After a nudge from my good friend Cory Herndon, I finally found this site and its forums.
If the name hasn't rang a bell yet, I am Scott McGough, former Duelist editor, former Magic creative director, and current Magic author. I'm not sure how to prove this except to say that Cory can vouch for me. I expect that once the conversations start and the questions start flying, it'll be clear that I am the real deal. Also, if I wasn't Scott McGough and I was posting here, I'd expect the real Scott McGough to whip my byu-tocks.
For the record, I worked on the story, characters, and setting for Urza's Legacy through Judgment; I also worked on the sets (producing card names and flavor text as the lead member of a larger group) for the card sets Urza's Legacy through Invasion . My novels include Chainer's Torment, the Legends II cycle (Assassin's Blade, Emperor's Fist, and Champion's Trial), the Kamigawa trilogy, and the upcoming first book for the first large set after Ravnica block (title is still secret as far as I know). I also have stories in the anthologies Myths, Dragons, Secrets, and Monsters of Magic.
I will be happy to discuss any of the Magic novels and/or sets I've worked on, with two provisios: that I can't give away anything I know about upcoming sets/books, and any story details that aren't actually in print are still up in the air and will be decided by the current Magic creative team. So if you want to ask "Did Urza die at the end of Apocalypse?" my answer would be "Yes, that's what we intended at the time." If you want to ask, "Will Urza return?" your guess is as good as mine (but if I were a betting man, I'd put all my cash on "No.").
I will try to jump in to some of the threads that are already going, but if there's something pointed you want to ask me specifically, this would be a good thread to put it in.
So now I'm all introduced and we're all ready to go. Let the pigeons loose!
Cheers,
McG
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_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
Welcome to Salvation of Great One!
About how many years in advance are the storylines planned out?
I think the card sets are about 2-3 years (at different stages of completion, from concept to design then development and print) and I was wondering if the books run along the same timeline.
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Avvy from Le Gambit Extendo-Sliver Master of Death and Taxes
You really can't get away.
I've tried.
Hey, Scott, nice to see you. Feel free to peruse the "ask the author(s)" thread too, there's some pernicious questions in there you might be able to answer.
Welcome here, Mr. McGough, I remember you from the discussions at MTGNews and Phyrexia.com.
I am happy that you have accepted Cory's invitation and joined us here. This is a glorious day for our storyline community!!!! Also, these Christmas are probably the best possible that could have been. Two of my three favorite authors posting at MTGS....
Thanks.
And as an introduction, I must tell you that I enjoyed your Kamigawa cycle books very much, and, in fact, I have translated them into Czech (unofficially, only for a handful of friends, not commercially). I loved the style and run of the story, the characters...everything. I hope that one day, I'll be able to read also the rest of your MTG work.
Last but not least, I wish you Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!
-Car.
Quote from Draak »
>Well welcome to Salvation, And I'm a little confused, but Did you make Mtg cards? ~ Edward Withers
Well, Mr. McGough is a MTG novel writer, Draak, not a game designer.
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100% Vorthos Spike and Storyline Expert
Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Better and better -- this is getting quite nice for aspiring authors like me to hear from some that have made it, not to mention MTG Storyline junkies. And you are an important personage in MTG storyline development -- I do believe I made mention of you in my Weatherlight Saga articles here (see signature). I have a few questions about that, actually.
When was the decision made that the Weatherlight style of storytelling had 'failed', and to switch to the setting-centered version we have now (after the Mirari/Mirrodin transitional period, of course).
How did Dominaria recover so quickly after the Apocalypse? We see at the end of that book dignataries gathering at the Martyr's Tomb only a year later, using a port and everything. Shouldn't the tech level have been a lot more primative, ESPECIALLY in Urborg?
How many major land masses are left unexplored on Dominaria, as Otaria was before Odyssey? I understand there is a globe somewhere (that I would be overjoyed to get my hands on or at least a good look at someday).
Finally, this one is a little more personal -- were you part of the Open Call committee with Peter Archer? My rejection letter was quite encouraging and helpful, citing some problematic pacing as a weakness I'm working on in my writing. And, incidentally, even if you weren't on that committee, would you know if I'm allowed to do anything with that? (post in personal writing section, for example?
Anyway, great to see more authors around here. Any Jeff Grubb sightings recently?
