Kozumikku Sandā - Interview #5 | DMS Creations

Please introduce yourself to Kozumikku Sandā readers.

Thank you my friend for this opportunity and your endless optimism. You mean the world to me.

Greetings Peeps,

I am pleased to introduce myself as DMS Creations, a small business – a team that includes my amazing husband, daughter & her wife. They are incredibly talented and lend their efforts, critiques, and vision as needed. Our focus is a three prong business model.

A. Creating digitally rendered 3D models for marketplace tokens & gaming aids for TTRPGS; We really try to foster representation and inclusivity in our tokens – including disabilities, racial characteristics, body types and ages. It’s important to me that people can see themselves and relate to characters within the gaming community.

I create for all genre as well – from Fantasy to Sci-fi to Horror and even sometimes dabble in historical.

B. Creating our own TTRPG called Dual Worlds, complete with World building & Digital art to really bring the differences and similarities home. (Scenes, Races, fashion and Nature)

Currently we have three worlds – 2 in the final stage of development and a new one that is just being born.

The mechanics for Dual worlds is in the last stages of testing (I hope). It is a system where you can use tactics, work together and give your character flair and style unique to themselves. Everyone starts the game as an adventurer, and proceeds gaining knowledge and skills as they find them. Characters grow and change throughout the story line in ways that is more like a novel than a pre-planned event.

C. The last prong revolves around novels that take place in the worlds we created. I have two on the back burner right now – sometimes life gets in the way, Ya know?

What’s it like living in a different world?

Funny you should phrase it that way. I currently have three.

A. Karillion is my first love, my first world and primary in my thoughts. It is a vast alien world – very different from earth.

B. Pangaea is my second world, designed between my sister-in-law and I, through our role playing. So Many games!

C. Arnathea is the newest world being designed by my daughter, with some help by me

Although, I feel like I really have lived in Karillion (my first world). Growing up my dreams were very vivid, often including all five senses, and since Karillion was my escape from reality I experienced much of it “first hand” through those dreams. I have tasted the food, drank the wines, listened to nature and met the natives but mostly, I fell in love. When it began, As I had mentioned before it was my escape, so much of the drama, greed and chaos were not visibly present.

Each race has four genders, (two shown at birth and then two more showing at puberty) making reproduction a complex endeavor, not to be undertaken lightly. I am sure my LGBTQIA roots subconsciously helped in this design. Being nonbinary myself, this seemed like heaven; being born Male or female and then at puberty gaining the sexual organs and orientations needed for reproduction Khir (Protective) or Khii (Nurturing). To me, it meant being born a girl didn’t restrict me from doing the things that were decidedly, in my era, unladylike.

Each birthing is done in sets of twos, and your birth-mate share a bond, working and learning in concert. Most adventurers have lost their birth-mate through accident, disease or injury and use adventuring to try and recreate that bond elsewhere.

The society is a mix of capitalism and socialism; in that the city/lands are owned by the ruling class and given out on merit to those that show it, but they are countered by the guilds of the world – who regulate trade, technology and magic. The housing is small, and doesn’t hold much more than what could be deemed a warming plate. So the people are undeniably tied to the businesses/trade of the city – they eat at the restaurants, bathe in the bath houses, drink in the bars, find entertainment where they can and the prices are kept reasonable because the businesses and temples, in turn provide for the poor in the city. It is in their best interests to keep the costs low enough for the market to bear because in the end they will still end up paying out.

Guild membership is bought, but gives many things in exchange. For the yearly fee and a set amount of donated time, you gain 2 weeks per month of shelter and meals, access to training and practice rooms, and discounts on equipment.

Lastly, a fact that off-worlders find hard to believe. The cities and trade-lanes are safe. Rarely are there crimes that take place within the boundaries of the city.

When did you first become interested in TTRPG?

Oh! In my teen years. A group of theatre kids got me into their game. I was a rarity – a female gamer! The game that got me hooked was Arduin, very similar to DnD but deadly AF. You often made three characters to start… and many didn’t last the first two rooms – but it was fun and crazy and exciting and my first taste of leaving the dingy, dirty world I was born into.

What is something you wish more people understood about TTRPG?

Short answer: How much fun it is! Its like being the main character in a story you’re reading. Only, you no longer have to yell from the side lines,

“DON’T GO IN THERE!!” “ARE YOU DUMB? RUN!” etc

You can take charge and lead the story

You can be anything you want; you can work through your trauma or just have fun.

