Richard Litzkow
I started playing pretty late, 1995 - AD&D. My very first character was a Captain Carrot (Discworld) themed paladin who couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with a handful of sand. I still remember the triumph I felt finding my first +2 chainmail and (finally) hitting my first goblin!
My favourite class has always been Psions, they may have been broken and janky in 2nd Ed but 3rd and 3.5ed fixed them so they are a staple class I always go after. Something about the versatility and coolness of having powers that were similar to that of arcane casters but often more specific and strange.
I want to say Dwarves, but I know in my heart that my favourite race are Elans from 3.5. The idea of human who transcend their limitations to become entities brimming with energy and subtly altered cosmetic changes appeals to me. Dwarves get a close second place for being hardworking, incredible artisans with a cool aesthetic.
My father got me started in gaming, I remember him asking whether I played Dungeons & Dragons and having him explain (as best a layman could) that it was a game about imagination held together by a set of rules and chance simulated with dice. He bought me my very first edition (2nd Ed). After that we played with the older brother of a friend after school - and later during lunch breaks at school.
Since I discovered RPGs I have always wanted to design one, at first some friends and I attempted to make a percentile system unique space opera, eventually altering it to a d12 system with flexible psionics (even before I learned about Ars Magica and Mage: the Awakening/Mage: the Ascension and flexible magic systems!) Ultimately none of these saw the light of day but the idea still lingers. I’ve always loved creating homebrew campaign settings and complex long running stories that have spanned years of game play.
When it comes to fantasy it is my love of the 2nd Ed Forgotten Realms campaign setting material that inspires me to create. I love the metaplot and rich history that wraps the whole thing up and the color commentaries by Elminster always made my day, especially when he takes Volo down a peg or two.
My writing credits include content for TFPC Into the Breach series in the Gunslinger, Cavalier, Alchemist and Inquisitor books (upcoming.)
My favorite thing about RPGs is telling the story, creating the world and the structure. The players are like a rock thrown into a still pool that animates it, sends ripples and repercussions through it changing everything. I love watching and adding to the stories those ripples create especially when one group of players influence another’s story intentionally or unintentionally.
My least favorite thing about the game are the rules lawyers and the power gamers. I believe that players that chose powerful things should be more willing to give the DM an in to challenge them and it frustrates me to no end when players make characters with no weaknesses and the sole desire to defeat all challenges with no or little cost to their character.
If I could share a dinner table with three people it would have to be Friedrich Nietzsche (because I think he would be a hoot to play roleplaying games with), Penn Jillette (because he has a great sense of humor and a huge personality), Elminster (because he’d make for a great and incredibly wry Dungeon Master, plus we’d need someone to cast comprehend languages on us all!)
My other hobbies include: good food, computer gaming (i’m an avid video gamer and a big fan of Orcs Must Die, Mass Effect and Dragon Age), and collectable card games - largely yu-gi-oh.
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