The Gaming Outpost

Graveyard Greg: Who are you? What makes you so special in the gaming field?

Unknown Stranger: I’m Greg Stolze. As to what makes me so special, you’d have to ask my editors. Personally, I think I can write the pants off just about anyone else in the business. But I’m sure every writer secretly thinks that. After all, the world at large is tremendously indifferent to any individual’s creativity. The individual has to have a blind, irrational, resilient faith in order to overcome that indifference.

GG: Ah, yes. Greg Stolze. I’ve heard of you. You’re the guy responsible for a lot of games nowadays. Care to tell us some of your past, present, and future credits?

Stolze: Lessee… did a bunch of articles for SHADIS, that’s how I started out. Wrote a number of pieces for “Over the Edge” — parts of “Wildest Dreams” and “Forgotten Lives.” My first fully solo book was “Spherewalker,” which got an Origins award. I worked for AEG for a while, wrote “City of Lies” for them and did little bits and pieces of other things. I did two chapters of “Star Trek” and a piece of “Uneasy Peace” for Last Unicorn. I wrote “Usagi Yojimbo,” another Origins bridesmaid, and I coauthored “Unknown Armies.” More recently I’ve been doing stuff for White Wolf — had a piece of “Great War,” coauthored “Stellar Frontiers” and “Shattered Europe” for “Trinity.” I didn’t make it into the “Aberrant” main book, but did a fun little “Expose” piece for them. Now I’m working on “Hunter: The Reckoning” sourcebooks after putting a few chapters in the main book there.

GG: That’s pretty impressive. How did you get into the Gaming Field?

Stolze: I knew someone. When I was in college, a friend said “you should come play this game with this guy I know.” The guy turned out to be Jonathan Tweet, who was selling life insurance at that time, and the game later evolved into “Over the Edge.” A year later, Magic the Gathering came out, WotC got huge, and Jonathan was off to Seattle to design Everway.

There was a time when I felt kind of cheap — you know, “I’m only getting published because I had a buddy to speak up for me.” On the other hand, Jonathan pointed out that he’s met thousands of people in his life, and I was one of the few who put in the effort to make money off the acquaintance.

In the end, people seem to like my stuff. I guess that’s what counts in the final analysis.

GG: I agree with that. What’s your favorite food in the “Must eat to live” category?

Stolze: I subsist on microwave dinners far more than is probably healthy. Plus, I married a chocolate addict, so now I’m one two.

GG: Greg, I hear you’re in charge of the Feng Shui support line. Mind giving the FS fans some hints as what to expect in the future?

Stolze: Looking at “Feng Shui,” my attitude is “if it works, don’t fix it.” I’m not planning any immediate, sweeping changes. One thing I’ll NEVER change is essential feel of the game. I’m not about to turn it into a game of square-jawed, unironic do-gooderism or into a nihilistic melodrama. “Feng Shui” is a big tent that can contain everything from slapstick humor to very intense, gritty crime drama, and I’m going to continue along those lines.

More concretely, I can give you the supplement schedule. First up is “Seed of the New Flesh,” which I wrote years ago when Daedalus was still viable. It’s finally coming out, and I think it’s aged pretty well. Next is “Golden Comeback,” basically the player book for “Feng Shui,” chock full of new shticks of all descriptions. After that, “Elevator to the Netherworld,” which will be loads of setting and background material.

GG: Same question, Greg–just add Unknown Armies.

Stolze: Tynes is the developer for Unknown Armies, so I can’t speak with as much authority. I don’t know about any sweeping setting changes, though we’ve kicked around a few ideas… but probably better that I don’t say. The next books are “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” by yours truly, and “Postmodern Magick,” by a veritable banquet of talented writers. “Lawyers, Guns and Money” is the sourcebook for The New Inquisition. (For you non-UA playing readers — hey, what the hell is wrong with you? Go buy my book! THEN you’ll know who The New Inquisition is.) “Postmodern Magick” is pretty much what it sounds like — new schools of magick, new Avatars… probably more critters, artifacts and spells for established schools too.

GG: We’re still on the subject of Unknown Armies. It seems to be a hit, and it keeps on growing in popularity. Did you expect it to be so big?

Stolze: Expect? I try not to expect anything in the gaming industry. It’s a contingent system. You can look back on what happened and see WHY it happened, but that doesn’t give you any clues about what’s going to happen next. I’m certainly pleased that it’s selling well.

GG: Quick. It’s Wednesday. What’s your favorite show?

Stolze: Simpsons reruns. It’s like a drug to me.

GG: It’s my favorite “drug” as well, but that’s enough about my pastimes. Let’s talk about movies. What game would you like to see transferred onto the Silver Screen? Don’t say Dungeons and Dragons.

Stolze: “Unknown Armies,” natch. Then I’d get the big bucks and could finally stand tall and tell all my enemies where they could get off! But (of course) I also think it would make a good film. Get Denzel Washington as Alex Abel, bring in Tarantino to punch up the dialogue — it would be cherry.

If you restrict the questions to games I didn’t write and wouldn’t get royalties from… well, it gets harder. I think it would be difficult to put an RPG on the screen, because the settings are generally quite involved, and it’s the depth of background that makes them interesting (or even comprehensible). With that, I’d probably say “Over the Edge.” It’s contemporary, and looks like the world of today… on the surface, anyhow. I’d love to see Terry Gilliam take a crack at that one!

GG: Celebrity Deathmatch Time! We’ve got Richard Garfield of Magic: The Gathering, Matt Forbeck of Brave New World, and John Tynes of Unknown Armies–who would win, and how?

Stolze: Hm… I’ve never seen Matt Forbeck in a muscle shirt, but Richard Garfield has to be pretty bulked up from carrying all his money around. Plus, his wife just had a kid, so we know he’s virile. Tynes on the other hand, he’s unpredictable. Depends on what he’s been drinking. If it’s those wicked Velvet Hammers, he’d probably be sluggish and logy, but if you get some gin into him, he turns mean. Plus, he’s incredibly well armed. I mean, those guys at Pagan celebrated the success of Delta Green by going out and buying matching AR-15s. They’re probably the best armed publisher in the RPG business. Now that I think about it, maybe that’s why they don’t seem to have much trouble with U.S. distributors…

GG: (laughs) Stop, you’re killing me! Finally, what game line would you like to work on in the future, and why?

Stolze: I’d like more work on “Trinity.” I’ll admit that I was kind of lukewarm on it when I read the book, but the more supplements I read, the more I got into it. Now I think it’s neat, and I’d love another chance to get my grubby, clutching hands all over Bates’ sweet sweet plotline.

GG: Well, that’s about all the time we have. Fans, be on the lookout for Greg Stolze in the future, because you ain’t heard the last from this guy!