Interview: David Edelstein

Graveyard Greg: Who are you?

Unknown Stranger: My name is David Edelstein. I'm 32 years old (by the time you read this). I've been married for almost one year. I grew up in California, but I've lived in Baltimore and Korea, and I currently live in a suburb of Dallas. I have a homepage at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/AmadanSJG (why waste an opportunity for free publicity?).

GG: That's what I'm here for--to give you a chance for free self-promotion!

Give us a run down on your gaming credits for the Industry--past and present (and heck, give us a future credit or two!)

David: Basically, I've written and edited for In Nomine, and playtested for several GURPS books, and that's about it. There is a possibility I may be more heavily involved in some GURPS books in the future (I've always wanted to write one, just haven't had the time), but we'll have to wait and see. Right now, In Nomine takes up all of my game-writing time.

GG: What did you do before you joined the Industry?

David: The same thing I do now, which is teach English as a Second Language. Although at the moment, I am transitioning into the technical field as I prepare for graduate school in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering. I wouldn't say I've really "joined the industry," since game writing is (and probably always will be) just something I do in my spare time, not something I plan to pay the rent with.

GG: Good luck on graduate school!

Last good movie you've seen?

David: "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Not a great movie, but suitably creepy, and I like Matt Daimon.

GG: Last awful movie you've seen?

David: "The Blair Witch Project." Talk about an over-hyped waste of film. I've seen all the people claiming it's the scariest thing they've ever seen and how they couldn't sleep with the lights off after they went home, and I Just Don't Get It. I saw it with some friends of mine and my wife (and it doesn't take much to freak my wife out), and when the credits rolled, ALL of us were saying "So, like, when are they going to show us the scary parts?"

GG: I think the scary parts are saved for the sequel.

Time for a Gaming Origin Story! How did you get into this crazy business of working for the Industry?

David: I've been gaming since I was 12 -- my parents bought me the original Blue Box D&D set for my birthday.

But my becoming a professional writer was purely by chance. I have been running online games on Compuserve's Roleplaying Games Forum for close to 7 years now, and when I picked up the In Nomine rulebook, back in '97, I was inspired to start a new game. So I wrote a short fictional vignette as a "teaser" to attract players, and posted it in the RPG Forum. Moriah, who was at that time the Line Editor for In Nomine, was so impressed that he forwarded it to Scott Haring (who was at that time the Managing Editor for Steve Jackson Games), and Scott was so impressed that he asked me if I wanted to actually write for the game. I was working on a thesis project to finish my graduate degree at that time, so I said "Sure, but I don't know if I'll have time..."

However, the game just sucked me in, and I've wound up being one of the regular authors for In Nomine. That little story I wrote to advertise my game, by the way, became the opening vignette for "The Marches." And I am still running that online In Nomine game on Compuserve, though not as regularly as I used to.

GG: And you're doing this in your spare time. Some people have all the luck!

You are known for your work in IN NOMINE--give us a brief rundown on the game's setting, won't you?

David: It's the War between Heaven and Hell. Archangels and Demon Princes send their minions out into the world to further their objectives (ostensibly those of Heaven or Hell, respectively, but all the AAs and DPs have their own causes which sometimes engender rivalries). Player characters are usually angels or demons, serving one of these Superiors, though there are options to play other character types, like human Soldiers of God or Soldiers of Hell, sorcerers, Saints, Undead, and even pagan spirits.

It's not a terribly original concept; the most important element in In Nomine is the flavor. It's often been compared to White Wolf's World of Darkness, and it _can_ be played that way, but it's doing In Nomine a disservice to think of it as another "dark, gothic, angsty game with supernatural beings fighting a secret war." The original rulebook was satirical, and captured a half-serious, half-humorous flavor somewhere between the World of Darkness, the novel "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, and Gaiman's "Sandman." That's the mood that drew me in, and it's been somewhat hard to maintain. But fans seem to play In Nomine as everything from a deep theological exercise to a superheroic slugfest between angels and demons. So it really does fit many different moods.

GG: I couldn't agree more.

What's your favorite game in all of recorded history?

David: Go. Chess never interested me that much, but go fascinates me. I've always wanted to become good at it, and I've never had the time.

GG: Go--a great game that has had some MAJOR staying power!

It's now the year 2000, and we're so close to the new millennium. What are your hopes for the future of gaming, and what can we do to make it come to reality?

David: I'd like to see gaming break out of its little niche market, but so would the rest of the industry. To be honest, I don't think roleplaying games per se will ever rise above the status of model railroads or coin collecting or other hobbies. Eventually computers will be so sophisticated that we'll probably have "online" roleplaying games that will make paper and pencil games more obsolete than they already are. Hopefully there will still be a need for human GMs to supply the plots and the creativity, so maybe this industry can transition into a more sophisticated entertainment medium.

The best thing we can do to keep the RPG industry alive and vital is to keep trying to recruit more people into it, and keep supporting those games you like.

GG: If you could be reincarnated as any animal, what would it be?

David: I'd like to think human, or dolphin, or something relatively evolved, but I may be overestimating my good karma....

GG: Humans don't count!

If you had to write for any other gaming company besides Steve Jackson Games, who would gain your services and why?

David: It would have to be for a game I really like, since as I said, I don't regard game writing as my profession. Grey Ghost and Hero Games would both interest me, if they actually *published* more than a book a year or so. RTG also made several games I liked a lot, but I don't know what their future is going to be. I suppose if I was actually going to submit something to another company, it would likely be either Atlas, Hogshead, or Pagan Publishing.

GG: If a tree falls in the woods and there's no one to hear it--would it make a sound?

David: You know, I'm sitting here trying to think of a clever, witty response to this, and I can't. There goes my reputation as a writer.

GG: That's OK--since we're toppling trees, let's topple some champions--it's time for CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH!

The opponents are David "Zeb" Cook--writer of many games for TSR. His opponent is the master of disaster Greg Costikyan, writer of many games for everyone but TSR (and heck, maybe he HAS wrote for them)! Who would win, and how?

David: "Zeb" might think he has superior firepower, being able to equip himself from TSR's armory with such weapons as the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords and blasters that do 3d10 damage, but he'd be no match for Greg's careful strategies and incisive industry commentaries. Greg would unleash the Creature that Ate Greyhawk. He'd pull out his handy laser and visit egregious and repulsive bloodshed upon the hapless Dungeonmaster, who would be reduced to a slimed pile of "Strategy & Tactics" cancellations.

GG: Oooooooh! What a way to go!

Any final words of advice for the gamers out there, David?

David: Gaming is a hobby. It's not a science, a career path, or a way of life. If gaming is the most important thing in your life, get a life. Even if you're lucky enough to make money at it, if it ain't fun, it ain't worth it.

GG: Well said! Thanks again, David!