This is part of a continuing series where we get to know the masterminds behind the RPG that goes where no RPG has ever gone before – Star Trek Adventures.
The folks at Modiphius are pumping out more goodies for Star Trek Adventures every month. The task of keeping us gamers well-fed is not left to just writers and artists though.
Here is another amazing behind-the-scenes moment with the humorous (and oftentimes accused of faking his accent by Americans) Lloyd Gyan.
Michael: How did you get involved working on the Star Trek Adventures game?
Lloyd: Well, I work for Modiphius in the first place, so when the big daddy announcement was made I was swept along in the massive hype that came with publishing the latest delve into the Star Trek universe. Next thing I know, I’ve got the rules, I’m running the playtest, and BOOM! The game’s out! To be honest, the last year has been a blur. I barely remember a time when we weren’t doing Star Trek!
Michael: What is your role at Modiphius?
Lloyd: My official title is Community Support and Finance administrator. I like to pretend that I am the heart of Modiphius, he who keeps the blood flowing between all departments. (I also don’t call myself this in public. So let’s keep that between us, okay?)
Michael: (looking around as I hit the “Publish” button): Uh. Yeah. Sure.
Lloyd: Most of my day is spent in contact with our mass of supporters and fans, taking in complaints, answering questions, and ensuring people get what they paid for. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it!
Michael: Whoa! Now I know who to kiss up to if I want my order expedited! What is your favorite part of the Star Trek canon? Why?
Lloyd: No matter what universe we live in, we will always have Tribbles. We can’t take them back. We can’t pretend they don’t exist. We must accept them as part of our lives for all. And no, they aren’t playable characters.
Michael: Not playable? I can make like a tribble. Besides that, though, who is your favorite character in Star Trek? Why?
LLoyd: Guinan is one of the biggest mysteries of TNG; far more than Q’s incredibly strange existence or why Deanna Troi is on the damn bridge.
Michael: (laughs out loud while slapping knee)
Lloyd: I’m not really a big fan of the ‘magical black man’ trope when it comes to movies and shows. But the enigma of Guinan was beyond intriguing – she had her own goals, motivations, emotions, and was a better shot than Worf. Whenever she turned up in an episode and spoke, she always seemed to know more than what was going on and had a better idea of how to solve it than the crew did. Also, she’s ANCIENT! There is so much to her that we will never know. And, you know what? Even though I am a massive fan of closure, I think that’s bloody marvelous.
Michael: What excites you the most about Star Trek Adventures?
Running nonviolent games. Okay, don’t pack up already. Just hear me out…
The temptation of running roleplaying games is that at some point you need to get your gun out and shoot someone in the face. But when you’re working for Starfleet, suddenly you have a crew that is on (mostly) diplomatic missions across the galaxy with every reason to appear as peaceful as possible. I mean, yes, there’s got to be some good old fashioned shooty-times thrown in there. We all want to set phasers to ‘stun’ at least once. But [with STA] there is no mandatory reason to have violent conflicts every episode. You aren’t built for just that – you can just try to negotiate a peace treaty between two warring factions or deal with strange scientific phenomena. The game actually suits all forms of play. So players don’t have to limit themselves to just murderhobos anymore.
Michael: (googling ‘murderhobos‘ and learning something new)
Lloyd: See! Told you I had a point.
Michael: I actually couldn’t agree more. What are we most likely going to find you doing if you aren’t absorbed in Star Trek Adventures?
Probably struggling to stop myself from buying more Kickstarter goodies. But seriously, I take my job fully seriously. If I am not slaved to a computer ensuring customers get what they need, I am playtesting another secret Modiphius project. Or doing the milk run… I guess.
Star Trek Adventures has done an excellent job creating a high-quality gaming product. The overall consensus in the STA community is high satisfaction with the modules. I have heard great things about the customer support too. We have Lloyd to thank for that, I see.
Well, keep up the great work, Lloyd. We appreciate it!
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