The Dwarvenaut

This is not a Documentary about Dwarven Forge the company. I had no misunderstanding this was a Documentary about the Dwarvenaught. The man that turned his passion into a company.

We got a rare glimpse something you nearly never see. WE See Stefan Pokorny,Raw, Real & Unfiltered. It was a glimpse into the life of an artist. And like many great amazing artists. It's not always pretty. But he's an honest soul and his passion and heart are worn on his sleeve.

The Dwarvenaught is a Journey, We see where Stefan Pokorny came from, The family that raised him, the hobby that he loves that he turned into a company. All while the threat of losing it all ticks away in the background of his most ambitious project of a lifetime counts down on Kickstarter.

A sweet, quirky and often unflinching and melancholy look into the world of Artist Stefhan Pokorny, Role Playing Evangelist. This is a wonderfully charming documentary that reminds us how important it is to maintain a sense of wild wonder in one's creativity and to seize joy and fun at every opportunity. As a classically trained artist, Stefan finds himself at odds with the New York art scene, but finds an outlet and makes a living indulging his passion, creating and marketing environments for Dungeons & Dragons games.

The movie could have perhaps done with a short primer at the start to introduce the audience to what exactly Dungeons & Dragons and Role-Playing Games are about, but that's a minor quibble- it's a wonderful, touching paean to the love of family and the liberation to be gained in following your artistic vision.

Highly recommended.

Dungeons and Dragons is the game - making realistic landscape is the obsession.

The story of Dwarven Forge is the story of Stefan Pokorny, an adopted child who carried the worrisome weight of "being returned." To see his life, to watch him grow from a troubled kid with a chip on his shoulder into one of the finest Dungeons and Dragons miniature sculptures in existence is empowering and encouraging. From backyard D&D games to some of the largest and most prestigious tabletop gaming cons in the world, you'll travel with Stefan and see this unique world come to life through his eyes.

Kids, if you have a dream, Stefan Pokorny is living proof that if you stick to your guns (however nerdy they may be) you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

Long live Valoria!

I started to watch this documentary because it is related to the tabletop role-playing game community, and I ended up watching a fantastic movie about ambition, motivation, effort and creative success. It's incredibly well edited, and has fantastic soundtrack. I found the movie consistently entertaining and engaging. I am a long time gamer and really enjoyed this film and its observations on the RPG gaming community at large. I also think it is an enjoyable foray into the tabletop gaming culture for anyone (even those who are not gamers). I Highly recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in the genre, or interested in watching an inspiring success story!

First I want to say that this is not the first time we get to see Stefan Pokorny in a film that involves Dungeons & Dragons; if interested check out "The Dungeons and Dragons Experience." With that said there is a main theme that runs throughout this documentary; Stefan is on a mission to build his company the one way he knows how using Kickstarter. Stefan is a trained artist and a gamer which you see the beginnings of in the D&D Experience film. Here, in this film though; we see him years later still doing the things he loves and trying, like many of us, to make a living doing it.

Stefan Pokorny "The Kickstarter Wizard" The documentary follows him as he goes through the various stages of managing a Kickstarter project; Dwarven Forge's Modular City Builder Terrain System. This is the third project he has successfully executed using crowdfunding to bring new products to life for his company, Dwarven Forge. Here, his skills as an artist turn into three-dimensional game pieces that both kids and adults use to play the game of Dungeons and Dragons. You will see the inner workings of his workshop and the team that helps him bring his vision to life.

Stefan Pokorny "The Artist" You will get a glimpse into his process, works that he has developed for his constructed game world and more. He will touch upon his education and inspirations as an artist and why he feels so strongly about his connection with art, games, people and the greater world.

Stefan Pokorny "He's One of Us" The documentary also shows him in his everyday life going about his business. He's a gamer, an adopted son, a New York artist and a business person. Take the good with bad because in many ways he is like a lot of gamers. We are a bit awkward, goofy, overly excited and passionate about what we love. Most importantly though; it shows what can happen when you never give up on your dreams.

I recommend this film as a gamer, to gamers all the time; to hobby crafters who want to create their own worlds, to artists who think about "Making It". The film is a bit niche and that is expected; we are after all talking about an artist who turned his passion for D&D into a product he loves and built a business with. Watch this film if you are curious about Stefan, thinking about bringing your constructed world to life or just interested in this gaming subculture.