Ramshead Publishing is an American game company that produces

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

s and game supplements.

History

Mike Holmes and Ralph Mazza were members of the Gaming Outpost and later, founding members of the

Forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to th ...

who began developing their ideas into a game called ''Universalis: The Game of Unlimited Stories''. ''

Universalis ''Universalis'' is a role-playing game (RPG) from Ramshead Publishing that stresses interactive storytelling. The game uses a unique system, based on "coins" that are used to make additions to the game, which allows the entire group to participa ...

'' (2002), by Holmes and Mazza, was published by Ramshead Publishing. The company's name was based on Mazza's initials, which he had been using since childhood. In January 2003, Mazza bought out Holmes's share of ''Universalis'', and afterward the game and Ramshead Publishing belonged to Mazza alone. In 2004 Ramshead released what Mazza called the ''Robots & Rapiers Quick Start Rules'' (2004) — first as a PDF file, then as a printed book at Gen Con Indy 2004.

Adept Press An adept is an individual identified as having attained a specific level of knowledge, skill, or aptitude in doctrines relevant to a particular author or organization. He or she stands out from others with their great abilities. All human quali ...

, Burning Wheel, Driftwood Publishing, and Ramshead Publishing sponsored the Forge booth at

Gen Con Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...

in 2004. Ramshead's second complete game, ''

Blood Red Sands Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

'' (2013), finally went out to backers as a PDF in May 2013 after a successful

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

in 2012, with a print book appearing in wider distribution in early 2014.

References

{{reflist Role-playing game publishing companies