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Myranni's Magic by Mat Jobe Interview by Jay Watamaniuk Go to (Previous - Introduction, Myranni's Magic, Walking with a Ghost, A Hero's Death, Firestarter, The Realm Below, A Moonless Night, Aspects, The Badger, the Cat and the Book, Grains of Truth, Find the Fish!, Ghosts of the Past, To Hell and Back - Next ) Where can I get your module Myranni's Magic?On Neverwinter Nights Vault, of course. You have an unusual premise to a module. Where did your idea come from?
I have a habit of collecting ideas like this. When this idea came to me, I fleshed it out in quite a bit of detail. I had no intention of developing it as full-fledged module, but I continued to think about it with the thought that it might develop into something so good that I would have to do it. In this version I had in my head, the player would own the shop and manage every detail of its operation - including hiring and firing employees, doing quests to add to the shop's inventory, and of course, dealing with special requests from customers. I never got around to making the full-length module, but when I heard about the BioWare writing contest, the magic shop idea immediately came to mind. It was a great excuse to execute the concept, if on a much smaller scale. Myranni's Magic features just one customer, but I think the spirit of the original idea is still there. Both the public and the judges thought very highly of you module. What do you think is the appeal?Well, I think the premise appealed to some people. By now, a lot of people who are still interested in Neverwinter Nights have played through a lot of different scenarios. They recognize the common themes and characters, and appreciate the attempt to try something different. Since the module is a puzzle at its core, I'm sure people who like logical problems also found it appealing. The player is asked to brew up a potion for a desperate customer, and given only a few clues on how to go about it. The problem is fairly difficult on its own, but just exploring the shop opens up a lot of possibilities to make the job easier. So, in the end, I think the problem is as difficult or as easy as the player wants it to be. Finally, a lot of people commented on some of the optional sidelights, or "Easter eggs." There's one object in the store's inventory called the Altar of Sinastrous that can get the too-curious adventurer into a bit of trouble. And judging from the comments I've gotten on the module, there are a lot of curious people out there. What other writing projects have you completed?Ah, did you have to say completed? I can assure you that I've started many, many masterpieces, but completing them has always been the challenge. Anyway, limiting myself to completed projects.... Most notably, as far as Neverwinter Nights is concerned, I have developed a module called Dastards Morrow - Maiden Voyage. At the start of this module, the player is sailing on a ship called the - you guess it - Dastards Morrow. The captain of the ship has discovered a special quality in the PC that is key in dispelling the curse that binds her adoptive father Arkellian to the Isle of Gos. If the player agrees, he or she must overcome various obstacles to free Arkellian - including the interference of the authorities in the nearby port city who aren't keen on seeing the powerful wizard freed from his exile. I'm proud to say that Dastards Morrow entered the Neverwinter Nights Vault Hall of Fame a few weeks ago. There are a lot of fantastic modules in the Hall of Fame, and it's an honor for me that Dastards Morrow has taken its place among them. I guess you could say it's been a pretty good couple of weeks for me as far as Neverwinter Nights is concerned. I've also done some journalistic writing. Back when I used to play a lot of Magic: The Gathering, I wrote for a magazine called InQuest. Most of the articles I wrote were strategy related, but I also wrote one of their infamous puzzles (mine was called "Token Resistance"). I mention that only because anyone who saw that article and played Myranni's Magic would probably find the juxtaposition amusing. Go to (Previous - Introduction, Myranni's Magic, Walking with a Ghost, A Hero's Death, Firestarter, The Realm Below, A Moonless Night, Aspects, The Badger, the Cat and the Book, Grains of Truth, Find the Fish!, Ghosts of the Past, To Hell and Back - Next ) Related Links |
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It's an idea that's been rolling around in my head for awhile. I just wanted to play a little with the conventions of computer roleplaying games. One thing you always encounter in these games is the retired wizard who runs the local magic shop. The character is usually minor, but when you think about it, it really ought to be a pretty interesting job buying and selling all those powerful magic items. I thought it might be fun to put the player in the role of shopkeeper for a day.
