Links To Interesting Pages
These pages are useful sources of information on a variety of topics. If any of these links are broken, or you have your own site you'd like to be added, let us know!
Select a Category
- Social Media
- Desktop Art
- Jeff Vogel Talks
- Published Works
- Archived Interviews and Reviews
- Big Bucket of Other Stuff
Social Media
- Get The Spiderweb Newsletter? Don't miss any news about Spiderweb games, sales, and updates! We send you an email when we have something to say. Go to our News page to sign up, push subscribe, and confirm your email address.
- On X/Twitter? Why not follow Jeff Vogel's feed!
- On Facebook? Why not become a fan of Spiderweb Software! All of the Spiderweb news and blog posts, in one handy place!
- Want to join our Discord? Click this invitation.
- Want a blog to follow? Jeff Vogel, the author of all of these games, has a new hip Substack Blog. If you are interested in what he has to say about game design, Indie gaming, or whatever he's happening to play or be into this week, take a look. His old dead one on blogspot still exists.
Desktop Art
Here are several pieces of art suitable for your desktop. Contributions are welcomed. Just email us your piece for review.
- Geneforge 2: Infestation Desktop Art
- Shaper - Splash Art, 4:3 Resolution Or Splash Art, Widescreen Resolution
- Wallpaper - Splash Art, 4:3 Resolution Or Splash Art, Widescreen Resolution
- Queen's Wish 2: The Tormentor Desktop Art
- Splash Art, 4:3 Resolution (1920×1440) Or Splash Art, Widescreen Resolution (2560×1600)
- Geneforge 1: Mutagen Desktop Art
- Splash Art, 4:3 Resolution (1920×1440) Or Splash Art, Widescreen Resolution (2560×1600)
- Queen's Wish: The Conqueror Desktop Art
- Cover Battle Art, 4:3 Resolution (1920×1440) Or Cover Battle Art, Widescreen Resolution (2560×1600)
- Royal Family Art, 4:3 Resolution (1920×1440) Or Royal Family Art, Widescreen Resolution (2560×1600)
- Avernum 3: Ruined World Desktop Art
- Avadon 3: The Warborn Desktop Art
- Avadon 3 Citadel (1600x1200) Or Avadon 3 Citadel (1920x1200)
- Avadon 3 Warborn (1600x1200) Or Avadon 3 Warborn (1920x1200)
- Avadon 3 Splash Screen (1600x1200) Or Avadon 3 Splash Screen (1920x1200)
- Avernum: Escape from the Pit desktop art:
- Avernum Portal (1600x1200)
- Avernum Intro Art (1600x1200)
- Avadon Desktop Art
- Avadon Intro Art (1600x1200)
- Avadon Intro Art, Wide (1920x1200)
- Avernum 6 - The color art from the conclusion to the Avernum saga. (1600 x 1200)
- Avernum 4 - An exciting battle in the underworld. (1600 x 1200)
- Merchant In Avernum - This lovely piece of fan art was sent to us by John O'Brien Schroeder. (1920 x 1200)
Jeff Vogel Talks
- March 2018: Jeff Vogel's GDC Talk - "Failing to Fail the Spiderweb Software Way"
- June 2016: Jeff Vogel Imirt Inspire 7 Interview with Jeff Vogel.
- March, 2016: Jeff Vogel's GDC 2016 Presentation - What Do We Mean When We Say Indiepocalypse?
- 8-22-2012: Jeff Vogel's Casual Connect conference on storytelling in video games. Watch the video.
Published Works
Blogs
- Jeff Vogel's new SubStack Blog.
- Old dead one on blogspot still exists.
- Our old comedy site Irony Central.
The View From the Bottom Series:
- View from the Bottom #1 - Jeff on what it takes to succeed as a tiny, independent studio in an industry of giants.
- View From the Bottom #2 - Jeff's comments on whether his sector represents our best hope for innovation in games.
- View From the Bottom #3 - What happens when an indie developer tries to innovate? Jeff tells us about an attempt he made.
- View From the Bottom #4 - Jeff's views on the controversial topic of gold farming in online worlds.
