Origin Profiles - Herman Miller

[Origin Pages][Origin Profiles][Worlds Of Origin]

Worlds Of Origin
Interview
with

David Ladyman

WOO: Thank you in advance for agreeing to be our latest victim. We'd first like to get some background on your work at OSI. Your name is listed under 'documentation' in the credits of just about every product line produced at OSI. Just what is it you do with the publications? Write, edit, layout, supervise....

.

DL: I'm Publications Manager at OSI. In theory, that means that any documentation in any of our products goes across my desk, at least for editing. In general, I'm also involved in deciding the format, content and presentation for each piece of documentation.

Note that I don't make these decisions. Several other folks (usually the project writer, the product manager, one or two graphic designers, one or more development team members, and a couple of product support folks) are also significantly involved. We all have input, heads are cracked as necessary, and a final plan evolves.

I'm also responsible for making sure each piece of documentation gets done in time to be printed and shipped with the game. (Players tend to get cranky when documentation is left out of a game ....)

Having said all this, let me add that this aspect of my job gets easier every day, because the Publications team is a crack staff, each and every one. I started with no staff - I was responsible for all our docs and guide books, but I had to borrow product development writers to get them done. If one writer was suddenly needed for a game, I had to switch writers in mid-stream (after screaming a couple of weeks for a replacement)

After a couple years, I was allowed to hire two dedicated Publications writers - Melissa Mead (now Melissa Tyler) and Tuesday Frase. They are dedicated in every sense of the word, can create sparkling text, and now have enough experience and skill to edit and develop material themselves - I'm spending far less time now on day-to-day editorial tasks than I was three years ago.

Chris McCubbin (ex-SJG staff writer; CthulhuPunk, etc. - see below) has been part of the team for a couple of years. He's probably our most prolific writer - you might know him best from the richly detailed Crusader materials he's created.

Our final two current members have been here for over a year each - they were added when we started taking on responsibility for docs and books outside of OSI. We now create books for most Bullfrog games, and have done a lot of work for the San Mateo Jane's team. Wendi Dunn is our Publications Designer - she's been creating the look and feel for all our books since mid-95, and is the primary reason why we now ship each guide book at the same time as the game (rather than a month or two later). She designs each book as we write it, rather than waiting till the text is finished, turning book creation into a much more integrated, efficient process. Jennifer Spohrer underwent her baptism of fire with our first two Jane's products. Along with Tuesday, she cranked out over 1300 pages of docs and books in 4 months.

Together, we are Incan Monkey God Productions (do you read Dilbert?). Individually, we are the Crunch Monkeys. Each writer has responsibility for specific projects, but it's a rare project that hasn't been touched by every other writer. Wendi designs the books for all of them, and I stand back and take the credit.

We're making the move into electronic documentation, but carefully and (in theory) only where appropriate. We haven't yet seen electronic documentation that works well, and we aren't anxious to add to the industry's list of failures. However, done well, and for appropriate uses, electronic docs can be easier to use than paper docs, and that's our goal.

Since Ultima Online is an internet game, we've targeted it as a first good opportunity to also put some of the play guide online. (That doesn't mean we intend to publish all the usual rich background materials electronically - expect to see them in paper, as usual.) Tuesday is our pointman on electronic docs, so she is lead writer for UO. However, I suspect every Crunch Monkey will add something to UO.

WOO: We noticed you are listed as editing the AH-64D LongBow manual. Are the documents for military simulations any more difficult than those for fantasy or science fiction games? (Just curious since military sim fans seem extremely picky when it comes to technical specs on actual hardware, as well as historical accuracy.)

.

DL: No, just more boring (just kidding. sort of). Jane's docs are harder than our other docs. With military sims, especially with the Jane's brand, you've got to be right. You can't make anything up, because it's all based on reality. On the other hand, most of the information already exists (again, thanks to Jane's). We just have to track it down and put it in the right format (not a trivial task). The thing that makes a Jane's game difficult to document is the sheer size of it all - Jane's docs are several times larger than any of our other docs, both in reference material and in play instructions. Organizing it so that it's all accessible is a significant task all by itself.

WOO: How long have you been with OSI, and how did you come to work there. Is there anything you could tell us about your employment before joining OSI?

.

