Interview with Ben McFarland (Part 2)

And we are back for Part II of our interview with the ENnie award winning desginer Ben McFarland (Kobold Quarterly, Tales of Zobeck), as we talk with him about his newest projectThe Breakingof Fostor Nagar, City of Grinding Ice You can find Part IHERE

11. Living and breathing the Rituals of Choice adventure path, I know how close one gets to one’s work, how do you handle input for something like as Breaking of Fostor Nagar? How do you plan to handle patron criticism?

Criticism is an essential part of the process-- having contributed to five different patron projects, I know that you absolutely must have criticism to refine a project. I would say I have a tough time with unsupported, unexplained criticism. Don't just tell me you don't like something. Tell me why you don't like something, tell me what about that aspect rubs you the wrong way, and what you think you'd like better or what you'd want to see changed. Just saying, "Eh, I don't like it" helps out no one. I want that criticism, I want to know what works and what doesn't work, what evokes emotion, what is entertaining to explore and play, what keeps you eagerly wanting the next session. If we're trying out new design ideas or playing with various game mechanics and something falls short or strikes the wrong note, I *need* to know so that I can fix it. I joke regularly with my wife-- I failed Telepathy class in school, so you need to tell me things in order for me to improve. :D

12. Describe your best moment so far working on Breaking of Fostor Nagar?

I think when I discussed the kind of arc I had in mind, this race through a dying city fraught with tough choices, that was great. So much just sprang to mind with that discussion.

13. What do you feel was the most ingenious part of Breaking of Fostor Nagar that you have devised so far?

I'd like to think it was setting the city in a glacier, carved from the glacier. The ice is far more mutable than earth, and it allows for a lot more exciting options with less concern about how to justify those options.

14. What specific design choice are you most happy with, and why?

I'm very pleased this project is going forward with the Pathfinder ruleset. There are a lot of options out there when one wants to tell a fantasy story, but I love the verisimilitude offered by the OGL roots of Pathfinder.

15. Which design element was the hardest to figure out, and why?

For me, the hardest part is always the environment. Environment is the one enemy that the party cannot truly escape and cannot truly defeat. Sure, there are exceptions, there are always exceptions. For most of your adventures, environment helps set the tone, or creates a countdown effect, actively harms your adventurers or even aids them. When you choose the environment for an adventure, you make a big choice about the conditions that will influence the characters' decisions throughout the story.

16. What have you learned about design and especially designing for patronage projects so far?

Get to know the patrons. Listen to them, talk to them and brainstorm with them. It's the best investment you can make.

17. Do you have any intial thoughts on new races, creature, or other new mechanics?

I think it might be a lot of fun to play with the magic of the Hungering Legion--gruesome and utilitarian all at once. Maybe spin up some specialized Ice magics of the defenders.

18. What are the initial obstacles that Breaking of Fostor Nagar must overcome? How do you plan to surmount them?

The toughest part will be setting the primary objective and then adjusting the stories to it. Depending on what we decide the characters need to accomplish, that can redefine our needs across the project.

19. We have a long history of fantasy adventure stories in the RPG industry how do you decided what has become cliché and what is a valuable trope to explore?

That's a tough question. I think you've got to keep an eye on current game materials and pop culture, as well as current events. The key is finding the ideas that are relevant, fresh and interesting and then putting them in the proper setting. I won't lie, I think there's a lot of alchemy to that process-- more intuition than science, and it's tough to do.

20. Are you happy with the progress of Breaking of Fostor Nagar so far?

Heck yeah! We've got a good concept of the setting, of the scope of the story, and we've got a great creative group together to hammer the ideas into something sharp and beautiful. When you add the fact that we're over 60% on commission, I say, "I like this plan, I'm proud to be a part of it!"

More next time as we continue our disscussion with Ben McFarland about the Breaking of Fostor Nagar, below is a sneak peak at our artwork!