Greg Porter is the mastermind behind BTRC, otherwise known as the Blacksburg Tactical Research Center. His company produces both role-playing and card games. If you're interested in his games, you're in luck; all his wares are available as downloadable PDF files! No annoying waiting for the mail!

     Click on the company name above to visit his website. (Go on, do it.)

      Mr. Porter is the author of such well-known games as Macho Women with Guns, and TimeLords, both of which have been reviewed by the Critical Kobold. His latest rpg endeavors are the universal EABA system and its supplements, for use in any role-playing genre. 

      Mr. Porter graciously sat down with the Kobold for this interview in November of 2004. 

 

       Mr. Porter has been led down a low-ceilinged cave tunnel into the Kobold's "reception room", which smells noticeably of fungi and is littered with old Chinese food cartons. Mr. Porter accepts a seat on the tree stump proffered by his imp guide, Otto.

     Moments later, the Kobold appears, his bunny slippers making squishy sounds as he enters from a dark side opening in the cave. (He's constantly walking through puddles in his slippers.) Shaking some trailing slime from the bunny ears on his feet, the Kobold grunts a greeting to Porter, and squats across from him on a reasonably dry rock.

     
 Kobold:  Thanks for coming, Mr. Porter. You smell very clean. Let's get right to it. Your website, BTRC.net, has no info on your company's staff. Is it just you, Greg Porter, toiling away to make games, or do you have hordes of minions doing your nefarious bidding?
Greg Porter: Nope, just me. My wife helps with the editing, and a friend helps out at conventions. I contract all the art out to freelancers, and do most of the simpler graphics myself. The only hordes I have are the die-hard BTRC fans who help out with the playtesting.
 
K: Were you a game designer from the start, or an author who got into role-playing and then began designing games?

GP: My road to perdition began by saying "This game sucks! I could do better myself..." Once you say that, your fate is sealed. I'm trying, thus far unsuccessfully, to break out of games and get some conventional fiction published.
 
K: What are your fiction stories about? Were you inspired by your role playing adventures, or is your writing unrelated to your game sessions? And if you become a wildly successful author whose work gets turned into a movie, can I have a bit part in it?
GP: So far, I've got an entire novel devoted to the TimeLords backstory, plus a few pieces of short fiction on the subject. I have half a dozen other SF short stories done or in various stages of making me pull my hair out (writing one's self into a plot corner). Right now all I have for my efforts is a stack of rejection letters. Sigh.

     As far as bit parts go, you can audition like all the rest of the soulless troglodytes...
 
K: I criticized your game TimeLords for being overly complex in its use of math for its combat mechanics. I've also purchased and read your company's Guns! Guns! Guns! rpg supplement, which almost made my head explode. Do you have degrees in engineering or math, or are formulae just a hobby of yours?
 
GP: I have a degree in the physical sciences (Geology). Products like Guns! and the CORPS Vehicle Design System were originally tools I used in the background, to make sure my game elements were consistent. Once I mentioned this, people kept saying, "Can I see it?", so I eventually formatted the material and cleaned it up for public consumption.

     Some gamers are serious gearheads (myself included) and love supplements like that. Guns! Guns! Guns! has been my overall #2 seller (Macho Women with Guns is a clear #1). But to get back to the question, I'm a min-maxer in gaming terms, so I like to know the rules that apply to any given "game reality".
 

K: Your latest product line, EABA, sounds promisingly simple and multifunctional. What would you most  like to say about it to people who've never played a generic/ multi- genre rpg system before?

GP: It's nice to be able to transport your knowledge and in some cases your character's from one game world to another. Instead of learning D&D 3.5 and World of Darkness and Call of Cthulhu, etc., you just learn one system and apply any minor genre tweaks as needed. D20  is the 800lb gorilla of "generic" systems right now, but there are plenty of others. I just happen to think EABA is the best one...

