Venezuelan studio Ludic Pen is meeting the ongoing political crisis with creative passion
Members discussed their long term plans and the support systems that keep them going.
As the US advances its military invasion of Venezuela, the reality of working in a conflict-fraught country means navigating through severe daily disruption. But even if it may seem unthinkable, Ludic Pen insists on keeping the South American studio, composed of two Venezuelan designers, a Peruvian designer, and another American designer, productive. “It’s been quite a roller coaster. Making games in a third-world country is not easy. Many circumstances are simply beyond anyone’s control,” said Samuel Rondón Acevedo, general director and lead designer of Ludic Pen, in an email to Rascal. This means navigating the waves of turmoil caused by power outages and instability, which has forced the studio to temporarily halt the production of some of its games.
“Those who have been following the situation in Venezuela over the past week may have seen images of the building next to mine, which was struck by the impact of a diverted explosion. Since then, government crews have been carrying out repairs and providing medical assistance and basic services in the area. Fortunately, I’m safe,” said Acevedo.
Predominantly creating supplements for the Ironsworn tabletop RPG, Ludic Pen began with Acevedo tweaking Shawn Tomkin’s popular system in 2019 to “give it a more simulationist feel without losing its narrative focus”, via a project known as Ironcrunch. At that time, he was a gold farmer in the MMORPG Tibia, but eventually moved on towards game design in 2020, recruiting other Ludic Pen designers along the way: art director Nando Gallarday; setting writer, icon designer, and fellow Venezuelan Samuel Emilio Castillo; and editor Allison Hawkins. “What began as a personal project grew into a studio built on collaboration, friendship, and a shared passion for creating together,” said Acevedo. The studio went on to release products like Quest Fronts, a starter set that integrates the Ironsworn system with Dungeon World campaigns; Ancient Wonders, a third-party expansion for Ironsworn: Starforged, a sci-fi evolution of the original; and Legacy Iron, a Starforged asset deck.
