“Humanity is dead, long live humanity”: talking with the solo designer of the Fragged TTRPG

Humanity is dead. Those were some of the first words to greet me when I picked up Fragged Empire some 8 years ago. I was mesmerized by it. Something about its fresh take on sci-fi species and the bleak, but optimistic view of a post-post apocalypse resonated deeply with me.   

Fragged Empire, currently in its second edition, is a tabletop role-playing game in the far future, far after humanity is dead, and its descendants are just rebuilding the pieces from a terrible war. It could call for an article of its own. I recommend at least learning about its lore and dipping your toes lightly in it. The system became successful enough that it evolved through other titles, becoming the Fragged system.  

I was able to exchange some words with Wade Dyer, an Australian ttrpg designer responsible for the making of the game and most of its production. I believe it is impressive that Wade has been able to work full-time on this project, which has created a small but extremely passionate following.   

So, what is Fragged and Fragged Empire and how did it come to be? 

Fragged Empire is a sci-fi ttRPG that I created. ‘How it came to be’ is a very long story… but in short; it started as a homebrew setting for my friends using the Hero System rules (a system from the 90s), then I developed the setting further and made its own rules after I moved from my rural town to the city. I then worked on it in my spare time for many years, and after Kickstarter moved to Australia, I crowdfunded it and it went very well. I stepped back from my Graphic Design and Youth Work to be a full-time ttRPG creator. 

What were the main changes moving to the recently released second edition of Fragged Empire?  

2nd edition was focused on maintaining the same bones as 1st edition but improving each feature. First, I needed to ‘find the fun’ parts in the rules and double down on those. ‘Trim the fat’ cutting out all rules that were not needed and trying to express rules in a more streamlined way that did not reduce the depth of the game, as well as doubling down on the lore aspects that ‘resonated’ the most with people.

 

You are very transparent about your design philosophy. Could you define it for those who are not familiar with your work? 

Another big question. I have several guiding design philosophies, but I think my simplest one is “rule of 3rds; 1/3 unique, 1/3 fresh, 1/3 commonplace”. If a work is too unique then it will be hard for people to digest and they won’t be able to get into it, if it is too commonplace it will be boring and quickly forgotten. It’s all about getting the right balance, and then slowly over time adding in more unique ideas as people become familiar with your work. 

We have seen you collaborate with other community members in releasing new stories. How do you see your relation to the community and the possibilities for Fragged to expand as a franchise beyond your own hands?  

I’ve always been keen to partner up, but it’s not an easy thing to do. Creative people have a strong desire to create their original works, and there are contracts to sign that can be cumbersome for non-experienced creators. I am working on a new board game with another designer at the moment, but I’m very hands-on with that endeavor. Hopefully, in the future, I can get better at finding other people to work with on non-ttRPG (or ttRPG adjacent) projects. 

What would be some pieces of advice you would give to aspiring ttrpg designers who might be looking to publish their games, given your success? 

Start small and good. Quality over quantity. Use this to build up a reputation and your skills, and then build upon that slowly and with dedication. Be humble. Be kind. Be focused on giving other people good experiences and not on just making the game that you want to play. 

This being my favorite TTRPG, I have to ask: what are your expectations in the near and far future for Fragged? 

Fragged Kingdom 2 is in the works, as well as a board game and more Virtual Tabletop support. 

 

Fragged Empire Basic Info 

Publisher: Wade Dyer 

Developer: Wade Dyer 

Release Date: August 26th, 2022 

Genres: Science fiction, post-post-apocalyptic, engineered genetics 

Age Rating: Non-rated 

Photos: All photos have been provided by Wade Dyer and are used with explicit permission from him.  

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