AMA [June 10] Margaret Weis, Author (TSR, Dragonlance, Margaret Weis Productions, Cortex, Firefly RPG, Star of the Guardians)

margaretweis

First Post
Coming June 10th, 2015, Margaret Weis will be holding an AMA right here on EN World. Book editor for TSR, co-creator of Dragonlance, and co-author of the Dragonlance Chronicles and Dragonlance Legends, author of many popular novel series, and CEO of Margaret Weis Productions, the company which publishes the Cortex Plus system, the Firefly RPG, and which previously published the ENnie-winning Marvel Heroic Roleplaying.

The Star of the Guardians novel series was recently picked up for film and television by Filmscope Entertainment.

Margaret will be answering questions on June 10th, 2015. This thread is now open for questions. Ask Her Anything!
 
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When Dragonlance went from a novel to a gamming supplement did you or the others around you ever foresee a problem with the Kender race? I know from personal experience it appears to be the controversial race in the D&D game, and I personally love the novels, but hate them in play. Is there any insight into the why and how you guys went through with the race that might help people who feel it is an unplayble PC race but also fell in love with Tasslehoff Burrfoot?
 

D

DQDesign

Guest
What about the future of Dragonlance in D&D terms? Any news that You can share?
What do You think about the current absence of official WOTC support for campaign settings?
 

EditorBFG

Explorer
Margaret Weis Productions has designed so many great games around licensed properties-- so good I've purchased games for properties I didn't care for and used them to run other things (I didn't watch Smallville, for example, but so many people told me how great the RPG was that I bought it and loved it). Unfortunately, licensing is a fickle world, and game lines are often discontinued when the license ends-- Marvel Heroic RP is a serious contender for most effective superhero RPG of all time, but that game obviously had to end with the Marvel license. At the same time, MWP has hired some of the greatest minds in gaming to work on Cortex system games, and many of those designers have also created successful games based on original content elsewhere. Recently, the Cortex Hacker's Guide demonstrated the extreme versatility of the Cortex engine in powering all kinds of different settings. Will there be a point when MWP puts out an RPG (Cortex or otherwise) based on an original property created for that game, which customers can buy and get into, secure in the knowledge that MWP won't ever have to discontinue it based on business concerns out of their control?
 

Phaide

First Post
Hi. What is the status of Heroic Role-play? It has been advertised as "coming soon" for a very long time and yet we've heard little to nothing about it or its status. Thanks.
 

Ashran

Explorer
Hello Margaret. It's great for you to take the time for this kind of exercise, thanks a lot for that.

I have seen one of your novel series has been recently picked up for film and television, the star of the guardian. It's great and I hope we will hear soon more details about that, but what I wanna ask is based on another series of yours, co-written with Tracy Hickman, the death gate cycle. Did you ever think that this world of yours would make a great setting for a rpg and is there any plans to revisit it in the future (be it as new novel(s), comics, film, serie, or a new rpg based on it) ? Does the nature of the cycle, being co written would complicate things for such deriative works to emerges ?
 

innerdude

Legend
Two questions: Where do you go for continuing inspiration for new ideas, new worlds, new stories? Are there particular authors/games/RPGs/books that you find particularly useful for idea generation?

Second, are there are any of your creations, particularly characters in your writing, of which you are particularly fond? Do you "connect" with any of them more than others? (Obviously asking an author to pick a "favorite" character is sort of like asking a parent who their favorite child is, but nonetheless......)

For example, I've always felt Jonathan the Lazar from Death Gate #3, Fire Sea, to be one of the most interesting characters in all of fantasy fiction. Was he your creation or Tracy's?
 

delericho

Legend
Since I've been very much enjoying the Firefly RPG lately...

- Is there anything you can tell us about your future plans for that line, beyond "Ghosts in the Black"?

- Any chance of getting Tracy Hickman to pen another episode in the 'Verse?

- Do you have a favourite episode/character?

Thanks!
 

Dioltach

Legend
Hi Margaret,

Thanks for providing me with countless hours of reading pleasure. Also thanks for your part in increasing the popularity of fantasy as a genre.

My favourite among your series has always been The Rose of the Prophet. Sadly, it rarely, if ever, seems to get any recognition. What do you think is the reason?
 