- View From the Bottom #5 - Jeff's advice based on his time playing massively multiplayer online games.
- View From the Bottom #6 - Based upon personal experience, Jeff tells us what life as an online world gamer is like.
- View From the Bottom #7 - Jeff explains why he hates fantasy RPGs.
- View From the Bottom #8 - Jeff explains why he hates fantasy RPGs, Part 2.
- View From the Bottom #9 - Jeff issues with the endgame in online worlds.
- View From the Bottom #10 - Jeff explains why he believes his job creating single-player games will never go away.
- View From the Bottom #11 - Jeff's thoughts on the highly contentious issue of game piracy.
- View From the Bottom #12 - Jeff's thoughts on whether the "addiction-based game design" we see in the massively multiplayer sector is evil.
Gaming Related Articles:
- 8-22-2012: Our president and founder recently gave a talk at the Casual Connect conference on storytelling in video games. He wrote about the experience and provides a link to a video of the talk for people who have too much free time. Enjoy! Watch the video.
- 2-10-2012: Our proud founder, Jeff Vogel, has a big, fun article about the indie games business on Gamasutra. He pretends he's all smart and stuff, and it's free! Enjoy!
- 10-18-2011: Jeff Vogel wrote an article up on Gear Diary about Indie game pricing. He talks about the factors developers consider when figuring out how much to charge for their games. Even if you don't agree with it, we hope you find it interesting! Read the article.
- 5-27-2009: Jeff Vogel has a new article up on IGN RPG Vault about addiction based design. What are the exact design elements that give a game an almost druglike level of addictiveness, and are these qualities we can extract and use at will? And is it immoral to do so?
Archived Interviews and Reviews
- April 10, 2014: Another great review for Avadon 2: The Corruption HD for the iPad. From iDownloadBlog: "If you like classic RPGs, then you will enjoy sinking your teeth into this adventure. It has all of the classic game mechanics, like deep storyline, expansive exploration, and more." Thank you! Read review.
- April 3, 2014: MobileTechReview has given Avadon 2: The Corruption HD for the iPad a very nice review: "It's fun, features deeply tactical gameplay, has a great story, and the character progression is varied enough that you will likely want to play through a second time with another class. Highly recommended." Thank you! Read review.
- 7-22-2013: There is a new interview of Jeff Vogel up on PixlBlt, celebrating our upcoming 20th birthday. Read interview.
- 5-29-2013: Hardcore Droid has an interview with Jeff Vogel, where he talks about Avernum, Android, piracy, and other topics of interest. Read it.
- 5-13-2013: Hardcore Droid has given Avernum: Escape From the Pit HD for Android 4 out of 5 stars. "With so much retro RPG charm and so much playtime, it’s more than worth the price." Thank you very much! Read the review.
- 4-29-2013: PCG Media has written a very nice review of Avernum: Escape From the Pit HD for Android tablets, accompanied by a short interview with our president, Jeff Vogel. Thank you! Read review and interview.
- 2-27-2013: Thank you very much to Game Informer for picking Avernum: Escape From the Pit as one of its best PC games of 2012 (for non-gaming PCs). Go to Game Informer.
- 10-31-2012: One of the biggest iOS review sites, TouchArcade, has given a really nice review to Avernum 6 HD for the iPad! They say, "Avernum 6 is another great release and a must-have for RPG fans. 4 / 5" and we won't argue. Thank you very much! Read the review.
- 10-29-2012: The reviews of Avernum 6 HD for the iPad are starting to come in. Matt Sainsbury of Digitally Downloaded says that "it’s a massive, full-featured RPG that plays perfectly on the iPad. 4.5 / 5" Thank you! Read the review.
- 10-12-2012: GearDiary has given Avernum 6 HD for the iPad a great review. "Avernum VI on the iPad takes the crown of ‘best mobile RPG’ easily and I have already restarted and played with different character types and approaches because it is such a rich and rewarding experience." Thank you very much! Read the whole review.