Welcome Mr.McGough! I'm Ixi, i'm not sure if you remember any of the discussions you, myself and Zazdor had back at MTGnews, but if you do even better.
And if you don't i won't feel too bad...just a little
So i have a bunch of questions, i hate to swamp you but as most people that know me know, you're books are the best written IMO (2 spectacular cycles and then the single best novel period in CTorment).
1) Have you been contacted by Wizards for any future single novels related to Magic, or for a future cycle? I'm pretty sure i was reading the next cycle will be Post-Apoc Dominaria and that the Open-Call was for that cycle, but i really do want to know what your current plans are for another MTG novel, as i've never heard a bad word about CHK cycle.
2) Was the decision yours to have Chainer die at the end of Torment? And if so, what brought you to that decision, and if not, would you have liked to see more of him in Judgement and through the Onslaught cycle? *such a great character*
3) Did you know that Toshi was going to end up as Tetsuo's ancestor before you began the Kamigawa cycle or not until later?
4) Was there ever a brainstorm on bringing Nicol Bolas out of imprisonment to set loose his promised rage on the Umezawa clan, based on the thought at some point Toshi was gonna be a descendant of Tetsuo?
5) Can you explain to me exactly what a Myoujin has power comparable to? For example: The Myoujin of Night's Reach told Toshi once he was dropped of on Madara that he had been planeswalking (he didn't use the term, but described the course) and found he was worshipped on many worlds. She/He is obviously not a planeswalker, yet can walk. How is this possible?
6) If O-Kagachi meant the veil between kakiyuto and utseshemya (sorry i don't have the novel reference the realm names for spirit and mortal world), and him being let loose meant that veil was broken, how do the veil between realms correspond to the veil between the plane and the Blind Eternities? Is the veil the same between both Realm and Planes?
Sorry if that was an overload, been waiting for this a long time. Zazdor has been ever too busy since the Scourge novel to argue some of these in depth points, so i figured i'd go on and welcome you to the party :).
Thanks in advance, i'm a great admirer!
ix
ps. i promise i won't kiss up anymore after this post
@ix: I've had to say this a million times now -- the open call was set on post apocalyptic Dominaria just as a test of the prospective writers' knowledge of story history. The next block COULD be on Dominaria, but there's plenty of signs otherwise; the open call is not evidence of anything. I'd love to get back to Dominaria, but people have tried to hard to make this say something it doesn't.
Sorry for sounding snippy if I do, I'm under the weather at the moment. Oy.
The Open Call was a chance last year for aspiring writers to be selected to write for the Magic line for the 2006-2007 expansions. Each entrant had to send a writing sample -- both a one page outline of a proposed story on post-apocalyptic Dominaria (dealing with the Phased Out lands in particular), and a ten page writing sample that would be a chapter of the book. People have interpreted this to mean that the 2006-2007 expansions will be set on Dominaria, but the Open Call explicitally stated that it was meretly a test of entrants' knowledge of Magic lore.
One last question- were all of the Magic sets up until Mirrodin set in Dominaria? If not, which ones were different planes?
IMO, at some point, all the planes of Magic will come together in a dramatic conclusion, join to Dominaria and .... something will happen... maybe defeat the ultimate evil guy...
Arabian Nights took place on Rabiah; Homelands on Ulgrotha; Tempest block and Nemesis on Rath (right next to Dominaria... right on top of it even), and of course Mercadian Masques was on Mercadia. Parts of Urza block took place on Phyrexia or in Serra's Realm, too. I think some cards from Legends may have been from other parts of the Multiverse as well. Other than Ulgrotha, all these planes are fairly close to Dominaria.
Bonus: the Micropose computer game took place on Shandalar, which cruises randomly through the multiverse; it came close enough to Dominaria to break the Shard (wait until the Wiki is up, I don't feel like explaining THAT right now).
I'd better get busy answering questions or Cory's going to be way too far ahead.
Quote from VestDan »
When was the decision made that the Weatherlight style of storytelling had 'failed', and to switch to the setting-centered version we have now (after the Mirari/Mirrodin transitional period, of course).
