Interview: Mongoose Publishing Date: March 1st 7:00PM PST. Moderated by: Damon White

Mongoose Matt: Hi guys!
Damon: Lets get things rolling with some questions

Damon: Did you encounter any challenges that you think were related to Mongoose being based in the UK versus the US while trying to develop a d20 company?
Mongoose Matt: Shipping was always going to be a problem. . . But basically, no - we always treated ourselves as a US company

Damon: Did you find it hard to get a name out there in the US market?
Mongoose Matt: Actually no - it was much easier than in the UK. The Dragon advert did a lot good.

Damon: GameWyrd> What’s influenced your idea of what a fantasy world should be like the most?
Mongoose Matt: Tough question! It is likely to be a mix of all the films & books I haveever read.
Damon: Having said that what are some books that influenced your work?
Mongoose Matt: Conan, The Cleric Quintet - and of course GW & LOTR. Science & history books play a large role too. . .

Damon: Guest22> Are you looking at Conan d20?
Mongoose Matt: Funnily enough, we were talking about that a few days. As for the possibility, I cannot say yet!
Damon: I think there is a conan d20 site out there coming along....

Damon: Gwar-Killer> Here is my Question.."Did you playtest the E.A. magic system at hi level? The classes (esp. Chaos mage) seem to break down at high levels when the bonuses dwarf the d20
Mongoose Matt: Chaos Magic? Indeed we did - the bonuses are balanced by the backfires and paths of Chaos. The thing to always compare them with are wizards of the same level and what they are capable of. . .
Damon: At a certain level you can remove levels of the path correct? Doesn't that open it up a bit?
Mongoose Matt: Yes - at a cost of experience. . .
Damon: True

Damon: Nix>What about monster compendium books? Any planned?
Mongoose Matt: Not at this time - at least, not for D&D.; . .
Damon: That is an intriguing answer. Something else planned?
Mongoose Matt: Well. . . we have three full-blown RPGs coming out this year (Judge Dredd, Slaine and ShadowKnight) so they will have to be supported. . .
Damon: Ahhh that brings up a good question I recevied, What about ShadowKnight, or "project F". You describe it as a new RPG
Damon: written by Matt Forbeck. New RPG, does this mean its not going to be a d20?
Mongoose Matt: ShadowKnight will be d20 - however, as with Judge Dredd, we are pushing the envelope away from 'standard' D&D.; . .

Damon: Do you plan on release material on the new modern setting of the d20 system or a related version?
Mongoose Matt: We do indeed have plans for Modern D20, though Dredd will not be following it (though, having listened to the rumours, the systems may not be completely dissimilar).

Damon: GameWyrd> Do you think there’s a different market in Europe for RPG products than in America? Pre-written adventures, I gather, sell even worse in Europe. Or is the difference an academic one?
Mongoose Matt: In terms of types of products (adventures, sourcebooks, etc) the difference is negligible. Actual content can have an effect though.
Damon: What kind of effect? And for whom?
Mongoose Matt: For example - Judge Dredd is not huge in the US, but it is popular in the UK. Slaine has a following in the UK, but is massive in France - a fair bit of regionalisation goes on in that regard.

Damon: Do you see Mongoose as the primary ones to cover these international venues for the d20? Is that a goal?
Mongoose Matt: The US remains our primary market, but Europe has massive untapped potential, something we are, of course, very keen to explore.

Damon: nix>What further books do you have coming out in the "Cities of Fantasy" series?
Mongoose Matt: Next up in April is Stormhaven, a gigantic floating city of many, many different races. The perfect place for players to get into a lot of trouble!
Damon: Any others?
Mongoose Matt: Indeed, though they are under wraps at the moment. I can say, however, that one will involve dragons. . .
Damon: Is it seperate from the Gygax book?
Mongoose Matt: It is indeed - a full city, as opposed to a Slayer's Guide.
Damon: What's the expected release time?
Mongoose Matt: Around August/September.

