Every Wednesday at EICC's Clinton Campus, Gunter Schlueter leads a game where players help decide what happens next.
These tabletop role-playing games combine storytelling, fictional characters, and dice. Players make choices for their characters while a Game Master (GM) guides the action. In Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), that person is called a Dungeon Master (DM).
Gunter is also developing his own tabletop game, F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S., with feedback from the people who play it.
I've been helping him test the game since summer 2025 as part of the campus Gaming Club. I wanted to learn more about how he got started, what goes into creating a game, and where he hopes to take it.
Who Is Gunter?
How did you get into tabletop role-playing games and become a full-time Game Master?
I found a box of my dad's first-edition D&D and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books in the basement and went to work memorizing every chart and skill and monster. My dad was the Dungeon Master a couple of times, but by 11 or 12 I was the permanent DM. I ran games for friend groups through three moves, high school, college, and sessions for my dance instructor friends after that.
Before you were a full-time Game Master, you were a dance teacher. How did you get into teaching dance, and what did you enjoy about it?
I was always the black sheep of the ballroom. Having a social dancing and martial arts background, I was constantly building systems of connection. The first couple of dance studios were performative, but my natural preference is to dance practically. When I opened my own studio, I was able to match the students' needs, only including the styles they wanted, and they never had to memorize choreography because they had all the practical lead-and-follow skills. What I enjoyed most was seeing the students come out of their shells, build communication with their partner, and see dance as a usable fun skill they could enjoy anywhere.
Was there a particular moment that made you realize you wanted to be a full-time Game Master?
Probably high school, but at that time I didn't think it would even be an option. I put it where most kids put becoming an astronaut or pro football player, just not enough of the jobs out there. But then I came to NerdHQ in Davenport and they had so many people interested with no GMs, and they offered to pay me per player, and the rest is history. I had formed MiniMishaps Games before that in order to run Kickstarter fundraisers for a couple of board games, but that was the start of the Discord server.
Creating F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S.
Gunter has been building adventures in a fictional world he calls the GetherVerse since 2005. Now, he's creating his own game system, a set of rules that determines what characters can do and how their decisions play out.
In many tabletop games, players keep track of numbers describing their characters' abilities, skills, and defenses. Players sometimes create their own "house rules" to change how a game works. Gunter wanted to simplify the process and give players more freedom to make the game their own.
How would you describe F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S. to someone who has never played a tabletop role-playing game? What makes it different?
Other systems can be intimidating because of the math or the charts or the hours of character creation. F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S. takes every stat, every skill, movement, armor class, and every other character mechanic and rolls it into the 10 letters of the acronym.
What inspired you to create F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S.? Was there something you felt other tabletop role-playing games lacked?
F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S. is an answer to a quarter-century of seeing little gaps. This tabletop role-playing game went too slow in battle; that system felt like the story wasn't focused on enough; this version is hard for new players. The F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S. system at first was just a bunch of house rules we started making to make other systems better. When Wizards of the Coast had the issue with their Open Gaming License, we decided to start work on a fully new game system incorporating these changes.
What is one rule or feature you've spent a long time developing? How does it affect players?
The emphasis on multiple ways to solve a scenario gives players the chance to celebrate
their own playstyle. In combat, players can talk their way, trick their way out, stand
and fight, sneak away, or a hundred other versions. And because of the customization
of the characters, everyone can do something different in the same encounter.
Where Players Shape the Story
At the Gaming Club, players don't follow a script. They make decisions for their characters, and Gunter responds as the story unfolds. Because F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S. is still being developed, those sessions also serve as playtests. Players try the game, give feedback, and help Gunter find ways to improve it.
What does a normal F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S. session look like from your perspective?
No such thing as normal. Because the sessions and world and stories are built in real time for the players in attendance, the sessions range from fever dream to high-level sociopolitical strategizing. Sometimes players want silly, other times danger or drama. And sometimes they just want to shop or eat local cuisine or mine crystals.
Gunter also paints miniature figures for his games. These small models can represent characters and creatures at the table, adding another visual element to the stories. I photographed some of his figures during a Halloween-themed Gaming Club session.
In addition to running games, you sell and paint miniatures. How did you get into
that, and how does it fit into your work as a Game Master?
Miniature art was my pandemic depression coping mechanism, and the YouTube channel was my positive accountability to keep me going and feel like I was at least completing small tasks to stay sane. The art means I have miniatures for the game table, can sell commissions, and can bring even more customization to the gameplay.
What sort of feedback do you get from playtesters, and how do you use it to improve F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S.?
Players are either new or have a D&D background. New players are often surprised how customizable the character building is, and these playtesters were the ones that were the inspiration for making the game in the first place, since a game only works if it can get players, and the players' reasons for leaving other tabletop role-playing game campaigns were the list of must-haves when creating F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S.
The second group, the ones with previous tabletop role-playing game experience, largely have helped with wording, catching typos, and generally helping me speak the language of tabletop role-playing games when finalizing descriptions for mechanics. They demonstrate a different focus for each player so we can prioritize the changes that affect the most players.
What are some of your favorite storylines or playtesting shenanigans?
Bulldorcs had an overpowered ability where they could use physical strength to learn about things they struck. This led to all sorts of accidental enemies, knocking out informants, causing international incidents. The Bulldorc mechanic has calmed in current wordings, but the bonkers stories from that time are definitely favorites.
There is a recurring theme where villains and monsters are not able to use the mechanics as well as the players. This is usually attributed to the unlucky dice throws of the GM, but really I think speaks to the amazing creativity of the playtesting players.
What's Next for the Game?
Gunter is also working on a book that will document the game and its fictional world, with plans to release digital and printed versions. He hopes to create additional adventures, called modules, that other groups can use to play the game. His goal is to bring F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S. to a much larger audience.
What made you decide to start writing the book?
I have to spend most of my time caring for my parents and their house, so passive income publishing is a way to share my creativity and also have the flexibility required for family needs. I can write anywhere, for any length of time I have available, and at the end there will be a system I can proudly put in an online or retail store.
What are your plans for sharing or publishing the book when it's ready?
Once the book is completed, we will run a Kickstarter for a physical print run, and sell the digital book on DriveThruRPG. We'll continue to attend conventions and playtest events until the system is a household name.
What are your biggest goals for F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S. in 2027?
I want to get the first module done. This will be the quest to gain the first Crest. I also hope to republish some of the resources we made for fifth-edition Dungeons & Dragons, remade and converted to F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S.
How can someone interested in F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S. learn more, join a game, or get involved?
The current information as it comes out is on the MiniMishaps Games Discord server, along with all the VirtuaVentures events. The publication channel on DriveThruRPG and Patreon is also MiniMishaps Games.
With Gunter’s F.I.S.T.S. and M.I.N.D.S. system, I was able to quickly adapt to the new rules and experience a few sides of the Getherverse as a variety of characters that weren’t available to me before. I’ve created chaos with randomly chosen magic, traveled across continents, and even met characters from other realities. If you are interested in joining the chaos, come join us on the Clinton Campus on Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. in room 109!