Interview: Oblivion's Edge Team

Unknown Stranger: Well, "we" are Jeremy Strandberg (me) and Daniel Taylor (the other guy)...

Unknown Stranger 2: (waves)

Unknown Stranger 3: I'm Seana Dooley.

Unknown Stranger 4: I'm Erin Rice.

GG: Let's have some identification, please! Gaming credits, past and present!

Jeremy Strandberg: Identification? well, lezzee...I've interned with Atlas Games and FASA, both for relatively brief periods of time...At Atlas I did editing and a bit of writing on Ars Magica 4...biggest thing was I designed the character sheets. At FASA I was mostly a web-dude, though I also did some PR work, and helped out with a couple ads.

Daniel Taylor: Credentials, eh? I'm a veteran of good old 'nobody wants to GM' gaming, and didn't really get into playing before I ran into Jer. Since then, I've logged some V:TM tabletop and OE, and read way too many of Jer's books. I don't have any professional experience in this particular industry.

Seana Dooley: I have no credits within the Gaming Industry. I have only gamed three games: Vampire, OE, and Over the Edge. I think it is my lack of familiarity with "Gaming" that makes me a good content editor. If I don't understand, then it is too complicated.

Erin Rice: I blissfully grew up with gamers...and have continued to have friendly relations with some of the original people that made D&D. Not whatcha know in my case, but who ya know. Currently I'm organizing the editing and legal work of OE.

GG: That's the third time OE has been mentioned. I know what it is, but for those unfamiliar with the initials, what is OE?

Seana: The full name is Oblivion's Edge.

Jeremy: Oblivion's Edge is an RPG set in 2042--ten years after martial law was repealled...why was martial law put in place? Because of economic collapse, riots, terrorism, and a mega-nasty class-4 hot agent virus colloquially called "the Red Death."

Anyway, the past ten years have seen a return to stability and economic growth but to insure this growth, the various intelligence agencies combined into the Domestic Intelligence Directorate (DID, aka "the Inquisition") who use rather draconian measures to ensure domestic security. The main conflict in Oblivion's Edge is between the DID and the other "powers that be" (governments, corporations, etc.) and a growing underground movement ("the Resistance.")

Dan: But the fundamental conflicts in OE are more than just between political factions or institutions. The game is about conflicts like safety vs. liberty.

Jeremy: It's also about credibility and authority and the difficulty of finding _truth_ in an infinite sea of information.

Dan: Since characters are not usually affiliated with a single faction, their agendas are especially complicated. We're not really sure if there are any 'good guys' in OE.

Jeremy: The Resistance is painted in a _slightly_ rosier hue, but it's still _very_ morally ambiguous.

In addition to the political themes of Oblivion's Edge, there are also the metaphysical ones. The "future" of Oblivion's Edge is a world in which the Veil between realities has thinned.

Dan: But the Veil still exists. For most people, Magic is still mysterious, scary, maybe even nonexistent. This is still a world where one could seriously believe that magic doesn't exist.

Jeremy: It's also a world in which people wouldn't necessarily refer to it as "magic". One man's magic is another's fringe science. Just like now, things that are outside the rational, materialistic worldview are described with a whole slew of names....There's all sorts of "weird sh!t" in Oblvion's Edge.

Dan: But people try as hard as they can not to see any of it, and usually succeed.

Jeremy: Well, people try hard not to see the _BIG_ stuff, like demons and shapeshifters.

GG: I almost hate to ask the tough questions, but...favorite snack at midnight?

Dan: Wow. The tough questions.... favorite snack, eh? That would have to be Ben and Jerry's sorbet.

Seana: I agree.

Jeremy: Ice cream... bad for me, so I guess I'd have to go with lasagna.

Erin: Cucumbers and cream cheese. (yum)

GG: Now that we had a snack break, let's go back to the world of OE--how did you come up with this neat idea?

Dan: This is kind of a long story. You should have seen the first version.. what 7 or 8 years ago?

Jeremy: Yeah, it was basically "Star Wars" on Earth with 13 necromancers and their undead army besieging the Americas. "The Resistance" was a military group camped in the Grand Canyon... sheesh...

OE was originally my baby, back in high school. But a college education and some really bright friends straightened that out.

Dan: The first couple years were touch and go, really. With charts like that, we thought it would never make puberty.

Jeremy: Oh, come on... just cuz it stole the worst parts of AD&D and Cyberpunk 2020 doesn't mean it was unplayable. I have some very fond memories of that first version.

Dan: Hell, in the last 12 months we've reworked combat, magic, the lifepath, the contacts system, and the fundamental structure and politics of the game, so yeah, it's come a long way.

Seana: Basically I made Jer and Dan fix it so it made sense to me.

GG: What is the shining point of OE?

Jeremy: Three things: 1) The setting. 2) the rules. 3) the Lifepath.

The Setting: It's a very mature game, and it deals with things like truth and violence and magic in a very powerful way...

Seana: I love story telling, so if the game rules get in the way, I lose interest. So we changed the system so that the rules added to the game. And so I could do the math.

Jeremy: The results are some extremely powerful and flexible rules. Like the Contacts...On the surface, your Contacts are just another Trait. But when you look at them as a whole, they give you a great sense of where you stand politically.

Erin: he Lifepath is my favorite part really...You begin creating the character as a child a role for anecdotes and karma in order to flesh your child out (so to speak). What you started out with doesn't necessarily mean that you'll end up with that. You begin to create your own story and mythos.

