Casual Interview with Justin Achilli by the DViE Staff
How did you start roleplaying, and about what age did you get interested?
I started in the archetypal cousin’s basement at age nine. From that very first session, I was hooked. I borrowed the game rules and became a full-tilt goober immediately. I mean it — I bought almost everything that I could convince the hobby shop to stock. Of course, I didn’t have much money, so I had to be choosy with what I convinced them to order, but, man, I look back on it all and think of how many thousands of dollars I must have spent on this stuff. It’d buy a lot of vodka, even with 1999 dollars.
What was your first Role-playing game?
Dungeons & Dragons. My cousin’s elf died and we threw his corpse into a room where the walls had been trapped to compress. It didn’t work.
How long have you written for White Wolf, and were you first hired as a writer?
I’ve written for White Wolf for about five years now. My first project, done gratis (grumble grumble) was With Fang and Claw, a revision of the Rage player’s companion. After that, I picked up part of Warriors of the Apocalypse, which was a collection of characters for Werewolf. Soon after working on that book, I shifted over into full-time development on Dark Ages, and now I have some bit of writing in every Vampire book that hits the shelves. Some more than others, of course.
Why did you start writing for white wolf, and how did you come to write for White Wolf?
I basically did the Rage book for free, because it was handled "on the clock," and we needed it for the game line. As to how, I did that book because I was developing Rage at the time and having worked with that game nonstop for over a year, I had a pretty good handle on it. As far as working on other books, I think Ethan hired me on Warriors of the Apocalypse because I was a freak. And that helps in a game like Werewolf, and certainly with Vampire as well.
Do you have any future plans for Vampire?
Tons of ’em. Once we move past 2000 (Year of Revelations), we’ll be stepping back a bit from the metaplot, but that certainly doesn’t mean we’ll be stopping support for the games. On the contrary, I’ve got my 2001 theme book finalized on the schedule and Vampire’s Victorian setting is going to be on there, too. We’ve just finished the Transylvania Chronicles (TCIV is at the printer), but we won’t be starting another story arc immediately. For the next year and a half, I’m focusing again on books that are useful to the Storyteller _and_ the players.
What plans did you have for Vampire, that never made it through the publishing process?
That’s a funny question, because much of what actually goes on in the books has repercussions that never see print. For example, I know what shakes out of the Assamite "rebirth," I know how the Giovanni-Cappadocian-Harbingers thing works out, I have a full detail of Traits for people like Adonai, etc. It’s not so much a question of things that don’t _make it through_ the publishing process as it is things that we choose to _deliberately exclude_ from the process. That said, though, I have had a few ideas that weren’t realistic for the company to undertake. I’m kicking these around with Arthaus so they may still see print (namely Havana by Night, which may become WoD: Havana), but there are plenty of "Ooh, this would be cool!" ideas that every developer has that just can’t be accommodated sometimes.
Are there any parts of Vampire you would change?
Well, if we’re talking about massive, sweeping changes that I would have built in from the beginning, then yes. Of course, I have the benefit of nine years of observing the game, so that’s not really fair to say, but here are a few. I would have only five clans. I wouldn’t have hit the goth angle so hard in the early work. I would have kept it more traditionally gothic. I wouldn’t have the Black Hand — the Camarilla, Sabbat and Inconnu work very well as is. I’d cull most of the proprietary Disciplines (with the exception of Thaumaturgy, which would belong to the Tremere, the blasphemous "sixth clan"). I’d rework Golconda as a more mythical (and less achievable) Biblical redemption. You know… just… things here and there. I think the people before me certainly did an excellent job, but everyone has little marks they’d like to make. In fact, that’s the most rewarding aspect of working on the game to me: seeing people take what they like and work with the rest to get _exactly_ what they want.
Ever consider writing for any other Genre?
Actually, I’ve done a bit of writing for a few other genres. I came up with the Duke Rollo character for Aberrant (who’s obviously based a bit on Bret Harte and a great deal on Hunter S. Thompson) and he’s got an entire book to himself coming out next year. I also do the obligatory writer journal thing, which I’ve been considering publishing online, but I don’t know how much of it is appropriate to outside reading — it’s mostly drug humor, drunken tirades and personal purple angst. I used to do a style column for an online magazine, but my editor left so I don’t work for them any longer. Horror is my first love, though, so that’s where most of my efforts lie.
Is there anything that you would change about todays Role-play? (What annoys you the most?)
When I was younger, we played games and enjoyed the experience. If we wanted to tweak the rules, we did. Nowadays (you whippersnappers!), gaming has become a true "fandom" and often carries with it all of the endemic detritus of fandom. Now, instead of reworking and homebrewing, it’s hip to bitch publicly and spout off about how such-and-such system sucks and how the people working on it are fucking retards and blah blah blah. You see it in fandom everywhere — Star Trek, comics, anime, etc. The people who just quietly enjoy the stuff are overwhelmed by the armchair geniuses who know how it "could have been better" — if everyone just realized that their way was obviously the best. I’ve never been a big supporter of "game celebrity" and I generally try to take it down a notch or two when I go to shows. That’s why I work our parties for free, why I buy drinks for fans, etc. I think it’s fairly ridiculous that anyone who makes a fucking game be afforded some kind of rock-star status, so I don’t subscribe to any of that bullshit. If we’re at a convention (and I’m not drunk), I _enjoy_ talking to people about games. I don’t lord anything over anyone; I genuinely enjoy discussing our common interests. Anyone who tries to make himself a celebrity in this business has a self-esteem problem. Just do your fucking job.
What kind of questions are you asked about Vampire most often?
Mostly plot stuff, with a healthy side order of "What are the Traits for…". I try not to reveal the plot outside of the books themselves, so that stuff doesn’t work on me. Also, unless you see it in a book, I’m not going to tell you the Traits ;)
Is there anything about the game that you would like to stress?
Hell, yes. Make it your own. The published material is only a guideline. If you use it word for word, great. If you scrap it all except for one idea, that’s great, too. The most important thing that can come from this game is the enjoyment and creativity it allows the end user. I guess maybe that’s why I’m so anti-celeb. I’m just another guy; I’m a gamer like everyone else who plays.
Where do you see yourself in the role-play world in 5 years?
I dunno — probably still playing but not necessarily in the business. If I still have a day job in five years, I’ll be upset.
How do you feel about all the negative skepticism that Vampire "feeds" in (Such as, Crap on Jenny Jones, Columbine Crisis. etc.)
I don’t pay it any attention. We have a media-saturated society, and as long as the media sees a big deal, they’ll continue covering it. If we just weather the storm, it’ll all blow over and they’ll lose interest because the real causes of tragedies are less interesting to them than the Next Big Thing. I also think that our society wants to blame someone other than the people responsible, and that just nauseates me, so I tend to ignore the hysterical stories.
Do you have a favorite clan?; If so, what, and why?
Me, I love the Ventrue. They’re in charge, they’re crooked as all hell, and they don’t give a fuck who knows it. Honesty in politics and Prada suits. God bless ’em.