     EABA is simple and multifunctional. It does what most other universal systems do, better (IMHO), and in half the pages or less. Once you get the basic concepts down, it's supposed to be intuitive to use, rather than, "Let me look up the rule for that". The only really meaty part of EABA is the power design system, which is as long as it is, simply because it needs to let you replicate any sort of power effect from any genre. On the plus side, once you have the "how powers work in this gameworld" part down, the rest is easy. Players usually only see the end result, not the GM sweat, so it works out.

     EABA is also an "open" system. You can publish anything you want for the game within the limits of the open license, and if you make a profit at it, more power to you!
 
K: I saw that on your website. So you're allowing others to make a profit off your system without you getting a dime. Honestly, was that a move just out of the generosity and goodness of your heart, or because it would be too hard to track down everyone who made cash using your system just to say "Gimme a dollar"?
GP: Neither. Systems thrive on support. I'm a one-man outfit, which limits my output. Letting other people generate support material for their own mercenary reasons helps me out by generating interest in the main system. And it's also a tilting-at-windmills gesture of defiance at the d20  juggernaut.
 
K: Are all future BTRC game releases going to be based off of the EABA system, then? If this system is intended to fit every need, will you stop designing game mechanics and focus solely on campaign backgrounds?

GP: For the foreseeable future, a qualified "yes". But, if game design is a skill, as my skill level improves, I may come up with something better! And there is always freelance work.
 
K: How much were your experiences with the GURPS system influential in your design ideas for EABA?
GP: Mostly in what I should try to do better than GURPS. I mean, what's the point of designing your own universal system if you think someone else has already done a better one?

     I was a playtester for the original GURPS, and it is a good system, but all these years later, it is a little dated and has some concepts that can be improved upon. In my opinion, anyway. Four attributes seems to be not quite enough, for instance. GURPS is mostly table-based, rather than intuitive. And so on. There are also positive influences from GURPS. The EABA design drew from experiences with the Hero System and several other systems I've played over the years, in terms of mechanics, style and intangibles like d6's vs. d20's.

     As an example, if you play Hero System, you know there are certain numbers that are good/bad breakpoints for attributes because of rounding, where secondary characteristics that divide by 3 and 5 break in your favor or against it. In Hero System, a DEX of 16 is a bad number, because it rounds down for both OCV and DEX rolls (it's the same as a DEX of 14 for all die roll purposes, which rounds up for both). So, in EABA, I tried to make sure there are no "bad" numbers.

     As an homage to the games and designers that have affected my design thoughts, I actually list the systems that influenced EABA in the credits for the rules. I also badgered all the designers of those systems to contribute tidbits of wisdom to the GM'ing chapter of the rules.
 
K: Your company offers role playing games, card games, and board games. Is there a particular area of gaming you enjoy more than the others?
GP: They each have their own arena. Casual card games at the local store, board games like when friends drop in from out of town, rpg's with the local crowd. Winning is nice, but I simply enjoy the play.
 
K: Yeah. We used to play Full Contact Lawn Jarts around the office, but ever since the intern lost her left leg below the knee, nobody will play with me any more. Anyway, I didn't win much, but it was fun. And all my limbs work.

GP: I hear you. Nobody wants to play paintball with me since the time I accidentally used frozen paintballs.
 
K: Do you draft the ideas/ rules for these various games yourself, or do you get design help from people outside your company?

GP: It's all me. All the game ideas come from my fevered little mind. Playtesters are the only design help I get from outside the company. That help, however, is invaluable. Outside viewpoints are always good for a design. Not just your local group of players, but people as far removed as you can find, just to get as many perspectives as possible.
 
K: Would you have taken the red pill or the blue pill?
GP: Truth first, fiction later. Definitely the red pill.
 
K: Any cool plans for the Christmas holiday? Hanukkah?
GP: Not really. Just the usual attempt to prop up the slow economy with an orgy of consumer spending. If you want to join in the frenzy, I'll take anything from:  http://www.villainsupply.com (superweapons preferred)
K: Ah, yes. We've enjoyed that website in our Favorites folder for some time now. But their Kevlar underwear isn't sized for kobolds.
 
