So the cat was officially released from the bag yesterday: I am now an employee of Monte Cook Games. I’ve taken up the reins as COO, which basically means I’ll be running all the operational, marketing, and business side of the, erm, business.

There are many reasons I’m super, super excited about this. Monte and I go way back, for one, and we’ve been good friends for many years. (There’s a story out there involving the two of us and a crocodile, but for better or worse it’s been swallowed by the intarwebz, never to be seen again–so I’ll just vaguebook about it here.) And then there’s returning to the games industry, my first love (industrially speaking). And of course it’s just nice to rejoin the ranks of the employed. But the main reason I’m excited is this:

Numenera

To be clear, while I loves me some RPGs, there is no specific game so awesome, in and of itself, that it would draw me to the company that makes it. Numenera is awesome, but what makes me so excited to be working with it is how it’s been received.

Perhaps you are not into roleplaying games. Or perhaps you are, but you live under a rock. In those cases, you may be excused for not knowing what I’m talking about–so let me explain. Monte launched a Kickstarter funding campaign for Numenera last year, looking to raise $20,000 to publish the core book. The campaign raised a bit more than that, and by “a bit” I mean “a lot.” “A whole lot.” Enough to demonstrate in no uncertain terms how huge Monte’s following is and how enthusiastic gamers are for his ideas. And when inXile announced a computer game license for Torment: Tides of Numenera, their own Kickstarter topped $4 million in funding and proved that Monte’s was no fluke.

Third edition wasn’t an accident. Planescape and Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil were not aberrations. WotC was not wrong when they courted Monte to lead D&D Next. It turns out people really like Monte’s work–and that he can deliver, over and over again.

When I posted about the end of my last job, I mentioned that I’d love to return to the games industry–but only to a job that promised a level of stability most game publishers can’t promise. Nobody can see the future, but here’s one thing I can predict: Numenera’s going to do great. And so will Monte’s next project. And the one after that.

This is a company that’s going places, and I’m really, really happy to be on board!

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