DL: We could go with the short version or the long version. I'll try to give you one that's in between. (Editor's note: we'd hate to see the long version. *G*)

I attended Rice University (Houston) between '73 and '77. My second year there, I was introduced to Kingmaker (still possibly my all-time favorite game) and D&D (in the little white box). I played at various Texas game conventions (DallasCon, NanCon, WarCon) before graduating (Math and Linguistics) and moving to Austin for graduate work in Linguistics. (I stayed registered at UT Austin for 9 years, and finished everything but the dissertation. I've been told that last step is important.)

I continued occasional gaming and game conventions in Austin, and in '81 was invited to the ongoing playtest sessions at Steve Jackson Games, back when he operated out of his house. I played in the first playtests for Car Wars, Illuminati and GURPS.

I was still in graduate school, but getting more and more involved in gaming. In '81, a small group of Austin gamers decided we could do a game convention better than anyone else, and we did (he said modestly), four times between '81 and '85 - Texcon. In the meantime, I was doing more and more playtesting, and had started travelling to conventions professionally, as a publishers' rep. That means that I took new games on consignment, sold them, gave 50% to the publisher, and paid expenses (and profit) out of the rest. I'd go to shows that the publishers themselves didn't attend. My principle publishers were Steve Jackson Games, FASA, Task Force Games, Hero Games and The Armory (dice and other goodies). And between '85 and '87, Martha (my wife) and I created and ran Hexworld, a table game center in Austin.

(A word to the wise. Neither game conventions or table game centers are profitable. Just don't do it.)

Somewhere in this period (it's all a little fuzzy), I edited the first three issues of the Car Wars magazine, AutoDuel Quarterly. My main contribution was to date it 50 years in the future, and publish it as though the American AutoDuel Association actually existed. Oh, yeah - I'm also responsible for Uncle Albert, or at least his conception. Martha was the actual Uncle Albert for over four years, creating such marketing wonders as the Mother-in-Law seat - an ejection seat without the optional parachute. I also edited a Champions module (The Coriolis Effect) and Justice, Inc., both for Hero Systems.

Between '86 and '88, I was a staff editor at Steve Jackson Games. (At various times I was Car Wars and GURPS system guru.) From '89 to '91 I was a freelance editor and developer for various folks, principally FASA (Renegade Legion and BattleTech) and TSR (Dragonlance modules). I also wrote the GURPS Prisoner book, based on the Patrick McGoohan TV series in the late '60s.

I had gradually become aware of OSI along the way, and several of my ex-SJG friends were working there - among them, Denis Loubet, Warren Spector, Jeff George, Steve Beeman, and Mark Chandler. Warren let me know each time a writing position came open, but I resisted - if you'll notice, I'm an editor and developer, not a writer. When OSI finally decided to hire a Publications Editor, I hit it with both feet. I've been with OSI 5 1/2 years (since 5/91).

.

WOO: Seeing your name associated with so many OSI products (is there any in recent years you don't have a mention in?) we have to wonder, do you have a favorite? How about any other computer games. Is there one from any other company you particularly enjoy?

.

DL: I'm not aware of any game over the last 5 years without my name in it (one of the perks of getting to edit and correct everything ...).

If you'll notice, I come from paper gaming. I enjoy multiplayer games, especially games involving negotiation, and I particularly enjoy face-to-face gaming. There aren't a lot of computer games that fit that description, and OSI doesn't make any of them (although the new development contract with Firaxis certainly has my interest). I also enjoy puzzle-solving games, and games that don't require a lot of fast-reflex killing - Zork: Nemesis is one that I enjoyed a great deal (although the final puzzles were too easy).

OSI games that come closest to this are the Looking Glass games - the Underworlds and System Shock.

WOO: At GenCon a couple of years back we noticed you carrying some books around, so we assume you enjoy reading now and then. Is there a particular genre, author, or title you favor?

.

DL: I was carrying books around because I'm also responsible for negotiating our intellectual properties licenses - novels, paper games, and so forth. (They don't trust me with any movie or TV deals.) However, I do enjoy reading, mainly well developed SF/fantasy worlds, and good mysteries. On the SF/F side, I'll read just about anything by Cherryh, Clayton, Bujold, Tenn, Biggle, Killough, Powers, Schmitz, Brust or Melissa Scott. On the mystery side, my favorite authors are Stout (Nero Wolfe), Christie, Marsh and Grimes. I also enjoy good humor - Wodehouse and Saki come to mind.

