My End of Year video is on the "Golden Age of Indie RPGs," from roughly 2010 to 2025. I start with Apocalypse World's release, work through the Google+ Era, and follow design lineages and historical events that have impacted the tabletop RPG hobby up through 2025.
It's easily the most I've worked on a video. 16k words, 9 interviews, 96 minutes. I hope it does the brilliant people in this scene justice.
Artfight started, but I'm still working on my characters ;-;
Oh well - whatcha gonna do? Here's our 7th member, Thanasis Petrakis! I don't draw men often, so it was good to get out of my comfort zone :D
Background:
Petrakis = traditional Greek surname meaning “little stone” or “of the rock,” linked to volcanic island roots
Thanasis (short for Athanasios) = means “immortal” or “eternal,” symbolizing endurance and transformation
Born 1961 on Nisyros, a volcanic island in Greece’s Dodecanese archipelago
Orphaned at a young age - his parents, local blacksmiths, died in a factory accident when he was 7
Raised collectively by the tight-knit village community, who taught him the value of hard work, craft, and survival
Grew up immersed in a community shaped by volcanic power and historical neglect
Self-taught engineer and metallurgist, excelled through hands-on learning rather than formal education; developed his skills by helping villagers with repairs and crafting tools
Early Life and Career:
Grew up with little formal schooling but learned practical skills early by assisting village artisans and farmers
Became the village’s trusted ironsmith and engineer, quietly solving everyday problems with skill and patience
Became known locally as a gifted ironsmith and practical engineer in his 20s and 30s - the village tried raising money to send him to college
Deeply connected to the land and volcanic environment, experimenting with geothermal energy to help the village’s water and heating needs
Built a hidden workshop in an abandoned WWII bunker, where he honed his metallurgical craft and small-scale engineering projects
1996 Nisyros Volcanic Crisis and Accident:
Volcanic unrest in 1996 brought seismic swarms and geothermal activity to Nisyros
Thanasis recognized the danger and sought to harness volcanic steam for sustainable energy
An earthquake caused a catastrophic explosion in his workshop, severely burning his right side and fusing molten metal into his skin
Authorities fined him for illegal structures and shut down his workshop; his sustainable energy proposals were dismissed
His work was shut down despite his village’s reliance on him
The council visited him while he was in recovery; his bitterness and self-hatred simmering, it wasn't hard to sway him, especially as they offered him resources for rehabilitation
Classism and Ableism:
Post-Junta Greece (1974 onward): Economic reforms favored urban industrial centers like Athens and Thessaloniki, while islands like Nisyros remained marginalized, reinforcing economic and geographic class divides
1990s Greek Economic Policies: Heavy bureaucracy and corruption created barriers to innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly for uncredentialed workers like Thanasis
1999 Athens Earthquake: Highlighted infrastructure weaknesses, but relief and rebuilding efforts focused mainly on wealthy urban areas, sidelining smaller communities and practical engineers from rural backgrounds
2008 Greek Financial Crisis: Worsened unemployment and deepened social stratification, cutting funding for grassroots innovators and labeling nonconformists as threats to stability
Societal Rejection and Transformation:
Despite practical genius, marginalized by Greece’s academic and bureaucratic elite due to lack of credentials and rebellious nature
Physical scars and disabilities were socially stigmatized; Thanasis’s burns became a symbol of weakness rather than resilience in his community and among officials
Systemic barriers: denied licenses and permits for his workshop, refused funding or recognition by engineering institutions, and shunned for his non-academic background and visible injuries
Witnessed the deep divide between Athens-centric power and neglected island communities like Nisyros
Developed bitterness and resolve to operate outside the system, rejecting official oversight and hierarchy
Adopting the Name Prometheus:
Took the name Prometheus after the mythic Titan who brought fire to humanity and was punished
Refashioned his body with self-made metal enhancements, blending his scars with his craft
Became an underground engineer and arms-smith, building weapons, drones, and off-grid tech in volcanic caves
Views himself as the fire-thief, bringing forbidden knowledge to those cast aside by society
Present Day (2016):
At 55, a shadowy figure feared and mythologized, known to few by his real name
Lives by the motto: “They chained me to the rock. I became the fire they cannot control.”
Embodies the fractures in modern Greece: bureaucracy’s blindness, urban-rural divides, and the cost of ignoring grassroots talent
Continues his work in secret, driven by a belief that power must come from the hands of those the system discards
Design Notes/Character Study
Reference Vander Arcane
Right Arm: Reference Victor Arcane + other Steampunk elements
Major burn scarring across right side
Minor burns/cuts across rest of body
Large, intimidating frame
Expert in blacksmithing, metallurgy, and material science
Contrasts with kind eyes
Curly dark hair + tan skin
Wears a literal blue collar (fireproof material)
Blacksmith apron with vulture on it - reference to Prometheus
Skilled blacksmiths tend to be ambidextrous
Singular pauldron for asymmetry - Prometheus etched in Greek
“They live in towers made of glass and paper. I build with fire and steel. Let’s see what lasts when the ground shifts.”
“If I’d worn a suit, they’d have called me a visionary. But I wore gloves, so they called me reckless.”