No, I wouldn't say that. Story-wise, after the Weatherlight epic, the team wanted to break away from the longer story arcs and cosmic-scale events and godlike planeswalkers for a stretch. For art- and gameplay-based reasons, it was also better to have the cards show off the look and feel of the story world than it was for the cards to illustrate the story in detail.
Quote from VestDan »
How did Dominaria recover so quickly after the Apocalypse? We see at the end of that book dignataries gathering at the Martyr's Tomb only a year later, using a port and everything. Shouldn't the tech level have been a lot more primative, ESPECIALLY in Urborg?
It didn't recover especially quickly overall--Otaria recovered somewhat faster because it wasn't a primary Phyrexian target. And the gathering at the Martyr's tomb was a big deal, attended by all the luminaries who were still alive. They had the best of the best tech available for that occasion.
Quote from VestDan »
How many major land masses are left unexplored on Dominaria, as Otaria was before Odyssey? I understand there is a globe somewhere (that I would be overjoyed to get my hands on or at least a good look at someday). ?
Impossible to say, really, but lots and lots are yet unexplored.
Quote from VestDan »
Finally, this one is a little more personal -- were you part of the Open Call committee with Peter Archer? My rejection letter was quite encouraging and helpful, citing some problematic pacing as a weakness I'm working on in my writing. And, incidentally, even if you weren't on that committee, would you know if I'm allowed to do anything with that? (post in personal writing section, for example?
I was not part of the open call committee (I think I submitted a pitch, but they tapped me to write a novel totally independent of my proposal). I don't know 100% for sure, but I think that if WotC didn't use your idea, it reverts back to you and you can do what you like with it.
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Cheers,
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
Cool... I think I still have my submission floating around somewhere. If it isn't imposing TOO much, do you think you could have a look at it? (professional criticism is something I just can't come by most of the time; nobody ever seems to want to tell me how I can improve.
Would say more, but I'm running a temp of 101.6 right now. I think I'll sleep again.
"If I do go to heaven, I'll smack god across the face and tell him to get me a grilled-cheeses sandwhich and then say 'Yea what now god!? Say some'in! I dare you!' "
Welcome Mr.McGough! I'm Ixi, i'm not sure if you remember any of the discussions you, myself and Zazdor had back at MTGnews, but if you do even better.
And if you don't i won't feel too bad...just a little
So i have a bunch of questions, i hate to swamp you but as most people that know me know, you're books are the best written IMO (2 spectacular cycles and then the single best novel period in CTorment).
Hello again, and of course I remember you and Zaz.
Quote from ixidorsdreams »
1) Have you been contacted by Wizards for any future single novels related to Magic, or for a future cycle? I'm pretty sure i was reading the next cycle will be Post-Apoc Dominaria and that the Open-Call was for that cycle, but i really do want to know what your current plans are for another MTG novel, as i've never heard a bad word about CHK cycle.
I'm currently working on the first book in the post-Ravnica trilogy. The second two books are being written by two other authors who were chosen by WotC based on the strength of their submitted proposals (and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say their names, so I hope they'll give me a pass if they read this).
Quote from ixidorsdreams »
2) Was the decision yours to have Chainer die at the end of Torment? And if so, what brought you to that decision, and if not, would you have liked to see more of him in Judgement and through the Onslaught cycle? *such a great character*
Chainer's sad end was a part of the trilogy from the very first Author's Summit meeting. It was roughly outlined as "Chainer is consumed by the power of the Mirari in book 2; Kamahl takes it into book 3." I got very personally wrapped up in it as I wrote the book (and Skellum, too). It was not easy to make Chainer or his mentor go out like that, but but I was dedicated to telling the tragic story we'd set out to tell (and that's "tragic" in the official academic sense). If you do tragedy right, both the author and the audience care when the protagonist suffers all that totally avoidable bad stuff that happens anyway. I think we did it at least partially right.
Quote from ixidorsdreams »
3) Did you know that Toshi was going to end up as Tetsuo's ancestor before you began the Kamigawa cycle or not until later?
Again, the connection was one of the initial things we all agreed on when I met with WotC about plotting the Kamigawa trilogy. The current story team feels (and I agree 100%) that it's a good thing to tie stories together when it makes sense to do so. I had just finished Legends II about a samurai-style warrior and WotC knew they wanted to use a Shinto/Feudal Japanese theme for the next block. We batted a few ideas around, got the timeline straight, and that became a basic part of the character--he's the ancestor of Tetsuo Umezawa. As for Toshi's character, I had that in my head as soon as WotC brought it up. I had done some serious thinking about the Umezawa line when writing Legends II, and I figured the founder of the clan must have been a really shady character and powerful black magician. Once we fixed on a black magic rogue at the heart of the Kamigawa trilogy, I knew he had to be the kind of ancestor that would make a proud and upright man like Tetsuo cringe.
Quote from ixidorsdreams »
4) Was there ever a brainstorm on bringing Nicol Bolas out of imprisonment to set loose his promised rage on the Umezawa clan, based on the thought at some point Toshi was gonna be a descendant of Tetsuo?
Dude...isn't Nicol Bolas dead? But to answer your question, no, there was no brainstorming or discussion of that topic, but you know I've thought about it. If WotC ever wants to revisit that notion, I hope they call me to write the book.
Quote from ixidorsdreams »
5) Can you explain to me exactly what a Myoujin has power comparable to? For example: The Myoujin of Night's Reach told Toshi once he was dropped of on Madara that he had been planeswalking (he didn't use the term, but described the course) and found he was worshipped on many worlds. She/He is obviously not a planeswalker, yet can walk. How is this possible?
I'll try. As I wrote it, a "myojin" is a term that connotes a major spirit from Kamigawa--the essential nature of something grand like Fire or Justice or, in this case, Night. There are many myojin and they have a wide range of power and influence, from godlike to not very godlike at all. I don't believe most myojin could stand up against a planeswalker in a straight-up duel. I think the Myojin of Night's Reach is on par with Multani, the nature spirit/avatar/maro-sorcerer. And let's all remember that Multani put Urza on ice for a long time by outmaneuvering him rather than overpowering him, so it's still an apples to oranges sort of comparison.
Does that help?
Quote from ixidorsdreams »
6) If O-Kagachi meant the veil between kakiyuto and utseshemya (sorry i don't have the novel reference the realm names for spirit and mortal world), and him being let loose meant that veil was broken, how do the veil between realms correspond to the veil between the plane and the Blind Eternities? Is the veil the same between both Realm and Planes?
No. The planar boundaries of Kamigawa (that is, where it ends and the BE begin) are quite different from the veil that separates spirit and matter within Kamigawa. Kamigawa the plane is like an egg in its shell; the yolk is the spirit world and the white is the physical world, but they're both contained by the shell. (How's that for an off-the-cuff metaphor? )
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Cheers,
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
I thought you would like to hear that Chainer's Torment is my favorite among all magic books. Your development of Skellum and Chainer is very good, and the atmosphere very superb. The development of Braids I think was also very nicely done.
Do you have planned to write non-magic books in the near future?
Mr.McGough- that makes me smile greatly that you remember
My perception of Tetsuo's plan for Nicol Bolas wasn't to destroy him. The way it was written, I thought that Tetsuo had...damn, the Bogargan 7th circle guy....gah, I thought he destroyed Bolas' manabase that tied him to the physical world, thus trapping him on the mediation plane for "all eternity". My original theory was that MoNR, being a powerful source of black mana, might reach Dominaria (being center of Dominia) and the mediation plane, becoming a power source for Nicol Bolas to escape...
I was cringing in anticipation of Bolas erupting in front of Toshi when MoNR brought him to Madara.
And I do hope they pick it back up, Nicol Bolas is really only secondary in evil to Yawgy IMo, and he should be above him too.
I'm very thrilled to hear you're writing the beginning to next block. I hope you get another trilogy though, that'd make my life.
Good metaphor indeed!
Ok more questions! (Because I bothered Cory a lot already)
1) How is it possible that MONR can planeswalk to other worlds when OK is released if he is the veil between spirit and material world?
2) is Nicol Bolas dead or alive at the end of Legends II?
3) any specific planes MoNr visited? maybe a rhetorica question
4) did anyone on Kamigawa that we were introduced to have a spark? That you can say?
Ill have to sleep before I can come up with anything more intelligent, I'm so tired.
OMG Scott McGhough. You and jeff Grub are my two favorite magic authors by far, and to this day, I haqve had no greater please than reading Chainer's Torment. As said earlier the atmosphere was just superb as was the character development. I nearly shed a tear upon Chiner's death.
The Kamigawa cycle was a big improvement on teh mirrodin cycle, and I did enjoy but something really rubbed me the wrong way.
In HCampions SHarp Tail says something about Pearl Tail, not really being her real name. The story adds quite a bit of intrigue on that specific point. However when I finished the saviors novel, it was still very open, and that particular point hadn't been revealed. I might have just missed something (I read rather fast), but I would like to know what that was about.
Ok more questions! (Because I bothered Cory a lot already)
1) How is it possible that MONR can planeswalk to other worlds when OK is released if he is the veil between spirit and material world?
2) is Nicol Bolas dead or alive at the end of Legends II?
3) any specific planes MoNr visited? maybe a rhetorica question
4) did anyone on Kamigawa that we were introduced to have a spark? That you can say?
1) I dunno. What do you think?
2) I dunno. What do you think?
3) No specific planes were intended.
4) Definitely not. There may be planeswalkers and unascended sparks aplenty on Kamigawa, but none of the characters I wrote about had/have/will ever have a spark.
(and sorry about #1 and 2, but hey, every answer can't be a winner....:uhh:
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McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
OMG Scott McGhough. You and jeff Grub are my two favorite magic authors by far, and to this day, I haqve had no greater please than reading Chainer's Torment. As said earlier the atmosphere was just superb as was the character development. I nearly shed a tear upon Chiner's death.
The Kamigawa cycle was a big improvement on teh mirrodin cycle, and I did enjoy but something really rubbed me the wrong way.
In HCampions SHarp Tail says something about Pearl Tail, not really being her real name. The story adds quite a bit of intrigue on that specific point. However when I finished the saviors novel, it was still very open, and that particular point hadn't been revealed. I might have just missed something (I read rather fast), but I would like to know what that was about.
Thanks for the kind words.
As for Pearl-Ear's real name, all I really intended was that the kitsune all had names that were too hard for human beings to pronounce or distinguish between. I imagined a combination of snaps, snarls, growls, etc., but for the sake of interacting with the humans and the moonfolk, they translated their real names into verbal speech.
I started from the premise that the kitsune wouldn't necessarily choose such pet-sounding names for themselves, this detail didn't really add anything to the plot, and as the story went on it mattered less and less. So it kind of fell out and my editor didn't think it was worth bringing back (at least, not enough to mention it to me).
Hope this helps.
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Cheers,
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
I thought you would like to hear that Chainer's Torment is my favorite among all magic books. Your development of Skellum and Chainer is very good, and the atmosphere very superb. The development of Braids I think was also very nicely done.
Do you have planned to write non-magic books in the near future?
Good question. Planned? Absolutely. Contracted? Not yet.
I have nothing scheduled after I hand in the final draft of the 1st post-Ravnica book early next year, and I will probably turn my attentions to one of my own personal projects (that I never discuss until they're done for fear of jinxing them).
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McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
Mr.McGough- oh its ok, especially because you and Cory are currently working for Wizards, I expect some bullet dodging. That's just fine, your allowing your own questioning on matters is more than enough and a fine XMas gift.
1) can you tell us what partial color or full color the main character of the book you're writing now for WotC or won't they allowe even such a small tidbit? I know they hate leaks, but I'd noticed an over-abundance over highly well written Black based characters (skellum, Chainer, Braids, Tetsuo was BRU, Toshi, Kiku, Marrow Gnawer, etc...) And since Kos Agrus is RW I was hoping to a black return or even perhaps a blue main?
Anything would help...I don't wanna know if it's on Dominaria so I won't ask questions I'm + u can't answer.
After a nudge from my good friend Cory Herndon, I finally found this site and its forums.
If the name hasn't rang a bell yet, I am Scott McGough, former Duelist editor, former Magic creative director, and current Magic author. I'm not sure how to prove this except to say that Cory can vouch for me. I expect that once the conversations start and the questions start flying, it'll be clear that I am the real deal. Also, if I wasn't Scott McGough and I was posting here, I'd expect the real Scott McGough to whip my byu-tocks.
