Savage Realms Gamebook talk with TroyAnthony Schermer

April 11th is a date of great significance to me. It was on this day, in 2019, that I, TroyAnthony Schermer, officially became a gamebook author with the release of Labyrinth: The Lich Lord’s Lair! But this is a journey ― and I’m quite certain all of my fellow gamebook authors will also attest to this ― that began much, much earlier in our lives. For me, this journey actually began during my childhood. There was a Book Fair going on in the library at my school, and after wolfing down my lunch, I headed straight there to browse the many titles that were available for purchase. Most of the books there were of no interest to me whatsoever. It was while looking at their selection of Choose Your Own Adventure books that the cover of one book, in particular, immediately grabbed my attention. It was not a Choose Your Own Adventure, but had been haphazardly placed on the same display alongside of them. It was similar to CYOAs in that it allowed you to decide how the story unfolded, but this… this was something truly unique indeed, and having elements I had never before seen in any book ― more specifically, character stats and dice mechanics. I was intrigued and had to have it! There was just one problem ― I didn’t have any money to get it! I went home that day and asked my mom if I could buy this book, but I already knew what the answer was going to be because my family was poor. Undaunted and determined, I had formulated a plan... It was because we were a low-income family that my brothers and I qualified for the reduced lunch program, so, instead of paying full price like the other kids for a hot lunch, we only had to pay half. My mom would give us our lunch money every morning before we got on the bus. It took nearly a week and I had to go without lunch everyday, but by the end of the week, I had scraped together enough money. On the last day of the Book Fair, I strode proudly into that library and purchased that book. It is the book you see pictured above ― the U.S. edition of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain by Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone! This is one of the most vivid memories that I have of that period of my childhood, and the profound effect it had on me has literally remained with me to this day. So why the trip down Memory Lane? Because it is that nostalgia that ultimately led and inspired me to write Labyrinth: The Lich Lord’s Lair, the first in a trilogy that would eventually become what you know as Balance of Fate: The Legorian Kings Saga, the first book in the all-new Savage Realms Gamebooks series!

The first two Savage Realms gamebooks, Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair and Escape from Darkmoor Keep, were both originally published under an imprint company called EndGame Gaming that my best friend/partner in crime and I started. EndGame Gaming was actually launched originally to create tabletop games. My partner and I actually had two prototypes we had started building ― one a domino-based game and the other a tabletop miniatures RPG. I decided to release both of the aforementioned books under the EndGame Gaming imprint. In fact, if you look at their front covers, you will see EndGame Gaming at the top. Long story short, my buddy injured his back really bad and spiraled into a deep, dark, alcoholic depression. He was probably there for 6-8 months, and when he came out of it, he said he no longer felt creative and didn't want to do the gaming company anymore. EndGame Gaming was dissolved, and we parted ways amicably. He is still my best friend. He's simply pursuing other business interests instead. With the dissolution of EndGame Gaming, I decided to launch a new imprint called Savage Realms Press, which would be home to not only the all-new Savage Realms Gamebooks series, but to other non-gamebook titles as well. Balance of Fate: The Legorian Kings Saga is the first title in the all-new Savage Realms Gamebooks series, and is actually Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair, Escape from Darkmoor Keep, and The Warrens of Wvanderfell, which was the never released conclusion to the epic Legorian Kings Saga trilogy. The reason it is numbered 0 is because in a very real sense it is ground zero for the new series ― a new beginning, if you will!

More than just a gamebook publisher, Savage Realms Press is a conclave of prolific, storytelling visionaries. From conception, the end goal has always been to deliver a great story. When you open a Savage Realms gamebook, that is exactly what you are going to get!

This is the premise behind Arbiter: Judge Jury Executioner... PROLOGUE Bounty hunter… the very name alone immediately conjures up images of an archetypal anti-hero specializing in the recovery of fugitives at large. Historically, bounty hunters were typically used for bail enforcement, carrying out the arrest of those who had skipped bail and failed to appear in court. Fast forward to the 25th Century, where bounty hunters are now used by the Interplanetary Alliance to actively “police” the galaxy. From these so-called “law enforcement agents” would emerge an elite faction known as Arbiters, each one acting as judge, jury, and ultimately, executioner! You are an Arbiter…

Unfortunately, that is a closely guarded, family secret...