Pittsburgh theater professional rolls dice on role-playing game business

Like so many other theater professionals, Tyler Crumrine of Millvale found himself without income as theaters went dark during the pandemic.

“All of my theater work was gone, and all the momentum that went with it was gone,” he said. “I had to look at what my options were.”

Fortunately, he was able to turn an interest in role-playing games into a growing business.

“I’d been coming up with little games to play with my friends, and some of the people working in that world asked me if I’d ever thought about putting out some of my own work,” he said.

Prior to the shutdown, Crumrine, 31, worked with various Pittsburgh and New York theater companies as a dramaturg, with work including developing and editing scripts. He also is the founder of Plays Inverse Press, an independent publisher of plays and other dramatic literature.

He grew up in Ligonier and studied English and theater at Grove City College.

Crumrine launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2020, hoping to raise $1,000 to publish “Beak, Feather, & Bone,” a map-labeling game he had created set in a city inhabited by some quaintly-dressed birds.

His roll of the dice paid off.

The campaign netted $20,000 and “Beak, Feather, & Bone” was named one of the “Best Games of 2020” by the online Tabletop Gaming magazine. He also sold another $10,000 worth of units of the game.

Full-time designer

“In November, I took a cold, hard look at things, and I could see that, in 2021, I didn’t have the option of going back to theater,” he said. “I became a full-time games designer by default.”

Thus, Possible Worlds Games was born. Its signature product is a subscription that delivers a digital version of a different game each month for six months. At the end of the subscription period, buyers receive a collector’s edition of the games in a boxed set.

Courtesy of Possible Worlds Games

Tyler Crumrine of Millvale is the founder of Possible Worlds Games.

Each game has a different theme, from science fiction and fantasy to farming. The games can be adapted to players of all ages, can be played in one sitting either alone or in small groups and don’t required much in additional financial outlay.

“These games were designed during the pandemic to play with people you’re already cooped up with, or on Zoom,” he said. “You can play them with things you have around the house or get at Dollar General.”

Crumrine said he is interested in providing games for players of all levels, from first-timers to seasoned gamers.

“A lot of people became aware of role-playing games in the last couple years from ‘Stranger Things,’” he said. Characters on the Netflix series played the classic game Dungeons & Dragons.

“I’m interested in games I can play with my siblings when I see them a few times a year, games that the curious can pick up and play without studying rules for hours beforehand,” he said.

His brother Luke is an inspiration for both game scenarios and the type of player he’s trying to reach.

“He’s a cattle farmer in Ligonier; he’s not a regular game player, but he’s a fantastic storyteller,” Crumrine said. “When I play with him, I want him to easily understand the rules and what’s expected of him and also have fun.”

Not burn out

In addition to developing new games, Crumrine is learning the ropes of business management by working with a Pittsburgh consulting firm comprised of other theater professionals.

“I needed to make a business plan if I was going to put out more than one game a year and be a one-man shop and not burn out,” he said.

He set “an aggressive goal” of $20,000 for a second Kickstarter campaign and reaped $30,000.

“I reconnected with a lot of people I knew from high school and college and from theater, who came along behind me,” he said. “It was very affirming. That was the sign I needed.”

He’s been talking with owners of Pittsburgh-area game stores about stocking physical copies of his titles.

When Possible Worlds Games is more firmly established, Crumrine wants to be able to pay the support he got forward. While he has hired people to create artwork for his games, so far he’s developed and designed them all himself.

“I want to be able to add titles by early career designers that I trust, that I want to introduce you to,” he said.

When the theater world reopens, Crumrine said, he’ll be looking for opportunities there too.

One upcoming project combines both of his areas of expertise. He’s been invited by The New School in New York, where he’s previously taught creative writing, to deliver a lecture on games writing.