Worlds Over Run 2 – Interview with Eric Askue

Worlds Over Run - Unchecked Growth

 

The Worlds Over Run Catalog 2 Kickstarer is live.

Worlds Over Run was one of my favorite Kickstarters from the past year.  With the previous Kickstarter fulfilled and the new one coming soon, I got in contact with Eric and asked some questions.  We generally see the amazing work these people produce, but we rarely find out much about them.  Without further ado please meet Eric Askue. 

  • How long have you owned a 3D Printer or been in the 3D Printing Industry?

    • I’ve been working with 3D printing sine about 2007. I started with it when I was teaching at college. back in 2013 I started working with Collapse Industries.

  • What printers do you use to print terrain?

    • Worlds Over Run 2 - Toothed Maw

      We you our studio FDM and Greg Genung does most if not all of the test printing for Worlds Over Run. I met Greg through Kirk Kirkland (owner of Collapse Industries.) we started talking about joint projects. Next thing I know we’re trying out a terrain Kickstarter and selling content.

  • What got you interested in modeling 3D Terrain for print? What was your first model?

    • I can’t remember my first model. I’ve been doing this so long that mostly I just go from one thing to another growing my portfolio and the next thing.  I go into this becausse of Kirk and Greg asking me to make some custom assets for terrain. I never really thought about it. With my creature and character work I wasn’t sure anyone would want me to really make terrain But my friend and boss Kirk Kirkland of Collapse Industries and Greg Genung thought it was a brilliant idea and here we are. I’ve got a brand and I’m having a go at it.
  • Do you have a favorite model you have created?

    • All the time, I’ve been sculpting since before 2000 and I’ve been doing art almost all my life. Most of the time when I finish a piece I’m really pleased and happy to show it off and it is my favorite till I work on my next piece. I’ve always got new ideas and I want to try and make new things all the time. It’s really just who I am. I love and enjoy creating monsters and worlds, but more importantly, I love the excitement of the people who enjoy my work.

  • What are some of the challenges you ran into when starting your first Kickstarter with Worlds Over Run?

    • Worlds Over Run - Spiked Maw

      There were a bunch of challenges, fitting assets to the tile system of OpenLOCK kind of threw me for a loop. I also launched a little earlier than I thought I should and some of the assets took some time to get out after the closing of the Kick Starter. All in all, everything wasn’t too bad it just needed to be worked through one step at a time.

  • After having had a successful Kickstarter, how does that affect your second Kickstarter?  Do you know the major pitfalls and what to look out for?

    • Oh, you bet, this Kickstarter was kind of a test to see who might like what I was offering. NOW, knowing that people like the work I’m going to be putting out, we’re designing some really amazing stuff for the year. I’m hoping to put out more than one catalog of new content. To me, this is very exciting. I’m really hoping to give everyone something new and exciting that they have never really seen before, and I get to design.

  • How long have you been working on this new Kickstarter?

    • Ugh feels like I’ve been working on it since the end of the first but it feels like it has been a lot longer. some piles you step in and you just go with the flow.

  • How has your workflow changed with experience? 

    • It usually evolves as the projects and tools evolve. Most of my basic skills were ingrained in my back in college. But once in a while a design really makes you have to think about what it is you’re making. one of the more fun things is cut up and prep for printing, so at the end of the day it’s just one more skill to add to the toolkits.

  • What software do you use for your modeling?

    • Almost exclusively I use zbrush. I’ve been using that software since it’s launch back in 02 or 03. There are issues with it and talking to the 3D printers but once you know what they are you got everything down. but if you don’t… well that dog won’t hunt.

  • Tell us about your Video Blog.

    • Well, I do have a podcast with Kirk Kirkland called Molds and Monsters. We talk to toy painters, molding, and casting specialists, resins, plastics, silicon, sculptures, conventions and everything in between. It’s a good time really and we get to talk to our peers and friends in the industry.

  • What is the vision or theme(s) behind the new Kickstarter?

    • Well, the overall theme of Worlds Over Run is worlds. The worlds of tabletop gaming, whether you play D&D, Rift, Warhammer, or Fallout, heel even hero click. I want you to have extraordinary terrain and scenery to play your characters in. No more of this 2D gaming on flat boring tables. Give someone the high ground and make it matter. hide in a tunnel till the right moment to strike. Or defend a castle to the very end of the siege. I want to see bigger more expensive terrain and truly create worlds for people to play in and enjoy.