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Tracy Hickman is the New York Times best-selling co-author of the Dragonlance, Darksword, Death Gate, Sovereign Stone, and Dragonships series. He's been inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame. Pyramid magazine stated that Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weice are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre." The Dragonlance series alone has sold over 20 million copies. He and his wife, Laura, also created the classic adventure Ravenloft and the Oasis of the White Palm, as well as the Bronze Canticles series.
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This episode originally aired on 11/5/2009 with the following authors:
Note: The following interview has been transcribed from The Author Hour radio show. Please excuse any typos, spelling and gramatical errors.
Interview with Tracy Hickman | | |
Bonus Question(s) that Didn't Air on the Live Radio Show
Note that you can also listen to this while you read it.
Matthew Peterson:
Let me ask you guys a bonus question real quick. And this will just be a fun one. Let’s start out with Tracy. What’s your favorite monster from the Dragonlance series, or creature?
Tracy Hickman:
Well, interestingly enough, my favorite creatures from Dragonlance are, Draconians, but that’s only because of the great depth and direction that was given to them, thanks largely to Margaret’s work.
Magaret Weis:
[laughs] I like Draconians!
Tracy Hickman:
I wish I could take credit.
Magaret Weis:
I like Draconians too. Yeah, they were a lot of fun.
Matthew Peterson:
So, when you play the games, what character do you usually play?
Magaret Weis:
Tracy is the Dungeon Master when we play Dragonlance, and he makes a fantastic Dungeon Master. But the best character he ever played was Bupu, the gully dwarf.
Matthew Peterson:
The gully dwarf. [laughs]
Magaret Weis:
[laughs] Who was an NPC. But Tracy just was amazing with her.
Matthew Peterson:
That’s fun.
Tracy Hickman:
I never get to play the games. I always have to run them.
Magaret Weis:
Yes, that’s true.
Matthew Peterson:
When I was younger we’d play some of these role playing type games and I was always thankful that I never had to run them, because I wanted to play them. But I had other friends that always wanted to be the person to run them. So it’s fun both ways.
Tracy Hickman:
Oh, it is. We just last year published . . . I did a book with my son called XDM Extreme Dungeon Mastery, where we took kind of a tongue in cheek look at role playing games, but at the same time we’re able to put in a lot of the things that I’ve learned down the years about creating role playing games, and making them fun to play. But that was an exercise for us in taking a look at role playing games in kind of a fun new kind of a way. And it’s gone on and it’s done really well. We’ve been very happy with the reception on that. We decided we wanted to put our own role playing game in this as well. And so we include the XB20 system, which is about a bare bones a thing as you can get. I think the only thing that I’ve seen that was anywhere more bare bones than that was someone produced an entire role playing game on two sides of a single sheet of paper . . . without a lot of funds yet.
Magaret Weis:
[laughs]
Matthew Peterson:
Oh!
Tracy Hickman:
I think that’s my kind of game. I think I may have to go run and play that one.
Matthew Peterson:
[laughs] Right after this.
Tracy Hickman:
No, you know what I think my favorite game is, and that is Arabian Knights.
Matthew Peterson:
Oh, okay.
Tracy Hickman:
Which is a board game that’s just been reproduced beautifully by Gman Games. And it’s a game that we used to play back in the ‘80s. Do you remember playing this, Margaret?
Magaret Weis:
Yes, I do. I didn’t know the game came out again.
Tracy Hickman:
It has just come out again and it’s a really beautiful version. And they’ve actually fixed it. The play is a lot better.
Magaret Weis:
I just played a neat game . . .
Tracy Hickman:
Did you?
Magaret Weis:
. . . called Pandemic. Have you played Pandemic?
Tracy Hickman:
I haven’t played Pandemic yet.
Magaret Weis:
Oh, it is awesome. It’s a game where the players cooperate against the board to stop a worldwide pandemic.
Matthew Peterson:
Oh!
Magaret Weis:
And it’s difficult. It’s very nerve racking. I mean, you wouldn’t believe that you could get this worked up over a game. [laughs] But you really do. So it’s a very cool game.
Tracy Hickman:
That ought to give you some idea who Margaret and I are at heart. We still play games.
Magaret Weis:
Yes. [laughs]
Tracy Hickman:
We still have an awfully good time.
Magaret Weis:
Uh huh.
Matthew Peterson:
You guys knew that my house was destroyed in a fire a little while ago. We were able to salvage a few little minor items and stuff. And I had some old video games systems from like the ‘90s, old Sega Genesis, and my wife’s like, “We need to throw these away.” And I’m like, “No! They’re mine! They’re precious!”
Magaret Weis:
[laughs]
Matthew Peterson:
She’s always trying to throw those things away and I’m like, “No! They’re like my legacy of when I was a kid.” [laughs]
Tracy Hickman:
[laughs]
Matthew Peterson:
So I’m still a kid at heart. I wish I had more time to play games though. Of course I don’t get paid to make games. [laughs]
Magaret Weis:
[laughs]
Matthew Peterson:
That would be a fun job.
Well, it’s been nice talking with you guys. I really appreciate you being on the show.
Magaret Weis:
Oh yes! Nice talking to you! And good luck, Tracy, with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I just think that is so awesome!
Tracy Hickman:
Thank you, Margaret. You know, I just did the phase two tests last Saturday. And it was absolutely grueling.
Matthew Peterson:
What is it that you’re doing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?
Tracy Hickman:
I’m up through the phase two tests for becoming a member of the choir.
Matthew Peterson:
Oh! Well, that’s awesome!
Tracy Hickman:
Yeah. Well, thank you, yeah. I hadn’t exactly anticipated getting this far.
