When I first started out playing role playing games there were not that many options. You could either play in a fantasy campaign going after gold and slaying orcs or exploring the depths of space. However, there is one company that has created some amazing settings and that is Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Recently I had a chance to talk to the folks over at PEG and they had this to say:
TR: Please introduce yourself.
SW: Hi, I’m Scott Woodard, Writer and Brand Manager of the Savage World of Flash Gordon Roleplaying Game™ as well as The Sixth Gun Roleplaying Game. The Savage World of Flash Gordon™ is an officially-licensed tabletop RPG based on the long-running adventures of Flash Gordon going all the way back to his first appearance as a newspaper comic strip in 1934. The game draws inspiration from those original comics as well as the early radio and film serials, the TV series from the 1950s, the many novels and the cartoon from the 1970s, and of course, the cult-classic movie from 1980.
The Sixth Gun, on the other hand, is the official roleplaying game based on the Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated comic series originally published by Oni Press. The Sixth Gun is set in the American West, but a West blended with elements of the fantastic. Both of these lines are supported by core rulebooks, supplements, miniatures, and much more.
SH: And I’m Shane Hensley, the creator of Savage Worlds, Deadlands, and few other things. 🙂
TR: Tell us a bit about Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
SH: Pinnacle started as a way for me to publish the games I wanted to make and knew others might not… like a Western with zombies. What a crazy idea that was. 😉 The “Group” part was because I wanted other friends, like John R. Hopler, to have a framework to publish their games as well. We did that first with The Last Crusade, John’s award-winning World War II card game that I’m very proud to have published.
TR: What are some of the games you are known for?
SH: Deadlands and Savage Worlds!
TR: What are some of your latest releases?
SH: We just released Rifts® for Savage Worlds and Deadlands: Lost Colony. Up next is the new edition of Deadlands: The Weird West, which has been out of print now for almost two years!
TR: Ok! I’m sold! Where can I get these great games?
SW: Many of Pinnacle’s products can be found on the shelves on your friendly local game store. You can also order print and PDF items (along with Action Decks, miniatures, custom poker chip “Bennies,” and much more) directly from Pinnacle’s online store at peginc.com. And lastly, PDFs of most products can also be ordered through DriveThruRPG.com.
TR: What would be the one project you would love to see brought to life from PEG?
SW: Well, I know Shane has a few licensees that he would love to have a crack at, but for my own part, there are so many possibilities that I think would work extremely well with Savage Worlds (John Christopher’s young adult Tripods series (I’ve been a fan of that series since I discovered the comic strip in Boy’s Life magazine) or Jurassic Park (novels and films) come to mind), but one expansive universe that I think would really rock the heck out of the system would be Planet of the Apes!
TR: Do you have a favorite game?
SW: Of Pinnacle’s many amazing offerings, I would definitely go with the setting that put the company on the map—Deadlands!
TR: Anything else to add?
SW: If you have never tried Savage Worlds, do yourself a favor and give it a whirl! The latest version, Savage Worlds Adventure Edition, is now available in both print and PDF, and with that one ruleset, you can unlock adventures in pretty much every imaginable genre!
And there you have it! If you want to know more about some of the great titles that they have to offer head over to http://www.peginc.com/ and get ready to explore amazing new worlds.
