AMA with Bruce R Cordell (The Strange, D&D, Monte Cook Games)

[atherion-foehammer]

Thanks for the response Bruce. As a sword aficionado, I thought the melding of lives was a great simile to the melding of steels to produce a forge welded or Demascus (sic) Sword of the Gods!

Wizards if you are reading this, for the love of the gods, please allow Bruce to finish this series and allow us readers to hold a damned paper book.

 

[BruceRCordell]

Hi Bruce,

1. For STRANGE SUPERFANS, there are still 2 as-yet identified 160 pg hardback supplements to be written. Any initial ideas on what they will be?
If not yet drafted, how about a tour de force adventure through many worlds of the Cypher system.

2. Who was the most influential storyteller/GM on you?
3. Did you ever meet Gary Gygax/ do you have any great tales about being around him?

4. What kinds of music do you listen to?
5. Somewhere back in time I remember reading that when Monte approached you about The Strange, you were writing a book and wanted to finish the book first before doing the game, but he convinced you to do the game first. Is Myth of the Maker that book you were working on before it all officially began?

6. Are you married? I ask, because if not, how does it go when you are dating and explain that you write and design role-playing games for a living?

Thanks!

~Desh

1) Thanks for being a Strange Superfan, man! You helped make all of this happen. And as of Monday Feb 29th, we delivered every single reward promised for The Strange (the glimmer/fractal Cults, Factions, and Syndicates was the last). If you haven't gotten everything, could you please contact us via the MCG Contact Us page on the MCG site?

Here is what you should've received if you were a STRANGE SUPERFAN:

Print Books
Encyclopedia of Impossible Things, MCG 2016 (this was called "Strange Compendium" in the KS)
Strange Revelations, MCG 2015 (10 Instant Adventures) (called "more Strange adventures" in the KS)
Worlds Numberless And Strange, MCG, 2015 (this was called "Strange Recursions" in the KS)
In Translation: The Strange Character Options, MCG, 2015
The Strange Bestiary, MCG, 2014 [Origins 2015 Nominee] [ENnies 2015 Nominee]
The Dark Spiral, MCG, 2014 (96 p campaign-style adventure for The Strange)
THE STRANGE, [ENnies 2015 Winner (Silvers for Setting, Best Game, Art)] [Golden Geek Nominee] [Origins 2015 Nominee]
THE STRANGE player's guide, MCG, 2014

PDF-only Adventures and Supplements
Cults, Factions, and Syndicates MCG 2016 (weird organizations)
Extreme Cyphers, MCG 2016 (super-powerful cyphers, yo)
Impossible Vehicles, MCG 2015 sweet rides)
Alternate Origins, MCG 2015 (racial descriptors)
Mastodon, MCG 2015 (adventure for The Strange that premiered at Gen Con 2015)
The Estate Dossiers (The Strange), MCG 2015
Swordbreakers: An Elite Organization of The Strange, MCG 2014
Conversion Guide (You got Strange in my Numenera!)
Tales of the Strange (stories)
Eschatology Code MCG, 2014 (adventure for The Strange that premiered at Gen Con 2014
EDIT: plus a few more including:
Ohunkakan: The Living Myths
The Paradox Room


2. I grew up with two fantastic GMs, which I met in my 7th grade shop class: Monte Cook and JD Peterson.

3. I did meet Gary Gygax. He wrote a fantastically warm and enthusiastic opening to Return to the Tomb of Horrors, which was both amazing and humbling.

4. I listen to all kinds of music. I have a Google Play music subscription, so I'm always listening to something different. Though music without words is best for writing... writing everything but pure fiction, for which I have a specific play list, most of which have words, weirdly.

5. That's exactly right--I figured that on my own, I'd finish the book, maybe to a KS for it, then if it did well maybe I'd write a game for it... but with Monte's (and Shanna's) help, we got busy. And now, finally, Myth of the Maker (yes, the very book) will see its debut. I owe him a lot.

6. My domestic partner is Torah Cottril who I met at Wizards--she was an editor for D&D and Star Wars and was a member of our fantasy writers group. So, yeah, she's no stranger to strageness. In fact, she was the one who encouraged me to think about leaving Wizards and write my own sci fi after Wizards shuttered their novel department. So I owe her a lot, too.

