We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Harlen Eherenman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Harlen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Oh gosh. The most meaningful project I’ve worked on?

I’ve done a number of things that I’m proud of, definitely. Every project I get to release with my own twist is special to me. But I’d have to say that the most meaningful project I’ve worked on–if you can call it a project–is giving a presentation at Denver Pop-Culture Con in 2019 on how to build a fantasy world.

It was great! “Worldbuilding” is the word used to describe the construction of a fictional setting, from the plants and animals, the geography, the monsters and all that, to the prevailing social and administrative dynamics of the setting, and on, and on. The talk itself was fantastic– I really enjoyed nerd-ing out onstage for a full forty-five minutes, describing how I go about putting together fake biomes to get good stories.

But the really meaningful part of it came afterwards. I hung back for a second after the talk was over, and a kid came up to me to ask questions. He was this little ragamuffin, maybe middle-school aged, clearly as nervous as an introverted fantasy-fan usually is in these situations. So he asked questions, I answered, and he seemed really excited! I went about my day thinking nothing of it. Then the following day (I was giving a talk on how to start being a Dungeon Master) he tracked me down and thanked me personally. He gave me a little action figure he’d picked up earlier during comic-con in thanks! I still have it on my shelf.

Harlen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I write table-top role playing games!

You’ve heard of Dungeons & Dragons, of course. Thanks to shows like Critical Role and Adventure Zone, the table-top gaming hobby has exploded in popularity over the past few years, giving people like me an opportunity to bring this wonderful thing to a wider audience than ever before.

Personally, I’ve been playing RPG’s since I was a kid– maybe eight years old? As a die-hard fantasy and sci-fi nerd, building these fictional worlds and having adventures in them with my friends was one of the best things to do on a weekend (and a great excuse to avoid homework during the week.)

As an adult, I began the career side of things with an English degree. I tried marketing, writing articles, all of that, but the thing I kept coming back to time and time again was table-top gaming. So, now I design settings, characters, and adventures for people to share with their friends!

On the business side of things, I publish material under my own imprint (THE INSTITUTE!), and book freelance gigs from other designers looking to release table-top gaming content. I’ve worked with local creators as well as overseas companies. My personal style is one of my strongest selling points: I take inspiration from any number of themes and genres (My current favorite is the Spaghetti Western) and remix them for use in a fantasy world. I emphasize compelling characters and operatic settings, mixed with all of the best nonsense that the fantasy genre can bring to the table. Anything creative, any interactive media that needs a cohesive setting or a compelling narrative, I can design!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Community. Hands down. Not simply following one another on social media, but genuinely engaging with other creators in a collaborative and constructive way. I’ve learned so much since I began doing this, from the best layout/publishing software, to sourcing printers, to distribution and marketing. Not to mention countless different takes on how individuals engage with table-top gaming. Community has been by far the most valuable resource I wish I’d known about earlier.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

Honestly (and this is going to sound corny) my goal is to give back to a community and a genre of media that has meant so, so much to me throughout my life. To build community. To bring people together. If I know that I’ve gotten a table full of people to smile, and laugh together, and share an adventure, then I’ll be happy. Especially in times like these, when it seems like we’re all stranded in a sea of social media posts with nothing on the horizon but alienation and loneliness, making something that brings people together is a goal in and of itself.

Contact Info:

• Website: itstheinstitute.com
• Twitter: @itstheinstitute
• Youtube: youtube.com/dmspeaks
• Other: the-institute.itch.io, linktr.ee/itstheinstitute