Damon: Gwar-Killer> "As a (good) 3rd party publisher, how much computer modeling and mechanical analysis do you do before creating rules?
Mongoose Matt: Depends on the book - Slayer's Guides require very little, naturally. Chaos Magic proved to be a real headache :)

Damon: How did BattleMagic fair? That seems like one that would take some time...
Mongoose Matt: It has been written by Sam Witt (the same guy who did Chaos Magic) and, I have to say, it is an _awesome_ book - everything a wizard (or sorcerer) needs to know about blowing s*** up is in there :)

Damon: Lets talk a bit more about the "Planes" series. You have "The Planes:Feurring - Gateway to Hell" coming out in May and "The Planes: Zahhak - Ash Waste of the Abyss" in June. What other planes may we be expecting?
Mongoose Matt: You will see some more layers from Hell and the Abyss, but we are also focussing on new demi-planes, elemental planes and a few more of the outer ones. This is a series our new writer, Alejandro Melchor, is responsible for.
Damon: Looks like it is going to be a good one...
Damon: Vaxalon> No celestial planes?
Mongoose Matt: Oh, they are in the works :)
Damon: Any time frame for release on this or the elemental?
Mongoose Matt: Not at this time, though you will see them this year. The first Planes book, Feuerring, comes out in May.

Damon: Vaxalon> Where did the Mongoose theme of taking a magnifying glass to one game element at a time come from?
Mongoose Matt: Well in a way, common sense :) When we started, we were no different to any other publisher, in that we could only realistically sustain 32 page supplements for the first few months. _Way_ too many people were doing scenarios, so the Slayer's Guides seemed an obvious side step, at no extra cost of production.
Mongoose Matt: It kinda snowballed from there.
Mongoose Matt: Plus there is an element of coolness - the Encyclopaedia series wil build up into the kind of library you might actually see on a real wizard's shelf. . .

Damon: Are most the ideas a group effort or do they spur from one person and everyone jumps in and works the idea?
Mongoose Matt: We have regular meetings from which ideas naturally grow but mainly yes, someone jumps up and says 'wouldn't it be a wizz-o-wizz idea to do X,Y and Z?'
Damon: Sounds like a fun job...
Mongoose Matt: There are worse ways to live your life. In know - I used to be a computer engineer. . .
Damon: Is it as fun as you thought it would be?
Mongoose Matt: Umm. . . basically yes. It is a lot more work than I had ever guessed, but that does not diminish the fun.
Damon: Whats the hardest part?
Mongoose Matt: Getting enough hours in the day! Seriously, we have around 100 different projects in the air at the moment (I ain't kidding!) so getting the organisation down pat tends to be challenging.
Damon: Wow, I can see how that would be a challenge.
Mongoose Matt: Getting all the ducks in line is important as you can guess, though the new staff we have taken on have been a real boost to our productivity.

Damon: Vaxalon> Have you ever had a meeting where someone said, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool to do and everyone just looked at him and said, "Are you CRAZY?"
Mongoose Matt: They say that to me all the time :)

Damon: MARXS>Do you ever get time to actually game anymore? If so what characters do you two play?
Mongoose Matt: We have two regular gaming nights - on Thursdays I Gm (just finished Judge Dredd and about to start another D&D; campaign), whilst on Fridays, Alex and I have a 'board meeting' over a game of Warhammer 40,000.

Damon: Going back just a bit, What ideas have been shot down?
Mongoose Matt: Our 'Adult' D20 series did not get very far :) Shame, I always thought 'The Secret COnfessions of Nympha, Amazon Ranger' would have been a hit. . .
Damon: Could be in come circles, the artwork could prove to be a problem for the public. :)

Damon: MARXS> What races do you play 40K? Are you on good terms with GW?
Mongoose Matt: I play Tyranids, though I have just started Ulthwe & Dark Eldar armies. And yes, I am still on good terms with GW, though I do not write for them any more.
Damon: What material did you write for GW?
Mongoose Matt: Mainly White Dwarf material, though I also worked on Codex Chapter Approved, the newly released Index Astartes and eprhaps 50% of the background text on the Armageddon web site.
Damon: GameWyrd> I thought GW had a term in their employee contract that any game related material you game up with for a period of years would end up theirs – whether it was developed as GW stuff or not. Is that true or just bull?
Mongoose Matt: I cannot speak for that - I remained as a freelancer.