- 6-22-2012: Indie Game Magazine reviewed Avernum and said, "Spiderweb Software have provided a vast world in which to get lost, and a hefty quest in which to sink your teeth, which will reward those who can overlook its lack of finesse with many hours of enjoyable adventure." Thanks! Read the whole review.
- 5-21-2012: Core Elements has a great interview up with our founder and designer, Jeff Vogel. There is lots of humor, plus plenty of opinions and ranting. The interview starts about halfway in. Listen to the interview.
- 5-21-2012: Impulse Gamer reviewed Avernum and said, "If you're looking for a complex single player RPG and value content at the expense of visuals, don't miss this title. 8/10." Thanks! Read the whole review.
- 5-10-2012: The Digital Fix reviewed Avernum: Escape from the Pit. They said, "It is a tribute to indie gaming as a whole that a game made by such a tiny team can swell into such an involving, engrossing and glorious fantasy epic." Thanks! Read the whole thing.
- 5-8-2012: Game Chronicles reviewed Avernum: escape from the Pit and said - "The game’s strong writing carries it through, and earns it a place among the greatest indie RPGs. 9.0/10" Read the whole thing here.
- 5-3-2012: Another great review for Avernum: Escape From the Pit, this time from UK Site Dealspwn. "Avernum: Escape From The Pit harks back to the Infinity Engine days; an isometric RPG powered by story, exploration and imagination. We're home. 8/10" Thank you!
- 5-1-2012: Indie gaming blog Indiegraph has a short interview with Jeff Vogel. Find out what indie games he recommends this week!
- 4-30-2012: GameBanshee has given Avernum: Escape From the Pit a very kind review. "Fans looking to get into the Avernum series will do very well with Escape from the Pit, and while the improvements beyond the game engine and visuals are relatively modest, there's still a lot to enjoy even if you've played through the game once before already." Thank you! Read the whole review.
- 4-10-2012: Tech site theBitFix has an interview with Jeff Vogel, discussing Avernum: Escape From the Pit and Spiderweb Software. If you need a way to keep busy in the few remaining hours before the release of Avernum for Windows, it's worth a look!
- 3-30-2012: Gaming and tech site theBitFix has a great preview of Avernum: Escape From the Pit! Avernum is coming out for Windows and iPad in April!
- 3-5-2012: Game Industry News has declared Avadon: The Black Fortress a nominee for Best RPG of the Year. Thank you very much!
- 1-31-2012: Inside Mac Games reviewed Avernum: Escape From the Pit and gave it 8 out of 10. Thank you! Read the review.
- 12-30-2011: Appletell has given Avernum: Escape From the Pit its first review. The result was a maximum rating of 5 out of 5. Thank you very much! Read the review.
- 10-25-2011: The gaming site All Your Lives just gave Avadon: The Black Fortress a very kind review. In addition, they have a brief interview with our president and founder. Read the article.
- 10-6-2011: GameTunnel just released their September Independent Games Round-Up, and Avadon: The Black Fortress was their #1 game of the month. Thank you very much! Read the GameTunnel article.
- 9-29-2011: Another very kind review for Avadon: The Black Fortress, this time from site Ctrl-2-Crouch. Thank you! Read the review.
- 9-23-2011: This episode of podcast Just Press Start includes an interview with Jeff Vogel, where he chats about Indie game development, RPG design, and the many, many spiders in his basement.
- 8-30-2011: Zeboyd Games, a maker of awesome Indie RPGs for Windows and XBox Indie Games, has written a very kind review of Avadon. Thank you, and if you're looking for a cool, funny RPG, be sure to check them out!
- 8-8-2011: IndiePub has an interview of Jeff Vogel, our founder, designer, and chief code monkey. He talks about life as an Indie dev and the general creative process. And the importance of a chair with good back support. Read the Interview.
- 6-27-2011: The reviews of Avadon: The Black Fortress HD for the iPad are starting to come in, and they're great! iPhoneLife magazine says, "Speaking of patience, Avadon is not conducive to a few minutes of play every now and then. The addictive qualities will confine you to the iPad for hours. If you have a cross-country flight or will be a passenger in a multi-state bus ride, Avadon will make an ideal travel companion to pass the time. 4/5 Stars." Thank you! Read the review.
