Meet Ulysses Roebuck

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ulysses Roebuck.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
S3 (Shining Shadows Saga) started as the daydream of a depressed teenager in North Carolina who used writing as a way to escape reality. Initially, I started writing short stories which turned into a novel that I wanted to get published. (I actually sent it to the same publisher twice but was finally told that my story wasn’t the type of material that they were looking for…to this day I’m not sure if my teenage writing was bad or if they just weren’t ready for me yet…) During that time, I also started to get into Yu-Gi-Oh! which really helped me feel like I actually fit into a community for the first time. My childhood was a bit unstable; we moved around a lot and I guess that’s really why I wanted to create S3. I wanted to have a chance to create a community of my own design. After high school, I went to school for business and was making mock versions of the game and attempting to design my own artwork which proved extremely difficult as I was admittedly not the best artist. Eventually, I moved to AZ to attend Collins College and pursue graphic design but was disillusioned by my experiences there too. After that, I ended up switching to Mesa Community College to see if programming was the right fit and if I could make a digital version of the game. However, I met with so many roadblocks along the way that in the end I set S3 aside and wound up pursuing a stable career in finance. In 2019, I was online and had just decided to look into some artwork and, by pure chance, I was finally able to connect with some great artists who had the type of quality that I had be attempting to create myself. I felt like I had found the missing piece to be able to pick S3 back up. Fast forward to today, I have a small but mighty team, we’ve released a box set, we’re working on growing our player base, we’re hitting up more and more conventions, and we have officially and successfully launched our first season, The Journey Begins.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Just like with most new businesses, the journey has been anything but smooth. But, we’ve honestly been able to meet our challenges with good humor and focus. One of the biggest challenges we had was finding the right manufacturer. We started with one that was local to the US but had a lot of quality issues from centering, to cut, to card thickness. Also, our community was very vocal about rounded corners and we wanted to honor their wishes so, despite how beautiful their foiling was, we eventually had to switch to an international manufacturer who could give us the look and feel that we wanted.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am in charge of all things creative with S3. I specialize in card concepts including layout, design, effects, and testing and I oversee the shipment of merchandise and products. I am known mostly as the contract liaison and I am extremely proud of bringing this game into existence and having it receive great feedback. I don’t give up easily. It may have taken time, but I am determined to continue watching this community grow.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We would love it if people could help spread the word and play the game. Tell friends and create more communities of players! We also love just hearing from people about other opportunities where we can meet people or make an appearance AND we always support meaningful commentary on the socials!

Pricing:

• Starter Decks – $26.99
• Battle Packs – $6
• The Journey Begins Adventure Set – $140

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shiningshadowssaga.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s3ccg/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/S3CCG
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/s3ccg
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW8xMlnoSw-1ULQC5wNWoYw
• Other: https://shiningshadowssaga.fandom.com/wiki/S3CCG:_Shining_Shadows_Saga_Collectible_Card_Game_Wiki