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Bruce Heard Random Wizard: The cover of M1 As Basic/Expert came through and its February 8th, 2013 Into the Maelstrom gives dual credit lead creative, Frank, left TSR, that to you and your wife. Did your wife entire product line effectively became ever consider becoming a full time an orphan. No one in house wanted to Bruce Heard was hired by TSR after game designer? have anything to do with it and, meeting with Gary Gygax in France. therefore, I had to suddenly farm His career there stretched from 1983 Bruce Heard: No, she didn’t. She had everything out. As a result, I became up until 1997 (When WotC acquired fun participating in the design, but it the de-facto lead designer/product TSR). If you are a fan of the Basic wasn’t her thing. manager for BECMI. My own design Dungeons and Dragons Gazetteers or direction affected especially BECMI Random Wizard: As the Acquisition the Rules Cyclopedia, you have Bruce and Mystara products. Once the Coordinator, you were in charge of Heard to thank. He was kind enough general direction was provided to a hiring freelance designers and to answer the questions below. freelance writer, I tended to remain writers to make modules, rules, and “hands-off” unless I knew there was a Random Wizard: According to your supplements. Did this represent a problem. In a way, it was a novel blog (About Bruce Heard) You were change in the method of approach, since TSR wasn’t then in originally hired by Gary Gygax as a development at TSR? Were most the habit of relying on freelance translator. After two years, your things produced in house by staff talent. An effort was made to ensure position changed to Acquisition employees before you coordinated out-of-house authors quickly became Coordinator and you also did game things? used to TSR’s way of working. TSR’s design. In 1985, the adventure M1 sales depended almost entirely on Bruce Heard: To your first question— Into the Maelstrom was released. being able to ship exactly on most definitely. To the second—yes, to Into the Maelstrom is a very unique expected release dates picked as a point. This was in part because our adventure that introduces the much as 16 months in advance. legal department demanded clear concept of using floating wooden Because of this, there was little or no descriptions of works-for-hire, which "ships of sail" in space. This predates margin for error when freelancers required in house staff doing a lot of Spelljammer by four years and is the were required to deliver their work. concept work ahead of time. As an first instance of such a concept in a That part was unforgiving. insufferably persistent character, I Dungeons and Dragons product that never let a contract go out unless I I am aware of. What inspired you to Random Wizard: You are, perhaps, was satisfied that the product’s most come up with the concept? Did Jeff best known for putting together the importantSample points had been file clearly and Grubb utilize your idea when making Gazetteers detailing the known fully spelled out. Especially in the Spelljammer? What was the world of Mystara. And the voyages of early years, concept work usually development process like? the Princess Ark from Dragon remained the purview of the assigned Magazine (another flying wooden Bruce Heard: This was my first designer on staff. I also insisted that ship!). The roll call of writers for the attempt at a high level adventuring, someone in-house be accountable for Gazetteers reads like a whos who of something with which I had little timely reviews of freelance deliveries, rpg writers; Aaron Allston, Ken experience. The idea of running an while I remained available to Rolston, Steve Perrin, Ed Greenwood, army and, why not, flying around, arbitrate abuses on either sides. yourself, and many more. What was seemed like something exciting, Again, in the 80’s almost everything the process like to find a writer to innovative, and appropriate to the was designed in house, so these work on a Gazetteer? Did you have to level of play. There were weak spots processes were all new. micro manage the production? Are in the design, and I probably would there any particular interesting structure it differently if I had to do moments during the 1987-1991 run something like this now. I do not of the Gazetteers that stand out in know for a fact whether Jeff used any your mind that you would like to of it as a source for Spelljammer. He’s share? a very talented writer and designer more than capable of developing Spelljammer without my odd little module! 8 Bruce Heard: Early on, getting well- Back in the 80’s when I happened to Random Wizard: You are listed as the established authors and artists for the use these two names (because they Project Coordinator on the 1991 Gazetteers was a blast. Since most sounded great) the idea was that folk Rules Cyclopedia by Aaron Allston. things were done in house, I had a from the Northern Reaches (Mystara’s The Rules Cyclopedia is held up as free hand at selecting who I wanted Vikings) settled parts of Alphatia in an the holy grail of D&D by some, as it for the Gazetteers. As TSR's product earlier age. There was also the name is a complete game covering a wide lineup outgrew in-house resources, of the King of Ar, Qissling, who in the range of levels, topics, and types of things got a bit tighter of course. real world was a WWII Danish play-- all in one rule book. When did Depending on the author, I got statesman. That one didn’t come from the idea of putting the complete involved with production, usually me and was a bit too close for basic line into one hardbound book with mappers because of the relative comfort since the Mystaran homonym come about? How long was the complexity of Mystara maps. wasn’t a great guy. I can’t think of development process? What was it Gazetteers early on adopted the 96- anything else. like working with Aaron Allston on pg format + mapsheet which at the the project? Did you have a lot of time was seen as a heavy-weight Random Wizard: In 1988, GAZ 10 The input into what was included in the format. It wasn’t long before everyone Orcs of Thar was released. This Cyclopedia? else got on that bandwagon though. Gazetteer was unique in that it was presented from the humanoid Bruce Heard: The idea came about the Random Wizard: I (Random Wizard) monsters perspective. It provided moment I got frustrated digging went to GenCon sometime between rules for playing Orcs, Kobolds, around the pile of players’ handbooks 1986 and 1989. I attended a panel of Trolls, etc... Did you do much and DM’s guides from four separate TSR employees that talked about playtesting of the rules? The rules boxed sets. And I was often frustrated Gazetteers (briefly) and then went seem to encourage a fun and with this. I don’t recall how long it into the plans for 2nd edition carefree style (and are quite took for Aaron and Steven to get all Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. I imaginative). Were there any sources that stuff in there, but you can count remember that there was a group of of inspiration for putting together this in terms of many months of hard young guys (from a Nordic country) this Gazetteer? Was there a reason work. Initially, yes, I had a lot of input who were upset that a Gazetteer had you tackled this Gazetteer instead of in what was to be included. Once the made up a name, and that name handing it off to someone else? project was underway, we all knew seemed to be interpreted as a slight what the target was, and as the beast against some people (in Sweden, Bruce Heard:Sample There was a filelot of grew, the type size shrank. For a TSR Norway, Finland, or somewhere playtest for the boardgame insert. product of the 90s, the RC is written around there). Did such a topic ever Unfortunately, no time was left at all in really small type with little or no reach your desk? You might have to try out RPG optional developments. room to spare. This also was one of even been present on the panel I I had to shoot from the hip for much my decisions—and of course part of was at! of this. GAZ10 indeed had a lot of my job was justifying the RC’s format crunch to it. There was no specific and page count to a very worried Bruce Heard: I have no idea which source of inspiration other than my upper management. I once had a visit name it would be. Recently a good decision to show the “monster’s” point from the VP of Finance concerned number of Swedes stumbled on my of view with some humor. It had been about the RC’s usefulness and sales references to the City of Sundsvall, a while since I’d designed GAZ3, and potential. Obviously I won that bit of Alphatia’s imperial capital. Of course the Known World’s real estate was fun. Amusing perhaps, but only in there was no direct connection with going away fast! That was the retrospect. the real Sundsvall in Sweden (or for motivation for fishing GAZ10 out of that matter Trollhattan).