June 3, 2017: Better Late Than Never: Introducing Drew, Ogre Line Editor

Hi! I am Drew Metzger, the (not-so-much-anymore) "new" Ogre Line Editor. It is perhaps fitting that I am late in introducing myself, as one of my primary tasks as Line Editor is to bring the remaining Ogre Designer's Edition Kickstarter stretch goals to completion. (I have made great strides already, by the way, and anticipate many of the remaining goals being finished in the near future.)

I began playing Ogre in 1979 with the last of the Metagaming releases. That copy is well-loved and well-traveled, having climbed all of the 4,000-foot peaks in the White Mountains, serving as the evening's entertainment for my father and me in our backpacking tent. When you're carrying everything on your back, every ounce counts! It was the perfect game for us to play after a day in the woods.

My "professional" relationship with Steve Jackson Games began after I discovered Car Wars and submitted a number of items, scenarios, and fiction for both the game and Autoduel Quarterly. I still have my first $5 paycheck from them! (Sorry, Accounting, if I messed up the books back then by not cashing it!) I was fortunate enough to have a number of pieces published by Steve Jackson Games during the late '80s and early '90s. But as is too often the case, Real Life^TM demands took over and gaming became a rare event.

After a 20-year hiatus, I jumped back into gaming by sponsoring one of the counter sheets during the Ogre Designer's Edition Kickstarter in 2012. Now with kids of my own, this was just the excuse to introduce them to games from my childhood and perhaps forge some memories for them similar to those I cherished. Developing the counter sheet and later publishing a corresponding rulebook brought me back into the realm of Steve Jackson Games. After working alongside them for a while, I was in the right place last June to become the Line Editor for the game I love.

So as I approach my one-year anniversary with the company, I'd like to say thank you for all of your support. I've gotten to know so many great fans and I truly enjoy discussing all things Ogre. We have come a long way and we have even more great things on the near horizon; I can't wait to share them with everyone! And oh, yeah . . . hi, there!

-- Drew Metzger