Interview with Harrison McLeod of Escaping Reality
Harrison McLeod (Harry) is a good friend and colleague, and one half of the Men with Pens team. I had a chance to spend some time talking to Harry about their latest project, a double-whammy initiative including the creative fiction writing site Capturing Fantasy and the game site, Escaping Reality.
Tell me a little bit about yourself and your history with RPGs.
I began gaming back in the early 80s. It started innocently enough; a friend of mine said some of the guys were getting together to play this new game called Dungeons and Dragons. I remember my mom saying, “Don’t get into anything weird.” Apparently, D&D sounded too much like S&M for Mom’s liking. I still laugh about that.
I rolled up a character, a basic fighter, but he had the highest charisma of the group. I found myself unanimously voted leader. There I was, clueless and leading these semi-seasoned players on one of the most memorable campaigns they ever had. I had a gift for gaming.
To this day, my old high school buddies still call me “Fearless Leader”.
I began writing down the events of each session like a story. By the time I graduated high school, I had three binders full of stories and a few illustrations, too. But gaming fell to the wayside in favor of karate and earning my college degree in illustration.
After a high school reunion ten years later, a close friend of mine introduced me to White Wolf’s Werewolf: The Apocalypse. This game was way better than D&D ever was (in my mind) and I loved the whole idea of modern day werewolves.
In 1998, I launched my first online RPG for WtA and it ran successfully for eight years before White Wolf decided to bring about the Apocalypse. I was also a storyteller for a LARP group at GenCon for a couple of years during that time.
I met James on an online D&D RPG during the last few years of my online game. We hit it off and after gaming together for a few years more we went into business together. Neither of us wanted to give up gaming, but we had work to do.
We always hoped that one day we’d be gaming again.
I hear that over and over again. Folks that take a few years off, sometimes as much as a decade, always wind up playing again. For my part, I think I’ll always be playing RPGs.
What’s your favorite game system, and why?
I’m a die-hard new World of Darkness fan. I know many people are still stuck on the original version of WoD, but I absolutely love the new version.
The nWoD takes the everyday and ordinary and twists it up. It’s horror in the old-fashioned sense. I’ve always admired the old horror movies, where the scenes played tricks on your mind. Hitchcock was a master and more contemporary versions would be Stephen King or M. Night Shamylan.
Another thing I like about nWoD is there is no clear-cut line between good and bad. You can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys, and the bad guys are just guys with their own agenda, one that doesn’t necessarily agree with the good guys.
In Forsaken (the new version of Werewolf: The Apocalypse), the good look no different from the evil. Both are what they are and only your point of view determines whether they’re good or bad. Shades of gray are everywhere.
Some people dislike nWoD because there’s no epic behind the scenes. They’re lost without the mega-plot unfolding in the background. I’ve never been one for mega-plot, or any other kind of plot for that matter. The source books for nWoD give you ideas and you run with them. The new system allows for freedom that is more creative.
I never had the opportunity to play too much in the old system, but I have to agree: from what I can tell, the nWoD really takes the game to a new level.
What are your thoughts (if any) on the new release of Dungeons & Dragons?
Honestly, I’ll probably never pick up another D&D book. A couple of years ago, I got back into it with a few friends from work and it was okay. But after being out of D&D for a good 20 years or so, I was lost with all the changes.
Maybe it was just the mindset of our group, but I find that D&D characters are too disposable. Every week, someone was rolling up a new one because some new class came out that he just had to have. True role-playing hardly happens in these games.
For me, it depends a lot on the DM, though. My games tend to be pretty role-playing intensive, but that’s taken time to evolve.
So, Tell me a little bit about this project you and James (your partner at Men with Pens) have developed.
Capturing Fantasy and Escaping reality are projects we have had in the works for a while. We love gaming and always will, but gaming doesn’t pay the bills. Then James came up with the perfect plan.
We found an audience in the very community our business blog speaks to and the fiction writers that also visit our blog. Many people are closet fiction writers as well. We were for a long time.
The response has been amazing. Our new game style introduced with blogging and into a non-traditional niche proved to be a breath of fresh air for everyone. Our site combines solid writing skills and techniques for fiction writers with the fun of creative role-playing and gaming.
The players, all of them writers, learn how to build and develop characters to be better novelists. They can practice their fiction writing – and have fun at the same time.
What makes your game different from any other play-by-post game?
Escaping Reality is more than just a game. It’s a game built by writers for writers. It’s a game built by adults for adults. We have a lot of fun, but serious business underlies everything. Our game is designed to help writers improve their skills, not just amuse themselves in a relaxing and exciting environment.
We challenge people to come up with great character concepts. We’ll make them think and stretch their creativity beyond what they believe they can do – because we know they can do more. We make writers push themselves beyond their comfort zones.
Everyone gets a good amount of personal attention and a chance to use this opportunity to be a better writer. That’s something you won’t find on most other game boards.
“By writers, for writers.” I like that. Fiction has never been my strong point, which is, in part, why I’m playing at Escaping Reality. Tell me some more about that part of it. How can Role-playing Games help with creative writing, and vice versa?
Role-playing games help creative writing in a number of ways. In an online game, you have to write every day, often several times a day. I think between 1998 and 2007, I wrote the equivalent of a chapter or two each day.
The more you write, the better you get. I look back at my old posts sometimes and shake my head in disbelief. Practice makes perfect.
Another advantage is learning through observation of how others write. What makes their work shine? How do they snag interest? Seeing the way other people write and how they use words gives you new ways of writing.
The interaction with other writers also makes you improve – with an audience, we tend to put our best foot forward. You also get instant feedback on what you write, as other players and characters react, so you can observe what you did and how readers perceive it.
If you really want the scoop on what role-playing can do for your creative writing, go download our e-book, How To Get What You Want Out of Role-Playing We tell you everything our game gives you and we tell you how to get a jump start to be involved in our game.
Is there still time for my readers join the game?
Sure! There’s plenty of time, but don’t wait too long. Places are limited and when we reach the cap, the game closes to new submissions until new slots open up.
To submit a character for consideration, just write out a concept with a detailed history and biography in a Word document and send it to us.
Very cool, Harry. I know that one of my community, Ixian/Scott C has already joined. I look forward to seeing some more familiar faces! Thank you so much for your time.
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I had a friend ask me this past weekend why I liked playing RPG’s so much. I told him that while I played the game, I was able to observe, participate, and finally record a story that was largely influenced by my ideas and see how a group of people reacted to them.
From what I saw on your post, I am definitely not alone. Thank you.
You’re welcome Cole! (btw, Cole is the name of my favorite vampire character). I definitely enjoy people watching, it’s all fuel for the creative fires for sure.
Harrison McLeods last blog post..Writing the Farewell Symphony
How do you do… escaping
“Heeeeeeeeeeelp!”
To escape is what we humans do throughout our lives. In countries, relationships, friends, jobs, lifestyles and dear old braino with all its pseudo logic, afflictive desires and tempting idiosyncrasies. But will we, could we, do we, want to escape?
YES
…more at lifestyleguides.blogspot.com
jolly rogers last blog post..