Content Warning: Since this article was posted, multiple individuals have come forward with statements credibly addressing Swordsfall a.k.a. Brandon Dixon’s abuse of power and violation of consent. With respect to their shared experiences, I am putting a note on this article to ensure that their voices are heard and future readers are aware. Many statements are not public so I’ve only linked to the public statement. Please do not direct any harassment to the survivors who have raised these concerns.
I have a few questions today with Brandon Dixon about Tikor, the Swordsfall RPG Setting book, which has a couple days remaining on Kickstarter! Check out the Kickstarter and the responses below!
What is Swordsfall’s Tikor, both as a product and as your vision?
Swordsfall is almost like a platform. It encompasses the setting book, “Welcome to Tikor”, a RPG, a comic book and even novels. So it’s truly a world that I can use to do all sorts of creative projects with. As fans start to find favorite characters and place, I want to be able to go to those things and do EVEN more. The setting book is my way of opening the door to that world.
How do you consider Swordsfall and Tikor to be special in their content and design?
Well, no one else is really doing Afrofuturism like I am. It’s why I’m saying its part of the Afropunk sub-genre. It has it’s own style. That punk style. But instead of being anti-capitalism, it’s anti-colonialism. Or really, a world re-imagined where that was never a factor. Then you have the art. T’umo Mere has a style of his own. His art is bold, striking and dripping in real African lore. He’s from Botswana so he’s been happy to dig into his own culture and the ones around him for source material.
What were some choices you made in the art and presentation of Swordsfall and Tikor to show the values and style of the setting?
A couple of big things we’re focusing on are color and patterns. African cultures have almost used color to tell a story. You’re never going to a picture where everyone is draped in black. Those colors and what they mean are important, and we’re making sure they’re in Swordsfall. The other big thing in African cultures are patterns. Different cultures had their own symbols and patterns, but almost all had them. And they meant something. It could be mundane, it could be a call to a spirit. But the combination of colors and patterns often told a story. And Tikor will have that as well.
—
Thanks so much to Brandon for the interview! I hope you all enjoyed it and that you’ll head over to Tikor’s Kickstarter to check it out today!