Mister E Missive #1: Out of the Shadows…

Howdy folks.  I’m Mister E…umm, actually my name is Ed Wetterman, but Mister E is so much cooler, don’t you think?

I co-authored Agents of Oblivion with Sean Preston and I am proud to be the Agents of Oblivion Line Developer for Reality Blurs.  Sean thought I should introduce myself, as the Mister E Missives will be coming regularly to support all those Agent-gamers out there.  I’ve never liked self-promotion, preferring to let the product speak for itself, but I promised Sean I’d try, so here goes….

The man known as Ed was born….errr…no…too corny.  Let me just say how I got into gaming biz.  Like most of you I have played games my whole life.  Loved Star Wars in 77, started my first D &D with the Basic Box back in 78, loved the Advanced Dungeon Master’s Guide by Gygax in 79 and so on.  As a thirteen-year-old teenager I designed my first role-playing game, a super hero game that was wildly unwieldy and difficult to play, but we did play it.  Games that influenced me were Dungeons and Dragons Basic, Expert, and Advanced, Traveler, Twilight 2000, Fantasy Trip, Cyberpunk, Top Secret, Palladium (all of their stuff), GURPS, Car Wars, Squad Leader (okay not a rpg, but great frickin’ game) and Star Fleet Battles (again, not rpg, but awesome!).  Then White Wolf blew up the gaming industry with Vampire!  Preludes, easy rules, easy play- I loved it!  Got into Deadlands in the late 90s, then when Dungeons and Dragons 3.0 came out, I rejoined the RPGA and after many game-mastering sessions became a writer for the Bandit Kingdoms (Texas and Oklahoma).  After assisting Jerry Blakemore with several modules, I wrote a BK Interactive, and helped sketch out the next year of games and interactives with the Triad.  Jerry and I decided to start our own game company and to put out miniatures mass battles rules using 3.0 as a guide.

Hundreds of hours, development, and playtesting later it was done, but it was way too big, way too expensive to produce, and we thought we were done.  We spoke to one of my best friends, Mark Ramsey, and he suggested we sell adventures as pdfs.  Soon after, 12 to Midnight was born and we began producing some of the best horror modules for modern gaming! With the help of industry gurus like Shane Hensley and JD Wiker, we were rolling and getting better with each release.  It was during this time that I was introduced to Savage Worlds and fell into fan-boy love for it!

I wrote Last Rites of the Black Guard, Innana’s Kiss, Green’s Guide to Ghosts, Ed’s Midnight Tales, and Fear Effects.  I also had writing and editing credits for Weekend Warriors, Bloodlines, Brainwashed, Skinwalker, Jerry’s Midnight Tales, and a few others.  I worked with RpgObjects on their Modern Dispatches, made even more great industry contacts and continued to write and edit.

I’ve worked with Fabled Environments and Dirty Unicorn Games, and tried to assist other new folks to the industry along the way.  Always pass it along!  I wrote a short story for Buried Tales of Pinebox, Texas, and have written many articles the past nine years.

I became friends with Sean a few years ago [about 6+ years now- rsp], and we have had many, many conversations about Agents of Oblivion.  I wrote a secret history of the entire universe that fit both 12 to Midnight’s Pinebox Campaign and Agents of Oblivion. I even did an edit for RunePunk, but my only credit was “Special Thanks to My Friends.”  Yeah, not gonna let Sean live that one down.  However, he did give me editing credit for Ravaged Earth and Iron Dynasty.  I created the Monster Generator for Realms of Cthulhu and edited it as well.  Sean eventually called me up and asked, “Would you be willing to become the line editor for Agents of Oblivion and to get it finished so we can get it out to the fans?”  See Sean is a big time publisher now, his hands on many, many projects, and I was flattered he would ask me.  I thought about it and a second later accepted!  I love Agents!  I love spy games! And I love horror!  The perfect match for me.

Now, what do I want to accomplish over the next year?  You will see Zero Sum Reports, adventures, one-sheets, an Agency Primer, What Screams are Made Of (monster book), and [REDACTED -rsp] as well as regular Mister E Missives.

Another goal is to develop a dynamic shared gaming ‘verse with the fans.  We want to hear about your games, characters, and missions.  Share them with us, and if yours are chosen, they will become part of the official Company Line and you will receive Agent Promotions, sneak peaks, coupons, and possibly be asked to play-test future products in the line.  Let’s make Agents an interactive gaming experience and see just how far we can take it!

I’m Mister E, and I’m looking to start new Oblivion Cells.  Interested? Send character writeups, stat blocks, creature creations, missions, operatives, agencies, or anything cool from your game to MisterE@oblivioncentral.com. [1. All submissions become copyright Reality Blurs] Until the next Missive, may all your shots ace!

-Ed Wetterman, Agents of Oblivion Line Developer