Stefan Pokorny (designer)
American designer, artist, film producer and businessman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stefan Alexander Pokorny is an American designer and artist, known for his origination and popularization of miniature three-dimensional terrain systems, now widely used in role-playing games (RPG) including Dungeons & Dragons.[1][2][3] Pokorny is a significant figure in the Dungeons & Dragons community, widely known as a "legendary Dungeon Master."[4]
December 25, 1966
Stefan Pokorny | |
|---|---|
| Born | Keu soon Inn December 25, 1966 Seoul, South Korea |
| Education | Hartford Art School (MFA, 1992) |
| Known for | Product Design, painting, sculpture, cinema, photography |
| Movement | Role-playing games |
| Employer | Dwarven Forge |
Early life
At age 2½, Pokorny was adopted by New York architect Jan Hird Pokorny (1914–2008) and his wife Marise Angelucci-Pokorny.[5] Pokorny has played Dungeons and Dragons since the 1980s[6] and has said that he discovered Dungeons and Dragons at the age of nine or ten while he was away at a three-month sleepover camp. He attributes his introduction to one of his camp counselors who was a member of The Judges Guild.[7]
Career
In 1996, Pokorny co-founded Dwarven Forge to manufacture and distribute his designs for the first fully modular 3-D terrain systems for games.[8][9] The company rose to prominence in 2013 when it raised $2 million with its first Kickstarter campaign.[6] Several other Kickstarters followed that equalled or surpassed that mark.[6] The business model Pokorny developed[10][8] continues to fund operations as of 2023, with over $23 million raised to date.[11]
Pokorny was the subject of the 2016 documentary feature film, The Dwarvenaut,[12] exploring him and his role-playing alter ego, The Dwarvenaut.[13][14] Reviews for the film were mixed noting that the film focused on the story of turning an idea into a business and less on the personal aspects of Pokorny as a person (such as his girlfriend) or the actual way in which his business functions claiming the film began to "feel more like a commercial than a documentary."[15]
Design and influence
Prior to Pokorny's innovation, D&D was generally played on 2-dimensional maps drawn on graph or grid paper, with miniature player pieces. Pokorny's terrains add elaborate 3-D aspects to the environment of play. To achieve his design objectives, Pokorny developed a proprietary PVC-based casting material he calls Dwarvenite®.[16] Users report it is fairly indestructible and holds its finish well.[1][17]
Publications
- Pokorny, Stefan (2015). Dungeons, Maps, Drawings and Other Secret Arcana. Independent (Alphabet). ISBN 978-1-4951-8438-3. Retrieved May 27, 2023.