Between chaotic skirmishes and apocalyptic road trips, Free League is just having fun
Co-founder Tomas Härenstam remains confident the studio’s polestar will keep them on a winning track.
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In the decade since Swedish RPG house Free League started publishing their own tabletop games, the relatively small team has proven they can punch above their weight class. Whether shouldering the newest edition of The One Ring, helping MÖRK BORG achieve a rare measure of viral success, or cornering the market on licensed RPGs that don’t suck, the company seems to be enjoying a string of successes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the team is also taking a moment to reflect. Coriolis, one of Free League’s first endeavors as an independent studio, is poised to step into The Great Dark, while the Alien RPG will soon crowdfund a second edition. Co-founder and game designer Tomas Härenstam spoke to Rascal at Gen Con 2024 and said the company has matured but never stopped focusing on games that they enjoy—if a game isn’t fun to create, they don’t want it in players’ hands.
If you’ve paid attention, you’ll know this success isn’t stagnating Free League's creativity. Original works leaven out the steady stream of licensed IPs, and they’ve even begun designing tabletop games outside of the RPG mold. Their most recent, Mutant: Year Zero - Zone Wars was on display, and Rascal grabbed Härenstam to chat about it, alongside The Electric State. This standalone roadtrip-amidst-ruin RPG coincides with a film adaptation starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, which… Let’s just say we (mostly Chase) are pinning our hopes on the book, for now.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
