| Type | Limited Liability Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Role-Playing Games |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder(s) | Alex Flagg, Patrick Kapera, and Scott Gearin |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon, USA |
| Products | Spycraft, Mastercraft, and Mistborn RPGs |
| Website | http://www.crafty-games.com/ |
Crafty Games is an American publisher of role-playing games based on espionage and fantasy themes, particularly Spycraft. The company was founded by the creative team behind the Spycraft and Spycraft 2.0 RPGs, shortly after both lines were shut down by then-publisher Alderac Entertainment Group.[1] Since its inception, Crafty Games has published over 50 products in print and PDF format, both through Mongoose Publishing's Flaming Cobra imprint and e-book vendor OneBookShelf. Crafty Games' work on Spycraft 2.0 has won nominations for the Diana Jones Award[2] and 4 ENnie Awards[3] in 2006.
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The founders of Crafty Games were affiliated with Alderac Entertainment Group in various capacities. When the Spycraft line was cut in the summer of 2005, they jointly formed Crafty Games.[4]
A ten-year veteran of the hobby gaming industry, Patrick Kapera was the co-creator of the award-winning Spycraft roleplaying game and its many offshoots, including the Stargate SG-1 RPG while working as a staff writer, editor, developer, and brand manager for AEG. Additionally he has worked on many acclaimed games, including Legend of the Five Rings, 7th Sea, Doomtown, When Darkness Comes, and the Battlestar Galactica RPG.
Once an organizer for the Oregon-based gaming convention Dairyland, Alex was recruited as an AEG freelancer to work on Spycraft 1.0 in 2002 based on the strength of his homebrewed setting Ten Thousand Bullets. Over the subsequent 5 years, he worked on nearly 2 dozen books for a number of publishers, including AEG, Privateer Press, Fantasy Flight Games, Paradigm Concepts, and Mythic Dreams Studios, and was a core designer of the critically acclaimed Spycraft 2.0 RPG.
Beyond Spycraft, Crafty Games has recently begun to branch into other games, including Mastercraft, a new system developed as part of their Fantasy Craft RPG. On 7 September 2008, the company also announced its first licensed property, based on Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series of novels.[5]
This game system is notable for its modular, mix-and-match approach to equipment and gear, which allows it to function across genres from classic fantasy to science fiction. Instead of offering a specific set of choices, players can choose from a large set of "effects" and then its "housing," before paying the associated cost. For example, an ice effect combined with a sword produces a magical blade, while combining an EMP effect with a wristwatch comes straight out of James Bond's Q Branch.
In addition, creating NPC adversaries is as simple as assigning a "caliber" to their attack, defense, and so on. The actual numerical value scales to the level of the party, so you can run the same mission for new or experienced players without batting an eye. One build fits all.
A number of freelance writers and artists have worked with the Crafty partners in their assorted game lines.
Loren's work has appeared in multiple books for Alderac Entertainment's 7th Sea game, and he wrote a regular review column for AEG's SHADIS magazine. Under the Crafty banner he has written for Signs & Portents magazine, and is a principal contributor on the Vow of Silence project.
Fan and Organized Play clubs have begun several sites in support of Crafty Games' product lines. Additionally, other companies have produced material under the Powered by Spycraft/Powered by Mastercraft License.
Several introductory and convention-ready (4 hour) modules are available for download on the Crafty Games website.
An Organized Play offering going live shortly after the release of Fantasy Craft, featuring flying ships and adventure opportunities spanning multiple worlds.[6]
Products published by Crafty Games have been mentioned in the following media sources: