Q&A with Jeffery Quinn

[Rafael]

This was the original message.

Seems the map link broke the post...

BTW, Jeff, I don't know if you're still checking our campaign here from time to time, but Kalen from Ties That Bind is one of the recurring characters in the LFC, being an important Lieutenant from the Thieves Guild.

In other words, I really, really, liked that adventure. The hook was a bit arbitrary, IMHO, but it was one of the very few traveling adventures that worked, and worked well!

[JPQuinn]

Here's the link to the core world map:

http://www.dolmen-studios.com/comics/DC ... %20Map.jpg

(WARNING: Huge file (over 10Mb))

[JPQuinn]

This was the original message.

Seems the map link broke the post...

BTW, Jeff, I don't know if you're still checking our campaign here from time to time, but Kalen from Ties That Bind is one of the recurring characters in the LFC, being an important Lieutenant from the Thieves Guild.

In other words, I really, really, liked that adventure. The hook was a bit arbitrary, IMHO, but it was one of the very few traveling adventures that worked, and worked well!

I'm happy that she's working out for you. I've discovered that some of the best adventures I've ever written come from a day or two of frantic stream writing. Ties That Bind is one of those.

[Rafael]

Nice map!

What I found more interesting than the BM reference was "The Tower of the White Lion", actually. That's from another fantasy classic, isn't it?

TTB: Yeah, I ran it back in 2005, and we had a blast! I might even rerun it some time next year.

I must confess, rather than a new system, I'd be happy to see new adventures from you. Anything on the line?

[JPQuinn]

What I found more interesting than the BM reference was "The Tower of the White Lion", actually. That's from another fantasy classic, isn't it?

It could be, but that's purely accidental.

I must confess, rather than a new system, I'd be happy to see new adventures from you. Anything on the line?

There will be plenty of adventures out from me in the future, but I have nothing planned for Pathfinder/d20 or 4E. But, they will still contain the same feel as Ties That Bind, The Redwood Scar, Idylls of the Rat King, and the rest of the "retro-styled" adventures I've done in the past. There is a d6 magazine coming out (a few of the publishers that support the d6 system have joined forces to get a freebie going) and I'll have an adventure in there. Check it out at: http://www.wegfansite.com/

[Havard]

I'm glad you liked both of the adventures (I also wrote Ties That Bind).

Indeed. Both were excellent adventures!

I apologize for my extended absence, but I was hard at work getting some gaming goodness pulled together with my own company (Dolmen Creative).

Always good to see you drop by. It is cool to see that things are moving forward with Dolmen Creative!

Let's see if I can answer some of these questions:

The Black Queen - Yes. I had tons of ideas swimming around my notebooks and in my head. When I was asked to work with the elves (as always) I consulted with Dave at length through IMs and e-mails and Dustin and I talked on the phone, IM, e-mail, and crystal ball. We all love Blackmoor and its deep mythos and "core cannon" but we wanted to break new ground and introduce new and evolved enemies for both the newest generation of gamers and the grognard loyalist army. I will say that the introduction of the Black Queen and the Redwood Scar are related to each other.

The more I have been researching these elements and putting them together the more interesting they have become to me. The elements are really scattered through the DAB Sourcebook so it has been some work trying to piece it all together. All fun though! Connecting the Redwood Scar to the Black Queen actually makes even more sense than tying it to the Mage Wars (though perhaps both can work?) Thanks for providing this little hint, since it gives even more for us to work with. Now I wonder if the Black Queen ever visited Cirkati village...

Quinke's Brigade - I believe it was Dustin that wrote that part of the book. And, to be honest, we were always putting in tongue-in-cheek jabs and inside jokes at each other, our playtesters, and at the gaming community at large. If you think someone's name is in the book, chances are that you're right. Though this book is nowhere nearly as laced with good-natured jests as a certain rare gaming module (:lyly winks at Dustin:.

Fun stuff!

If Quincke is indeed based on you, do you have any more ideas on what he might have been like? Did you ever play a mage in play-test games with ZGG?

All-in-all, I want to see Blackmoor stay alive for another 30-some-odd years to come. I even pay homage to the First Campaign Setting in my company's flagship game, Destiny6. I've attached a link to the map of the core game world, see if you can spot where the homage has been paid:[/url]

Long live Blackmoor. I will have to wait to download the map until I return to Norway in a few days, but I am looking forward to checking it out. I am keeping my eyes open to the Destiny Game over at the wegfan forum too

-Havard

[JPQuinn]

If Quincke is indeed based on you, do you have any more ideas on what he might have been like? Did you ever play a mage in play-test games with ZGG?

Well, if he is based on me, then he'd be grumpy, sarcastic, and flirtatious. He would have a thirst for knowledge of all kinds, is willing to go well out onto a limb to experiment, and may occasionally throw others into harm's way for a chance to observe the results or to gain a rare glimpse of forgotten lore. Those who are close to him find that he's generous, kind, and loyal to a fault. That would kind of describe the basic motivations, if he were me.

I rarely get to play, I normally run games. During playtest, I either ran games or watched the sessions and took notes. But, in one campaign I did get to make two characters to play. The first one I made was a dwarf rifleman who had been driven from his home after a series of unfortunate accidents killed his family and he was the only suspect (banished under the law since the evidence against him could never be produced). The accidental deaths occurred during a fire in his home that killed his wife and children (he was an awakened pyromancer sorcerer).

The second was a goblin wizard named Nyk (short for, Nyknahkpaddiewahkgibbadwarfahnaile). Oddball little green guy. Kinda like a cross between Yoda and Dungeon Master with a cracked sense of humor, a twinkling eye, and the uncanny ability to always have the most unusual tool or plan for any given job. I made him as weird as I could, since there was already a party dynamic in place and I wanted to play more as an outsider looking in at the strange little human bugs than as the defacto leader (no matter what character I play, my group normally likes to defer to my lead). I would give sarcastic, needlessly cryptic advice and come up with the most hair-brained, off-the-wall plans ("...and then, when the cock crows at dawn we'll cut the ropes that releases the maul to come crashing down onto the manticore's tail. They are powerless, as long as their tails are pinned to the ground and have sunlight in their eyes, you know...").

[Havard]

Here's the link to the core world map:

http://www.dolmen-studios.com/comics/DC ... %20Map.jpg

(WARNING: Huge file (over 10Mb))

Holy Cow!

Finally got around to downloading this map. It certainly has some familiar features! Very nice looking map too.

-Havard

[Havard]

Hi Jeff,
I posted something from our conversation on my blog: http://blackmoormystara.blogspot.com/20 ... quinn.html

Hope that is okay with you

-Havard

[JPQuinn]

Looks good ;-)