WOO: Not to get personal (well, yes we are going to get personal, we just don't mean to be rude), but we would like to know a little about you outside of Origin. Do you yourself write? Have you been, or do you aspire to being published?

.

DL: As you've mentioned, I've gotten my name in print plenty of times, both at OSI and before. I only have a few original writing and design credits - the Prisoner book and Star Traders (an old SJG board game) are what I'm proudest of.

I've also written a lot on the projects I've developed and edited - a page here, 5 or 6 pages there - because a hole needed to be filled (either in the plot or in the page layout!). My primary ability is to take something and make it better. I can do that both with text and with game systems, and I've been fortunate enough to find a job that lets me do both.

I enjoy being creative, and there are plenty of opportunities for that in OSI Publications. OSI has always had a tradition of top-notch docs, and I hope we've upheld and extended that tradition. I won't say I'm proud of everything we've produced here, but I think the overall record is superior to anything else I've seen in the industry (he said, again, quite modestly). I'm also proud that our guide books have developed from 48-page unedited hodge-podges to polished, tightly designed books of 200+ pages.

WOO: Assuming you've been a gamer for a while now (Not saying you're old, just experienced), and a regular at some of the conventions, how have you seen things change? At the conventions and with gaming in general.

.

DL: Gaming goes through phases, or generations. In the fifteen years that I've been involved, there's always been something new to hold old players and make new converts. The latest phase has been the collectible card games. In my opinion, the card games have peaked and I don't yet see what will replace them. This could be a problem for gaming.

WOO: Do you have any other hobbies or interests? (Model Railroading, collecting, roller blading).

.

DL: I hope it's been interesting so far, but everyone better make a Morale Check ... My primary interests outside of gaming are my family and my faith. I've been married for 19 wonderful years - in fact, if you review some of what I've been doing during that time, you've got to wonder about the sanity of any woman who's put up with me that whole time. I've got a sweet 2-year-old daughter (Evalina), and another kid is due on Evalina's third birthday in April. I spend most of my free time with them and with others in my congregation, working to spread God's word.

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us.


WOO:	Thank you in advance for agreeing to be our latest victim. We'd first like to get some background on your work at OSI. Your name is listed under 'documentation' in the credits of just about every product line produced at OSI. Just what is it you do with the publications? Write, edit, layout, supervise....
.
DL:	I'm Publications Manager at OSI. In theory, that means that any documentation in any of our products goes across my desk, at least for editing. In general, I'm also involved in deciding the format, content and presentation for each piece of documentation. Note that I don't make these decisions. Several other folks (usually the project writer, the product manager, one or two graphic designers, one or more development team members, and a couple of product support folks) are also significantly involved. We all have input, heads are cracked as necessary, and a final plan evolves. I'm also responsible for making sure each piece of documentation gets done in time to be printed and shipped with the game. (Players tend to get cranky when documentation is left out of a game ....) Having said all this, let me add that this aspect of my job gets easier every day, because the Publications team is a crack staff, each and every one. I started with no staff - I was responsible for all our docs and guide books, but I had to borrow product development writers to get them done. If one writer was suddenly needed for a game, I had to switch writers in mid-stream (after screaming a couple of weeks for a replacement) After a couple years, I was allowed to hire two dedicated Publications writers - Melissa Mead (now Melissa Tyler) and Tuesday Frase. They are dedicated in every sense of the word, can create sparkling text, and now have enough experience and skill to edit and develop material themselves - I'm spending far less time now on day-to-day editorial tasks than I was three years ago. Chris McCubbin (ex-SJG staff writer; CthulhuPunk, etc. - see below) has been part of the team for a couple of years. He's probably our most prolific writer - you might know him best from the richly detailed Crusader materials he's created. Our final two current members have been here for over a year each - they were added when we started taking on responsibility for docs and books outside of OSI. We now create books for most Bullfrog games, and have done a lot of work for the San Mateo Jane's team. Wendi Dunn is our Publications Designer - she's been creating the look and feel for all our books since mid-95, and is the primary reason why we now ship each guide book at the same time as the game (rather than a month or two later). She designs each book as we write it, rather than waiting till the text is finished, turning book creation into a much more integrated, efficient process. Jennifer Spohrer underwent her baptism of fire with our first two Jane's products. Along with Tuesday, she cranked out over 1300 pages of docs and books in 4 months. Together, we are Incan Monkey God Productions (do you read Dilbert?). Individually, we are the Crunch Monkeys. Each writer has responsibility for specific projects, but it's a rare project that hasn't been touched by every other writer. Wendi designs the books for all of them, and I stand back and take the credit. We're making the move into electronic documentation, but carefully and (in theory) only where appropriate. We haven't yet seen electronic documentation that works well, and we aren't anxious to add to the industry's list of failures. However, done well, and for appropriate uses, electronic docs can be easier to use than paper docs, and that's our goal. Since Ultima Online is an internet game, we've targeted it as a first good opportunity to also put some of the play guide online. (That doesn't mean we intend to publish all the usual rich background materials electronically - expect to see them in paper, as usual.) Tuesday is our pointman on electronic docs, so she is lead writer for UO. However, I suspect every Crunch Monkey will add something to UO.

