Based on his blog, it looks like he's doing work with Magic: The Gathering over at WOTC these days. So, that's cool!
I had the pleasure of meeting him at one of the early PAX conventions. He's as cool a guy in real life as you'd guess.
But he also wrote Children of the Void, which was fantastic.
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Mike was a great presence on the boards but the Guide to Darkmoon Vale was his work and it remains one of Paizo's least impressive publications.Wow. Was that really necessary? I'd hate to be the first guy to leave a party you're at.
It wasn't 'necessary' but I think Mike can probably take it. I didn't even say the book was bad (in fact, I'm glad I bought it) I just disagreed with Krome's claims that his work was 'a touch above' other Paizo publications.
However, I must bow before Joana's reasoning: Children of the Void is awesome.
Please don't imply that I am some kind of jerk who slags people off behind their backs. You don't know me and that's a pretty horrible thing to say. It's also untrue.
Here is fun Mike McArtor related read. Shadows of Yogsothoth spoilers.
Mike was a great presence on the boards but the Guide to Darkmoon Vale was his work and it remains one of Paizo's least impressive publications.
I completely disagree. That gets my vote for favorite paizo book after Inner Sea World Guide. Best site guide of them all.
I miss the esteemed ninja master as well. I wish him nothing but the best working on M:tG (since I also enjoy that game). But I think Erik took Mike's place as Paizo's resident ninja master, so all's well. Or is it Jason now? Who knows ;)
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Hmm, that's kind of rich, actually. Rather sensitive, aren't we, considering your first post?
Please don't imply that I am some kind of jerk who slags people off behind their backs. You don't know me and that's a pretty horrible thing to say. It's also untrue.
This is not a criticizm of the book - its one I was able to read in one sitting cover to cover and one of my favorites, but:
GtDMV had multiple bios with hanging sentences (P 41 Karlae Siegfrost is one that comes to mind). It was also plagued by 'early product syndrome' where it was written before some of the feeling of the world was set in stone, so there are a few inconsistencies with the final version of things as presented in the campaign setting and inner sea world guide. Also had a number of map inconsistencies.
I think these are the things GeraintElberion was trying to talk about, but the phrasing could have been better.
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Well, I only own the Guide to Korvosa, which I've studied very intensely to prepare my upcoming Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign. I think that is an excellent guide.
Creative Director
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Yeah folks... please mellow out on the personal attacks.
NOTE: Bad reviews of Paizo Products do NOT count as personal attacks against Paizo or its authors, nor should bad reviews of Paizo Products be interpreted as personal attacks against anyone who likes the product with the bad review.
I mean... we publish enough RPG material that there should be something in there for everyone to like, if not love.
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I mean... we publish enough RPG material that there should be something in there for everyone to like, if not love.
We also publish enough RPG material that not everyone is going to love every single product. This also is not a reason to become unmellow toward one another. :-) It's okay to like different things.
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I mean... we publish enough RPG material that there should be something in there for everyone to like, if not love.We also publish enough RPG material that not everyone is going to love every single product. This also is not a reason to become unmellow toward one another. :-) It's okay to like different things.
The world would be such a nicer place if this adivice was followed.
I sometimes wonder if the parting was less than amicable. Mike inserted some stuff that an editor is supposed to remove. Like the Slor. It's Ghostbusters IP, but Mike put it in as an easter egg. Paizo can never touch it again.
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Geraint, I apologize. I overreacted to your first post because I thought you were taking a swipe in a thread that was meant to be a positive one about Mike. Unfortunately, my snark only made it worse, and I am embarrassed that I didn't follow my own personal rules regarding posting. I hope you'll forgive me and I hope everyone else will let me chalk it off to having a bad day. I love coming here and it bothers me that I let you all see me at my worst.
Shame when people seem to leave Paizo proper they dont continue on as even freelancers. Though I can only think of Mike and Josh as examples.
In Mike's case, I'm pretty sure he works full-time for WotC. So I don't think he can freelance. I'm not sure if they have non-competitor clauses, but even if they don't he probably wouldn't have the time.
I love coming here and it bothers me that I let you all see me at my worst.
Well, I'm not Geraint, but I'm all about second chances!