Jeremy: At each major intersection in your character's life you role for a new anecdote...something that helps to create a very 3-dimensional, viberant and interesting person.

GG: Sounds neat!

You're on a desert island, and you can only have ONE game to play. What would this game be?

Dan: Though I've never been in a good game of it, I think In Nomine might hold up well over those sun-scorched months, waiting for relief. It has a nice range of emotional character, depending on whether or not we'd found food lately.

Jeremy: Over the Edge would be nice, cuz you only need a couple dice, one book, and some paper (though by that criteria "TWERPS" would be ideal.)

Seana: Vampire.

Erin: Legend of the Five Rings--cuz it's uncharted territory for me.

Jeremy: But wouldn't it quickly become _very_ charted territory? I mean, this _is_ a desert island we're talking about.

Erin: It could be a large island...

GG: (laughs). What do you see in the future for the Gaming Industry?

Dan: There's a lot of money flowing around near the industry right now. Hasbro recently bought WotC, and TSR by extension. There were an awful lot of card and computer games at GenCon. As far as the market goes, all bets are off, but it seems to be healthy and growing.

Jeremy: Well, not to tip our hand too much...I think the internet will play an increasingly important role (no pun intended), but NOT in the form of MUSHes, MUDs, etc... at least, not in _my_ ideal world.

Dan: We think the internet will provide a lot of valuable opportunities to build communities that revolve around play in various aspects, not least of which is RPGaming.

Jeremy: Another trend I've noticed is that traditional pen-and-paper RPGs have changed... you've got a few giant's like AD&D and Vampire, but all the new games that are coming out seem to be niche-oriented.

Erin: I've notice the exciting trend of RPGs turning into more theaterical events. For example, the Larping games have put more emphsis on the skills of the gamer by adding a tolerable amount of the physical aspect.

Seana: I think that the industry is growing (we are counting on it). The age of gamers is affecting the kinds and styles of games.

Jeremy: Personally, I think there needs to be something to bring a lot of new, hip blood into the scene...Like us. (smiles)

For all that the old-timers might complain about "goths" and pokemon, Vampire and WotC brought a _lot_ of new energy into the mix. And personally, I think that was a good thing.

Dan: Sort of what Jer was saying bout niche games. With so many *diffrent* gamers out there the industry is able to explore new areas.

GG: If you had to be a POKEMON, what kind would you be?

Seana: I don't think I can answer that one.

Jeremy: I have no @#$#!! clue. I got all my Pokemon Lore from NPR stories.

Dan: You know, that one.. with the nice abs.

GG: Sounds like you guys aren't POKEMON friendly...

Dan: Well, I wouldn't want to prejudice the 5-10 year old crowd against our game, so let's just say we're not POKEMON literate.

Jeremy: POKEMON phonics was just too hard.

GG: Next question.

Time to look into the future during the Origins awards! What is the winner for the Best RPG of 1999?

Jeremy: Well, I've got it on pretty good authority that the Origins awards work about as predictably as a magic 8-ball...but _Obsidian_ got a lot of buzz (but I'm not sure how well it's been received post-GenCon)

Probably Brave New World, now that I think about it.

Dan: I'd be talking out of school, I think. Beyond playing and revising this game, I've been a bit isolated from the rest of the gaming universe.

Erin: I'd have to vote for either Brave New World or the re-release of Feng Shui, though between travel and being Alice in Wonderland, I haven't had much chance to play the batch of games from '99

GG: What are your influences for OBLIVION'S EDGE?

Jeremy: Well, as far as RPGs go, Cyberpunk 2020 would have to be my main influence. Vampire helped a lot, too. And Shadowrun was good for a counter-example. It was one way to do a cyberpunk-fantasy blend, but it's certainly not the only way.

Seana: Then there are the movies: Matrix, Blade Runner, Anime...

Jeremy: Yeah, like _The_Crow_, _Bladerunner_, _RoboCop_, etc. The Matrix was more a signpost of "it's a good time to be working on OE" sorta movie (though we've borrowed a lot of attitude from it).

Erin: As far as the literature is concerned, Wiliam Gibson's work has played a significant role as well as Jack Womak for spice.

Jeremy: And there's also the Vertigo Comics... Neil Gaiman's stuff, John Constantine..., the Books of Magic, etc.

Seana: Don't forget your anthro studies at good old LU.

Jeremy: And the anthro stuff... I did a lot of work studying mythology and religion, as well as globalization and the relationships between technology and culture.

Paul Kennedy is a major dude as far as globalization and future trends. Check out _Preparing for the 21st Century_.

GG: Stepping into the ring is the creator and writer of OBSIDIAN: The Age of Judgement MICAH SKARITKA! His opponent? None other than LUCIEN SOULBAN, creator of the PROVIDENCE RPG! Who would win, and how?

Jeremy: Micah would win in one of two ways...

1) Micah would poke Lucien's eyes out with his spikey hair, then finish him off with the chains.

2) He would humiliate his opponent because "Micah Skaritka" is just so much more of a Russian mafia name than "Lucien Soulban"

Dan: The hair and the leather might fool you, but Micah can dish out some massive punishment. And if that didn't work, the bevy of darkly fashionable fans would help him out.

GG: Any last words for the readers out there, people?

Jeremy: Crack is bad for you.

Dan: Crack makes you strong.

Jeremy: It's still bad for you. (now maybe we'll get government funding)

Erin: Chocolate croissants are yummy. Dan rules.