What inspired you to start 3D artistry?

For starters, my artistic ability with a pen/pencil is VERY limited, and I couldn’t adequately get across the description of Karillion races to real artists. It drove me crazy, because I’d been there and I knew what they were supposed to look like. It was very frustrating. So, in 2016 I got reintroduced to Poser and from there Daz3d and I thought … well, let me give it a try.

It was costly, and time consuming but fun and when I finally got the Laserii race completed I fell in love all over again with my world.

In 2017 I thought, I could make this a hobby business and create tokens for the Roll20 online gaming platform. I struggled with it being too late in life to start again but with much encouragement gave it a shot.

Let me step away for a second to say. “TRY IT!” “DO IT!” It’s not a waste of time! It’s NOT too late! I promise you. I have never made a better decision for myself. <3

How did you develop your signature style?

Good question, and I’m not really sure how to answer it, other than I just kept working at it until the items matched my dream version.

Realism is a very important thing for me. I want to look in their eyes and feel like I am really talking to them/meeting them.

What are some of the tools you use to create your art?

I used Daz3d, GIMP (a free photoshop like program), Blender, Filter forge, and a couple more. I hope to one day learn ZBrush!

Do you see art as a spiritual or therapeutic practice?

For me it is … Maybe not spiritual but definitely therapeutic. It lets me get out of this world and in a place where I have some control over the events and happenings. It allows me to experience another reality, with a different vision/viewpoint and it has helped me see things in another light.

As I understand it you are developing your own game. Any details you can share about this project?

The Gaming system is called Dual Worlds and is a “story immersive and cooperative play” game, with point buy statistics to create your dream character. Based on a percentage system you only need 2 dice (2d10) to play and the rules are loose In order to allow for story flow. By loose, I mean that you aren’t stuck into the rigid guideline of a warrior, wizard or rogue. You have the ability to learn skills as you need to or want to.

In this game, experience is used more like “money” to buy what you need, rather than simply used to farm for levels. Experience can buy the chance to re-roll during important situations, purchase new skills and abilities, warp existing abilities, or even alter your statistics.

Turns are designed into four parts, Assessment, Action, Distribution, and Resolution.

Assessment – the self-centric phase where you prepare, evaluate, or use your knowledge, and then discuss with your teammates how to proceed and designate initiative order for best implementation.

Action – Movement followed by your action which is defined by a focus and three Facets to add efficacy, style and flare.

An example: Jousting - Focus – Assault (maximizes damage), 3 Facets (Contingency-defense, Targeting-Charge, Teamwork-Mounted) 

Distribution – Damage & armor calculations,

Weapons are divided into Light, Medium, Heavy and Siege. They provide a damage modifier to increase the damage dealt in an all-out assault

Armor is divided into Light, Medium, Heavy and Power. Armor reduces the amount of damage actually taken through absorption.

Resolution – Energy is reduced, penalties applied and effects set into motion for the next Turn

Is there going to be a book that goes with the game?

Hopefully two of them. One Novel for each world, and a game book to navigate the system.

Off the top of your head, who would you give a shout out to?

There really are too many to count but I’ll sum it like this my hubby for all his tireless work on my computer and 3d models. I wouldn’t’ be here without his expertise and endless encouragement

@Kilarra2 My daughter – thank you for all your help! You are always there for me. She also is taking the lead in the new World we are developing and her wife for all her sigil, elemental and runic designs.

@JadedCup My sister-in-law – She is a wonderful artist and always encouraged me. She also helped me design Pangaea, (one of the worlds in development)

For all my patrons on Patreon Thank You for your continued support

And for all my various play-testers who have suffered through each incarnation of the game design.

Are you on social media and where can your fans interact with you?

My email is [email protected] (yes its long. Lol. It was a gift from my hubby and I love it anyway)

besides email, Twitter is probably the easiest place to get a hold of me, I’m on there every day.

Twitter - @DMSCreations

with Tiktok , I plan on starting to get out weekly videos on gaming, TTRPGS, and my art, starting in May

Tiktok - @Ezrandi

Instagram – dmscreations_dani

Sadly I really don’t care for Instagram but I have an account. You are better off trying to contact me through email, twitter or Tiktok.

So… what’s next for you in 2022?

My goal is to finish up Dual Worlds and get ready to market the TTRPG and dust off my manuscripts and return to writing.

Of course, I will continue to make art for TTRPGS because I love to see stories/games come to life.