Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Everyday Hero?
Growing up in Staten Island in the 1980’s every weekend included a trip to the video store. We would watch some classic movies such as Rambo or Escape from New York and sometimes I would fantasize about what it would be like to be in those movies. What if you could play as a hero in some of these iconic films? The folks over at Evil Genius Productions had the same thought and I had recently caught up with them to ask them a few questions about their upcoming project.
TR: Please introduce yourself.
DS: My name is Dave Scott and I am the owner of Evil Genius Productions, the maker of Everyday Heroes™.
TR: Tell us how Evil Genius Gaming got started.
DS: On a whim really. I am a serial entrepreneur, not a game designer. Other than being a lifelong fan of tabletop roleplaying games, I knew nothing about putting together a game of this size and scope. But luckily I met Game Design Legend Jeff Grubb one day. I offered to buy him a beer so we could reminisce about my favorite game of all time – d20 Modern – and the conversation quickly turned into what the game could look like today. That’s when Everyday Heroes™ was born.
TR: You recently launched a Kickstarter. Tell us about Everyday Heroes.
DS: Yes, we did. Everyday Heroes™ is the spiritual successor to d20 Modern. For those of you who don’t know, d20 Modern was a game released by Wizards of the Coast in 2002. It used the D&D’s 3rd edition ruleset to create a platform where you can run modern-day adventures. Almost every modern or science fiction game today started with d20 Modern. Well, we took the d20 Open Gaming License (OGL), mashed it with the 5th Edition Standard Reference Document (SRD), and created Everyday Heroes™.
TR: What do you consider an everyday hero?
DS: Really any hero or antihero you’d find on the big screen, any first responder who risks their neck every day, or anyone in the armed services. An everyday hero can be you, me, or anyone who steps up when the moment calls.
TR: What will you need to play this game or is it a standalone game?
DS: Like any other tabletop roleplaying game, you only need the rulebook, four friends, and a set of dice. If you want to play remotely, we’ve partnered with several virtual tabletop systems like Roll20 and Foundry so you can play Everyday Heroes online. If you want special effects and ambient sounds for your game, you can use the Syrinscape SoundSet for Everyday Heroes™.
TR: You are also releasing some cinematic adventure books. What’s that about?
DS: I love movies so my dream was always to bring my favorite action films to the tabletop. To that end, we’ve partnered with the movie studios to introduce eight amazing campaign settings. In these settings, you get to play in the world of such iconic movies as Pacific Rim, Kong Skull Island, The Crow, Rambo, Universal Soldier, Total Recall, Highlander and Escape From New York. These are 100-page books that add new rules mechanics and introduce a new adventure set within that world. 
TR: So you will be able to play in these iconic movies as a character of your choosing?
DS: Yes. In these worlds, you are creating your characters and living your own story. While you may encounter Rambo in the field, you won’t be playing Rambo. Instead, you’ll be your own one-person army. Or more like a 4-person army since you are playing in a party.
TR: This is awesome! I see you have a few stretch goals already unlocked. Tell us about those.
DS: So far several stretch goals have been unlocked. The backers have locked in new character classes, new feats, and new backgrounds. And even a free Rambo adventure. They’ve also unlocked an intimate Q&A with the original d20 Modern designers and Writer/Director Stephen S DeKnight who helmed Pacific Rim: Uprising. I really hope we hit 5,000 backers because when that happens, they unlock a Q&A with Christopher Lambert. I can’t wait for that one.
TR: Are there any other stretch goals that can be unlocked?
DS: Yes, we have free adventures coming for all 8 of the cinematic adventures. We also have these time-based stretch goals which are offering free custom dice and miniatures.
TR: This project is already fully funded but what are some of the plans for the future of this brand?
DS: The first order is to deliver amazing experiences with the properties we already have. However, we’ve been in touch with the movie studios and there are some exciting franchises that we could be announcing for 2024. So pick up your bow and arrow, book yourself into the Continental, and come out to play.
TR: If this goes well do you see Evil Genius Gaming tackling some other genres like sci-fi or horror?
DS: We feel like anything between the 1900’s and 2100 is fair game. This gives us a lot of latitude to create amazing adventures. Horror is an interesting genre because, in the movies, the protagonists die. We would need to explore mechanics to quickly replace dead characters mid-game for it to be any fun. When and if we go into sci-fi, it will be a proper expansion.
TR: Anything else you’d like to add?
DS: Our Kickstarter ends June 17th. We’d love for everyone to try us before they back us. Please go to our website, Roll20, or Drivethru to get our free Quickstart Guide. You can also enjoy a preview of the amazing SoundSet that Syrinscape created.
And there you have it folks! If you would like to know more about this Kickstarter head over here and get ready to be an everyday hero.
