We at Black Coffee Games are so very, many things. We are players, creators, friends, and lovers. We are explorers, pioneers, scoundrels, and petty thieves. We are philosophers, warriors, martyrs, and beggars. We are starry eyed underdogs who have been called by the siren’s song of the narrative.
Our team is unified by the belief that storytelling is the vital component to our shared human experience.
But with all that we are, we are not professional game designers. We have no accolades in the RPG space. Nor have we any personal contacts in the industry. We are quite genuinely and unabashedly complete amateurs who have set forth to create a streamlined gaming system to facilitate your navigation through the collaborative narrative arc.
Stefan Hannevig
Every so often, there are born some small number of shining brilliant champions of humanity, grand sophists of such incite that they ultimately define their generation. Unrestrained by their peers’ feeble perspectives nor daunted by the restraints of an unprepared society, these savants boldly expand the gestalt of human experience, expanding our understanding of the universe and their deeds often define an epoch, resonating throughout the centuries to follow.
Unfortunately for the world, Stefan Hannevig is not one of these individuals.
Instead, he is brilliant-adjacent with an occasional noteworthy insight to offer. Having donned various epitaphs throughout the years; Friend, wanderer, entrepreneur, clumsy but enthusiastic lover, jeweler, soldier, student, healer, slightly less clumsy but still enthusiastic lover, Stefan continues to be equally baffled and inspired by the scope of the human spirit. He struggles to give more than he takes. And is constantly surprised by the depth of the heartbreaking beauty of the world.
His favorite color is paisley, he cries at movies, laughs much too loudly, lies more often than he should, and remains desperate to someday be given the opportunity to make a meaningful sacrifice to validate his innumerable mistakes.
Without reservation, he believes that being part of this team is the most meaningful opportunity he has yet to be provided. He is simultaneously terrified and delighted at the honor to serve The Story and prays that he will serve her well in this endeavor.
Matt DeVore
Matt DeVore has been a TTRPG fanatic since the fateful day in middle school when his friend told him about a game called D&D. “It’s just like Diablo,” his friend said, “except you are your character!”
And it was. And then, as he slowly learned that roleplaying was just as fun as simulated combat, it became so much more. He soon branched out to Hunter: The Reckoning, Rifts, All Flesh Must Be Eaten and Pathfinder.
The love of the hobby stayed with him as he progressed through high school and college, where he found himself with a Bachelor of Arts in Irish Literature in a market with shockingly little demand for such expertise. This left him susceptible to the siren-song of law school, where he focused on criminal justice and Constitutional studies. He spent the next ten years as a litigator, forgetting somewhere along the way that the creative was just as vital as the productive.
He began dreaming the dream of Spectrum in January 2023 and left his law job to become a full-time developer in June of the same year. Striving to create a framework that lives up to the title of “universal collaborative storytelling system” has become one of his foremost passions and one of his most unrelenting headaches. He is honored beyond description that of all the TTRPG’s available on the market today, you have chosen to read about his – and, even more surprisingly, about him.
Matt resides in Appalachia with his husband and girlfriend – the world’s nerdiest and cat-person-iest triad. He has tattoos referencing Dune, House of Leaves, and True Detective, and he will leave you to guess which one was a cover-up for the Sarah McLachlan lyrics on his forearm.
Tom Toth
A descendant of the Twofoot hobbits (thrice removed, once added, and half divided), Tom has enjoyed a lustrous career as a wandering storyteller, carpenter, amateur fortune teller, swimming pool enthusiast, gourmand, and Chief Sock Watcher. While he tends to enjoy the quiet comforts of his burrow, he can occasionally be tempted from its cozy depths with the promise of shiny new dice, half-decent whiskey, and a good story.
With 25 years of campaigning under his belt, Tom is a veteran of countless battles (some even resulting in Victory), such as the Great Goblin Uprising of ‘02, The Ghost Train Incident, The 10,000-year war (which was actually about 2 and a half hours but that’s not nearly as impressive sounding) and the Unfortunate Timing of the Great Krakening. He has hurled spells and crossed swords with the best and the worst the realms have had to offer.
When he’s not dreaming up new worlds, chronicling the deeds of mighty heroes, or conjuring up new ways for players to blase, freeze, splatter, shatter, incinerate, impersonate, and otherwise ravage the enemy through magical means, Tom enjoys long walks in the forest, looking for cryptids in old editions of Better Homes and Gardens, and last, but certainly not least, tempting the fae with games of chance.
Christina Shaw
Christina Shaw is just happy to be here. While not a TTRPG maniac like some of our other team members, she is no stranger to some nerdier endeavors. As a small child, she could often be found weeping over the fate of her favorite characters in the books she held dear (why did Dobby have to die?). She also had a tendency to get emotionally invested in movies, especially when animals were in peril, like in “Black Beauty.” This even led to concerns in her family that she might become a “horse girl.”
However, Christina managed to avoid that fate while growing up in the majestic Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. When she left for university in the City of Brotherly Love, she haphazardly decided to get a BBA in marketing and just as quickly realized the psychologically crushing slog of corporate life might not be her calling. Driven by her strong sense of justice (seriously, WHY DOBBY???), she has spent the past decade working with various nonprofit organizations. Her intense desire to positively impact the world, however small it may be, keeps her going.
Recognizing that the Black Coffee Games team had absolutely no clue how to spread the word about Spectrum, she decided they needed her. Their infectious passion resonated with her, and she’s thrilled to connect with a community that shares in that enthusiasm. Christina is a wizard when it comes to data, communications, and marketing. If you’ve found your way here, she undoubtedly had a hand in it.
Christina shares her life with her partner and 2 beloved dogs, for whom she would lay her life on the line. When she’s not smoochin’ them on the mouth, she’s baking breads, hiking, or building an off-grid cabin, all in preparation for the impending climate apocalypse. She hopes Spectrum brings you as much joy as possible before that time.