Come on in, Michael—it's another day, and we got room for everybody.
:)
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I love coming here and it bothers me that I let you all see me at my worst.Well, I'm not Geraint, but I'm all about second chances!
Come on in, Michael—it's another day, and we got room for everybody.
:)
I second that, Jim.
I've got more time for a man who can apologise with grace than I have for a dozen men who never make mistakes.
And if you've never had a misunderstanding on the internet, you've probably never been on the internet. :D
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I love coming here and it bothers me that I let you all see me at my worst.Well, I'm not Geraint, but I'm all about second chances!
Come on in, Michael—it's another day, and we got room for everybody.
:)
I second that, Jim.
I've got more time for a man who can apologise with grace than I have for a dozen men who never make mistakes.
And if you've never had a misunderstanding on the internet, you've probably never been on the internet. :D
Thanks, Geraint and Jim, I appreciate it.
I sometimes wonder if the parting was less than amicable. Mike inserted some stuff that an editor is supposed to remove. Like the Slor. It's Ghostbusters IP, but Mike put it in as an easter egg. Paizo can never touch it again.
Unless something happened that I don't know about, Mike's leaving was amicable. He even wrote Dragons Revisited as a freelancer, and it was one of the first things I developed when I joined Paizo.
And I'll point out that Mike used to work for me back when TSR had an AOL site; I ran TSR's online presence and Mike was one of my chat/boards moderators. And when he applied to work at Paizo, he asked me if he could list me as a reference, and I of course said yes. No hard feelings there at all. :)
Amidst all 'that stuff' discussion, again, I'll say the Guide to Darkmoon Vale was a fanastic book. For me, hands down, it's better than any other region/city guide outside of the Inner Sea Guide.
There is enough stuff in that to add multiple layers and years to a DV campaign that is based on the modules.
I sometimes wonder if the parting was less than amicable. Mike inserted some stuff that an editor is supposed to remove. Like the Slor. It's Ghostbusters IP, but Mike put it in as an easter egg. Paizo can never touch it again.Unless something happened that I don't know about, Mike's leaving was amicable. He even wrote Dragons Revisited as a freelancer, and it was one of the first things I developed when I joined Paizo.
And I'll point out that Mike used to work for me back when TSR had an AOL site; I ran TSR's online presence and Mike was one of my chat/boards moderators. And when he applied to work at Paizo, he asked me if he could list me as a reference, and I of course said yes. No hard feelings there at all. :)
Was Mike one of the main creators of Alkenstar? I ask because it seemed to take you guys a little while to get a handle on where you wanted to take it. It still feels like the unloved red headed stepchild of the setting and as it was nobodies baby anymore it was pushed to the side.
I do like the direction Alkenstar has taken with magic being unpredictable at best and places where there is no magic. So you can play magic using classes in Alkenstar but you have to be flexible.
The design of Alkenstar was before my time at Paizo, but part of its problem is that we didn't want to address guns and technology in that part of the world until we had firm mechanics on how guns work in the game, so additional content for Alkenstar was put on the back burner (not to mention the "we've had guns for 2,000 years according to the timeline and they haven't gotten any better" problem). Now that we have the gunslinger class and rules-approved means for categorizing different firearms levels, Alkenstar (and the Mana Wastes) doesn't have to stay on the back burner.
The design of Alkenstar was before my time at Paizo, but part of its problem is that we didn't want to address guns and technology in that part of the world until we had firm mechanics on how guns work in the game, so additional content for Alkenstar was put on the back burner (not to mention the "we've had guns for 2,000 years according to the timeline and they haven't gotten any better" problem). Now that we have the gunslinger class and rules-approved means for categorizing different firearms levels, Alkenstar (and the Mana Wastes) doesn't have to stay on the back burner.
I love what you guys have done with Alkenstar, so far and the mechanics for guns are excellent. I am playing an English Highwayman style mysterious pistolero in Carrion Crown (emerging guns).
I have an Idea for a Australian Lighthorse/US Cavalry/Bush-veldt Carbineers/Canadian Mounties style campaign, where the PCs travel the mana wastes fighting Gnoll raiders, Alchemical and Magical monstrosities and save small towns from bandits and undead.