The RPGnet Interview
Thirty-five years later, Steve Jackson has retrieved his game on his own terms, as announced in the Daily Illuminator. This specifically includes the eight Fantasy Trip books that he wrote: Melee, Wizard, Death Test, Death Test 2, Advanced Melee, Advanced Wizard, In the Labyrinth, and Tollenkar's Lair. Though it's the middle of the holiday season, Steve was kind enough to talk a little about this surprising turn of events.
Shannon Appelcline: Tell us about The Fantasy Trip. How did it come to be?
Steve Jackson: Originally it was one little game, Melee, which was designed because I thought D&D combat was way too complicated. Fan reaction was good and it kind of grew, first with the addition of magic rules in a sequel, Wizard, and then with a world background and roleplaying system in In the Labyrinth, and alongside that, the programmed adventures, Death Test and the follow-ons.
Appelcline: What were the strengths of The Fantasy Trip, as compared to the other RPGs of 1977-1980?
Jackson: Simple rules, simply explained. That's really it.
Appelcline: Why did you leave The Fantasy Trip behind?
Jackson: I had no choice; I had sold the publication rights to Metagaming.
Appelcline: After The Fantasy Trip, you of course produced a new RPG, GURPS. How do you feel the two compare?
Jackson: TFT is an introductory game designed for the fantasy genre, and tending slightly toward the cinematic. I was certainly concerned with realism when I wrote it; I joined the SCA to study medieval-style combat. But fast play always trumped reality when it came down to the final call.
GURPS is an intermediate game, intended for players who are already familiar with RPGs and want more options in their play. And, of course, it's designed to be able to represent all backgrounds. GURPS doesn't have to be played in a realistic and crunchy manner, but it supports that style of play and is probably most popular among simulationists.
So they can both coexist in the same collection; they take up different headspace. I will definitely not be making TFT "more GURPSlike." Players who want something GURPSlike have GURPS, after all.
Appelcline: It's 30 years later. How did you manage to recover The Fantasy Trip?
Jackson: Short answer: operation of 17 US Code §203, after the requisite very long wait. Your readers can get the text of this law on the Cornell Law site: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/203. My advice for anybody who thinks this might apply to their work: start by marshaling your facts - when you transferred the rights, to whom, and so on - and then talk to an attorney who specializes in intellectual property.
Appelcline: So basically, you waited thirty-five years from publication, served a notice of termination, then waited another few years for it to go into effect?
Jackson: You make it sound like a walk in the park :) But that's it, in a nutshell.
Appelcline: And the rights for your eight Fantasy Trip books are back with you as of December 26th?
Jackson: And I am very pleased about it, as you might imagine! Your next logical question is "when will they be republished and in what format?" but I don't know the answer yet, myself. I'm going to pay a lot of attention to the comments that I get in response to my original announcement, and to this interview too.
Appelcline: Any word on what Howard M. Thompson is doing now?
Jackson: I can say nothing about his whereabouts or what he's doing. My understanding is that he wanted to leave gaming behind when he shut down Metagaming, and I have no wish to infringe on his privacy.
Appelcline: What do you think The Fantasy Trip's place is in the modern market?
That gets to the question of what format we'll produce it in, etc., etc., which is still way up in the air.
Appelcline: Do you think it does any particular strengths compared to the other games out today?
Jackson: The modern market likes simplicity and fast play, so . . . maybe. I'm getting a lot of enthusiastic mail from former (and some continuing) TFT players, and that is heartening!
Steve says that he'll be paying attention to comments, so take a moment to tap on the forum thread, below, and tell him what you'd like to see from The Fantasy Trip in the future.
If you'd like to know more about the historical context of The Fantasy Trip, read about Metagaming in Designers & Dragons: The '70s and about Steve Jackson Games in Designers & Dragons: The '80s.
