Currently, Essen Spieltagen - the largest tabletop gaming convention in the world –is just beginning its last of four days, drawing a record number of 200,000 visitors. Of course, our LifeBytes Magazine team is present and yesterday, we had an interview with Jason Grimwood, the proud CEO of Ocular Curiosities, publisher of the band-new Thaloria Quest.
LifeBytes Magazine: Jason, I remember when we first met, you had an idea and a few early products. Now it's evolved into something visually stunning and fully developed. How has the journey been from that initial concept to where you are now?
Jason: It's been amazing! From the pre-Kickstarter phase, we were already engaging with the community, and that continued through the campaign. We listened to everyone's experiences and ideas, and we worked to create products that really resonated with the whole community. Now, we have a fully manufactured product with expansions and add-ons ready for release. It's so rewarding to finally see it all come together for the world, journalists, and players alike.
I’ve noticed the Kickstarter community tends to be quite understanding if a product is delayed, especially if creators take their feedback into account and incorporate it into the final product. Was this something you experienced as well?
Absolutely. From my own experience with Kickstarter, I knew that communication was key. We made sure to update everyone at least once a week – often more when I had new information to share. Our Discord server was buzzing with activity, and people shared their ideas, which I could respond to quickly, sometimes within hours. That level of interaction really helped build a sense of connection between the players, the company, and the journey of making Thaloria Quest. It also helped us integrate those ideas into the journal and expansions.
Can you give me a few examples of how the product changed based on community feedback?
Sure! One significant change was to the front of the journal. We added a plastic hard sheet, which gives the journal extra rigidity and prevents the pages from getting damaged. It’s especially useful for the role-playing sections. Players can use a dry-erase marker on the plastic sheet, wipe it clean, and reuse it – this was a direct suggestion from the community. We also added it to help with coloring for people using marker pens. Even with high-quality paper, markers can sometimes bleed through, so the plastic sheet underneath protects the pages and makes the journal much more durable.
And the best part is we didn’t change the price – we added this feature for everyone at no additional cost.
I understand there are expansions available too. Can you tell us a bit about those?
Yes, initially the journal focused purely on the journaling experience, but a lot of players wanted more role-playing content. So, we created expansions specifically for Dungeon Masters and players – primarily for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons. These expansions add three more months of gameplay to the original Thaloria Quest, exploring new areas, adding new spells, items, loot tables, and quests.
What’s next for you? It seems like the game is growing, and the world of Thaloria is expanding. Do you have other projects in mind?
We do! We’re launching something very unique in November called Thaloria Online. It’s a subscription service for RPG content, which isn’t uncommon, but we’re offering it at a very affordable price – just a few Euros. What makes it special is that Dungeon Masters can submit reports about the incredible stories their players create. We’ve built a custom AI system that will analyze these reports, and each month we’ll choose a few to impact the world of Thaloria. For example, if a player saves a village, that event might be added to the world, and the mayor could build a statue in their honor or offer them property. It’s an evolving, interactive world!
That sounds amazing! How can people stay updated and get their hands on your products?
We’re launching a brand-new website very soon: ThaloriaQuest.com. It will have all the digital downloads, freebies, physical products, and more. Plus, we’re planning a few new Kickstarter projects next year. There’s also a new add-on to the journal that I’ll be giving an exclusive preview of early next year.
Fantastic! Thanks so much for your time, Jason.
More info: www.ocularcuriosities.com
Dirk Vandereyken
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