For the record, I worked on the story, characters, and setting for Urza's Legacy through Judgment; I also worked on the sets (producing card names and flavor text as the lead member of a larger group) for the card sets Urza's Legacy through Invasion . My novels include Chainer's Torment, the Legends II cycle (Assassin's Blade, Emperor's Fist, and Champion's Trial), the Kamigawa trilogy, and the upcoming first book for the first large set after Ravnica block (title is still secret as far as I know). I also have stories in the anthologies Myths, Dragons, Secrets, and Monsters of Magic.
I will be happy to discuss any of the Magic novels and/or sets I've worked on, with two provisios: that I can't give away anything I know about upcoming sets/books, and any story details that aren't actually in print are still up in the air and will be decided by the current Magic creative team. So if you want to ask "Did Urza die at the end of Apocalypse?" my answer would be "Yes, that's what we intended at the time." If you want to ask, "Will Urza return?" your guess is as good as mine (but if I were a betting man, I'd put all my cash on "No.").
I will try to jump in to some of the threads that are already going, but if there's something pointed you want to ask me specifically, this would be a good thread to put it in.
So now I'm all introduced and we're all ready to go. Let the pigeons loose!
Cheers,
McG
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
About how many years in advance are the storylines planned out?
I think the card sets are about 2-3 years (at different stages of completion, from concept to design then development and print) and I was wondering if the books run along the same timeline.
Avvy from Le Gambit
Extendo-Sliver
Master of Death and Taxes
You really can't get away.
I've tried.
CJH
Welcome here, Mr. McGough, I remember you from the discussions at MTGNews and Phyrexia.com.
I am happy that you have accepted Cory's invitation and joined us here. This is a glorious day for our storyline community!!!! Also, these Christmas are probably the best possible that could have been. Two of my three favorite authors posting at MTGS....
Thanks.
And as an introduction, I must tell you that I enjoyed your Kamigawa cycle books very much, and, in fact, I have translated them into Czech (unofficially, only for a handful of friends, not commercially). I loved the style and run of the story, the characters...everything. I hope that one day, I'll be able to read also the rest of your MTG work.
Last but not least, I wish you Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!
-Car.
Well, Mr. McGough is a MTG novel writer, Draak, not a game designer.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
When was the decision made that the Weatherlight style of storytelling had 'failed', and to switch to the setting-centered version we have now (after the Mirari/Mirrodin transitional period, of course).
How did Dominaria recover so quickly after the Apocalypse? We see at the end of that book dignataries gathering at the Martyr's Tomb only a year later, using a port and everything. Shouldn't the tech level have been a lot more primative, ESPECIALLY in Urborg?
How many major land masses are left unexplored on Dominaria, as Otaria was before Odyssey? I understand there is a globe somewhere (that I would be overjoyed to get my hands on or at least a good look at someday).
Finally, this one is a little more personal -- were you part of the Open Call committee with Peter Archer? My rejection letter was quite encouraging and helpful, citing some problematic pacing as a weakness I'm working on in my writing. And, incidentally, even if you weren't on that committee, would you know if I'm allowed to do anything with that? (post in personal writing section, for example?
Anyway, great to see more authors around here. Any Jeff Grubb sightings recently?
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And if you don't i won't feel too bad...just a little
So i have a bunch of questions, i hate to swamp you but as most people that know me know, you're books are the best written IMO (2 spectacular cycles and then the single best novel period in CTorment).
1) Have you been contacted by Wizards for any future single novels related to Magic, or for a future cycle? I'm pretty sure i was reading the next cycle will be Post-Apoc Dominaria and that the Open-Call was for that cycle, but i really do want to know what your current plans are for another MTG novel, as i've never heard a bad word about CHK cycle.
2) Was the decision yours to have Chainer die at the end of Torment? And if so, what brought you to that decision, and if not, would you have liked to see more of him in Judgement and through the Onslaught cycle? *such a great character*
3) Did you know that Toshi was going to end up as Tetsuo's ancestor before you began the Kamigawa cycle or not until later?
4) Was there ever a brainstorm on bringing Nicol Bolas out of imprisonment to set loose his promised rage on the Umezawa clan, based on the thought at some point Toshi was gonna be a descendant of Tetsuo?
5) Can you explain to me exactly what a Myoujin has power comparable to? For example: The Myoujin of Night's Reach told Toshi once he was dropped of on Madara that he had been planeswalking (he didn't use the term, but described the course) and found he was worshipped on many worlds. She/He is obviously not a planeswalker, yet can walk. How is this possible?