K: Your products tend to have more of a sci-fi or modern bent. You mentioned in another interview (for Downloader Monthly) that one of your favorite rpg's was Traveller. Do you not care for the fantasy, superhero, or pulp genres?
GP: In the end, you're limited by what people around you want to play. I've played just about every genre. But, when you're designing stuff for a living, you need to concentrate on testing what you're designing. For instance, I think there are some really good superhero systems out there, and I'd rather come up with a new niche that hasn't been done to death than put out a new product that competes head-to-head with an established title.
 
K: So whom do you play with? Do you have gamer friends? Do you hop down to the local game store and pray that there are hapless urchins milling about that you can recruit to play with you?

GP: Mostly an older crowd. I just can't get away with inviting a group of adolescent boys over to my place for some late night partying anymore.

      At least that's what my parole officer says.

K: Uhhh... moving on.

    What non-gaming books are you reading now?

GP: In the past few months I've gone through a couple year's back issues of International Defense Review (game research), half a dozen SF novels (entertainment), one or two fantasy novels (ditto) and Java Programming for Dummies (needed for a game project).
 
K: Have you ever worn those socks with the individual toe holes? Like gloves for your feet? What's up with those ?
GP: Only since I lost the tips of all my fingers in a tragic VCR-cleaning accident.
 
K: The nation of Bali has an agency called the "Bali Tourism Recovery Committee", ostensibly to lure vacationers back to the Indonesian country after terrorist attacks scared away a percentage of visitors. They go by the initials BTRC. Have they asked you to come over, maybe do some cross-promotion events? Macho Women with Guns in Bali, perhaps?

GP: Ne, no invites. You forgot about Bio-Tek Research Consultants (btrc.com). I guess I could try and get them to engineer me a better Macho Woman. But if you really want a Macho Women with Guns fix, try:

www.guns-n-babes.com    or   www.ActionGirls.com
K: Just for the record, if you type that "GunsNBabes" address in without the hyphens, it's a totally different, but equally silly, website.

     (Remember, little kids, Mr. Porter started us down this dark path...)

K: Is Mrs. Porter a Macho Woman with a Gun? If so, can we have a photo of her as well?

GP: She is a Macho Woman, and knows how to use a gun. But she prefers knives, and would rather remain anonymous, so's you won't know it's her sneaking up on you.
K: Heh heh! Right. OK, whatever.
 

(From this point on during the interview, the Kobold would occasionally spin suddenly around, looking behind him and brandishing a rusty spatula before continuing the discussion with Mr. Porter.)
 
K: Your company sells its products in PDF form only; no pre-printed rulebooks or supplements. Was this a financial decision, or just a convenience issue?
GP: Both. I make significant less doing pdfs than I did with conventional printing. But, I also do not have to worry about warehousing, shipping, huge up-front printing costs and so on. It's just as much work to make a good pdf as it is to make a good printed product, but there are less production-end hassles.

     It also appeals to me from an ethical/ emotional standpoint. Why go to the trouble of cutting down trees, shipping them to a mill, shipping the paper to a printer, shipping the games to me, and me shipping the games to a store, when I can simply have the customer download the infinitely recyclable electrons to their computer and print off what they want at home. Yes, there is a little more hassle to printing it yourself, but on the other hand, you're only paying half what you would for a printed version.

     Plus, if there are product updates or errata, I can give everyone who bought the product a free upgrade. For instance, EABA started at version 1.0, went through a few 1.0x iterations and is now on version 1.1. Everyone who bought any version automatically got a free upgrade to the latest version, and you can change your printed rules just by printing any of the changed pages and slipping them into your binder.
 
