This month, we shine our Publisher’s Spotlight on our friends from Red Raven Games. Although Red Raven Games was officially started by Ryan Laukat in the basement of his home, this Sandy, Utah based gaming-company really originated in Ryan’s childhood.

From a young age, Ryan knew that he wanted to design his own worlds and stories. Board games were the answer. Ryan began designing games with the hopes of getting one published. In 2011 he achieved this goal with Empires of the Void (a space exploration game of exciting dice-rolling combat), which met with great success on Kickstarter. Red Raven Games was brought to life, with the mission to “give players a chance to escape to a new world and enjoy that experience with their friends and family.” According to Ryan at Red Raven, “we want to make people laugh and cry and remember the story they make each time they play. For us, it’s all about the people and the story.”

In the years to follow, Red Raven Games published Above and Below and its sequel Near and Far. These are both story-telling games, showcasing Ryan’s passion for writing. In fact, the company gets its name from one of the stories that Ryan wrote when writing was just a hobby. In addition to these two, Red Raven’s library includes: City of Iron, Dingo’s Dreams, Artifacts Inc., The Ancient World, Eight Minute Empire, Islebound, Klondike Rush, and Empires of the Void II.

The first expansion for Near and Far, Near and Far: Amber Mines, will be released this summer. The expansion will include two new sets of stories, multiple modules to mix-up game-play, and the much-anticipated co-op mode! In addition to the expansion, Red Raven Games is also working on a new game to be launched on Kickstarter very soon: Haven. Designed by Alf Seegert, this game is a two-player contest between a power-hungry city and a mythical forest.

The next time you visit the Malted Meeple, be sure to ask your Game Master for their favorite game from Red Raven Games!

Karington Hess is a lifelong gamer whose passions for hospitality and all things game-related led him to Ravenwood Castle, where he served as an Innkeeper before joining The Malted Meeple. When not pouring beers, crafting milkshakes, or teaching boardgames, Karington can be found behind the DM’s screen, weaving intricate stories for his fellow gamers.