RPGaDay2015: Day 11

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Day 11: Favorite RPG Writer

Aw, come on, man. This isn't even fair.

Fine.

Okay, so this one has a winner and a runner-up as well.

First, I've got to give my man, Matthew McFarland, a serious shout-out. He wins this because honestly, his game writing always knows what it is. He understands how to communicate the structure of a game and its rules in a way that is not only readable, but sensible. He is, in my opinion, responsible for some of the best work written for the World of Darkness. The fact that he loves what he does comes through in his words, and it makes it a pleasure to edit. Also, the man writes fiction that breaks my heart in the best way. I can always hear his voice in his fiction, even when it's someone else speaking, and that just kills me. :) Also, in the words of Charlotte Bronte, "Reader, I married him." And I would be fibbing if I didn't admit that his skill as a writer was one of the things that won me over. He's my own personal Orpheus, and I admire him greatly.

Second, I've got to give full props to Steve Kenson, who I started working with in my earliest days in the industry, back at FASA on Shadowrun. I can identify Steve's work at a glance -- it's clean, clear, and filled with a certain buoyant lightness even as it deals with the nitty gritty details of whatever system he's writing for. He moves from game to game as though system mastery was no big deal, and he's consummately professional. Any day I find out I'm going to be working with Steve again is a good day. :) Love ya, man.

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