WOO:	We noticed you are listed as editing the AH-64D LongBow manual. Are the documents for military simulations any more difficult than those for fantasy or science fiction games? (Just curious since military sim fans seem extremely picky when it comes to technical specs on actual hardware, as well as historical accuracy.)
.
DL:	No, just more boring (just kidding. sort of). Jane's docs are harder than our other docs. With military sims, especially with the Jane's brand, you've got to be right. You can't make anything up, because it's all based on reality. On the other hand, most of the information already exists (again, thanks to Jane's). We just have to track it down and put it in the right format (not a trivial task). The thing that makes a Jane's game difficult to document is the sheer size of it all - Jane's docs are several times larger than any of our other docs, both in reference material and in play instructions. Organizing it so that it's all accessible is a significant task all by itself.

WOO:	How long have you been with OSI, and how did you come to work there. Is there anything you could tell us about your employment before joining OSI?
.
DL:	We could go with the short version or the long version. I'll try to give you one that's in between. (Editor's note: we'd hate to see the long version. G) I attended Rice University (Houston) between '73 and '77. My second year there, I was introduced to Kingmaker (still possibly my all-time favorite game) and D&D (in the little white box). I played at various Texas game conventions (DallasCon, NanCon, WarCon) before graduating (Math and Linguistics) and moving to Austin for graduate work in Linguistics. (I stayed registered at UT Austin for 9 years, and finished everything but the dissertation. I've been told that last step is important.) I continued occasional gaming and game conventions in Austin, and in '81 was invited to the ongoing playtest sessions at Steve Jackson Games, back when he operated out of his house. I played in the first playtests for Car Wars, Illuminati and GURPS. I was still in graduate school, but getting more and more involved in gaming. In '81, a small group of Austin gamers decided we could do a game convention better than anyone else, and we did (he said modestly), four times between '81 and '85 - Texcon. In the meantime, I was doing more and more playtesting, and had started travelling to conventions professionally, as a publishers' rep. That means that I took new games on consignment, sold them, gave 50% to the publisher, and paid expenses (and profit) out of the rest. I'd go to shows that the publishers themselves didn't attend. My principle publishers were Steve Jackson Games, FASA, Task Force Games, Hero Games and The Armory (dice and other goodies). And between '85 and '87, Martha (my wife) and I created and ran Hexworld, a table game center in Austin. (A word to the wise. Neither game conventions or table game centers are profitable. Just don't do it.) Somewhere in this period (it's all a little fuzzy), I edited the first three issues of the Car Wars magazine, AutoDuel Quarterly. My main contribution was to date it 50 years in the future, and publish it as though the American AutoDuel Association actually existed. Oh, yeah - I'm also responsible for Uncle Albert, or at least his conception. Martha was the actual Uncle Albert for over four years, creating such marketing wonders as the Mother-in-Law seat - an ejection seat without the optional parachute. I also edited a Champions module (The Coriolis Effect) and Justice, Inc., both for Hero Systems. Between '86 and '88, I was a staff editor at Steve Jackson Games. (At various times I was Car Wars and GURPS system guru.) From '89 to '91 I was a freelance editor and developer for various folks, principally FASA (Renegade Legion and BattleTech) and TSR (Dragonlance modules). I also wrote the GURPS Prisoner book, based on the Patrick McGoohan TV series in the late '60s. I had gradually become aware of OSI along the way, and several of my ex-SJG friends were working there - among them, Denis Loubet, Warren Spector, Jeff George, Steve Beeman, and Mark Chandler. Warren let me know each time a writing position came open, but I resisted - if you'll notice, I'm an editor and developer, not a writer. When OSI finally decided to hire a Publications Editor, I hit it with both feet. I've been with OSI 5 1/2 years (since 5/91).
.

