Please describe three of the most interesting gaming-related projects you have been involved with in the past (or are currently working on). What did you learn from them?

I'll start:

I. My own homebrew game, Amâr, which is still under a lot of work. Amâr is a kind of mixture of myth-driven gameplay (not quite unlike Glorantha) and The Blair Witch Project (subtle horror / suspense). The setting is a kind of lo-fi, low magic (or no magic!) bronze age world with absolutely no elves, dwarves or trolls. The rules will be extremely simple, yet (hopefully) effective. I've learned tons of new things during the making of this game, and maybe I'll learn even more. I've also made tons of mistakes, but I guess that's the best way to learn.

II. I recently did the lay-out and typesetting for a soon-to-be-published WWII game, which was fun. I am fairly pleased with my work, as it was one of my first bigger lay-out gigs. What did I learn? Deadlines are meant to be broken. Consult the guy you work for on every detail. Save early and definitely save often.

III. I composed a series of Hero Wars-inspired musical pieces for a sort of Gloranthan soundtrack. It was extremely fun working on something gaming-related which didn't involve text or typing of any sort. Helped me big time with my writer's block.

Okay, your turn.

Three most interesting things I've worked on:

1) Dust Devils -- creating my first self-published game (and in fact first complete game) was a real eye-opener on so many fronts. I learned what narrativism is all about, how to critque a game, and so much more.

2) Layout for octaNe -- This was just so much damn fun. Other layouts were great kicks, too, but something about octaNe entertained the hell out of me. I think it was because the game has not a single piece of illustration and/or art, and yet still drips with the cool octaNe vibe. I learned (and I think Jared did too) that a game can have a really color-defining layout without illustration.

3) Art Direction for Nine Worlds -- Working with Eric Lofgren and Chris Martinez was not only a treat, but also a really good lesson in how to direct a vision for a game among artists with different styles and visions. I can't wait to unveil this baby (I'm writing rules right now!).

Hi there,

Geez, only three? I barely know where to start.

1. Running a campus role-playing club. It's a whole new window into the social dynamics of role-playing and how it might relate to all the hassles of ages 18-22 - I mean, I did that as an undergrad, yes, but seeing it from the faculty-advisor viewpoint is very different.

2. Organizing last year's Forge booth. [insert blasphemous phrase in rueful, possibly ethnic voice]

3. Getting to write my own comics! A life-long dream, without all the horrible finances that I'd learned about 20 years ago that basically make comics a non-option for all but the fanatics and/or the financially irresponsible.

Best,
Ron