FFXI Adventurers Special Interview
Ryo Mizuno — Part 1 of 2

Before we talk about FFXI, I'd like to ask how you first got interested in the fantasy genre, including TRPGs and computer-based RPGs.

I think I most likely took an interest in the genre through reading mythology books, such as Greek mythology, that I came across in places like the library as an elementary school student. Naturally, those books were aimed at children, but I liked stories where the worlds were populated with various gods. I also was interested in the stars, so I considered the various myths surrounding the constellations to be especially captivating. I feel like my love of fantasy probably developed from there.

Yes, I suppose mythology and stories of the gods were the first introduction to the fantasy genre for many people.

Later, I found myself drawn to science fiction in middle school and became a member of the sci-fi fan community in high school. At the time, there wasn't really a distinction between science fiction and fantasy, so they were usually lumped together as "fantasy sci-fi." Hayakawa Bunko also had fantasy stories as part of their "Aose"*1 label. I also read from the Hayakawa Bunko FT*2 series, without ever really distinguishing between science fiction and fantasy. That's about when I was introduced to proper fantasy.

In addition to novels, I feel like there were also fantasy-based board games back then too. Did you ever play any of those as well?

I played a number of different ones in high school, including Magic Realm*. Originally, I played war simulation games, which was my first introduction to board games. However, I started going to specialty stores, and that's where I discovered fantasy board games too. A cousin who I was close with at the time and I played them together as a group. Later on, that group kind of became like a circle of friends that was into games and anime.

Based on that experience with board games, when did you first play a TRPG?

I met Hitoshi Yasuda*1 during my first year at university, and he recommended TRPGs to me. The first TRPG I ever played was Traveller*2. Afterwards, I bought the Dungeons & Dragons Red Box*3, but I remember taking forever just to read the rulebook.

How did you feel the first time you played a TRPG?

Movies and books are a form of one-way entertainment, so when they don't go the way you envision them, you find yourself thinking things like "Oh, come on" or "That would never happen." However, the interactive nature of TRPGs means that the story changes according to the actions you take, so I was surprised to find such an interesting form of entertainment. Furthermore, the first time I played one, the GM (gamemaster) was quite skilled, so the scenario was extremely well-developed and I was immediately hooked on TRPGs.

By the way, what did you think of "gamebooks," where the readers can choose which direction the story takes?

I checked out some of the early Fighting Fantasy titles, as well as the first three entries of the Sorcery! series*, but I wasn't all that into them.

Did you find that you preferred the higher level of freedom associated with TRPGs?

Yes, most definitely. That sense of freedom and the fact that you can experience the story in so many different ways are what make TRPGs so fun. On top of that, having a creative aspect where everyone works together to craft a single session of gameplay was both fresh and exciting at the time.

The interactive nature of computer RPGs is appealing, but I feel like that aspect of the players working together to create something with the GM is really only found in TRPGs.

Although, for as much freedom as TRPGs allow you, they also require that you have a pretty strong imagination in order to enjoy them properly. That can of course be difficult, but also appealing in its own way. In that regard, I feel like people drawn to the high level of freedom in TRPGs might find it hard to sit down and play a computer-based RPG that simply sees you following a set story.

Speaking of computer RPGs, I read in a previous interview that you were basically obsessed with Wizardy*.

I was playing them before I really got into TRPGs, but I was definitely fascinated by Wizardry.

So you're saying that you were introduced to both TRPGs and Wizardy around the same time?

I played Wizardry over at Mr. Yasuda's place when I was in university. After we became friends, we sometimes played board games at his place, but I'd borrow his computer after he went to bed so that I could play Wizardry until morning. I even had him create some save data just for me. (laughs)

You were so into the game that you stayed overnight at Mr. Yasuda's place just to play it. (laughs)

Later, during my final year of university, I made a gaming club and bought the Apple IIc, which was a more compact version of the Apple II that had just come out. I think it cost about 300,000 yen at the time. It was very expensive, but I ended up playing many overseas RPGs like Might and Magic* on it.

