Pyromaniac Press is a one man show. That’s not to say I don’t have help – more on that below – but it is to say that I am the owner, manager, financier, slavemaster, creative department, writer, PR consultant, editor, gopher and (more than I’d like) harsh critic.
Pyromaniac Press is my vehicle and my journey to turn my love of RPGs into more than just a pastime. Ideally I’d like it to launch me into cult status as an RPG author (I’m looking at you Greenwood), but in truth if I can develop my writing and storytelling skills, and have a creative outlet for my ideas that can be shared with others, I can live with that. I’d also love it if it didn’t cost more to produce than I make. My wife would prefer that too.
My name is Micah and I’ve been playing, running and writing RPGs for over 25 years. I fell in love with the fantasy genre through reading novels such as Magician (R. E. Feist), The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien) and the Belgariad series (D. Eddings) when I was a child (though I admit LOTR was a massive slog for a 9 year old and I wasn’t overly impressed with it at the time – but hey I was 9, what did I know). The Dragonlance Chronicles followed, and soon the Forgotten Realms novels. I was playing the fantasy based board game Hero Quest (Milton Bradley & GW), and my family and I were adding rules, characters, monsters, spells and items because the scope of the game was too small. We wanted more from it.
It was around that time I found the books from an old red box original D&D set at a garage sale. I pestered my parents until they bought them, and I was hooked. They still sit on my RPG shelf today.
Its been more than 30 years since I fell in love with fantasy, and more than 25 since I started playing RPGs.
Pyromaniac Press was an idea long in coming. I have watched the rise of RPGs in first ‘nerd culture’ (a label I hate by the way) and then more recently in mainstream popularity, always thinking “one day I’ll find the time to write and publish” as I went about my life. I’m now 38, have a wonderful wife, an amazing young son and a reasonably good job. It pays the bills, but I don’t love it. I’m not passionate about it. But it is a professional career and I love my home life, and still get to play my hobby.
The catalyst for me was a few years ago now. My father died in his mid fifties of complications arising from early onset dementia. It shook me when I realised that life is too short to not pursue your dreams. Of course, I couldn’t exactly quit my job and think I could pay my mortgage and provide for my family as an unknown writer and publisher. But you have to start. Small steps.
Pyromaniac Press is a one man show, but it really isn’t. A lot of people paved the way, and a lot of people help and inspire me everyday. I have the support of my family and friends, amazing tools at my disposal, a great community and pioneers that made RPGs what they are today.
For me though, Pyromaniac Press is possible because of two people. Erin, my amazing wife, and Dante Cifaldi, a friend and artist that took the first steps with me. There are many others that have helped, supported, contributed, and still do, but Erin and Dante kept me moving forward at the times where I thought “this is too hard” or “this is too much”.
If you’ve read this far I’d like to sincerely thank you. You are either a friend or family member, or a genuinely interested RPG community member (the third option is that you found yourself here by accident but have OCD and are compelled to finish what you started). In any case I hope you like my website and my work in general. I hope what I produce adds something of worth to the RPG community.
Micah
Pyromaniac Press 