Interview with Cyberdrake of Dream Weaved Worlds, a resource for maps and map
tiles (amongst others)
tiles (amongst others)
MB When did you first play an RPG and what was it?
CD I don’t remember exactly when, but I think I was about 12 years old and played the 1983 red Dungeons &
Dragons box that one of my friends owned.
MB What's your favourite RPG system and setting?
CD Hmm, hard to tell. I very much like the 3rd (3.5) edition of D&D because of its versatility and the fact that there’s
so much resources available with the d20 system, but I also very much like the Rolemaster system for its combat system
with all the cool critical hits descriptions. Another system that I really enjoyed was the Starshield system by Tracy
Hickmans, a game that never hit the shelves but was available in beta on the net. The rules were very simple to use and
yet also very complete.
MB How long have you been drawing maps and map tiles, do you do it entirely for pleasure, or is it related to your
profession?
CD Map tiles are pretty recent, the first one being created in September 2006, if I remember correctly. But for the
other rpg maps, I’ve done it for as long as I played RPGs. The firsts were only dungeon maps on quad paper. Then I
started to create some maps like the ones you see in fantasy books like The Lord of the Rings and Dragonlance and
many years later I started to do some digital maps, first with paint and then with Photoshop.
Most of my maps were created entirely for pleasure but I’ve also been a video game/level designer, so, some of them
were related to my profession, but I think it was one of the coolest part of my profession; that and creating world
backgrounds.
MB I'm curious, what backgrounds have you created, do you still support them?
CD Yeah, I’ve created a few worlds for my gaming campaigns. I really want to support them again one day, creating
more stuff for it and putting it on my website but my current priority is the maps and tiles, when the site gets more popular
and earn me more money, I’d like to also put more energy in the Worlds section of my website. One of most recent game
world that I’ve created is the Fragment Worlds, a world that I created in 2000, it’s about a world that have been recently
destroyed by a comet and where the survivors try to manage living in these floating land masses called Fragments, you
can have some more info about that world in the Worlds section of Dream Weaved Worlds.
There was also Resonance, a video game I made when I had a video game company called Neocell-Factory. The game
was an action-rpg set in a horror genre full of witches, spirits of the dead and demons, the world was dominated by the
Empyrean Church where an evil inquisition and cult ruled the world from behind. Unfortunately we were doing the game
for the Xbox but some delays and financial problems prevented us from finishing the game before the Xbox 360 came out
and ran out of money to try to redo it for another console. I’ve put a few concept maps of it in the Maps section of my
website.
Another world I created was called Titania, where people lived on a moon the size of the earth around a gas giant planet
where Titans lived on it’s the surface of it’s solid core. The Titans recently discovered a way to travel to the moons of it’s
planetary system and were revered as gods in some parts of the world. Another part of the world was also dominated by
a massive orc empire that is reminiscent of a kind of mix between the Egypt and Roman empires.
Although I’ve never made a whole book for any of my world, my friends and I really enjoyed running games in these
worlds (and a few others that I didn’t mentioned) and hope to one day finish the work and release it for the whole
RPG/fantasy community.
MB What software package(s) do you use to create your maps?
CD I use Photoshop and also bought a few filter packages from Eye Candy that help me create textures faster.
MB Map tiles are ideal aids for GMs in their adventures, do you plan on producing more?
CD Yeah, I’ll definitely create more and I’m currently releasing tiles or maps every few days on Dream Weaved
Worlds website. I also have more ambitious projects for that website but I won’t reveal them yet.
MB Not even a hint!?
CD Hmm, let’s just say that the maps and tiles might become a lot more interactive and resourceful than they are
now. When I am ready to reveal more, I’ll tell you about it and you’ll be welcome to make a second interview. :)
MB Have you done, or are you willing to do requests? There's a lot of folk out there, wanting to create the ideal
adventure with little or no drawing talent. *thinks of himself !*
CD My first priority is to keep posting maps and tiles at a regular rate but one of the things I do is to have polls on my
websites where fans can choose which tile sets or map types they would prefer next. All tile sets except the first one
(caverns set) were done as the result of the poll.
MB Also if any of you have some special requests, I suggest you post them on my forum and if the suggestion seems
a popular suggestion, I’ll probably do it.
CD If you really want a request and don’t want to wait too much for it to happen, Paypal donations can help me get a
day off at my daily job so I can work on some requests. Also, by telling your friends and advertising my website, I get
more ads revenues and it can help me focus my efforts making maps.
MB Do you regularly play RPGs? Have you tried a VT, if so which one?
CD I did play a lot of RPGs, mostly in college, but after that, it became a bit harder (with different working schedules,
family and such, driving distance etc.) to get everyone of my friends together for a game, so we’ve passed less time
gaming in the last few years.
I haven’t tried a VT yet, although I plan to start using one. I had a laptop a few years ago (but the basement got flooded)
and it was a real help for my games. I could have my maps, Excel spreadsheets with characters and game information
ready at any time and it really helped speed up the flow of the game. Having a VT would be a nice addition to that
setting and I would also like to use that for online sessions.
MB What's your preference, Player or GM?
CD Definitely GM, and I like even more preparing the game world, maps and adventures than actually playing them
but I'd also like to be in the player's seat at some times.