6) If O-Kagachi meant the veil between kakiyuto and utseshemya (sorry i don't have the novel reference the realm names for spirit and mortal world), and him being let loose meant that veil was broken, how do the veil between realms correspond to the veil between the plane and the Blind Eternities? Is the veil the same between both Realm and Planes?
Sorry if that was an overload, been waiting for this a long time. Zazdor has been ever too busy since the Scourge novel to argue some of these in depth points, so i figured i'd go on and welcome you to the party :).
Thanks in advance, i'm a great admirer!
ix
ps. i promise i won't kiss up anymore after this post
Sorry for sounding snippy if I do, I'm under the weather at the moment. Oy.
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IMO, at some point, all the planes of Magic will come together in a dramatic conclusion, join to Dominaria and .... something will happen... maybe defeat the ultimate evil guy...
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Bonus: the Micropose computer game took place on Shandalar, which cruises randomly through the multiverse; it came close enough to Dominaria to break the Shard (wait until the Wiki is up, I don't feel like explaining THAT right now).
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No, I wouldn't say that. Story-wise, after the Weatherlight epic, the team wanted to break away from the longer story arcs and cosmic-scale events and godlike planeswalkers for a stretch. For art- and gameplay-based reasons, it was also better to have the cards show off the look and feel of the story world than it was for the cards to illustrate the story in detail.
It didn't recover especially quickly overall--Otaria recovered somewhat faster because it wasn't a primary Phyrexian target. And the gathering at the Martyr's tomb was a big deal, attended by all the luminaries who were still alive. They had the best of the best tech available for that occasion.
Impossible to say, really, but lots and lots are yet unexplored.
I was not part of the open call committee (I think I submitted a pitch, but they tapped me to write a novel totally independent of my proposal). I don't know 100% for sure, but I think that if WotC didn't use your idea, it reverts back to you and you can do what you like with it.
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
Would say more, but I'm running a temp of 101.6 right now. I think I'll sleep again.
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Winner of SSC 1 & ">3 & 6
So.... you only wrote the Snap book? Ugh... back to three authors per cycle. I liked it better as just one author -_-
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Winner of Weekly Contest Week 39.
Hello again, and of course I remember you and Zaz.
I'm currently working on the first book in the post-Ravnica trilogy. The second two books are being written by two other authors who were chosen by WotC based on the strength of their submitted proposals (and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say their names, so I hope they'll give me a pass if they read this).
Chainer's sad end was a part of the trilogy from the very first Author's Summit meeting. It was roughly outlined as "Chainer is consumed by the power of the Mirari in book 2; Kamahl takes it into book 3." I got very personally wrapped up in it as I wrote the book (and Skellum, too). It was not easy to make Chainer or his mentor go out like that, but but I was dedicated to telling the tragic story we'd set out to tell (and that's "tragic" in the official academic sense). If you do tragedy right, both the author and the audience care when the protagonist suffers all that totally avoidable bad stuff that happens anyway. I think we did it at least partially right.
Again, the connection was one of the initial things we all agreed on when I met with WotC about plotting the Kamigawa trilogy. The current story team feels (and I agree 100%) that it's a good thing to tie stories together when it makes sense to do so. I had just finished Legends II about a samurai-style warrior and WotC knew they wanted to use a Shinto/Feudal Japanese theme for the next block. We batted a few ideas around, got the timeline straight, and that became a basic part of the character--he's the ancestor of Tetsuo Umezawa. As for Toshi's character, I had that in my head as soon as WotC brought it up. I had done some serious thinking about the Umezawa line when writing Legends II, and I figured the founder of the clan must have been a really shady character and powerful black magician. Once we fixed on a black magic rogue at the heart of the Kamigawa trilogy, I knew he had to be the kind of ancestor that would make a proud and upright man like Tetsuo cringe.
Dude...isn't Nicol Bolas dead? But to answer your question, no, there was no brainstorming or discussion of that topic, but you know I've thought about it. If WotC ever wants to revisit that notion, I hope they call me to write the book.
