How did you get into gaming?

Waaay back when they still did Ian Livingston’s Fighting Fantasy books and the start of the Lone Wolf series — I considered those gaming, since they used dice and a character sheet. I never got into D&D, had a brief run-in with Palladium Fantasy RP, and Warhammer, then I found Vampire in ’92. I had a boyfriend at the time that gamed, and unfortunately my first game was as a DM, and I didn’t know ANYthing. I got better after that. 😉

Where do you see Art in the RPG industry headed?

I’m actually seeing it hit higher and higher standards — it’s actually getting treated as art and recognized as being in with the same sort of art as fantasy and sci-fi book cover illustration. I’m really happy about that. To me art is art — whether it’s for comics, or video games, poster art, rpg’s or actual fiction books. It’s just various limbs of the same creature.

What has been your most challenging work in the RPG industry?

Actually doing design work form the ground up for a couple of games that never saw the light of day. I put a TON of work into one — it was a scifi sort of game, with tons of variant character design, but all that work never went anywhere. That has got to be the hardest thing ever.

What has been your most rewarding work in the RPG industry?

Exalted. I came in late into the development part, so everything was already set, but I find that a lot of fans look at my stuff as the iconic themework for the line. It’s very surprising. And I love the world itself. It’s a far different change from ‘generic’ fantasy.

You’ve worked on most of the World of Darkness RPGs (Changeling, Werewolf, KotE, Mage), do you have a favorite?

I really got into the WoD with Werewolf, of all things, so it’s got a far more special place in my heart than even Changeling. And I adore Changeling. Most of the WoD I like one way or another, though I never really understood Mage. It has more to do with someone’s outlook on how they view the world, I guess.

Do you have a favorite medium? Why?

I use mostly pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor. I’m still trying to learn computer coloring, and it’s still hit and miss, but I’d say I like penciling best. The lines have a life that gets lost in the finishing process.

What RPGs are you currently playing? if any?

Running Exalted right now. I don’t have a lot of time to play much anymore, so I stick with stuff I like and know the system to.

What’s next for you?

Maybe a comic series in the near future. It may be online like so many other artists are doing, but I’d like to see it in print eventually.

Visit Melissa’s Website ^[1] for more information on her latest work.