024 - Diving into entrepreneurship full time & Making Random Generators with Adam of Sword & Source
09/03/21 • 56 min
Adam Waselnuk is the founder of Sword & Source and co-founder of Legendkeeper. Sword & Source is a collection of random generators, most notably, Here be Taverns, which was just nominated for an Ennie award. Adam was actually one of my first listeners of this podcast and reached out to me to say hello a while back, so it’s been super cool watching him grow over the last several months. Brenton actually is a contributing writer for some of his generators, so I’ve also gotten a glimpse of some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into these creations. Adam tells us all about these generators today, but we also discuss the strategy he used to grow a following before he even had a website, the importance of email marketing, and dig into all sorts of analysis and processes. This conversation definitely made my little project manager heart happy, so I know those of you who are more analytical will definitely enjoy this episode.
As usual, I’ve got a few items of business to go over before we jump into the interview. It’s been a few episodes since I mentioned this, but we have a whole bunch of map packs over on DM’s Guild. Our most recent publication is a Copper best-seller of an all-color map pack for Candlekeep Mysteries that highlights sections of the book that didn’t come with their own maps. We are pretty close to hitting Silver on that pack, so I’d love for you to check it out if you plan on playing through Candlekeep soon. We also have a Silver best-seller black and white map pack for Rime of the Frostmaiden, specifically for Ythryn. You can find all of our map packs by either going to DMsguild.com and searching for Lightheart Adventures as the author, or you can go to lightheartadventures.com/shop to find all our DM’s Guild and DrivethruRPG publications in one spot.
Some other ways you can support the show are via our Patreon page, which has a few different tracks depending on whether you’d like maps and adventures or tailored content for this podcast, including contributing questions for upcoming guests, a spotlight on our website and even a shoutout on this podcast. You can also check out our affiliates, like Friday Afternoon Tea! Friday just released her fall teas and I am 100% channeling my basic white girl self and buying alllll of them. Seriously, listen to these names: Pumpkin Chai, Caramel Apple, Harvest Spice, Maple Houjicha, Punkin Pie Rooibos, and Warm Heart. I cannot wait to try thiem all. If you also want these delicious sounding teas or want to try her very large assortment of nerdy teas, go to fridaytea.com and enter in code LightheartADV to receive 10% off your order and help support this show.
Thanks for sticking around, and I hope you enjoy this conversation with Adam.
Find Adam at:
Find Roll Play Grow:
Friday Afternoon TeaGrab a cup of tea with blends based on your favorite nerdy series. Use lightheartadv for 10% off
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Find Roll Play Grow:
Adam Waselnuk is the founder of Sword & Source and co-founder of Legendkeeper. Sword & Source is a collection of random generators, most notably, Here be Taverns, which was just nominated for an Ennie award. Adam was actually one of my first listeners of this podcast and reached out to me to say hello a while back, so it’s been super cool watching him grow over the last several months. Brenton actually is a contributing writer for some of his generators, so I’ve also gotten a glimpse of some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into these creations. Adam tells us all about these generators today, but we also discuss the strategy he used to grow a following before he even had a website, the importance of email marketing, and dig into all sorts of analysis and processes. This conversation definitely made my little project manager heart happy, so I know those of you who are more analytical will definitely enjoy this episode.
As usual, I’ve got a few items of business to go over before we jump into the interview. It’s been a few episodes since I mentioned this, but we have a whole bunch of map packs over on DM’s Guild. Our most recent publication is a Copper best-seller of an all-color map pack for Candlekeep Mysteries that highlights sections of the book that didn’t come with their own maps. We are pretty close to hitting Silver on that pack, so I’d love for you to check it out if you plan on playing through Candlekeep soon. We also have a Silver best-seller black and white map pack for Rime of the Frostmaiden, specifically for Ythryn. You can find all of our map packs by either going to DMsguild.com and searching for Lightheart Adventures as the author, or you can go to lightheartadventures.com/shop to find all our DM’s Guild and DrivethruRPG publications in one spot.
Some other ways you can support the show are via our Patreon page, which has a few different tracks depending on whether you’d like maps and adventures or tailored content for this podcast, including contributing questions for upcoming guests, a spotlight on our website and even a shoutout on this podcast. You can also check out our affiliates, like Friday Afternoon Tea! Friday just released her fall teas and I am 100% channeling my basic white girl self and buying alllll of them. Seriously, listen to these names: Pumpkin Chai, Caramel Apple, Harvest Spice, Maple Houjicha, Punkin Pie Rooibos, and Warm Heart. I cannot wait to try thiem all. If you also want these delicious sounding teas or want to try her very large assortment of nerdy teas, go to fridaytea.com and enter in code LightheartADV to receive 10% off your order and help support this show.
