Today we continue our series of posts that help us to learn a little more about each of the members of our Adventurers League Admin team. Next up is Content Manager Travis Woodall!
What's your role on the Admin team?
I am one of two content managers for the D&D Adventurers League program (the other being Greg Marks). Whereas Greg is the lead designer for the Dreams of the Red Wizard campaign, I am responsible for developing the rest of the content--be it our seasonal adventures, Alternate campaigns (such as Ravenloft: Mist Hunters), or adapting other content for Adventurers League play. I develop narratives and adventure outlines, work with our adventure designers, and coordinate post-production edits and layout. It's a lot of work, but it's pretty rewarding.
How did you get started playing tabletop games?
My first exposure to D&D was in '84 or '85, I think. My mom, out of nowhere, had gotten me a D&D Basic Rules set because I seemed to have been enjoying the D&D cartoon. This being the era of GI Joe and Transformers, my primary interests lay elsewhere; I didn't feel too keen on reading and doing convoluted math for fun -- plus, none of my friends played. I recall trying to learn how to DM by running my mom through an adventure one or twice. I wasn't very good at it. TTRPGs resurfaced in my life in the early 90s with Rifts, Robotech, TMNT, and D&D. I've been playing pretty steadily ever since.
What hobbies do you have outside of gaming?
Living in the PNW really spoils beer drinkers, and I spend waaaay too much on beer. Otherwise, I play video games, read, and watch The Office on repeat. I've always enjoyed cooking, and COViD gave me a lot of time to try new things. I've gotten pretty good at making sourdough bread (yes, I was one of the people buying up all the flour) and pizza dough, fermenting hot sauce, and all kinds of other stuff I shouldn't be eating.
A lot of folks have a favorite D&D setting -- do you?
I do. I enjoy settings that really depart from the traditional tropes of medieval fantasy. I read all the novels, so while Dragonlance will always have a special place in my heart, it never really scratched that "different" itch. Then came Dark Sun and Eberron. Oh boy. But none of them do it for me like Planescape does--it's such a fun setting. I read a lot of Adams and Pratchett in my youth, and Planescape lends itself very well to that sort of dry weirdness--plus Tony DiTerlizi's amazing art is just icing on the cake. If the City of Doors ever sees an official update for 5th edition, I will be a very happy boy, indeed.
Which monster would you want as a pet if they were real?
See, this is a tricky question. Do I want something fun or something useful? Like having a dragon would be amazing; I'd save loads of money on gas, and it'd probably be able to scare off the jerk who keeps tagging my fence. However, I'm sure it'd eat me out of house and home. Could go the obvious route and befriend a djinn (specifically one that could cast wish) and milk that relationship for all that it's worth. But sometimes you just want something warm and fuzzy to cuddle when you've had a bad day--that's where the displacer beast comes in.
If your pet was an NPC, what class would they be?
Whichever one is the laziest and least useful. My dog Tucker is seriously my patronus; I wish I could eat and sleep with half of the dedication that he brings to the table.