K: Do you give tours of your funky geodesic dome hideaway to visitors?
GP: If you can find the place, yes. We're 2km off the nearest paved road. Drive until you're sure you're sure you're on the wrong road, then keep going. Just ignore the twelve-fingered hillbillies. They lost their teeth and can't bite, and they're lousy shots besides.

     The BTRC web page (www.btrc.net) is GeoURL listed, so you can see how far away you are from us. If you are targeting smart bombs, aim them at latitude 36.839971 North, longitude -79.844499 West. MapQuest will also accept those coordinates, as will most online satellite mapping sites.
 
K: Waitaminit... kilometers? What are you, Canadian? Communist? Scientist? We don't use language like that around here.
GP: Number 3 on that list. I can't respect any measurement system that actually has a unit called the "slug".
K: Mmmmm! Slugs... (Licks his lips.)
 
K: Speaking of bad language, your card game, F*ck This!, is basically about crafting the rudest, most despicably foul insults you can by laying cards down in rows to form sentences.  Cool! Did something in particular prompt this game design? Rough night at home with the spouse? Nasty knife fight in a bar full of truckers? Scrabble partner with Tourette's Syndrome?
GP: None of the above. Chalk it up to trying to keep yourself awake on a 10 hour home drive from GenCon, starting at 6 in the evening, assisted by an ultra-large Starbucks mocha cappuccino and a 6-pack of Jolt cola.

     John Kolb (my personal minion) and I just started collecting every possible bit of profanity we could think of, directed mostly at the inane AM-band talk show hosts that populate the wee hours. I think we had over 300 items scribbled down by the time we ran out of steam, which took about 4 hours as I recall. Then I had to figure how to turn it into a game.

     I'll use this spot to give personal kudos to John and his uber-landyacht (an Impala SS with a 5.7 liter V8 in it). Not as much fun to drive as my Mini Cooper, but it tears up the interstates something fierce, does 0-60 in 7 seconds and has a trunk that sleeps three.

     Anyway, the project I came up with this year can be found at:   (Infinite Armies Yahoo! Group)
K: Mmmmmm! Cappuccino... (Licks his lips.)
 
K: What's your favorite type of music? Do you listen to your tunes while designing games?
GP: Mostly Top 40 and classic rock. Last few albums I picked up (checking pile of CD's) were from Staind, Matchbox 20 and Third Eye Blind. Not much into other genres. I've ripped most of my CD's into MP3's and play random tracks in the background when I'm working (like now). Last few tracks were Annie Lennox, Tom Petty, Sting and Indigo Girls, as a random sampling.
 
K: Do you set aside certain hours of the day for working on your games, or do you tend to putter with them whenever the mood strikes you? (Is it a 9-5 job or a 24/7 obsession?)
GP: I try to do the creatively intensive work in the mornings when I'm fresh. At this time of year (fall/winter), I've got outside chores to do (road maintenance, cutting up firewood) and I don't feel nearly as inspired when I'm exhausted, so I do that last. The dome's major heat source is a wood stove, so if I don't chop wood, we freeze.
 
K: Would you please write a haiku poem to share with our website visitors, on the topic of EABA.
GP: If you insist:

EABA is the best
It's better than all the rest
So buy it, dammit!
 
K: Do you attend game conventions to promote your company?
GP: A few local conventions, which in my area would be MACE and SheVaCon, and I also attend GenCon, just to wave the flag (see, we're still alive!) and see what I've been missing in the gaming desert that is Martinsville, VA (the nearest store with a decent game selection is over an hour's drive away, in my old Blacksburg stomping grounds).
 
K: What interesting bit of info would you like us to know about Mr. Greg Porter, the man?
GP: I like hopeless causes, so I vote Libertarian.
 
K: I notice on your website that more than one reference is made to some of your games being more interesting while played under the influence of alcohol. Is there something you want to share with us, Greg? Admitting you have a problem may be the first step towards help.

GP: Nah...
 

K: What is the sound of one hand clapping?

GP: (Slaps kobold...with one hand)

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