Benji

First Post
Hi Margret, thank you for dragonlance. You are basically responsible for me realising I'm not the only weird kid, others exist and it's ok to be me. When I was younger I crashed my bike into a fence and flew a good ten feet into an unforeseen pile of bottles while pretending to be tasslehoff and no one could understand my intense joy despite the stitches, so thanks for giving me a wonderfully suspect role model. After that long introduction my question is sort of connected. What positive or negative effects do you feel that the sort of prototype 'iconic characters' (a model used by both 3rd ed and pathfinder since) had on the setting and peoples engagement? Did you find that was what people wanted to talk about or did they feel trapped by almost having to play them in the adventures?

Also, hypothetically, if wizards offered MWP the chance to write an adventure, would you take it? And would you use dragonlance, sovereign stone, or some other setting?
 


Zustiur

Explorer
Hi Margaret,

I've sometimes heard the Dragonlance novels derided as being for young readers; what age group did in intend them for?
 

Wild Gazebo

Explorer
Thank-you for all the great reading.

Something always bothered me about The Seventh Gate. I never really went back to read it critically; but, without asking too much, did you do something different while you wrote this book? I'm curious more as a creator as opposed to a critic--I enjoy your work far too much to be critical of you in this format.
 

margaretweis

First Post
When Dragonlance went from a novel to a gamming supplement did you or the others around you ever foresee a problem with the Kender race? I know from personal experience it appears to be the controversial race in the D&D game, and I personally love the novels, but hate them in play. Is there any insight into the why and how you guys went through with the race that might help people who feel it is an unplayble PC race but also fell in love with Tasslehoff Burrfoot?

It is not that kender are unplayable, it is that role-players don't play them properly. I once played in a Dragonlance charity game. The party consisted of five kender and a gnome. Best RPG experience ever! We had so much fun and actually killed the red dragon, though I admit it was by accident.

If you want a kender in a game, I'd meet with the player first, set some guidelines (don't steal ALL the party's equipment!) to make sure the player makes the experience fun, not annoying.

Thanks! Margaret
 

margaretweis

First Post
Thank-you for all the great reading.

Something always bothered me about The Seventh Gate. I never really went back to read it critically; but, without asking too much, did you do something different while you wrote this book? I'm curious more as a creator as opposed to a critic--I enjoy your work far too much to be critical of you in this format.

I haven't read that series in many years, so I'm not really sure what you mean. It's entirely possible! I remember being really glad we could finally wrap it all up. Juggling characters and plot lines through seven books was a little wearing.:) Thanks for the kind words! Margaret
 

margaretweis

First Post
Hi Margaret,

I've sometimes heard the Dragonlance novels derided as being for young readers; what age group did in intend them for?

The DL novels were for adult readers, although I think it's awesome that young people enjoy them! They were the first adult novels published by TSR following the success of the Endless Quest adventure books for young people. Thanks! Margaret
 

margaretweis

First Post
Hi Margaret,

Has WOTC expressed interest in restarting the Dragonlance novels?

Sigh. No. At least not to us. Tracy and I have given WoTC ideas for new DL novels, including an expanded version of Chronicles, adding in all the material that we were forced to cut. (Management at the time considered the books too long! They had to sell for $2.95.:)) Thanks! Margaret
 

margaretweis

First Post
Hi Margret, thank you for dragonlance. You are basically responsible for me realising I'm not the only weird kid, others exist and it's ok to be me. When I was younger I crashed my bike into a fence and flew a good ten feet into an unforeseen pile of bottles while pretending to be tasslehoff and no one could understand my intense joy despite the stitches, so thanks for giving me a wonderfully suspect role model. After that long introduction my question is sort of connected. What positive or negative effects do you feel that the sort of prototype 'iconic characters' (a model used by both 3rd ed and pathfinder since) had on the setting and peoples engagement? Did you find that was what people wanted to talk about or did they feel trapped by almost having to play them in the adventures?

Also, hypothetically, if wizards offered MWP the chance to write an adventure, would you take it? And would you use dragonlance, sovereign stone, or some other setting?

Dragonlance novels were the first ever novels written for a game. We made lots of mistakes at the beginning, one being that we thought we had to have a character for every character class. We figured the players would want to play the characters, but as it turned out, players wanted to play their own characters, even though they enjoyed reading about the companions and maybe meeting them or adventuring with them. (Interestingly we've found out the same is true with the Firefly RPG!)

As to DL adventures, it would be fun to do them in the Cortex Plus system. Somehow I don't see that happening.:) Thanks! Margaret
 

margaretweis

First Post
What about the future of Dragonlance in D&D terms? Any news that You can share?
What do You think about the current absence of official WOTC support for campaign settings?

I have no idea what WoTC plans to do with DL. I know they have referenced the setting and the novels in the 5th Edition product, so maybe someday . . . . Thanks! Margaret
 

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