Andrew Hackard wrote:Finally, I have to thank Stuart, John, Joe, Chris, and Charles for asking me to join them, and Andrew, Andrew, and Matthew for joining us in later years. And, of course, Barry, who was there at the start. I could not have asked for a greater bunch of collaborators and friends.
You forgot me again!
For those at home, the others forgetting me is a long and well established precendent. I suspect it's because I was the last to join and in the wrong timezone to drop in for chats often. Or possibly Andrew intended not to thank me...
As you all know, I’m still around a lot. Especially since I started a new job which means I’m sitting at a desk all day instead of working in a lab. I still play Ravenloft using the Pathfinder rules. In fact, I was out running Carrion Crown (Wake of the Watcher, set in Darkon) for my regular group last night.
Gonzoron of the FoS wrote:- Have you kept up on Ravenloft at all? Seen the latest Dungeon and Dragon magazines?
- What are your thoughts on the recent incarnation of Ravenloft, split up and used for parts in the Shadowfell, rather than as a cohesive world? Travesty or Necessary Reinvention?
I didn’t keep up with Dragon or Dungeon since the change to 4th ed (as I said, Pathfinder is much more my thing), so my knowledge of what’s been happening with the Shadowfell is patchy at best. Like Cermak, I don’t think it was a necessary reinvention, and I prefer RL as a coherent demiplane, but I suppose if it keeps Strahd and Azalin in the public consciousness, then it’s not all bad. (In all honesty, I lean a little bit more towards “travesty,” but this is no time for negativity.
- What would have been your dream project to write for Arthaus that never materialized?
I really regret not finishing off the Gazetteers. There was also the book of pocket domains I wanted to do that never got done. I would have liked to see some of John’s ideas (particularly) turn up. Actually, in an ideal world, I would have liked to see John as actual developer for the line rather than just shadow developer. It probably would have killed him, but I think things would have been stronger for it. I’ve always regarded John with worshipful awe, really.
Chris’ ideas about illithids and VRG to Eldritch Horrors would have been interesting too.
- Any Ravenloft goodies kicking around in your head you've never gotten around to publishing? (we're always looking for Quoth the Raven articles, and you would certainly be welcome!)
Always. Ravenloft has been with me since I was 15 (appropriately enough that was when the Book of Souls came out, although I didn’t discover the Kargatane until a year or two later). Scratch that – it’s more fair to say, my life has revolved around Ravenloft since I was 15. As I accidentally let slip a while ago, I decided to write the Bumper Fun Super Editions of the big 3 books, so that’s what I’ve been doing recently. We’ll see how it goes.
- What's your proudest contribution to Ravenloft? Your biggest regret?
I was going to say Noises in the Night, but a moment’s reflection reveals the answer is actually Mictlan. I still get emails about it (although not that many, it must be said). If I remember correctly, it was the first thing I wrote for submission, the first thing that was accepted, and it was the article the Kargatane decided to release as the teaser for the book. When I saw that, I sat glowing with shock and pride. It was also the article that brought me to their attention, I suppose, for when Joe (I think) left and they needed a replacement. So really, the peak of my life came at 17 or 18.
Noises in the Night is a close second though. It really seemed to touch a nerve.
My biggest regret is not following it all up. After the Great Falling Out (a regret in itself, although one I had nothing to do with), I got an email asking if I wanted to write for the Campaign Classics section in Dragon. I was about to start Honours and was going on exchange, so I had to prioritise my studies, but I sometimes think, “I could be working for Paizo now if I’d just decided differently.”
So if there’s anyone out there from Paizo: take me back! I’m sorry!
Actual RL related regret: I wish the Valachan gazetteer had been better received. There were a lot of dualities and uneasy melding in there (like the colonialism) to reflect von Kharkov’s nature, but they didn’t get the cut through they deserved. I worked really hard trying to make von Kharkov and Valachan interesting, and it still ends up in “Worst Darklord/Domain” lists, which is a bit disheartening.
But overall, the Kargatane was a great adventure for me, and something that I’m still really proud of being a part of.
of one of the Andrews? Wyatt IIRC?