WOO:	Seeing your name associated with so many OSI products (is there any in recent years you don't have a mention in?) we have to wonder, do you have a favorite? How about any other computer games. Is there one from any other company you particularly enjoy?
.
DL:	I'm not aware of any game over the last 5 years without my name in it (one of the perks of getting to edit and correct everything ...). If you'll notice, I come from paper gaming. I enjoy multiplayer games, especially games involving negotiation, and I particularly enjoy face-to-face gaming. There aren't a lot of computer games that fit that description, and OSI doesn't make any of them (although the new development contract with Firaxis certainly has my interest). I also enjoy puzzle-solving games, and games that don't require a lot of fast-reflex killing - Zork: Nemesis is one that I enjoyed a great deal (although the final puzzles were too easy). OSI games that come closest to this are the Looking Glass games - the Underworlds and System Shock.

WOO:	At GenCon a couple of years back we noticed you carrying some books around, so we assume you enjoy reading now and then. Is there a particular genre, author, or title you favor?
.
DL:	I was carrying books around because I'm also responsible for negotiating our intellectual properties licenses - novels, paper games, and so forth. (They don't trust me with any movie or TV deals.) However, I do enjoy reading, mainly well developed SF/fantasy worlds, and good mysteries. On the SF/F side, I'll read just about anything by Cherryh, Clayton, Bujold, Tenn, Biggle, Killough, Powers, Schmitz, Brust or Melissa Scott. On the mystery side, my favorite authors are Stout (Nero Wolfe), Christie, Marsh and Grimes. I also enjoy good humor - Wodehouse and Saki come to mind.

WOO:	Not to get personal (well, yes we are going to get personal, we just don't mean to be rude), but we would like to know a little about you outside of Origin. Do you yourself write? Have you been, or do you aspire to being published?
.
DL:	As you've mentioned, I've gotten my name in print plenty of times, both at OSI and before. I only have a few original writing and design credits - the Prisoner book and Star Traders (an old SJG board game) are what I'm proudest of. I've also written a lot on the projects I've developed and edited - a page here, 5 or 6 pages there - because a hole needed to be filled (either in the plot or in the page layout!). My primary ability is to take something and make it better. I can do that both with text and with game systems, and I've been fortunate enough to find a job that lets me do both. I enjoy being creative, and there are plenty of opportunities for that in OSI Publications. OSI has always had a tradition of top-notch docs, and I hope we've upheld and extended that tradition. I won't say I'm proud of everything we've produced here, but I think the overall record is superior to anything else I've seen in the industry (he said, again, quite modestly). I'm also proud that our guide books have developed from 48-page unedited hodge-podges to polished, tightly designed books of 200+ pages.

WOO:	Assuming you've been a gamer for a while now (Not saying you're old, just experienced), and a regular at some of the conventions, how have you seen things change? At the conventions and with gaming in general.
.
DL:	Gaming goes through phases, or generations. In the fifteen years that I've been involved, there's always been something new to hold old players and make new converts. The latest phase has been the collectible card games. In my opinion, the card games have peaked and I don't yet see what will replace them. This could be a problem for gaming.

WOO:	Do you have any other hobbies or interests? (Model Railroading, collecting, roller blading).
.
DL:	I hope it's been interesting so far, but everyone better make a Morale Check ... My primary interests outside of gaming are my family and my faith. I've been married for 19 wonderful years - in fact, if you review some of what I've been doing during that time, you've got to wonder about the sanity of any woman who's put up with me that whole time. I've got a sweet 2-year-old daughter (Evalina), and another kid is due on Evalina's third birthday in April. I spend most of my free time with them and with others in my congregation, working to spread God's word.