perspective would add something, so I decided to message the then-Narrative Lead, Richi. I’d never shared any of my fiction with people before this time, so I don’t really know what made me get in touch. To my surprise (read: horror) he said he was interested and asked for some sample writing! I asked my friend Katie Stork (who has been my brutally candid, but always amazing editor since) to read some of my work and tell me if I was deluded about my writing skills. She enjoyed what I sent, as did Richi, so I was asked to write some of the female bios for The Arising.
Not too long afterwards Richi sadly had to step back from the game and I began working with Tom more closely. He asked me to write more and more of the second book, then in 2021 he asked me to formally join the company as the Narrative Lead. This was around the same time we launched the book’s Kickstarter. Since then I’ve taken more of the marketing activities off Tom’s plate and now look after the social media channels, the email newsletter, and other marketing bits.
Talk us through developing a character bio - where does the concept come from, where do you get your inspiration from?
Typically I’ll write a character bio once I’ve seen the artwork, as I get a sense of their personality etc. from their illustration. I also like twisting people’s expectations based on the artwork too, giving characters a personality that perhaps people wouldn’t expect. Loubard is a good example of this, where I decided to soften his personality and give him a large cat as a companion. His blindness plays a large part of who he is too. Overall, he’s quieter and gentler than perhaps his artwork would suggest.
Do you see it?
I also use mechanics to guide a character’s bio. As a little spoiler for our third book, Banshee is a deaf musician, which was inspired by her audio-based abilities. Her appearance, abilities, and therefore bio are also inspired by Siouxsie Sioux - with cultural and social inspiration peppering everything across Moonstone, which I have a lot of fun drawing from at times. Baby Shark appears in The Arising as just one silly example!
I have a love of folklore and I’m a Pagan, so that inspires me a lot too. This combines well with my love of history (Tudors and earlier) and the natural world, which I hope is clear in my writings. Alternative- and sub- cultures, movies, British comedy, and philosophy are all important inspirations for me as well. Anyway, back to the topic!
Sometimes my narrative will drive what characters are added to the list to be developed. Dranyer is the result of someone innocently asking me whether April Fool’s Day was celebrated on Tauber. After thinking about it I decided that, yes, it would be but likely mostly celebrated by Faeries due to their tricksy nature. Then I realised - Tauber needed a trickster god-figure, like so many cultures in our world, and the demi-god form-shifting fox-energy trickster Dranyer was formed.
As another example, Chernitt is a potentially terrifying character and while I wanted him to be intimidating he also needed Moonstone whimsicality. We introduced Nanny as a way to make him laughable at times, softening him while also making his associated horror more horrific.
1) Burning a wicker man to celebrate Beltaine. 2) Glastonbury Tor at sunrise. 3) A replica Viking Hall, filled with folks celebrating a heavy metal festival in Norway. 4) Yup, I was skinny and very goth once! 5) If I have to do fancy dress I’ll dabble with comic book or similar characters. 6) The entry stone to Newgrange burial chamber. 7) Mari Lwyd at a Samhuinn event.
What do you like most about what you do?
Sharing my writing is mind-blowing for me, as I never expected that anyone would read what I write for fun. Being able to develop this world and influence the gameplay is wonderful too, I just wish I had more time to be able to do even more of it! I technically only work for GKG for one day a week, but fitting in all the marketing as well as writing is a challenge. It would be great to one day do this full time.
What stands out in your memory from the past 10 years?
Events are exhausting, but it’s so so good to meet everyone.
Completing The Arising and Doomsday Report, then seeing people buy them and say they enjoyed reading them will never stop amazing me. Then seeing the first of the ‘Book 3’ characters go on sale, where I’d helped shape the artwork, abilities, etc. has been very fun.
Launching the Moonstone May painting competition, I love seeing what everyone does each year. Building the Moonstone community overall is so rewarding, as everyone is lovely and passionate about our game and world.
Going along to and no running my own events, I’m so pleased I can play more now!
If you could go back to ten years ago and tell yourself something, what would that be?
You’re not in a good place just now, but a lot of things are going to change very soon and your life is going to get much better. Hang in there!
What do you hope for the next ten years?
I’d really like to do more work with Tom and the team, creating more Moonstone content. Tom has hinted at a second game in the works and I’ve already started thinking about how it fits together. I’d also like to finish and publish my own novels. I have a lot of work in progress, but alas life has a tendency of getting in the way.
Overall though, if I can keep writing, sharing my work, and have people enjoy it then I’ll be very happy!