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Mike Myler: a life of RPGs | Interview

Recently we had the plasure to make an interview with Mike Myler, author of Vast Kaviya. In the last weeks we presented his latest Kickstarter campaign and talked about it in preview. His work tickled our curiosity and we wanted to know more about it. Let’s see his answers!

Vast Kaviya is a really cool idea. Where did you get inspiration from?

Thank you! This is my last major D&D5e project partly because I’ve already covered so much ground—cyberpunk and superheroes in Hypercorps 2099, then apocalyptic science fiction with 2099 Wasteland, eastern fantasy noir steampunkin Mists of Akuma, and Book of Exalted Darkness gets decopunk while thoroughly exploring the themes of both good and evil; and with that behind me, I figured if I’m going to go out I ought to do it big. This final setting needed to be vast and that’s where I got the idea for the core tenet upon which all of the book rests.

Beyond that I’ve always been a big fan of Conan the Barbarian (check page 273 of the core Vast Kaviya book ?); then there’s the fact that my settings tend to have a lot to do with technology (whether it’s reviled or holy or whatever, it’s prevalent). I wanted to provide something for folks that didn’t have that metallic baggage and a sword-and-sandals setting definitely fits that bill. There’s also the 2099 Wasteland angle—like Vast Kaviya it’s a campaign setting *generator* with warlords, and fans of that book had been asking for more warlords for a while.

If we had to pick one particular thing that had the most influence however, it’s the fantastic animated 1983 film Fire and Ice by Ralph Bakshi. Rent it and give it a watch if you aren’t familiar (or maybe give it a rewatch if you’ve already had the delight).

How long did it take to create Vast Kaviya?

Just about a year from inception to publication. I kept chipping away at it as a side project throughout 2019; after I had a good amount of it written down, other designers joined my team and further fleshed things out with more races, class options, and of course warlords and regions.

Is D&D5e your favourite system or do you have other preferences?

D&D is such a strong fallback and the current edition is pretty damn good, but there are so many other worthwhile games. I think the d20 3.0/3.5 general design mechanic was best done by the Star Wars d20 RPG; I’m going to be converting my IPs over to What’s Old Is New (which is online for free); the first edition of Mutants & Masterminds was also a brilliant, beautifully produced set of books. However if this were a desert island situation, I’d be taking home The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen RPG.

You seem very expert of RPGs. When did you start playing? And when have you decided to create contents too?

My first game was before I was in the double digits, but I didn’t really understand what was going on or fully grasp the rules until my teen years (which at this point was a terrifying two decades ago). It never occurred to me personally to sell any of my RPG material; about 6 years ago my girlfriend (now wife) suggested I see if anyone would buy it and sure enough folks did. The feeling I got from that first gig was addictive and I’ve got zero ability to resist it, so this work is all I’ve been doing since!

Which of your works are you most proud of?

Vast Kaviya is a gorgeous book and I’m very, very pleased with how it came out. However as for what evokes the most pride it’s a toss-up between Mists of Akuma and Book of Exalted Darkness. The former is great because there’s so much lore for it and my well of creativity never runs dry when working on it; but the latter is d-e-c-a-d-e-n-t and the final presentation of the highly contrasting themes and styles at its core was SO DIFFICULT to get right. Mind you Mists of Akuma is pretty excellent in its own right, it’s just not drop-what’s-in-your-hands-and-curse gorgeous.

Do you have any other project in mind for the future?

Yes I do! Since Judge Dredd already uses What’s Old Is New I’m converting Hypercorps 2099 to that RPG (it should make a good supplement for folks running Dredd games). Otherwise I can’t really say much yet other than that #ProjectCrescendo is gradually being revealed and should be in full effect by this summer!

Thank you again for this interview, Mike Myler!

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