Damon: TowerCoda> "Is there any license you would really love to pick up?"
Mongoose Matt: Yes - but I _really_ cannot speak of it, lest it never happens. Hopefully, something will come of this next year and it will be _huge_. But, for now, we are content with 2000AD.
Damon: Ever think of picking up the DR. Who lic?
Mongoose Matt: We have - another publisher has it now, but Dr Who would never be a tremendous seller.
Damon: I'd agree with the selling part. I think a game based on the prisoner would do well, but its not quite a d20 product...
Mongoose Matt: I also think it would be a little too far 'out there' for some players :)

Damon: Dark_Tower> "What does Mongoose do better than your competitors? Where are you weak? Do you want to grow your strength or improve you weak area as a company?"
Mongoose Matt: Hmm. . . Well, the first question is easy - we sell more than most of our competitors :) As for the second question, I think that is up to you guys. . .
Damon: John G Snyder> With all these great products...are there any plans to make an official Mongoose Campaign setting?
Mongoose Matt: No. There are way too many other people doing campaign settings and, let us be honest, who can really compete with the Realms? However, take a look at Slaine when it comes out - it is a kind of cross between setting and game, something we are aiming to do with a few boooks.

Damon: nix> What do you think was your biggest challenge in getting Mongoose started and to the point it is today?
Mongoose Matt: Getting the attention of you guys :) When we started, we were one amongst a hundred start ups and we had to really battle to climb into the top ten of d20 publishers. These days, well, things are a bit easier in that regard.

Damon: nix>For a company getting started in a d20 venture what would you recommend?
Mongoose Matt: Don't. Seriously. Mongoose came in very late and had enough of an uphill struggle. These days, you would really have to go hammer and tongs to get the distributors to notice you, much less actually buy your products, If you want to publish as an extension of your hobby, go PDF. If you want as many people to see your work as possible, sell it to an existing publisher. But to launch a games company these days takes thousands and thousands of dollars.
Damon: Vaxalon> Aside from making great products, what's the secret of getting people to look at your stuff?
Mongoose Matt: Advertising and marketing - it really is that simple. At its core, the RPG industry is no different from any other. other.

Damon: nix>What do you see as the future d20 industry?
Mongoose Matt: In terms of products or companies? There will be more supplements released to support D&D; but gradually you will see d20 games systems that begin to deviate further and further away from D&D.;
Damon: Dark_Tower> "Where do you see Mongoose as a company 5 years from now? Do you merge or grow wholely from publishing?"
Mongoose Matt: We are not solely publishing now :) From the start we have made an effort to invest outside of this industry so, hopefully, if the market takes a downward turn, we won't disappear with it.
Damon: Lets hope that doesn't happen....

Damon: Art> The Judge Dredd d20 is not officially licensed. Did you run into trouble or are you now getting these books through the development process?
Mongoose Matt: The Mongoose will be around for a good while yet, don't worry :)
Mongoose Matt: Umm, Judge Dredd (and indeed, all the 2000AD comic strips) _are_ officially licenced. . .
Damon: Hmmm, not sure what was the confusion there.
Mongoose Matt: Heh

Damon: Grimseth> I have been watching news of several new slayers guides. Can you tell us about ones that have not been announced yet. A hint? Come on!
Mongoose Matt: Medusas? Yuan-Ti? Rules Lawyers? Female Gamers?
Damon: Great!

Damon: So, are there any other things that the two of you would like to discuss?
Damon: Announcements?
Mongoose Matt: Well, just that if you have had trouble getting The Quintessential Fighter, it is being reprinted right now (the popularity really surprised us). Skraag is due in the shops any day now, with The Quintessential Rogue hot on its tail.
Damon: I recomend Quint fighter to all...

Damon: Well, it looks like we have come to the end of the chat. I want to thank both of you for taking the time to participate. I know it is late and I appreciate you guys staying up. We look forward to the future of Mongoose Publishing.
Mongoose Matt: Many thanks for hosting us - it has been fun!
Damon: Thanks to all for participating.