I'll try. As I wrote it, a "myojin" is a term that connotes a major spirit from Kamigawa--the essential nature of something grand like Fire or Justice or, in this case, Night. There are many myojin and they have a wide range of power and influence, from godlike to not very godlike at all. I don't believe most myojin could stand up against a planeswalker in a straight-up duel. I think the Myojin of Night's Reach is on par with Multani, the nature spirit/avatar/maro-sorcerer. And let's all remember that Multani put Urza on ice for a long time by outmaneuvering him rather than overpowering him, so it's still an apples to oranges sort of comparison.
Does that help?
No. The planar boundaries of Kamigawa (that is, where it ends and the BE begin) are quite different from the veil that separates spirit and matter within Kamigawa. Kamigawa the plane is like an egg in its shell; the yolk is the spirit world and the white is the physical world, but they're both contained by the shell. (How's that for an off-the-cuff metaphor? )
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
Do you have planned to write non-magic books in the near future?
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My perception of Tetsuo's plan for Nicol Bolas wasn't to destroy him. The way it was written, I thought that Tetsuo had...damn, the Bogargan 7th circle guy....gah, I thought he destroyed Bolas' manabase that tied him to the physical world, thus trapping him on the mediation plane for "all eternity". My original theory was that MoNR, being a powerful source of black mana, might reach Dominaria (being center of Dominia) and the mediation plane, becoming a power source for Nicol Bolas to escape...
I was cringing in anticipation of Bolas erupting in front of Toshi when MoNR brought him to Madara.
And I do hope they pick it back up, Nicol Bolas is really only secondary in evil to Yawgy IMo, and he should be above him too.
I'm very thrilled to hear you're writing the beginning to next block. I hope you get another trilogy though, that'd make my life.
Good metaphor indeed!
Ok more questions! (Because I bothered Cory a lot already)
1) How is it possible that MONR can planeswalk to other worlds when OK is released if he is the veil between spirit and material world?
2) is Nicol Bolas dead or alive at the end of Legends II?
3) any specific planes MoNr visited? maybe a rhetorica question
4) did anyone on Kamigawa that we were introduced to have a spark? That you can say?
Ill have to sleep before I can come up with anything more intelligent, I'm so tired.
Ixi--
Ps. Thx again for your time!
The Kamigawa cycle was a big improvement on teh mirrodin cycle, and I did enjoy but something really rubbed me the wrong way.
In HCampions SHarp Tail says something about Pearl Tail, not really being her real name. The story adds quite a bit of intrigue on that specific point. However when I finished the saviors novel, it was still very open, and that particular point hadn't been revealed. I might have just missed something (I read rather fast), but I would like to know what that was about.
1) I dunno. What do you think?
2) I dunno. What do you think?
3) No specific planes were intended.
4) Definitely not. There may be planeswalkers and unascended sparks aplenty on Kamigawa, but none of the characters I wrote about had/have/will ever have a spark.
(and sorry about #1 and 2, but hey, every answer can't be a winner....:uhh:
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
Thanks for the kind words.
As for Pearl-Ear's real name, all I really intended was that the kitsune all had names that were too hard for human beings to pronounce or distinguish between. I imagined a combination of snaps, snarls, growls, etc., but for the sake of interacting with the humans and the moonfolk, they translated their real names into verbal speech.
I started from the premise that the kitsune wouldn't necessarily choose such pet-sounding names for themselves, this detail didn't really add anything to the plot, and as the story went on it mattered less and less. So it kind of fell out and my editor didn't think it was worth bringing back (at least, not enough to mention it to me).
Hope this helps.
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
Good question. Planned? Absolutely. Contracted? Not yet.
I have nothing scheduled after I hand in the final draft of the 1st post-Ravnica book early next year, and I will probably turn my attentions to one of my own personal projects (that I never discuss until they're done for fear of jinxing them).
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
1) can you tell us what partial color or full color the main character of the book you're writing now for WotC or won't they allowe even such a small tidbit? I know they hate leaks, but I'd noticed an over-abundance over highly well written Black based characters (skellum, Chainer, Braids, Tetsuo was BRU, Toshi, Kiku, Marrow Gnawer, etc...) And since Kos Agrus is RW I was hoping to a black return or even perhaps a blue main?
Anything would help...I don't wanna know if it's on Dominaria so I won't ask questions I'm + u can't answer.
Ix-