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</center>- Tell us a little about yourself, what have you accomplished in life?
I've been as a professional writer for more than 15 years. I started working at TSR straight out of college. Somehow I managed to convince them to hire me on the basis of my philosophy degree and charming personality, and I was there for about five years. I was one of the co-designers of the Birthright campaign setting, and took over (with Monte Cook) a lot of the design work on the Planescape setting when Zeb Cook left for Interplay. I put out about twenty-five to thirty gaming products at TSR, and won two Origins Awards in that batch.
I went to California because I was promised the lead design job on a Playstation Planescape game, and I was pretty psyched about it. Now, granted I'd never worked on computer games before, but this was back in the day when previous experience specifically with computer games counted for a lot less - I guess it was good enough that I'd had GAME experience.
Anyway, when I showed up, there were three Planescape games in the pipeline. Mine, Zeb Cook's, and Avellone's. Zeb's turned into Stonekeep 2, Avellone's became Torment, and mine got canceled because our managers couldn't justify having three Planescape games. I got shuffled over to be the second designer on Torment, and I was working away happily on that when I got the call to go do dialogues and areas for Fallout 2 (specifically, Broken Hills and San Francisco, so if you hate those areas, you know who to blame now).
I got a fifteen minute introduction to the dialogue editor, and then was shoved forth to spew greatness from my brow. I probably should have asked a few more questions along the way.
Anyway, I left Black Isle in 2000, moved to Detroit with my wife (the beautiful genius, Robin Moulder), and have worked at a technology development company, freelanced some game design (Beyond Countless Doorways, published by Malhavoc Press), did some freelance game writing (see RYL: Path of the Emperor), and managed to keep writing professionally the entire time.
- What are your favorite computer games/board games and why?
I love Torment, because, if I can be immodest for a moment, I think it really showed what RPGs can be and do. I've been playing the crap out of Twilight Princess; Nintendo did a great job with that. I have been a long-time fan of the Half-Life series, and I love that they take their time to make sure they do the job right.
As far as board games, I love Cosmic Encounter. That's hands-down the most fun I've ever had playing a board game. The game is straightforward enough, but when you add in the rules and variations that twist logic, and then you add in the alliances, betrayals, and sudden twists of fate, well, you've got a recipe for hours of fun.
- What hobbies do you have besides computer games?
Reading! Playing with my kids, working with power tools (poorly), and I'm in the process of writing a fantasy/sci-fi novel as well. Oh, also I convinced Avellone to run the Orange County Half Marathon because I love to run, and now I've got him hooked too.
- What are your favorite bands/artists (music)?
My wife's band, TCR. She used to be the bassist in Jack Off Jill; her music now is a lot more interesting, I think. I'm big on Tool, Marillion, Gorillaz, and you'll occasionally find me rockin' out to some Saint-Saens.
- Tell us a little about your role in the making of Fallout 2?
Oh, uh, I already answered that up above, so I could copy and paste it or just sort of wave in that general direction and hope that people haven't already glazed over. Short answer: Dialogues and quests related to Broken Hills and San Francisco.
- What's your favourite Fallout memory?
FINISHING DEVELOPMENT. Close behind that, watching Dan Spitzley invent the dwarf-in-the-hole sequence in Broken Hills.
- What specifically inspired Fallout for you? What were the biggest influences?
For me? Kung fu movies, mining stories, Buck Rogers, and Mad Max.
- Pop Culture played a big role in Fallout, what pop culture influences you?
Internet crap! News, music, movies, and medical shows on TV. I mean, really, pretty much anything we take in influences us in one way or another, but these are the ones that stick with me now. History doesn't count as pop culture, does it?
- How was it to be a part of the Fallout team?
Being part of the team was great, though the commute killed me. I lived an hour away for stupid reasons, and I didn't get as involved with the crunch as I really should have.
- Were there things that you wished you had added to either Fallouts?
Better dialogues and more quests for San Francisco. Oh, and time. I would have liked to have more time.
- What were you favourite places in fallout and why?
New Reno, hands down. I laughed and laughed as I played through.
- What is your hope for future Fallout games? Would you like to be a part of a future Fo team?
I'd like to see what someone else could do with the game. That sentence should answer both questions.
- Who would you bring with you in a future Fallout team and why?
Basically the Torment team, because they were incredible.
- In your opinion, what are the key ingredients that every RPG should have?
Character development. Consequences for actions and dialogue, rather than forced choices or choices that result in absolutely no branching of the path. A sense of purpose and responsibility. OPTIONS.
- Where do you see computer RPGs going?
Sadly, for the most part I see them limiting people. Either you've got the MMOs or you've got games like Zelda that are billed as RPGs but that are more technically "adventure games". Obsidian is doing good work, but they're pretty rare in the industry.
- How does the fan base hinder/help the projects that you've worked on?
For the most part, the fans have been an incredible motivator. You stop and realize that this is the target market, that they have definite needs and desires in a game, and that they're the ones whose opinions ultimately matter.
On the other hand, some fans are a little TOO interested in the development of a game and aren't willing to see the slightest deviation from their vision. The fact is that game studios have to develop games for the widest possible audience, and catering to the loudest isn't always the best way to ensure success.
But again, I mostly love the fans. Their ability to stick with a game from its earliest stages to post-release helps make the long slog worth it all.
- When planning the story how do you go through the process of integrating themes and story with the constraints on software?
I'm going to skip this question because I have no good answer for it. The answer is I let people like Chris Avellone and Josh Sawyer worry about it, and I worry about where I want the story to go. If they tell me I can't do it, why, I just make up some workaround.
- If you could make any computer game that you wanted, which would it be and why?
I would make an educational adventure game that was so fun that people wouldn't realize they were learning until they were done playing. I would do it because games have, throughout human history, been a way to pass along knowledge and lore in the guise of fun, and computer games need to catch up to that. Most educational computer games suffer from poor production values,
boring design, lack of funding, and aim at the kiddie set. A motivated developer could make something as immersive as my favorite games and still manage to sneak across some cool learning.
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully I'll have finished my book. I anticipate still writing for a living, one way or another.
- Any last word to the Fallout fan base?
Yeah. I admire your incredible devotion.