Magaret Weis:
[laughs]
Matthew Peterson:
My wife is a huge . . . I mean, she always has like the leads in musicals and stuff. She’s very good. I’m not very good at singing at all. But I did take a music class in high school and my instructor was on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He was one of the singers there. So that’s great! That’s awesome! Well, good luck on that!
Tracy Hickman:
Yeah, well, thank you. If I get through this one, the final thing I have to do is stand in front of the choir director in a room and sing for him.
Magaret Weis:
Oh, wow!
Tracy Hickman:
Yeah. My knees are already knocking on that one.
Extra Material That was Cut from the Show Because of Time Constraints
Note that you can also listen to this while you read it (you'll need to fast forward past the bonus questions).
Magaret Weis:
Yeah. My daughter and I wrote a couple of romance novels together and we did a Wonder Woman graphic novel once.
Matthew Peterson:
Ah. A Wonder Woman graphic novel, huh?
Magaret Weis:
Yes. It’s currently being illustrated right now. It was really neat. We really had a great time.
Matthew Peterson:
What’s your daughter’s name?
Magaret Weis:
Elizabeth Baldwin Weis.
Matthew Peterson:
Oh, okay. That’s great. I know there was a Wonder Woman cartoon movie last year or this year, I think that came out. I hear there might actually be a feature film.
Magaret Weis:
Well, you know, Joss Whedon was going to write one, but then he, I don’t know, there were rumors of problems and something else, so he backed out.
Matthew Peterson:
Uh huh.
Magaret Weis:
Which is too bad, ‘cause that would have been cool.
Matthew Peterson:
Yeah.
* * * * * * * * * *
Magaret Weis:
I went to the Star Trek movie and that was my big deal for almost two years. [laughs]
Matthew Peterson:
[laughs] Yep. That’s how my wife and I are, we watch about 1 or 2 movies a year. Yeah, well, this last Star Trek did really well, I mean.
Magaret Weis:
Oh yeah. I’ve heard that they have them all set for 2 more movies, so I really hope so.
Matthew Peterson:
Oh, good, yeah. I’ve seen some of the commercials for it, like online trailer type things, where they’re interviewing people. And everybody’s just upset because all it is, is just action and a great story line. They’re kind of making a little bit of fun, meaning, you know, they’re not in a room discussing the seriousness of life and going into all these things that sometimes Star Trek does. Sometimes Star Trek can be a little dry, I guess.
Magaret Weis:
[laughs] Oh.
Matthew Peterson:
My wife fell asleep . . . I don’t think she’s watched a single [Star Trek] movie with me . . . when we first got married that’s the first thing I did . . . we’ve gotta watch the Star Trek movies together, you know. I don’t think she made it through a single one. [laughs]
Magaret Weis:
Well like . . . the first one . . . I mean I’m the only person in the world that ever liked the first Star Trek movie, but I had real problems with the Wrath of Khan, which everybody else liked.
Matthew Peterson:
Really? Yeah, ‘cause I loved that one.
Magaret Weis:
I know, everybody does. But I have issues with a villain that does things just because he’s crazy.
Matthew Peterson:
Yeah.
Magaret Weis:
You know, to me that’s not a good villain. I like villains like Darth Vader with lots of motivation.
Matthew Peterson:
Yeah. Yep. Well, Khan was upset . . . he blamed Kirk and them for the [death of his wife because had Kirk stranded him on this desolate planet] . . . maybe you didn’t watch the original episode with him, with that character.
Magaret Weis:
Yes. I have seen it, yeah. I tell you, I grew up with Star Trek. I mean, it was so thrilling, you know, to see a science fiction show on television. It was really cool.
Matthew Peterson:
Yeah. After I’d seen the movie, a million times, I saw the episode with Khan in it, you know. So I was like, “Oh, so that’s where the connection came in.”
Magaret Weis:
Yeah.
* * * * * * * * * *
Matthew Peterson:
[Tracy had just come onto the show] We talked about Star Wars for a moment. [laughs]
Magaret Weis:
[laughs]
Tracy Hickman:
Oh!
Magaret Weis:
So he knows how I feel about Darth Vader. [laughs]
Tracy Hickman:
Oh yes. Absolutely. I once had to re-write the end of the third movie, just for Margaret.
Matthew Peterson:
Oh, really?
Magaret Weis:
Yes, he did a heck of a job too. Lucas should have taken notes.
Matthew Peterson:
Oh. Well, you know The Return of the Jedi would have to be probably my favorite movie of all time. It’s still probably my favorite.
Magaret Weis:
Oh, Empire was mine. In fact I don’t even recognize Return of the Jedi as existing.
Matthew Peterson:
Oh no!
Tracy Hickman:
Return of the Jedi is aboutt 90% of the best movie you ever saw, Margaret.
Magaret Weis:
Yeah. [laughs]
Matthew Peterson:
[laughs] Just the last part. I’ve done that too. I’ve re-written some movies before in my mind.
* * * * * * * * * *
Matthew Peterson:
So, do you think there will be another movie? Or a feature film of Dragonlance?
Magaret Weis:
We understand that the film actually exceeded Paramount’s expectations. They didn’t anticipate that it would sell as well as it did. That being said, we haven’t heard that there are any plans for a sequel. So . . . we’re still waiting.
Matthew Peterson:
[laughs] Still waiting.
* * * * * * * * * *
Matthew Peterson:
So you guys are doing the Dragonships books, and of course the Drangonlance books. Are there any other projects that you guys have planned in the future?
Magaret Weis:
Well, Dragonships is going to be a six book series, so that’s ongoing.
Tracy Hickman:
It’s a lot to work on.
Magaret Weis:
Yes. Yeah. It really is.
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