Interview - John Rogers

For fans of the show, John Rogers needs no introduction. In addition to creating LEVERAGE, he has written for DC Comics and Dungeons & Dragons. John is also an avid gamer and exposed our blog to fans of the show on his Twitter feed.

He graciously agreed to answer a few questions for the blog.

How did the Leverage RPG come about?

The nice folks at Margaret Weiss contacted the suited humans who handle that sort of thing over here at the Electric Entertainment studio.  You know, we're the only independent studio around, so we don't have some giant licensing division -- it all falls on the desk of one very hard-working, talented woman named Rachel Olschan.

She called me in and said "This company wants to do a, ahhh, role-playing --" and before she finished I spotted the FIREFLY book on her desk and said "Them?!  Great,  Sign the papers."

"Should we check --"

"Trust me as your in-house geek.  They're good."  And that was that.

How much input did you have in the design or other elements of the process?

Oh, I'm a dilettante when it comes to RPG design.  I dabble, I write fluff for some systems, but I know to stay out of the lads' way when it comes to real work.  I already liked the Cortex System, and when they introduced the new version for LEVERAGE, I just read the manuscript and went "wow."  They figured out how to do the heist genre.  Damn, we've all been working on that for a while in RPG's, haven't we?

So we reviewed and approved all the license oriented materials -- character continuity, what photos to use for interior art, FAQS about the episodes, but stayed out of the designers' way when it came to the game itself.

How did you find our blog?

Twitter.  I think one of the Cortex Plus guys linked to it, and I drifted over to take a look. 

  

You mentioned the writer's room read our blog. Remember any choice comments?

Most of the room aren't gamers, so it was a little odd for them.  I do remember Chris Downey saying "So this proves we can use the game to develop episodes, right?"  When you're heading into Season 5, that is not a frivolous question.

Anything you'd like to see in Season Two of our game?

I have to admit, I love character builds.  In MMORPG's, I'm an alt-aholic.  The more new characters, the better.

Are there any Marks from our season you wish you would have thought of first?

No, most of your stuff is a little higher action than we do.  No budget to worry about in an RPG session ...

  

Does the cast have any thoughts about the RPG? Does Kane know he's in two of them (Angel)?

They think it's cool, and as Kane does play the occasional video game, he dug it.  

What kind of GM is Hardison?

The type that builds ridiculously difficult logic traps.  But you'll actually see what kind of GM he is in the winter season.  Kind of.

Are you amused that people read the Leverage rules and want to use them to run everything from Shadowrun to Star Trek?

Not at all.  I dug Cortex Plus from the very beginning, and I'm not surprised it's popular.  I find as I get older I lean more toward story/adjective style games, myself.  A good game engine can fit anything.

What games do you run when you have a spare moment?

I  play 4e, but when I have the time to run, I run Savage Worlds.  My games tend to run pulp-action heavy, and that's a good system for it.

Ever gamed with anyone famous?

Just other writers.  And there are no famous writers.

What is your most legendary campaign?

Although I played in a lot of great campaigns, I ran a cobbled-together Modern Conspiracy game that was a lot of fun.  It checked in on the Agents at different points in their careers, at different levels of sanity.

Tell us about your character.

In a pseudo-Venetian 4e game, playing Jan Kormick, the genially corrupt priest of the Justice God.  With dual warhammers, he breaks kneecaps ... FOR JUSTICE!

What RPG license would you want to adapt to another media?

Feng Shui.  Feng Shui.  Feng Shui.

Do you think that Hollywood will ever raid RPG properties like they did with comic books?

It's tricky, and this is for a longer blog post -- but worlds are a dime a dozen.  Characters are what you develop around, and the whole POINT of an RPG is that there's a hole in the center of the world where you put your own character.

What did gaming teach you about writing?

You only pay attention when you care.  You can feel that, physically, in a game session, and I always think of the imaginary audience out there, watching my show.  Helps fight off the temptation to get too arty.

What did writing teach you about gaming?

Know when to go tot he act break.  Get into a scene late, get out early.

You also wrote the foreward for the DC Adventures Heroes and Villains volumes. Any write-ups that you'd care to comment upon?

I just wrote the intro for Reality Blurs's AGENTS OF OBLIVION.  It's a supernatural spy game for Savage Worlds that'll knock you on your ass.  Buy it and be happy.

How did you make the jump to being a full-time professional writer?

I was a stand-up who got my pwn sitcom for a minute and a half.  After the pilot failed, I saw the writers go on to full time employment, while I went back to auditioning.  And I though "Hey, how do I get the job where I get hired right after I fail?"

All joking aside, I actually started stand-up so I could learn to write humor for my budding fiction career (all this while I was doing a Physics degree).  So moving back into writing was just a return to original intent.

I wrote my spec scripts, submitted them, and was hired on COSBY as a staff writer.  Not the first COSBY that made everybody rich and famous.  The second one, that ended lives and careers.  Still a good start, though. 

Is it easier or harder to break in with the rise of social media?

Ask Felicia Day. :)

What's the best thing about being a full-time writer? What's the worst thing?

Best thing is I get to write for a living.  Worst thing is I have to write for a living.

Any non-Leverage projects you'd like to pimp for our readers?

Well, I'm pretty pleased with the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS comid I'm doing for IDW with ace artist Andre diVito.  You know all those high-stepping high-falutin' fantasy epics?  This ain't it.  Scruffy adventurers hurtle from one bad idea to another, with nary a "thee" or "thou" to be seen.  It's LEVERAGE with swords and magic, to be blunt.

I'm also working on some webcomic stuff, but that's a ways off.

What's the strangest writing gig you've had?

A sex ed film for the Canadian Military, that I also appeared in.

What do you enjoy writing for most? Gaming? Comics? TV?

TV, I think, although I love writing for gaming.  IN THEORY like writing for comics, but it is the hardest, HARDEST writing I have ever done.

How do you balance paying the bills vs. personal projects?

You know what?  You take every shit gig that comes along to pay the bills, put your head down, build your toolbox, and then ten years later you have a career.   I bartended and had other gigs when I started as a stand-up, split the time, and I'll tell you -- if what you're doing, as a personal project, isn't the thing you want to do more than ANYTHING ELSE ON EARTH, don't do it.  That desire is the only thing that will sustain you in the inevitable shit times.