Thanks for sticking around, and I hope you enjoy this conversation with Adam.
Find Adam at:
Find Roll Play Grow:
Friday Afternoon TeaGrab a cup of tea with blends based on your favorite nerdy series. Use lightheartadv for 10% off
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Find Roll Play Grow:
Previous Episode
023 - Creating the Herbalist's Primer with Anna of Double Proficiency
We are talking about plants today! Anna is a graphic designer and the co-founder of Double Profiecieny, a company publishing tabletop rpg supplements and games. They have just launched the Herbalist’s Primer on Kickstarter, which is a supplement you can use to add real life plants into your games with magical properties, the know-how for potion creating, and more. Anna tells us all about this project, and I am so excited to get this book. We also dive into how she started Double Proficiency with her partner and the types of projects they like to work on. She is an absolute delight, and I hope you enjoy learning from her today!
Before we dive into the interview, if this is your first time tuning in to the show, welcome. This podcast is a part of Lightheart Adventures, which is a small company I co-founded with my husband. We offer a weekly blog on our website where you’ll find tips for running games, free monthly one-shot adventures, product reviews, and more. You’ll find that blog at lightheartadventures.com. Brenton also creates beautiful dungeon maps, both on DM’s Guild and on a commission basis.
Some other ways you can support us and this show are by checking out our Patreon, subscribing to this show, leaving a review, and checking out our affiliate links. The affiliate I’m going to highlight today is Dice Envy, the creator behind some of our favorite dice in a variety of materials, including wood, metal, stone, and resin. Go to diceenvy.com and enter code LightheartADV to get 10% off your order, get some snazzy dice, and help me keep this show running.
That is all for now, so please sit back and enjoy this conversation with Anna.
Find Anna & Double Proficiency at:
Find Roll Play Grow:
Dice EnvyDice Envy creates beautiful dice in a variety of materials, including resin, metal, wood, and more
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Find Roll Play Grow:
Next Episode
025 - Woodworking & Constructing Dice Boxes with Tim of Staff and Branch
If you’ve spent any amount of time on ttrpg Twitter, you’ve probably seen the gorgeous round dice boxes with colorful and magical epoxy patterns created by Staff and Branch. I am delighted to introduce you to today’s guest, Tim Carlson, the owner of Staff & Branch and maker of these dice boxes. Snagging a box for yourself is an elusive goal, as he’s usually sold out within minutes of his bi-weekly restocks. Tim never intended this to be a full-time business, but we dive into how he got started with Staff and Branch and how it’s grown into a successful business in less than two years. You’ll get insight into the construction of these boxes, his thoughts on Etsy, and more.
Before we get into the interview today, I wanted to share this really sweet review I just got on Apple Podcasts! Reviews are one of the best ways to support a show, as they tell the algorithm gods that a show is worth promoting, and more people can find it. This review is from LuLuinWA, and they say:
“Entertaining and inspirational
I am really enjoying this podcast so far. I’ve only listened to a few episodes but I really enjoy the “behind the scenes” view at some of my favorite ttrpg’s creators. It is entertaining and inspiring. There are so many podcasts out there and I have a limited amount of time to listen and I am happy to add RPG to my commute podcast rotation.”
Thank you so much Lulu! Reading this really made my day.
Some other ways you can support the show are via our Patreon page, which has a few different tracks depending on whether you’d like maps and adventures or tailored content for this podcast, including contributing questions for upcoming guests, a spotlight on our website, and even a shoutout on this podcast. You can also check out our affiliates. Last week I mentioned that with the start of September, everything Fall and pumpkin-related is out and it is my time. We talked about Friday Afternoon Tea’s amazing fall blends, and this time I want to highlight Dice Envy’s fall dice set called Pumpkin Dice Latte. It’s a very pretty pumpkin-themed set of orange dice featuring sprinkles of gold glitter, a luscious swirl of gold microglitter, and just a *hint* of nutmeg. Go to DiceEnvy.com and enter in code LightheartADV to receive 10% off your order and help support this show.
Thanks for sticking around, and I hope you enjoy this conversation with Tim.
Find Tim and Staff and Branch at:
Find Roll Play Grow:
Friday Afternoon TeaGrab a cup of tea with blends based on your favorite nerdy series. Use lightheartadv for 10% off
Dice Envy
Dice Envy creates beautiful dice in a variety of materials, including resin, metal, wood, and more
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Find Roll Play Grow:
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