Simon Barns describes his role at Red Ruin Publishing with characteristic candour: “Publisher. Chief Editor. Line Editor. Wrangler. Nagger. The list goes on.” Operating at the helm of an imprint dedicated to expanding the gritty, folklore-steeped world of Dragon Warriors, Barns coordinates a prolific community of tabletop creators whose work spans the long-running periodic zine Casket of Fays, standalone adventures, and mechanically reactive solo gamebooks. Conducting an interview with Simon, however, proved to be an exercise in narrative hazard; our exchange arrived in distinct dispatches over several days, punctuated first by a police report covering a mass shed break-in and then an emergency dash into hospital resuscitation when his tongue abruptly swelled to alarming proportions.
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Below, Barns discusses Red Ruin’s origins, physical print runs, mechanical explorations, and what keeps the medieval landscape of Legend thriving four decades on.
Origins and Evolution of Red Ruin
The contemporary tabletop landscape boasts numerous fan-led presses, but few match Red Ruin Publishing’s output. Born out of online coordination, the group took root when digital tables became an essential lifeline for roleplaying games.
Who are Red Ruin Publishing, and how did a Discord-managed group of fans turn into a prolific independent publisher?
The Casket of Fays was a lockdown baby for me. I had 5 months at home and it was the start of Discord gaming. I’ve always loved a zine (The Beholder was my first) and I suggested we pull together a short 20 pager. Here we are 6 years on, 20 issues, gamebooks, adventures, and more. I’ve been lucky to work with some of the most enthusiastic and professional fans a chap could ask for. I could name names but there are quite a few.
Running a strictly non-profit outfit under Serpent King Games’ fan-publication policy means you cannot charge for access or profit from releases. What keeps the team motivated to maintain such a relentless, high-quality publishing pace?
Newsflash. We can charge. We mainly work off a Pay What You Want model for the PDF releases. I don’t want to keep our books out of anyone’s hands if they can’t afford it. The POD releases we do charge for. I can see my stockroom from here. I made a load of them by hand and it nearly killed me. In terms of publishing and the pace, it’s not the money, it’s the love and commitment for the game. I’ve made some firm friends through this zine and even met some of them. Note that we are always looking for more authors and artists but we’ll get to that.
Expanding the Map and Gamebook Heritage
Dragon Warriors creators Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson crafted a rich historical-fantasy setting that crossed over into classic gamebooks like Blood Sword. Red Ruin continues to weave those threads together, translating rare material and probing previously unexplored borders.
The listing for Sword of Harmony hints at ties to the classic Blood Sword gamebook series. Is Red Ruin planning to explore more material adjacent to Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson’s wider gamebook worlds?
That was a fun one. Dave put us in touch with Martin who had written this Blood Sword prequel for a Hungarian games mag and translated to English. A spot of light editing and some art courtesy of Dean Spencer and we were go. Martin came over this weekend and I would have liked to meet him but life was just too busy. And more of Dave and Oliver’s worlds? Yes, please.
Are there any unmapped corners of Legend or specific rules systems you haven’t touched yet that you are eager to commission for future releases?
Absolutely. We have had the bare bones of a book for Ferromaine in the works for a while and I ran a shortlived campaign in Yamato which robbed far and wide. Chaubrette always seems to be a favourite so maybe a short series of adventures there.
You recently hit issue #19 of Casket of Fays alongside major standalone releases like Island of Fury and The Curse on God’s Acre. What is currently on the workbench at Red Ruin that readers can look forward to next?
#20 and #21 as well as more of the back catalogue having a slight refresh and more coming to POD. There’s a few larger scale adventures coming courtesy of established authors who have long visited Legend, one of which I ran for Dragon Warriors’ creators Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson at one of our face-to-face meets, Day of Legends. I’d love to see more solo adventures from Paul and David but they are busy men and victims of their own success. (Paul’s latest Kickstarter just funded and I’ve backed the adventure compilation for Bree-YARC that David has an adventure in.)
Maybe a compilation volume or a Book of Beasts.
Design Craft and Enduring Worlds
Keeping a game setting relevant across forty years demands evocative writing coupled with direct design support. Red Ruin balances sprawling adventures with intricate, reactive solo playbooks.
What do you think makes the world of Legend in Dragon Warriors endure so strongly after four decades, especially when modern players have so many fantasy RPGs to choose from?
There are many worlds to choose from as my libraries both physical and on my Google drive testify to. It doesn’t seem like four decades, I can tell you that, though. I loved how Legend built up more and more over the six books. I loved how the world worked. Plus Dave and Oliver did a sterling job of creating a world that was lived in and from my perspective could live in.
Dave Morris himself praised The Curse on God’s Acre as one of the best adventures in the line. How did it feel to get that kind of direct endorsement from the creator of Dragon Warriors?
Pretty damn fine. A tip of the hat there to David Donachie and Paul Partington, the authors. I’ve really enjoyed seeing them develop over the years and their GNAT work and other material is just sublime. I was happy to be backer #1 on Paul’s Kickstarter.
Your solo adventures feature sophisticated mechanics, with tracking systems, tick boxes, and reactive world states. What is the key to designing a solo RPG book that feels like a living world rather than a simple puzzle?
I am not the man to ask! I am but a mere journeyman in the world of solo adventures. I should get Paul and David to talk to you. Have you had many solo designers in? I can find you a past interview with the chaps.
Community Contributions and the Horizon
Red Ruin relies on open doors, encouraging new contributors while preserving author ownership over their rules and writing.
Your submission guidelines explicitly welcome brand-new writers and promise that contributors keep ownership of their work. What advice would you give to a fan who has an idea for Legend but has never written an adventure or article before?
Definitely. I’ve seen Paul convert his Dragon Warriors solos to OSE and others. I would encourage our writers and artists to look elsewhere. That sounds awful. Edit me please. Advice. Start small. Write what you know. And really, don’t sweat the small stuff. Go rough. Throw an idea out. Will it stick? I think I wrote years past that we’re more likely to say yes than no. Add with experience “Yes. But have you thought of”
If you could persuade any illustrator or tabletop designer to contribute a guest piece to a future issue of Casket of Fays, who would be at the top of your wishlist?
You’ll see in time. We have irons in the fire. Shhh.
Thanks, Simon!
