Modder's Interview: Superduple
How long have you been modding, and what was your first complete mod?
I’ve been modding off and on for about 8–9 years, I think. Besides small mods that I just made to tweak my own playthroughs in the beginning, my first mod that I published was a race/creature passive ability rebalance. I didn’t understand how Nexus worked at the time and honestly didn’t expect anyone to see the mod. I ended up taking it down because it was pretty poorly conceived, in hindsight.
How do you approach modding?
My mod ideas usually just come from random inspiration or from things that I feel aren’t fleshed out enough by the base game or other mods. I will say, though, that at this point, a lot of my inspiration comes from events that the community hosts. Modathon is the reason for A Familiar Song, The Last Leap was for Modjam, and Beyond the Firmament was a team project for Madness. My workflow is pretty disorganized, honestly. I just come up with an idea and throw things at the wall until something sticks.
What’s your favorite thing about modding?
It's definitely the creative freedom. I’d love to get into game dev in some capacity, and Morrowind modding gives me a taste of that while using a format that I’m deeply familiar with. I like to use Morrowind as a sort of sandbox to come up with unique ideas.
What’s your favorite mod that you’ve made so far?
If we’re including collaborative projects, Beyond the Firmament without a doubt. Working with the Sixth-and-a-Half-House team has led to something that I never could have even approached on my own. It just feels so unique and cinematic, and I feel like I’m going to have a hard time following it up with any sort of solo project. Blademeister is my favorite child out of my non-collaborative mods, even though I still think there’s a lot about it that could be improved.
Is there a mod you are especially proud of?
There’s Beyond the Firmament, of course, but besides that, I’m really happy with the boss fight that I scripted at the end of Caldera Priory. I’m super grateful to Seelof for letting me work on it. It’s not my project, obviously, but it was one of the first times that I really felt like I was engaging with the modding community. If I hadn’t done that collaboration, I might not have done others with Glittergear, Von Djangos, or Modding Madness.
Are you working on a mod these days?
I tend to keep a lot of projects rotating at once, which is probably why it takes me forever to get anything done. Right now, I’m working on version 2.0 of Blademeister, with a ton of improvements and some additional content planned. I also have a clandestine/vigilante guild mod that’s been stalled out a bit due to a lack of inspiration.
As for other ideas, I’ve been brainstorming a mod that would essentially be a super-expanded Tournament of Ten Bloods from Oblivion, but with more of a long-term death game and dungeon raid vibe. I’ve also been curious about learning MWSE Lua for a while and have been trying to figure out a good first project to get my feet wet.
There are also collaborations with Glittergear and Von Djangos in the works. Spoiler: I’m doing more boss fights.
How much do you play Morrowind, not counting playtesting?
It’s actually very rare that I play Morrowind outside of modding nowadays. I might play about once a month, if that? Modding Morrowind = playing Morrowind, for me.
How did you discover Morrowind?
If I remember correctly, I actually got the game as a kid because I saw a “review” of it during a Toonami commercial break on Cartoon Network. Tom the robot had some brutally honest things to say about it, but I picked it up anyway.
What makes Morrowind special for you?
Probably the nostalgia from playing it as a child, paired with the active and creative modding community. It feels really unique in that way.
What are the mods you simply cannot play without?
I always use inom Splash Screen Replacers and Lovely Loading Screens. Quick Loot has become a permanent fixture, and Ashfall has started to feel like part of the base game. Sable Dragon also stays in the load order, though I don’t think I’ve ever actually completed all of its content.
Are there any underrated mods that you really enjoy?
I like the combination of OEA’s Practice Makes Perfect, Slower Leveling Speed, and Fixed Level Multipliers (I actually prefer this approach to any of the leveling overhaul mods). I also love Sathil Mercenary and Redoran War Armor, though I usually just change the ESP to give the armor pieces to Meldor.
Do you play other games?
Not as much lately, but here’s my list of other favorite games in no particular order: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games, Dragon Age I and II (could never get through Inquisition even after 4 or 5 attempts, and I’m not really interested in Veilguard), Mass Effect trilogy, Jet Set Radio Future, Pokémon, Oblivion, Skyrim, Dynasty Warriors Empires series (addictive, but not very good imo), Undertale, Deltarune, Tales of Vesperia, Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, Fable series (mixed feelings on 2 and 3), and Baldur’s Gate 3. I also play and run DnD on occasion, and am working on my own TTRPG when I find the time.
TTRPG? Can you tell us more about it?
I’ve been working on a TTRPG off and on for a few years, inspired by magi-tech, JRPGs, and battle anime. It’s a (mostly) classless system that uses a 2d10 roll-high mechanic as its core, with a heavy emphasis on empowering customization through modular character-building systems.
Right now, I’m calling the game Lumina. The setting is very fluid at this stage, but it’s centered on a roughly Earth-sized moon orbiting a massive gas giant. The aesthetic draws inspiration from games like Trails of Cold Steel and Tales of Vesperia, with maybe a touch of Arcane mixed in.
I’ve gone through at least a dozen iterations of the base mechanics. It’s been a challenge to figure out whether I’m genuinely improving the system or just avoiding committing to a single direction. That said, I’m finally getting close to the point of playtesting, which is exciting. I’ve designed it to be the kind of game I’d want to GM, especially after finding myself frustrated with D&D 5e.
Do you mod other games?
Not currently. I feel like the Construction Set does a lot to lower the barrier of entry for those of us without asset creation skills or proper coding experience, and most other games don’t seem to have anything like that.
And by the way, what’s the story behind your username?
It’s pretty silly: “superduple” sounds like “super duper,” and “duple” is a music term. I was a band kid and went on to study music in college, so it’s just a nerdy joke.
Anything else you’d like to share that we haven’t talked about?
I’m just excited to be part of this community, honestly. I’m pretty shy, even in online spaces, but it feels like there’s always something fun to jump into with the MMC. Looking forward to whatever comes next!