CD I don’t remember exactly when, but I think I was about 12 years old and played the 1983 red Dungeons &
Dragons box that one of my friends owned.
MB What's your favourite RPG system and setting?
CD Hmm, hard to tell. I very much like the 3rd (3.5) edition of D&D because of its versatility and the fact that there’s
so much resources available with the d20 system, but I also very much like the Rolemaster system for its combat system
with all the cool critical hits descriptions. Another system that I really enjoyed was the Starshield system by Tracy
Hickmans, a game that never hit the shelves but was available in beta on the net. The rules were very simple to use and
yet also very complete.
MB How long have you been drawing maps and map tiles, do you do it entirely for pleasure, or is it related to your
profession?
CD Map tiles are pretty recent, the first one being created in September 2006, if I remember correctly. But for the
other rpg maps, I’ve done it for as long as I played RPGs. The firsts were only dungeon maps on quad paper. Then I
started to create some maps like the ones you see in fantasy books like The Lord of the Rings and Dragonlance and
many years later I started to do some digital maps, first with paint and then with Photoshop.
Most of my maps were created entirely for pleasure but I’ve also been a video game/level designer, so, some of them
were related to my profession, but I think it was one of the coolest part of my profession; that and creating world
backgrounds.
MB I'm curious, what backgrounds have you created, do you still support them?
CD Yeah, I’ve created a few worlds for my gaming campaigns. I really want to support them again one day, creating
more stuff for it and putting it on my website but my current priority is the maps and tiles, when the site gets more popular
and earn me more money, I’d like to also put more energy in the Worlds section of my website. One of most recent game
world that I’ve created is the Fragment Worlds, a world that I created in 2000, it’s about a world that have been recently
destroyed by a comet and where the survivors try to manage living in these floating land masses called Fragments, you
can have some more info about that world in the Worlds section of Dream Weaved Worlds.
There was also Resonance, a video game I made when I had a video game company called Neocell-Factory. The game
was an action-rpg set in a horror genre full of witches, spirits of the dead and demons, the world was dominated by the
Empyrean Church where an evil inquisition and cult ruled the world from behind. Unfortunately we were doing the game
for the Xbox but some delays and financial problems prevented us from finishing the game before the Xbox 360 came out
and ran out of money to try to redo it for another console. I’ve put a few concept maps of it in the Maps section of my
website.
Another world I created was called Titania, where people lived on a moon the size of the earth around a gas giant planet
where Titans lived on it’s the surface of it’s solid core. The Titans recently discovered a way to travel to the moons of it’s
planetary system and were revered as gods in some parts of the world. Another part of the world was also dominated by
a massive orc empire that is reminiscent of a kind of mix between the Egypt and Roman empires.
Although I’ve never made a whole book for any of my world, my friends and I really enjoyed running games in these
worlds (and a few others that I didn’t mentioned) and hope to one day finish the work and release it for the whole
RPG/fantasy community.
MB What software package(s) do you use to create your maps?
CD I use Photoshop and also bought a few filter packages from Eye Candy that help me create textures faster.
MB Map tiles are ideal aids for GMs in their adventures, do you plan on producing more?
CD Yeah, I’ll definitely create more and I’m currently releasing tiles or maps every few days on Dream Weaved
Worlds website. I also have more ambitious projects for that website but I won’t reveal them yet.
MB Not even a hint!?
CD Hmm, let’s just say that the maps and tiles might become a lot more interactive and resourceful than they are
now. When I am ready to reveal more, I’ll tell you about it and you’ll be welcome to make a second interview. :)
MB Have you done, or are you willing to do requests? There's a lot of folk out there, wanting to create the ideal
adventure with little or no drawing talent. *thinks of himself !*
CD My first priority is to keep posting maps and tiles at a regular rate but one of the things I do is to have polls on my
websites where fans can choose which tile sets or map types they would prefer next. All tile sets except the first one
(caverns set) were done as the result of the poll.
MB Also if any of you have some special requests, I suggest you post them on my forum and if the suggestion seems
a popular suggestion, I’ll probably do it.
CD If you really want a request and don’t want to wait too much for it to happen, Paypal donations can help me get a
day off at my daily job so I can work on some requests. Also, by telling your friends and advertising my website, I get
more ads revenues and it can help me focus my efforts making maps.
MB Do you regularly play RPGs? Have you tried a VT, if so which one?
CD I did play a lot of RPGs, mostly in college, but after that, it became a bit harder (with different working schedules,
family and such, driving distance etc.) to get everyone of my friends together for a game, so we’ve passed less time
gaming in the last few years.
I haven’t tried a VT yet, although I plan to start using one. I had a laptop a few years ago (but the basement got flooded)
and it was a real help for my games. I could have my maps, Excel spreadsheets with characters and game information
ready at any time and it really helped speed up the flow of the game. Having a VT would be a nice addition to that
setting and I would also like to use that for online sessions.
MB What's your preference, Player or GM?
CD Definitely GM, and I like even more preparing the game world, maps and adventures than actually playing them
but I'd also like to be in the player's seat at some times.
Thanks to Cyberdrake for taking time out for this interview.
Murgh Bpurn 26/05/07
RPG Virtual Tabletop
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