"I typically use generators as a springboard for coming up with character, story, and adventure ideas. I like to generate a good sample size and then read through the results and work off of what strikes me."

In a shadowy corner we have a conversation with Ian of the Copper Sanctum

Q&A with Ian of Copper Sanctum

How did you get into creating random generators?

It was mainly a side effect of running games and writing adventures. I was aware of quite a few good tavern generators out there, but always felt like I needed to have multiple tabs open to generate everything I was looking for detail-wise. So I wanted to make a generator that provided a good basis for a story that wasn't too much of an info dump.

What generators are you most proud of creating and why?

Well, my only online generator is Not Another Tavern Generator, and I'm pretty proud of it.

I have made a few miniature generators for use with the Avrae bot for Discord that ended up becoming more popular than I thought they would.

What is the most fun thing about creating generators?

The best thing about generators is seeing what they spit out after I spent the time to code it all in. My !who alias/command for the Avrae bot gives random character ideas with two randomly assigned quirks and the frequency with which the traits match up to make something amusing is entertaining.

What are the most painful lessons you've learnt from creating generators?

I don't know if I would say any of it was painful per se. I encountered my fair share of bugs, but the challenge of squashing them is the fun part of creating things for me.

How do you use random generators yourself?

I typically use generators as a springboard for coming up with character, story, and adventure ideas. I like to generate a good sample size and then read through the results and work off of what strikes me.

What are your next big projects (generators or otherwise) that you can talk about?

Well, one of these days I'm going to finish the Nameless Traveler Generator to go along with Not Another Tavern Generator on my site, but I keep getting sidetracked with other projects.

The next project that I should be finishing up soon is a Carnival Compendium to be released on the DM's Guild. It's a collection of rules for twenty carnival games to play within D&D, twelve subclasses (one for each archetype), ten carnival themed magic items, eight D&D-flavored carnival foods, two new backgrounds, and an adventure that takes place at a carnival.

Where can people find you on social media?

I'm on Twitter, Reddit, and Discord as @Derixyleth and you can find me on Facebook too.

Is there anything else you would like to talk about?

Nothing else except for thank you for letting me share a bit and for the site, it's a great concept and a trove of useful links!

More....

You can find more creator interviews on Rand Roll.

What taverns have you made with Copper Sanctum?