Mongoose Publishing Interview Part I
Care to travel with me?
Interview by Wazza
Last November I was fortunate enough to visit the offices of Mongoose Publishing in the town of Swindon in the Uk. Mongoose has brought us such classic TTRPGs as Traveller, 2300AD, Paranoia and the upcoming Pioneer and Dark Conspiracy. I talked with the companies founder, Matthew Sprange, who provided a fascinating into the role-playing industry. Enjoy!
Q1: What was your design philosophy behind Mongoose Publishing and
What were your expectations back then?
A1: Survival above all else, we were late to the D20 party in 2001 with over 100 other publishers which made it a shark pit. You need an idea and not die in the process, and to prove your idea works. I started Mongoose on £8000 on the combined savings of myself and my friend Alex. We wanted to print three books: The Slayer's Guide to Hobgoblins, Gnolls, and Centaurs and release them in sequential months without relying on distributors to pay us on time. We wanted to hit the market and immediately get attention from both retailers and distributors and show we were serious.
Q2: Much of your history in RPGs is in publishing licenses, your first books were based on the OGL D20 license such as Babylon 5, Conan the Barbarian and Traveller. Are there advantages in taking an established property and bringing your own take on it?
A2: Our first licensed product was Judge Dredd 2000AD when Rebellion made a deal to let us publish the game. The benefits to licenses are the immediate recognition which we used when we met Warner Bros about a Babylon 5 license. We’re doing the games we want to do rather than the ones we think are commercial.
Q3: How do you know which games to build and focus on?
A3: The ones we like! The creative input won't be there if you just want to make money. The golden rule is one person in Mongoose has to be dippy about a project otherwise you won’t have the passion.
Q4: What do you consider are the special moments for the company?
A4: The arrival of the Quintessential series, our first million dollar series, the Quintessential Fighter hit the market like an absolute bullet selling a book every 30 seconds. The Babylon 5 RPG was our second million dollar series. Warner Bros were confused about writing a game for what they considered was a dead series and they didn't even know what an RPG was! Claudia Christian visited our offices for our Babylon 5 open days where she played Commander Invanova!
Q5: Any less successful games?
A5: Slaine didn’t turn a profit but we really wanted to make it, and as Traveller does so well we don't need to worry about finances. The company provides a good living for a small number of people. I never wanted a mansion, an island, a yacht and three cars!
Q6: Do you remember your very first RPG session, and did you catch the gaming bug straight away?
A6: At age nine in primary school with Alex playing Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf books, we were introduced to Tunnels & Trolls by the teaching assistant. My parents bought me the red box D&D during the summer holidays and that was the start of everything.
Q7: What’s your favourite aspect of roleplaying, and what category of game do you best associate with?
A7: World building and exploration. I prefer GMing, because as a player I start off super serious and end up playing the clown!
Q8: What roleplaying game content do you enjoy reading?
A8: Game mechanics, there’s no perfect system. Players like flaws so they can buy another game later on! Traveller is solid in its game mechanics but is regarded as a living system which will be forever developed. I believe everything can be tweaked and twisted to fit your design philosophy. Players like the idea of a common core mechanic to immediately understand the game and fit everything else around the edges.
Q9: Who do you admire the most in the roleplaying game community?
A9: Marc Miller, Jervis Johnson, and those who run their own RPG company as you have an immediate kinship.
Q10: What’s your favourite die?
A10: Plain white 12mm d6 with spots and square corners.
Q11: Can CYOA books help you learn RPGs?
A11: They can infect you with the desire to play RPGs but not necessarily learn the rules. The best way to get into RPGs is to play with people already playing.
Q12: Is fantasy dead and it's now the era of Science Fiction?
A12: No, the problem with Sci-fi is each game has its own universe which is why Traveller has never been as big as D&D. With fantasy you can expect wizards, castles and people on horseback.
Q13: How do you successfully blend realism with playability?
A13: Realism always needs to give way to game play as we’re not creating simulations. For us it’s more about the story.
Q14: Any advice to new GMs and Players who want to try your games?
A14: Just do it! and we have a starter Traveller campaign in the works.
Q15: Most RPGs discourage PVP, how does Paranoia accomplish this so well?
A15: Six clones which you burn through in one session! And character creation is quick. We enhanced the PVP aspects through various editions and with the latest character creation rules the players hate each other before the game even starts!
Q16: What are the reasons for Paranoia’s longevity?
Q16: Paranoia is lightning in a bottle, being the most original idea for an RPG ever.
Q17: In what ways is your edition of Paranoia in the spirit of the original by West End Games and what’s changed to bring it into the current world view?
Q17: The rules have been streamlined and focused on satire, rather than parody while keeping the slapstick. It’s the palate cleanser between big campaign games.
Q18: Would you like to release another minis game?
Q18: We’ve outsourced our Victory at Sea game to Warlord and in consultation with Wargames Atlantic about a 2300AD miniatures game as well as outlining a Traveller spaceship combat game using pre-assembled miniatures.
Q19: Any plans to create another franchise such as ALIEN?
A19: We have Shield Maidens. Pioneer, Dark Conspiracy and a brand new one at the end of 2027.
Q20: How many staff are there, and are there any expansion plans?
A20: Six full-time members and we’re adding a graphic designer.
Q21: Any plans to bring back your Signs & Portents magazine?
A21: No, it's a lot of work for a small return.
Q22: What’s unique about Pioneer?
A22: The biggest opponent is the environment, problem solving and the human condition. Everything is a challenge and your players are doing things no one has ever done, so ordinary people in extraordinary situations.We ask the question if Governments or Private Companies should explore space. There’s rules for moon base creation and no combat rules. You can play an influencer, or even a billionaire financing the mission! The preview mission is the crew rescuing billionaires and a pop star and their dog! Expect a March 2026 200-page core book PDF release followed by a 160-page Mars Missions book with the QuickStart available now.
Q23: How is Dark Conspiracy coming?
Q23: There will be three core books: the first is set now where no one knows anything, the second fifteen years from now where the existence of Dark Minions is known and closest to the original Dark Conspiracy game, with the third a dozen years beyond that with players taking control of the global resistance and there is even the possibility of characters running through all three as part of a mega-campaign! The players don't know who they work for initially, combat is deadly, research is key. Game play is broken down after the mission briefing into researching the threat, combatting it and finally orchestrating a coverup to maintain the conspiracy which is as important as the first two elements combined.
Book two is set when the conspiracy can no longer be maintained and book three when the Dark Minions must be overcome. Discrediting witnesses is integral to the coverup. Every group has a trust score for requisitioning equipment including a wide range of vehicles with pursuit rules. Players have an HQ which ranges from meeting in a coffee shop to a fully equipped underground military bunker. Psionics are the purview of the Empath career divided into military, test subject, and the mystic, where powers can fail dramatically causing all manner of problems for the players. There’s a wide range of Dark Minions up to and including the God-like to fight.
During downtime the GM fires off random conspiracy headlines which the PCs must arrange into a connected conspiracy, so a player mission generator which the referee rides off the back. The players may think they know what's going on but the referee ultimately decides what to include in the adventure.
Q24: What's after Pioneer?
A24: Dark conspiracy is the next big step but we have eyes on the 50th Anniversary of Traveller in 2027 with celebrations throughout the entire year, divided into Traveller as it was with the release of the classic box set, then Traveller as it is and then Traveller of the future.
Thank you for your time!