Ad Personam: Chris Avellone, Black Isle Studios
Sia 'Garrett' Manzari, 2003-08-14

Ad Personam is dedicated to the people behind the games: programmers, artists, musicians, directors, producers and many other professions involved in creating the stuff that fills our harddisks, lets us sleep less and eat more junk food. In each Ad Personam, we want to introduce one of these fine folks to you - and this time it is Chris Avellone, Game Designer at Black Isle Studios. [note: By the time this interview was done, Chris was still with Black Isle Studios - in the meantime he joined Faergus Urquhart's new company Obsidian Entertainment].

RPGDot: Please tell us who you are, what you do and about your career history.

Chris Avellone: Chris Avellone. My job is apparently to grow older, but at least I'm not as old as Tim Cain, who, according to reports, breathes out a cloud of mummy dust every time he talks. I wanted to do computer RPGs ever since I saw one of my friends playing Bard's Tale 2 on his Commodore. I went to college at William and Mary where I got a piece of paper that said I have a bachelor's degree in English. I started writing a bunch of short stories and RPG material after that, some of which got published. Most of it didn't. It was enough to get me hired at Interplay, and I've been here ever since. I think it's been six or seven years. Maybe it's eight. I've worked on Starfleet Academy, Die by the Sword, Conquest of the New World, Red Asphalt, Planescape: Torment, Fallout 2, Icewind Dale 1, Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter, Icewind Dale: Trials of the Luremaster, Icewind Dale 2, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (with Snowblind Studios), and Lionheart (with Reflexive Entertainment). There's been other projects, too, I'm sure, but they never saw the light of day. My Mom still isn't exactly clear on what I do on a day-to-day basis, and neither am I.

RPGDot: Your favourite game, both electronical and board?

Chris Avellone: Board Game: Illuminati, until you lose all your friends because of it. Scrabble is also a blast, until you lose all your friends because of it. So's pictionary. As for electronic games, I still think Ultima Underworld and the System Shocks are among the best games ever made. Wasteland and Fallout were also pretty damn good - that whole sequence in Wasteland where you go inside the android's brain sticks with me to this day.

RPGDot: Your favourite movie and favourite actor & actress?

Chris Avellone: Favorite Movie: Either Raising Arizona or Three O' Clock High.

Favorite Actor: Johnny Depp

Favorite Actress: Johnny Depp

RPGDot: Your favourite singer/band and record?

Chris Avellone: I thought and thought about this, and I really couldn't give a favorite. It's probably better that way.

RPGDot: If you could do any game, regardless of money and developing time, what would it be?

Chris Avellone: Torment came pretty close. A real-world RPG would be a lot of fun. I have some others brewing in the back of my head, we'll see if they ever see the light of day. I'm a little tired of the fantasy genre unless it has a really good visual or thematic hook, though - I'd rather do something a little more contemporary.

RPGDot: If you'd be able to choose anyone from within the game industry to work on your dream project, who'd you put in your team?

Chris Avellone: I'm working with them now. For starters, I'd say Josh Sawyer, except I started working with him a few years ago, and I discovered I hate him. Probably Tim Cain, too. I don't know about Tim's dog, though, I heard he pees on new employees. We used to have this bonehead named T-Ray who did art on Fallout 2, he was fun to work with. And Tim Donley, lead artist on Planescape - never did I meet a nicer, more enthusiastic guy. And Eric Campanella. And Dan Spitzley. And Feargus, of course... you know, this list could go on forever. I've worked with a bunch of people over the years who I'd love to work with again. I'm sure there's tons of other people out there who are equally as cool.

RPGDot: What character from a game or role-playing setting best describes you?

Chris Avellone: Morte from Planescape: Torment, I'm afraid to say.

RPGDot: Your non-gaming hobbies?

Chris Avellone: Well, my job is my hobby, so it doesn't leave room for much else. I work out a lot. Write a lot of short stories. Do a good amount of reading - good and bad books.

RPGDot: Your favourite author and favourite book?

Chris Avellone: Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game. For recent titles, I like George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones and the resulting volumes - if you haven't read it, check it out; it gave me new hope for the fantasy genre. The Sharpe series is also pretty damn good.

RPGDot: What historical person would you like to meet and why?

Chris Avellone: Shakespeare so I can ask him how much of it he was making up as he went along and how much was intentional ambiguity. Meeting Jesus would be good, too, but I probably wouldn't tell anyone about that.

RPGDot: Thanks for your time!