The Never Ending Interview: Day Six
The Never Ending Interview: Day Six
One question a day will be addressed, for as long as it remains interesting to me, and the questions keep coming.
Today’s question was asked by Melissa, of the dynamic duo Erick and Melissa @AangandKarara. She asked a detailed multi-part question, which I split up into three questions, since they really were three questions (Sneaky Parker, thinking she can fool me).
Melissa: I know you started in the gaming industry.
Bill: Sort of. If you mean my first published work, then that was back in 1976, while going to college in Eugene, Oregon. I hand drew a few local newspaper ads and flyers, for which I charged a whopping ten dollars a pop. My crowning achievement in that year was designing a better logo for a local band called Wheatfield, when I did an appearance flyer for a venue that was hosting them. The band sought me out, asked me to sign over all rights to the logo I designed. I was happy to do it, for some pay. Since they had no money, we settled for a lifetime two free passes to any concert or venue at which the band played, for all time. Does anyone in the area know if Wheatfield ever made it as a band? Maybe I can finally take them up on my pay.
In any case, that year in Oregon was my first professional work, which means that’s where I started.
The gaming industry, specifically the art department of TSR Hobbies, was certainly where I started in a serious and dedicated way. That was where I decided “some form of this” was what I planned on doing to make a living. Even during that time – I worked at TSR for about a year, and then did some freelance work for them for another year – I was working towards my next (and possibly ultimate) step, which was breaking into comic book illustration.
Melissa: What was your favorite gaming project?
Bill: Good question, for which I’m not sure I have an adequate answer. I have a fondness for Dungeons & Dragons, the original first version, because that started the entire tabletop role-playing game industry, including my involvement in it. Death Duel With the Destroyers, and Island of Doctor Apocalypse are the only two published gaming projects, both for the Villains and Vigilantes RPG, which I wrote, as well as illustrated. And they led indirectly to my comics career, so of course I’m glad they existed.
But my favorite gaming projects have to be a few things that never saw publication. The first was an unnamed superhero role-playing game that I was inspired to start working on while still in the Army. Since the fantasy and science fiction genres had already been so well covered at the time (this was back in late 79 and early 80), I thought someone had better do a game set in a superhero universe. It didn’t get too far before I arrived at the TSR offices, ready for my new job, and immediately met fellow art department artist Jeff Dee, who’d already published a superhero game, and was in the early stages of revising it for a second publication. Since it had already been done, I didn’t see much point in continuing work on my own game.
Later that year, while working in the art department, I started work on my second big role-playing game, where one would play modern gods – along the lines of Zelazny’s various prose works, or Kirby’s New Gods and high tech Norse gods in Marvel’s Thor comics. I worked on that until I started getting comics work, at which time that project also fell by the wayside.
So, my favorite gaming projects were two games that never actually existed. I suspect this is because imaginary projects are always perfect and wonderful. Those that actually have to exist are always flawed by the imperfect acts that go into every act of creation.
Melissa: Your favorite games to play now?
Bill: I get to play games so seldom that I doubt I can pin down a favorite. Someday I’ll finish creating my ultimate board game (think of RISK, but with spies, assassins and ocean battles) and that may answer your question just fine.
