Dungeons and potholes: growing up (and leveling up) in sudbury, ontario

I grew up in a meteor crater full of dungeons and treasure. While there are no dragons there, the moose are every bit as fierce. Just try negotiating with one and you'll see what I mean.

Surprisingly, I hadn't really thought of Sudbury in these terms until recently, It was always just "home" to me, even after having moved away.  ​​

Dungeon! Actually, it's a mine.

Creative Beginnings at Laurentian University

And yet, life in Sudbury gave me the space in-between other happenings. It sure feels like this time and space between events is where the creative spark most easily comes into being. 

The professors at Laurentian University always seemed, to me, to have a real intuitive understanding of the need to balance challenge with just enough time for reflection. Looking back on it now, I have come to really appreciate this measured approach, and it was during my time there that Stratos came to be.

Laurentian University: not a dungeon, although it does have some spooky hallways.

Magic, Heroes, and Pickup Basketball

Co-designer David Gundrum and I both grew up here for a significant period in our lives. A bunch of us played pickup basketball at every available opportunity, and when we weren't doing that, we dove into our favourite games of the time that captured our collective imaginations.

Magic: the Gathering and Heroes of Might and Magic III were the top games of choice among our friends on Friday nights. 

Both of us loved the sense of adventure and surprise in Heroes III, along with the finely-tuned balance that kept everything tight and fair. ​

Heroes III is a true classic.

From Creative Play to Something More

There was a definite thirst for more creative play, which is where Magic came in. We'd spend hours every weekend engrossed in figuring out new decks and new ways to use cards together for combos.

Jacob, David, and an awesome Stratos fan.

And yet, no matter how creative we got within other games, it never really seemed to be quite enough as a full creative outlet. The dream of making our own tactical RPG stayed with us for as long as we can remember, but it was during our time in Sudbury that we followed through on the idea and first created, prototyped, and tested Stratos.

Reflections and the Irony of our Story

One can't help but enjoy the irony of having created an RPG-inspired board game in such a place. It has dungeons (mines), treasures (like The Big Nickel), and even traps (potholes)!

The Big Nickel counts as treasure, right?

As we reflect upon our journey 10 years later, our number one observation is that creative ideas best emerge when we are fully present.

Thank you, Sudbury, for all you have given us. From our creative beginnings to having our game on the (reserve) shelf at Let's Scrabbalatte Board Game Cafe since the prototype days and more, we are proud to call Sudbury home. 

Interestingly enough, it now feels like our creative journey is really just beginning. Who's with us?

Lawrence and Erik, owners of Scrabbalatte, try to recreate the Superstack out of Jenga blocks.

Sincerely, 
Jacob Chodoriwsky and David Gundrum
Original Co-Designers of Stratos

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