In this series of short interviews we sit down with game makers and talk shop!
Rada Quest
A Trading Card Game set inside a fantasy universe created by Writer, Illustrator, and Coder 
INTERVIEW
Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into development and illustration?
Marcos - My real name is Marcos. DK means Dungeon Keeper. Hum... It' a long history, I graduated in computer science as a developer in the early 90s. Ouch! A long time ago...
I am a lover of literature and films of the fantasy genre since I was very young. One of my hobbies has been writing. In 2010 I began writing a series of epic fantasy stories that shaped a more complex story. Over time and many revisions, Rada Quest appeared among those papers. Meanwhile, with the desire to accompany my stories with illustrations, I entered the world of creating digital illustrations with 3D software and Photoshop. I was receiving classes about traditional painting, watercolors and pencil drawing mainly, but where I have always felt more comfortable is with digital drawing.
The Rada Quest game had to be the inescapable result of the union of my 3 best skills.
What are some of your influences for your artwork? The female Rada warriors are smoking hot!
Marcos - Oh yeah I know, haha. That is another one of my not-so-secret hobbies. I am an unconditional admirer of great masters of fantasy drawing.
The delicious drawing of the human figure by Boris Vallejo is simply impressive.
The strength and fantasy in Frank Frazetta's drawings. All that eroticism with that shocking energy!
And also among my countrymen I find inspiration. The beauty of the enigmatic women drawn by Luis Royo. Or the real Vampirella, by Pepe González. They overwhelm me.
It is very common to find attacks by a certain sector of society against those who create this type of art. But I don't see sexism in showing strong and confident women; prepared to survive the most fearsome dangers of worlds that can only exist in our fantasies. Our real-world is hard, ugly and stressful. I just want to bring some beauty and something to dream about.
Can you tell us about your vision for the Rada Quest game play?
Marcos - I must be consistent with my limitations, especially as far as time is concerned. After much analysis, I have concluded that a trading card game is a realistic goal for me.
My expectation is a game with multiple activities that maintain the interest of the player. From my experience as a mediocre player (I confess) I don't want the frustrations of other players trying to advance against impossible enemies. I want an environment for all types of players and with possibilities to make you feel a champion... among the players in your class.
And if I can't get that I hope, at least, to get the players to enjoy the art of the cards. I would not feel unsuccessful if at least someone is waiting to see the picture on the next card.
At this point has game development started or has it been primarily card artwork?
Marcos - At the moment I have the design of a good handful of cards, but not enough. My goal is that new cards are constantly appearing in the game. There will not be a limited deck.
Regarding the code, I have almost finished the Game Document. Currently, my development efforts are focused on creating tools to help the project, such as the profit-sharing system among game investors. These types of tools are helping me a lot to understand communication with the blockchain, a development environment that was unknown to me until a few months ago.
I am also fine-tuning the website, very necessary for me for the help I hope in selling illustrations and tokens.
In a few weeks, these tools will be finished and I will be able to focus my effort completely on the development of the game itself.
And in meanwhile, new cards will appear; Creating those illustrations relaxes me.
Anything else you wish to tell us?
Marcos - Rada Quest is a project that has occupied my life for almost 10 years. It's a novel, it's a game, it's illustrations ... it's a fantasy universe that occupies my mind every hour of the day. I don't have an answer to the question of "when will the game be ready". I have a job and a family and I don't have the means to pay for help in the development of the project. I'm the only man on the forge. I know I can't ask for confidence; I must earn it with every step I take. But I would like to ask for patience.
Thank you for taking the time to answer these question and for allowing us to step a little further into your creative realm.
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