 

[BruceRCordell]

Heyya Bruce!

Care to give some examples of the "false precision", and how the Cypher system does things differently? (Im not familiar at all with the rules of any Cypher system game)

Heyya Jeff!

Any model of reality is, by definition, only a model. Examine any model too closely, and it breaks down. That includes all game rules. The elegance of a game system that focuses on role playing is related to how well the model -seems- to create a consistent reality, and how well it allows the story teller (the GM, and the players) to interact with it in a way that doesn't bog things down.

So for example in the Cypher System, the difficulty of every task you can imagine is rated from 1 to 10. Simple things are difficulty 1. Impossible things are difficulty 10. Target numbers are set by the difficulty; difficulty 1 is target number 3; difficulty 2 is target number 6, and so on up by three.

So a PC who wants to walk across a narrow log (difficulty 1) would have to roll a 3 or higher on a d20. Unless she's trained in balance-related tasks (which lowers the difficulty by one step), in which case, it becomes a routine task, no roll needed. If she was walking a tightrope (normally a difficulty 3 task), her training in balance would reduce it to difficulty 2. If she carried one of those big balance poles, it would serve as an asset tot he task, reducing the task to difficulty 1. If she were specialized in balancing (reducing difficulty by two steps) and had a pole, difficulty would again become routine. (If someone were shooting at her, that'd probably raise the difficulty again. You get the idea.)

That's the basis for the resolution system.

 

[BruceRCordell]

Any suggestions on converting The Gates of Firestorm Peak over to 5E? I've been considering it as a good adventure to run after The Lost Mines of Phandelver (maybe Glasstaffs' staff is actually made of nephilium...)

Go for it! I think if you sit down with it you'll find that conversions come to mind fairly easy. Remember, when converting between rule systems, being precise isn't what wins--keeping to the spirit of the original adventure is what's important.

 

[BruceRCordell]

Monte has been adamant about not being interested in resurrecting his older material (Ptolus, etc.) in the Cypher System/MCG, as it would be a step back. I realize that most of your back catalogue is WotC property, Bruce. That said, which of your prior works (if any) would you like to bring back as Cypher products, and why?

Except for the stuff I did under the Malhavoc imprint, Wizards does own all the IP I created on their behalf, you're right .

I think everything I did for Wizards stands on its own. Anyone who is interested in converting Gates of Firestorm Peak, Return to the Tomb of Horrors, the Sunless Citadel, or heck, Gamma World to the Cypher System won't find it too hard, as long as they keep the principle in mind I suggested in my last answer, which is that being precise isn't nearly as important as keeping to the spirit of the original.

 

[BruceRCordell]

What appeals to you about this setting/game?

The edges, power pools, and expending effort of the Cypher System seem like natural fits for psionics too. But assuming that it was primarily a psionics-focused setting, then some of the foci (i.e. Command Mental Powers) might be redundant. I imagine one would need to expand the foci to more unique manifestations of psionic powers.

Would you mind expanding what you mean by "false precision"?

Regarding Call of Cthulhu, I love the insanity mechanics, and the real-world meets crazy supernatural world, and all the squamous and rugose critters

Regarding "false precision," see a question on this same topic I just answered above!

 

[progmode]

1) Thanks for being a Strange Superfan, man! You helped make all of this happen. And as of Monday Feb 29th, we delivered every single reward promised for The Strange (the glimmer/fractal Cults, Factions, and Syndicates was the last). If you haven't gotten everything, could you please contact us via the MCG Contact Us page on the MCG site?

Here is what you should've received if you were a STRANGE SUPERFAN:

Print Books
Encyclopedia of Impossible Things, MCG 2016 (this was called "Strange Compendium" in the KS)
Strange Revelations, MCG 2015 (10 Instant Adventures) (called "more Strange adventures" in the KS)
Worlds Numberless And Strange, MCG, 2015 (this was called "Strange Recursions" in the KS)
In Translation: The Strange Character Options, MCG, 2015
The Strange Bestiary, MCG, 2014 [Origins 2015 Nominee] [ENnies 2015 Nominee]
The Dark Spiral, MCG, 2014 (96 p campaign-style adventure for The Strange)
THE STRANGE, [ENnies 2015 Winner (Silvers for Setting, Best Game, Art)] [Golden Geek Nominee] [Origins 2015 Nominee]
THE STRANGE player's guide, MCG, 2014

