Meet The Game Master

For the past two years, War & Aether: The Roleplaying Game has been making its way into the tabletop community. With ongoing demo days at your favorite game stores and a supportive community that continues to grow everyday, we’re so grateful for all the milestones we’ve reached so far.

To celebrate these past 2 years, we wanted to spotlight the author of our favorite tabletop game. Here’s 10 things behind the mind of Alex Zubarev, creator of War & Aether: The Roleplaying Game!

Q1: What inspired you to create War & Aether?

Alex Zubarev (AZ): There was a very specific niche of tabletop that I wanted and I couldn't find. I wanted a classless, fantasy tabletop, that allowed me to invest in my character and grow as I go. I also wanted something that was inherently friendly to both a low-fantasy or a high-fantasy setting. I couldn't find anything that checked all the boxes I wanted, so I decided to just make it myself.

Q2: What’s your favorite creature/monster? Why?

AZ: With an entire Bestiary to choose from, and one that grows ever larger, I'm gonna pick three.

1. Gnomes - I like putting a spin on existing creatures and existing lore, and Gnomes are my favorite example of that. One part intelligent shape-changer, and another part a horrific monster with an addiction for human eyes.
   

2. Shinnephalim - The thought of the Shinnephalim makes me laugh every, single, time. A Specter who requires absurdly specific circumstances in order to be created, and it is a seasonal issue every single year due in-large-part to human stupidity.
   

3. Vetturion - Probably one of my favorite, more unique creations. A fiercely intelligent winter beast who lures in victims by mimicking the voices of the people it's killed. It came to me in a nightmare one night, and I turned it into a monster for War & Aether the very next day.
   

Q3: What’s your favorite class to play? Why?

AZ: Usually a form of Spellsword or Battlemage. I generally like to lean towards physical combat and the more roguish playstyles, but if there's magic available, then I will use it.

Q4: What’s one thing that has brought you joy while working on this game?

AZ: The response to it. As a solo-developer, it's really hard to get my foot in the door and have people look at the game. But when someone does stop by a Demo Day to ask questions or try it first hand, I find it both incredibly thrilling and validating when people play the game and like it.

Q5: How long did it take you to develop War & Aether: The Roleplaying Game?

AZ: One part, it took two years to make the first edition of the core rulebook. One year for development, and one year for testing. Another part is that the tabletop is still going through development and changes to this day as I work on the game's upcoming expansions.

Q6: Tell us about the first time you played a tabletop!

AZ: First time I played a tabletop, I was thrown half-way into another group's campaign, playing Pathfinder-1E. We were thrown into an arena situation, where half the battle was surviving the arena, and the other half was pleasing the crowd. As I literally decorated myself and the arena in the blood of vicious animals in an attempt to please the crowds, I learned first-hand how your actions in Tabletop-RPGs are only limited by your imagination.

Q7: Tell us your favorite tabletop story. What makes it so special?

AZ: "It got Malcom." The funniest thing I have ever witnessed in tabletop. To make a long-story-short, we were playing a Roaring 20s setting and horror-themed game of Call of Cthulhu. In a museum with the power cut, three party members walked through the midnight halls with an unseen monster hunting them down, in an effort to restore power. One player heard a noise from behind, thought it was the monster, turned around and blasted his shotgun - straight into the chest of the NPC party member, Malcom. The creature hunting them emerged from the darkness, the two remaining party members sprinted back to the safety zone. The civilians in the safe zone asked "Where's Malcom". One player was about to explain how a terrible accident occurred, before the other player who wielded the shotgun cut him off and simply said "It got Malcom."

Q8: What’s something you like to do in your free time?

AZ: It varies wildly between the day of the week and the time of the year. But most commonly, I spend it with TV and Video Games.

Q9: If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

AZ: I can't say I have any advice. Life isn't always good, and it's rarely been easy for me, but I'm very content with the decisions I've made. Even my mistakes I consider instrumental to building who I am today. I can't imagine any piece of advice that my younger self could have further benefited from, or that he would've taken seriously.

Q10: What's next on the docket for you?

AZ: I'm currently working on a few different tabletop systems and board games, including the first expansion book for War & Aether. Development on those will continue steadily as they always have, and they'll be done when they're done. More than anything, I'm a one-man-show with too much on his plate. Next on the docket for me is trying to build a team to help me with my various projects — so I can get a lot more done, and get it done faster.