Message From Space

[James V. West]

Hello everyone!

As Ron has pointed out, I only check in once in a while. It's very cool to see that people are still drawn to The Pool even though its creator has seemingly stepped off the face of the earth! I wanted to write a few notes and clarify my position in all of this.

When I first discovered the independent RPG designers' community online it was like getting hit with a blast of fresh air. At that time I was heavily in game design mode. I created The Pool and a couple of other games and tried to fit in with the RPG theorists and talk shop. But the truth of it is I simply can't do it! Ask me to make up a game and I can do it (for better or worse), but ask me to explain the reason why it works or doesn't work and I pretty much draw a blank. I try to answer questions about The Pool when people email me, but I honestly feel like my answers are more confusing than the questions.

Please don't take my silence personally. If I can chime in and offer some kind of real advice I certainly will. But mostly I just don't think that way.

I can build them, I can play them, but I can't really tell you how they work.

So thanks again for all the wonderful letters and all the awesome Pool Variations! The game is now available in a handful of languages thanks to RPG designers and players all over the place who get that spark of inspiration...that crazy feeling that maybe there's another way to play.

Later
James V. West
www.randomordercreations.com