HB: From behind the impenetrable DM screen of D&D tradition comes today's author: Prak.
We will be briefly discussing his work Roll for Initiative as well as some general questions.
Prak how are you doing today?

Eh. I'm a little sore from doing some car repairs, and I'm getting over a... Oh, this is one of those questions, isn't it? Sorry.
I'm doing great! How about you?

HB: Well, to be honest, my neck is pretty stiff and- wait, nevermind it was one of those questions.
Prak, where does your user name come from? Any stories behind it?

It's the name of a minor character from Life, the Universe, and Everything, by Douglas Adams. I could explain further, but everyone has either read that series of books (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) or needs to do so ASAP, and I wouldn't want to spoil a good joke.

HB: Fair enough. How were you introduced to MLP:FiM?

I was dimly aware of bronies since around 2011, but I associated them with the cartoon I remembered, which was the one from the 80s. It wasn't until early 2013—around the time season three was wrapping up—that I started to learn about the new series. My first exposure to it was an episode of a web series called Death Battle. The clips of the animation they showed looked good enough to make me think about watching an episode, but I didn't bother for another month or two.
What tipped the scales was the revelation that an XBL friend of mine, a Russian soldier who moved to Texas a few years back, was a brony. I was shocked, but I figured that if one of the manliest guys I know could be a fan of the show, I should give it a chance. I found it on Netflix and wound up watching the entire series over the next few days.

HB: How long have you been writing? Did you ever write stories before FimFiction?

I've been tinkering with various forms of writing since 1999. Between then and 2006, I wrote several short stories and part of a novel. I also produced one piece of fanfiction (a piece of crap written in less than two hours) to prove a point to some yutz about how easy it can be to write something with proper grammar. None of that can be found online, thankfully.
I only started to take it seriously about a year ago. Since then, I think I've learned more about how to tell a good story than I did in all my years of schooling.

HB: Do you have any authors that you look up to?

I think the most admirable thing an author can do is to pass on his/her knowledge to others, and any author who goes out of his/her way to teach others automatically gains my respect.

HB: Good to see you value the sharing of knowledge. Okay, for those of you who haven't read 'Roll for Initiative' it is a story of Ponies playing Dungeons and Dragons. Now, I recall the first FimFic I ever read was 'Ponies Play D&D' by Lucres and it got me hooked on the site. However, we are here to talk about Prak's story. So Prak, I'm shooting in the darkness here, but I take it you've played D&D before. Yes?

What! How'd you guess? I thought it was such a closely guarded secret...

HB: My insight is awesome.

Seriously, though, you're absolutely right. I played 2nd edition D&D in the mid-90s. I was out of the loop for a few years, but I came back to it a little over ten years ago to start with 3rd edition. I fell in with a fun group and had a lot of great times (with various systems) over the years. I still get together almost every week with some of those people, although we currently play more board games than RPGs.

HB: Be honest, did you throw in any of your own experiences with D&D into the story?

A few. I've mentioned most of them in the comments for the story. However, I only used those experiences to add a little flavor to the characters and scenarios. The plot is entirely original.

HB: Was this story planned as a one chapter one shot, or did you plan to continue it the way you did?

When I first published it, I marked it as being "Complete" after the first chapter. However, there was plenty of demand for a continuation, and I had other ideas, so I changed it to "Incomplete" after a few days. Chapter 2 was a lot of fun to write, but Chapter 3 is where the project found its footing. That's where I settled on its ultimate direction and really finalized the style.

HB: How hard was it to balance the characterization of the mane cast and the characters they were playing in the game?

I never had much trouble with that. For the most part, I knew how long each scene needed to run, and if it was threatening to bog down in something potentially boring, switching the perspectives always allowed for some extra jokes.

HB: The later chapters of 'Roll for Initiative' actually carry a moral lesson on D&D much in the same vein as MLP:FiM. I have a game later this week and next month I'll be GM'ing my first campaign. I'll admit, I'm not very good at the game since I don't spend hours toiling over the spells, feats, racial bonuses, and such that my fellow players do and I resent them a little for basically min-maxing, but the morals from your story are ones I'll be sure to take to heart. So, thank you for that.

I'm glad you've found it useful. Just remember, the most important thing is for a game to be fun, and a GM is not just a guy controlling the monsters; a GM is a storyteller. With a little creativity, it's possible to challenge even the most hardcore players without resorting to sending them against powerful monsters. Just focus on keeping everyone entertained, and keep them guessing about what will happen next.

HB: Between you and me (and people reading this), the storytelling is the easy part for me. The encounters are the things I'm dreading. But I'll try to keep them on their toes... I'm getting distracted again. PONIES! Okay, standard MLP questions: Do you have a favorite pony and do you have a favorite ship?

My favorite pony has pretty much always been Scootaloo. I'm not into shipping, though.

HB: Do you have any words of advice for young up-and-coming authors and/or Role-Players?

For authors: No matter how much you write, don't stop reading. Reading and analyzing the works of others is the best way to find new strengths to add to your style, and seeing their weaknesses will help you eliminate the shortcomings in your own writing. Never be certain of anything you're doing, and never be afraid to change it if you think you might be able to do better.
Also, figure out who you're writing for. If you're writing for yourself, you have no obligations to anyone, but you also have no right to be defensive when the people you present your work to find fault in it. If you're writing for others, embrace criticism of all sorts; find the merit in it, and edit your work to improve it for future readers.
For role-players: Role-playing is a group experience. Be an active part of the group, but don't try to become the center of attention. Also, remember that cleverness is a stronger and more entertaining tool than high stat rolls.

HB: Those are some very sage words, hopefully they won't fall on deaf ears. So, before I kill you, Mr. Bond, do you have any last words? Is there anything you'd like to share before we wrap things up?

Well, would you believe that I've never read Ponies Play D&D? I only recently discovered that it exists, and I have yet to see a single chapter. Perhaps I'll go ahead and make time for it.

HB: Hopefully you'll enjoy it. There are a lot of MLP/D&D fics out there, but I'm glad to have read yours. Thank you for your time, Prak.

You're very welcome.

HB: And to those reading this, be sure check out Prak's wonderful user page: HERE and check out Roll for Initiative along with the rest of his works.
Thank you all for reading. This is Hesitant Brony signing off.