Category: Interviews Page 1 of 2

Interview with Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan

For many long-time fans it came as somewhat of a shock when – in the mid-2000s and seemingly out of the blue – Chaosium ‘handed’ their Eternal Champion gaming licenses over to Mongoose Publishing. For myself personally, as a big fan of the Elric, Hawkmoon and Corum games, I never really expected Chaosium would willingly give up their control these properties, despite their somewhat ‘love-hate’ relationship with these worlds over the previous quarter of a century. Of course, the reaction to this shift was typical of what one sees when any big changes occur with anything we love; a mixed of anger, excitement and not a little trepidation. What would come of my favourite game? Would we get to explore new aspects of the Eternal Champion? And – hang on – just who are these Mongoose guys, anyway?

While history speaks for itself, it is undeniable that Mongoose Publishing’s stewardship of the Eternal Champion was another high point for the licence, not only bringing in new players and fans into the Multiverse, but also creating games that reflected more closely the actual worlds Moorcock had laid out all those years before. More importantly, Mongoose had a new way of working, one that ensured that the lines would be actively supported and would see regular releases. And to do that you needed talent.

It is fortunate, then, that our guest today was the very person shoulder tapped to bring Mongoose’s vision of Hawkmoon’s Tragic Millennium to life. An author young and raw enough to hold no fear leaping into a new property that had a long and complex history, and which therefore brought with it much expectation. None other than the now well-known and immensely respected, Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan!

Interview with Fred John Behrendt

The early to mid 1990s was an undeniably golden age for the Stormbringer Role Playing Game. Under the leadership of the likes of Keith Herber, Richard Watts and Greg Stafford, it finally reached the creative heights it always aspired to, delivering a run of supplements that would become beloved by fans worldwide.

Yet this period of creativity would’ve never been possible without the individual writers who would take the raw concepts of Moorcock’s Multiverse and transform them into the scenarios and support material that has done do so much to define this great RPG. In this regard, few names stand out as much as Fred John Behrendt, the author behind many of the game’s best and most interesting adventures… and a true Champion of the Young Kingdoms

Interview with John R. White

The transition of the Eternal Champion license from Chaosium to Mongoose Publishing was a sudden one, although, given the lack of interest in the line at the time by its long term owners, one that I suppose, in hindsight, was not to be unexpected. By the mid 2000s, Chaosium was a shadow of its former self, surviving for the most part, on their loose schedule of new Call of Cthulhu products and its impressive back catalogue; to be successful, the Moorcock’s roleplaying Multiverse needed a new Champion!

This opened the way for Mongoose Publishing, who under the leadership of Mathew Sprange, and the dedication of such authors Pete Nash, Loz Whitaker and Gareth Hanrahan (amongst others) revived both the Elric and Hawkmoon lines. But, like many of Moorcock’s own stories, history was destined to repeat itself. The lines, although popular, suffered from the very aspects that had made Mongoose a rising star in the early 2000s, and in the end only one author remained – John R. White – The Last Defender!

Interview with Malcolm Wolter

As with many such creative endeavours it is often those behind the scenes that make the biggest difference to a project. So it was with Malcolm Wolter, editor, graphic designer and writer of Stormbringer’s one and only fanzine – Herald of Doom.

A while ago, Stormbringer! had the opportunity to chat with Malcolm about his efforts in producing this well-received, but short-lived zine, and his other contributions the game line and other Chaosium RPGs (the result of which sees him today, once more working with Chaosium’s founder, Greg Stafford).

Interview with Ben Monroe

Ben Monroe was the creator of the Stormbringer 4th edition Magic system and is the author of the forthcoming Magic World RPG. Ben is a former Chaosium employee with close ties to the company, a master of layout (and the sacrifices given to such a task), and an all-round great guy. Earlier this year Stormbringer! took the time to talk about his input into our favourite RPG and his upcoming release (which as a lot more in common with Stormbringer than you could have ever have guessed!).

Over the years many individuals would come to guide the direction and future of the Stormbringer RPG, crafting it into the game we all remember so fondly. One such contributor is Ben Monroe, a one time employee, and long time supporter of Chaosium. Ben has been a contributor to numerous incarnations of the Basic Role Play system (BRP), including Call of Cthulhu, but perhaps of most interest to the followers of Stormbringerrpg.com was his involvement with the 4th edition rule set. More specifically it was his redesign of the magic system that better reflected how demons, elementals and objects of Law should be dealt with in game – a vision that continued right up to the last printing of Stormbringer.

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