In short: Have fun while creating. Create fun while playing.
Two Starving Gnolls (TSG) consists of two people: Jarle and Even. We grew up in the same rural area in Norway and discovered games together. At the age of ten, we were deeply involved in D&D and later AD&D, as well as board games like Shogun and Axis & Allies. We played on our Commodore 64 and later on the Amiga.
Our creative journey began at this early age. We crafted worlds and stories for role-playing games, composed music, and developed primitive games on our computers. Along the way, we forged a lasting friendship based on our shared passion for gaming.
In the following years, we explored countless other RPGs, including Twilight 2000, MERP, Cyberpunk, Numenera, and most notably, Call of Cthulhu. We started playing CoC in 1992 with the release of its 5th edition. Its approach to storytelling and player engagement was a revelation and remains a core part of our gaming identity.
Over the years, we created numerous games, primarily for our own gaming groups. This changed in 2014 when Even launched his creation, "Insight RPG," as a Kickstarter campaign—a universal RPG system for all settings. The process of creating a marketable product and using crowdfunding to realize it inspired us to bring more of our creations to the RPG market, and TSG became a reality.
Our creative process always begins with an idea and a cup of tea. We sit down in two chairs at Even's house and elaborate on the idea. It doesn't take long before we have a general overview and can start working. Though "working" might be the wrong word here—"creating" is better, as this process involves talking, discussing, gaming, writing, and drinking tea.
Throughout this process, we have fun. We don't do or write things that aren't enjoyable. We write because it's fun and we envision gamers having fun playing our games. We consider what we want from our games and what our players want.
In "Svalbard," we wanted players to feel smart while puzzling out how to beat the scenario. In "Pax Cthuliana," we aimed for players to feel the time pressure of discovering clues to stop Cthulhu before the world ended. In our newest project, "The Exorcist's Codex", players take on the roles of exorcists, demonologists, spiritual mediums, and more, navigating a world where rituals, holy artifacts, codex lore and faith are their greatest weapons.
We hope you enjoy our games!
Jarle & Even
Two Starving Gnolls
