I spend time with my wife Andrea and my three kids, Edward, Heather, and Kayleigh (and our cat Spooky Jr.). I watch TV, and I’m writing a novel.
2. How did you discover Fudge as a system and why do you keep coming back to it as a system?
I was originally using my own modern d20 system for Now Playing when I was designing that game (this was before the d20 Modern product came out). I ran a playtest, choosing the TV show “The Chronicle.” At the end, I asked everyone what they thought of it. They all said, “It was just like the show…except for the gunfight!”
I realized then that I needed a rules light system. I was in the process of designing my own, when a friend told me about Fudge. I downloaded it and read it. The Fudge core book didn’t read like a system book to me; it read like a toolkit for building my own system. And it was open. I loved the use of adjectives in the trait ladder and other mechanics, and so I went with it.
I’ve stuck with the system because it works well, provides compatibility with my other games, and I haven’t found a system I’d rather use.
3. What games and designers influence you as a designer?
Gee…this is a tough one. A lot of games influence me in small ways. You know, I’ll see one game that does one thing really well, and I’ll see another game that does something that doesn’t work, like in layout or something like that. But if there’s one game that influenced me most as a designer, it would be WitchCraft by C.J. Carella. That game did a fantastic job of blending the system with the setting. And the book was a fantastic read. The vast majority of RPGs out there are written like reference books, which don’t make enjoyable reads. The downside to WitchCraft is that it doesn’t make a good reference. It taught me that it’s possible to create an RPG book is both a great read and a good reference. WitchCraft is still one of my favorite games.
4. How did you become interested in the paranormal?
In short, the house I grew up in was haunted. Actually, I can’t say for certain that it was haunted, as I have no actual evidence…just personal experiences. I try to remain objective about that. I’ve heard footsteps in the house when I was alone, and there was one room that I was totally terrified of, especially at night. Unfortunately, it was right next to my bedroom and I had to go through it every night at bedtime. There was nothing obviously wrong with the room, and there were definitely parts of the old house that was creepier, but I had this unreasoning terror of that room.
But I never considered that it might be haunted until I was in my teens. When I was in Elementary School, I found a book in the school’s library on UFOs. It had the famous Trent photo and a photo of some UFOs in Trinidad. They really intrigued me. I ended up reading every book in the library on paranormal topics. I just ate it up. I’ve been researching it ever since.
5. What about your interest in the paranormal lead to you deciding to make The Unexplained as a game?
Well, part of it was that it’s been such a big interest in my life. I’ve had a variety of experiences and I kept thinking about it. I was already researching it, so that helped. But I think the biggest motivation was that I noticed that all the horror or paranormal RPGs that already existed took a more mythical or legendary approach to it. There was no game out there that took a realistic approach to the subject. When I realized that, it just clicked.
6. Have you ever done any real world "ghost hunting" and if you have what is your most interesting/favorite experience?
Most of my experiences with the paranormal were things that just happened when I wasn’t expecting it.
My favorite experience happened when ECTO, a paranormal group that endorsed The Unexplained, invited me to an investigation of America’s Stonehenge in Salem, NH. This is an ancient pre-Columbian ruin with stone structures and stuff. We were all standing in this one stone chamber that had a large stone table in it that was presumed to be a sacrificial table. We had several digital cameras sitting on it. At one point, Tim (one of the ECTO guys) asked the spirits for a sign. He suggested that they could do something to a camera. All of a sudden, three of the cameras suddenly powered down due to battery drain; one right after the other, a few seconds apart. A few minutes later, I was looking right at one of the other investigators when all of a sudden, his feet were suddenly yanked out from under him, and he fell on his butt. He said it felt like someone grabbed his ankles and pulled. He was wearing boots that had rubber cleat-like stuff, so his feet didn’t slip. It looked to me like someone yanked his feet. It was really exciting!
7. What is next for The Unexplained?
I’m working on the Storyteller’s Screen right now. It’ll be a 4-panel screen that comes with a ready-to-play adventure module. After that, I’ll release more adventures, and I’m working on a cryptid compendium (working title was “Strange Creatures”). It’s basically a non-fiction cryptid monster manual.
8. If the sky was the limit what is the one thing that you most want to do as a role-playing game?
Wow! That’s a hard one. There’s so much I’d love to do. I have two settings that I’ve come up with. One is pretty detailed and I plan to release it. It’s tentatively called “Space 2150” and is a hard sci-fi game. The other is a historical RPG set in the time of Mycenae. I chose not to do the Mycenae game because marketing research shows that historical RPGs typically win awards, but don’t sell.
9. What is something about yourself that you've never admitted online before?
I have ADD. It makes it tough to stay on task, but I’ve found ways to work with it.
10. How can people find you, Carnivore Games and The Unexplained online?
There are lots of ways:
My web site: http://www.carnivoregames.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/unexplainedrpg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Unexplained/332640430144