ShapeShifter
SOC-13
Is anyone here aware of a source (perhaps an interview) on Mr. Miller wherein his life and creations, esp. our favorite RPG are elaborated in detail?
Marc Miller Biography
- Thread starter ShapeShifter
- Start date
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/130/647
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/754
http://traveller.wikia.com/wiki/Marc_Miller
Also an interview in High Passage#3.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/754
http://traveller.wikia.com/wiki/Marc_Miller
Also an interview in High Passage#3.
ShapeShifter
SOC-13
Thanks for the links. However the first is not a bio but a resume. None of the links appeared to have a bio. Is Mr. Miller very private? I've never known a successful businessman to abhor self-promotion.
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
The interview has a bit more info, but yeah, I've noticed that he does tend to stay out of the limelight. He rarely pops up online, although he'll happily reply to emails.
He definately does not seek out attention for himself. He was at Winter War in Champaign this year, running a vender table. No FFE sign, and he didn't even have his name on his nametag. I didn't even realize it was him until after chatting with him for a few minutes.
If you are looking for how his personal experiences have shapped his game design, I can tell you that he has an MA in Sociology, and I can definatly see the sociological viewpoint in the CG process of Traveller. He was also a Lieutenant in the US Army (ADA branch IIRC) including a tour in Vietnam, which helps explain why failing a survival roll in CT is fatal.
If you are looking for how his personal experiences have shapped his game design, I can tell you that he has an MA in Sociology, and I can definatly see the sociological viewpoint in the CG process of Traveller. He was also a Lieutenant in the US Army (ADA branch IIRC) including a tour in Vietnam, which helps explain why failing a survival roll in CT is fatal.
Right now, he is hard at work with dedicated fans on T5. However, I hope once that project is done that he will once again emerge from the shadows and speak about gaming. For he is one of the greats like Gygax. But, has always been rather silent. How odd not even to wear a name tag but I guess if you wanted to avoid attention and just watch people game...that would be one to do it.
Rhialto the Marvelous
SOC-13
I've said it before: It would be great if he did a Q&A thread with the fans here on CotI, in the manner Gygax, Mentzer, etc. etc. did on Dragonsfoot.
ShapeShifter
SOC-13
I most enthusiastically second that! As a new fan of CT it's sad that we know so little about the creator of a great game.
He may not be noisy to us, but look at what he does: he's a consultant for companies looking to fulfill publishing needs (Heartland Publishing), he's president of the Pratt Music Foundation, which supports music scholarship (not just monetary awards, promoting scholars as well), and he's the spokesman for an anti-racism organization in the Bloomington-Normal area of Illinois (Not in Our Town). The man is busy!
Icosahedron
SOC-14 1K
There's no crime in privacy.
Look at it this way - many years ago an ordinary guy had a job designing games and it just happened that one of those games became popular.
That doesn't oblige the guy to publish his resume and life story on the net and commit an hour a day for the rest of his life answering questions on each of a dozen different fan sites. (if he does a Q&A here, he'll have to do them elsewhere, too).
It looks like he's a busy guy, looking after himself and looking after others, and he's still doing a lot for Traveller fans behind the scenes. That's enough for me.
A common complaint from famous people is that everyone wants a piece of them.
If I ever meet Mr Miller, I'll shake his hand, thank him for the decades of pleasure Traveller has given me, and then leave him be. I don't need to know what aspect of his childhood caused him to invent character X or world Y.
That's for him to know and us to be thankful for.
Look at it this way - many years ago an ordinary guy had a job designing games and it just happened that one of those games became popular.
That doesn't oblige the guy to publish his resume and life story on the net and commit an hour a day for the rest of his life answering questions on each of a dozen different fan sites. (if he does a Q&A here, he'll have to do them elsewhere, too).
It looks like he's a busy guy, looking after himself and looking after others, and he's still doing a lot for Traveller fans behind the scenes. That's enough for me.
A common complaint from famous people is that everyone wants a piece of them.
If I ever meet Mr Miller, I'll shake his hand, thank him for the decades of pleasure Traveller has given me, and then leave him be. I don't need to know what aspect of his childhood caused him to invent character X or world Y.
That's for him to know and us to be thankful for.
spinwardpirate
SOC-13
He's almost as elusive as Charles S. Roberts.
I think it's pretty cool, actually.
Do your work, then move on.
"And we didn't even get a chance to thank him."
I think it's pretty cool, actually.
Do your work, then move on.
"And we didn't even get a chance to thank him."
ShapeShifter
SOC-13
Being the obsessive sleuth that I am, I have found what I sought: a good, two-page interview is in White Dwarf 23.
spinwardpirate
SOC-13
and... have a link? Or is it only available on paper?
ShapeShifter
SOC-13
Paper and the White Dwarf pdf archives.
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
I like to think of Marc as the Neil Armstrong of Traveller - he's the great hero, but avoids publicity. Loren is Buzz Aldrin - you can't avoid the guy! Frank Chadwick and/or John Harshman would be Michael Collins - the one everybody forgets
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