PDF-only Adventures and Supplements
Cults, Factions, and Syndicates MCG 2016 (weird organizations)
Extreme Cyphers, MCG 2016 (super-powerful cyphers, yo)
Impossible Vehicles, MCG 2015 sweet rides)
Alternate Origins, MCG 2015 (racial descriptors)
Mastodon, MCG 2015 (adventure for The Strange that premiered at Gen Con 2015)
The Estate Dossiers (The Strange), MCG 2015
Swordbreakers: An Elite Organization of The Strange, MCG 2014
Conversion Guide (You got Strange in my Numenera!)
Tales of the Strange (stories)
Eschatology Code MCG, 2014 (adventure for The Strange that premiered at Gen Con 2014)

I believe he's referring to the items listed as:

An as-yet unidentified sourcebook (160-page hardcover)
Another as-yet unidentified sourcebook (160-page hardcover)

These are not accounted for in the list you provided, as all those items were explicitly named in the Superfan rewards. Also, only 8 of the 12-15 glimmers were delivered.

I've got an email out to Tammie regarding this as well.

As for a question, what's the hardest lesson you've learned from writing?

Edit to add Superfan rewards promised:

 

[BruceRCordell]

I believe he's referring to the items listed as:

An as-yet unidentified sourcebook (160-page hardcover)
Another as-yet unidentified sourcebook (160-page hardcover)

These are not accounted for in the list you provided, as all those items were explicitly named in the Superfan rewards. Also, only 8 of the 12-15 glimmers were delivered.

I've got an email out to Tammie regarding this as well.

As for a question, what's the hardest lesson you've learned from writing?

Edit to add Superfan rewards promised:
View attachment 75107

You're right, the list I provided in the previous question (a list I pulled off my own biography site, not MCG) is missing a couple things, including:
Ohunkakan: The Living Myths
The Paradox Room

(I'm going to add those in now, btw)

That makes 12 PDF only products. As I indicated (and as apparently you've already done...) use the Contact Us on the MCG website if you haven't received all these.

Regarding the two as-yet unidentified sourcebooks noted in the graphic--it looks to me like a re-iteration of the "Strange Recursions" and "Strange Compendium" which were only working names, and one of which was later upgraded in page count. If you think otherwise, please open a separate ticket through Contact Us.

EDIT 1: Though I've also ran this up the ladder in case my interpretation is wrong. Luckily, it's not my job to keep track of these things . Stay tuned for possible update.

EDIT 2/UPDATE: Well my friend, you are on to something which I was unaware of. After running it up the ladder, I discovered I misspoke and that there is indeed something more coming for our Strange Superfans, and you (and all Strange Superfans) will be hearing about that shortly.

And your question: Hardest lesson learned from writing? How to take constructive feedback and use it to make what I write even better.

 

[CrimsonSteel]

What is your quest? What is your favorite color? And what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

What is your favorite character you've played in a cypher system game? Favorite moment?

Numenera delivered all of it's initial kickstarter rewards and then announced a new kickstarter at the following Gencon. Can we expect a similar Strange announcement in Aug? ��

 

[BruceRCordell]

What is your quest? What is your favorite color? And what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

What is your favorite character you've played in a cypher system game? Favorite moment?

Numenera delivered all of it's initial kickstarter rewards and then announced a new kickstarter at the following Gencon. Can we expect a similar Strange announcement in Aug? ��

African or Australian?

Favorite character is a hard one. I have a few. But let's narrow it down to 2, in no particular order:

1) Grandpa Iron, an elderly gent who still got around just fine thanks to his cyborg body (Fuses Flesh and Steel). For some reason, whenever Grandpa Iron spoke in voice, the table almost invariably cracked up.

2) Crail, a conniving jack who crafts illusions, lies, and hides in the back. (I actually created Crail as a pre-gen for use in recent Numenera products, so she really IS my character, and I can report, a hoot to play.

Favorite (recent) moment: Crail convincing some leader that yes, indeed, she was the long awaited Prophet come to bless the union of her daughter, and -almost- pulling it off.

Regarding potential Gen Con KS announcements: Well, that's little far off to speculate