- 6-7-2011: Rock, Paper, Shotgun says, of Avadon: The Black Fortress, "As simple as it looks, it’s one of those games that’s very easy to fire up for a few minutes, only to be magically transported without supper to 5AM the next day." Thank you! Read the review.
- 5-31-2011: Great reviews continue to pour in for Avadon. Impulse Games says: "I felt this game was an all around great experience. The story was rich, the characters were developed, and the scenes were tasteful." Read the review.
- 5-25-2011: Another kind review for Avadon: The Black Fortress, this time from GameBanshee! Read the review.
- 5-12-2011: RPGFan just gave Avadon: The Black Fortress a fantastic review! 90%. Thank you very much! Read the review.
- 5-9-2011: Digitally Downloaded just gave Avadon: The Black Fortress 4.5 out of 5 stars. Thank you for the kind review! Read the review.
- 4-29-2011: The Veteran Gamers have put up a podcast interview with Jeff Vogel. He talks about Avadon, game design, parenting humor, and other points of interest. Also, he talks very quickly, so it should be worth your time. Listen to the interview.
- 4-18-2011: Inside Mac Games gave Avadon: The Black Fortress a very nice review. Check it out!
- 3-15-2011: Gear Diary has given Avadon: The Black Fortress a very kind review. Thank you! Read the review of Avadon.
- 3-9-2011: SubGamers has put up an interview with Jeff Vogel, where he talks about Avadon and Indie game development. Read SubGamers Interview With Jeff Vogel.
- 3-4-2011: Free Game Bot gives Avernum 6 five out of five stars. Thank you! Read the Avernum 6 Review.
- 2-1-2011: GameBanshee.com just awarded Avernum 6 its "Independent RPG of the Year Runner-up" award and “RPG of the Year Runner-up” award. Thank you very much! Read About Avernum 6 Award.
- 10-4-2010: Inside Mac Games has put up a very kind review of Avernum 6, as well as a short interview about our upcoming game, Avadon: The Black Fortress
- 6-13-2010: There is a new interview up with Jeff Vogel at RPG Codex. It has more information about Avadon: The Black Fortress and our other plans.
- 6-6-2010: The Netbook Gamer has given Avernum 6 a very kind review.
- 5-11-2010: Game Banshee has an interview with Jeff Vogel up on their site. Lots on Avernum 6, the future of Avernum, and our upcoming mystery game.
- 5-1-2010: We did a brief interview for CaptainD's PC Gaming Blog.
- 4-9-2010: About This Particular Macintosh has given Avernum 6 a positive review.
- 3-23-2010: We received a very kind review from The Gamer Studio.
- 1-11-2010: There is a kind review of Avernum 6 up on iGame Radio.
- 1-4-2010: The Active Time Babble podcast, #VI, 12/31/2009, at 1up.com has a long interview with Jeff Vogel. There's a lot of stuff about Avernum 6 and a few tidbits of information about the new game he is working on.
- 9-23-2009: Read Inside Mac Games review of Avernum 5.
- 6-25-2009: Jeff Vogel was recently interviewed by Thirteen News.
- 4-21-2009: Read Gametunnel's review of Geneforge 5: Overthrow.
- 4-21-2009: Read Honest Gamers review of Geneforge 5: Overthrow.
- 4-15-2009: RPG Codex has an interesting new interview with Jeff Vogel.
The Bucket Of Other
- Let's Play Archive comb through of Exile, Exile 2 and Exile 3.
- Need hints for our older Exile or Original Avernum Series games. Check out Harehunter's Haven.
- Our long forgotten company recipes from the Keepers of Exile.
- Visit Studio Foglio to learn more about Phil and Kaja Foglio's art and comic books. Phil is a wonderful comic book and fantasy artist. We had the good fortune of having him do the line art for the character traits in Avernum.
- We have a site with funny stuff written by Jeff Vogel, our resident president and game designer. However, some of this stuff is pretty adult and immature, so you shouldn't go there unless you are 18 or over. Those with a delicate disposition or younger age should just stay here and sample our wonderful games. Irony Central.