So you were exposed to a lot of different TRPGs and computer RPGs at the time.

Indeed. In addition to playing them at Mr. Yasuda's house, the Science Fiction Research Club at Kyoto University converted into a gaming club around that time, so I would often stop by and play games there too. (laughs) I went on to work alongside many of that club's members when we formed Group SNE. Afterwards, I decided to use graduating from university as an opportunity to cut back on my gaming a bit, but that didn't work out so well as I ended up working in the industry. (laughs wryly)

It wasn't long after you graduated from university that you started work on Record of Lodoss War*1, which was a replay based on D&D that was serialized in Comptiq*2. Can you talk about the story behind its creation?

The editorial department at Comptiq put in a request to Group SNE, which I think was handled by Mr. Yasuda. We decided to base it on D&D, but everyone else was only playing AD&D* at the time, so I was the only person who could serve as a GM for D&D. So I ran the play sessions as the GM and would then write the replay manuscript, and Mr. Yasuda checked it. That's how the series got its start. At the time, I had no idea that it would become so popular.

I remember reading the replays at the time, and despite never having played a TRPG before, it felt as if I was actually there playing it. That's when I realized how fun such games could be.

Thank you. Naturally, I made some changes to the project in regards to the actual gameplay and also included some elements to make it a more interesting read. That led to some readers saying things like, "I played the game, and it didn't turn out nearly as fun as you made it sound." However, when I wrote it, the TRPG genre was still in its infancy and there just weren't very many projects like it out there at the time. Therefore, I felt like the most important thing for me to do was to make it interesting to read. Each character was modeled after an actual player, but I decided to add some extra personality to each of them as well. That way the readers could know which character was speaking without even seeing their name.

And that's how the characters that eventually appeared in the novels got their start.

I was just getting started in my career, and although I considered myself an aspiring writer, there were some technical issues and the script was a bit clunky. I think if I read it again now, it'd be pretty embarrassing. (laughs wryly) Still, I'm extremely grateful for the response it received, which allowed us to work on parts two and three to release it as a trilogy. That's how everything got started for me.

Record of Lodoss War originated in the pages of Comptiq back in 1986, which is the same year that Dragon Quest was released, and Final Fantasy also came out the following year. What did you think of console-based RPGs like them at the time?

Yes, I suppose that was right around the time when such Japanese computer RPGs were getting their start. I was quite impressed with both Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, and felt that they would go on to gain worldwide acclaim. Although, I never did play the first Dragon Quest title. I wasn't really a fan of how there was only a single player character. That's why Dragon Quest II was the first game in the series that I played.

Yes, Dragon Quest II featured a three-person party.

At the time, I had no idea how to change the princess back into a human being. I looked up a hint on how to do it somewhere, but I was disappointed in myself for not figuring it out on my own. (laughs) DQII also featured a wonderful story that I enjoyed immensely. I've played a few other titles in the series, but DQII is still my favorite.

How about the FINAL FANTASY series?

I've played the FINAL FANTASY series from the first one ("FF1"). I remember thinking that the name "Final Fantasy" was a rather bold title.

The series has enjoyed worldwide success since its original release 40 years ago, but it was labeled "final" from the very first entry. (laughs)

I had played games on the PC, so I went into the game thinking that it probably wouldn't be very good due to the Famicom's specs. However, FFI featured all kinds of fantasy and sci-fi elements, so I was actually very impressed. I love the story and consider it to be one of the best RPGs of all time. In fact, I don't think anything has surpassed it, even today. I think for me personally, FFI is probably the gold standard for RPGs. Of course, FFXI is also in a class of its own. (laughs)

Had you played any online games before you played FFXI?

No, not at all. FFXI was my very first experience with online games. Naturally, I heard about popular games like Phantasy Star Online, Ultima Online, and Diablo, but I always found something scary about playing online...

Yes, it took some courage to take that first step in the early days of online games.

I'm not really that great of a communicator, so I always found it difficult to play with people who I didn't know. However, other Group SNE members told me, "FFXI is super fun. Let's play together!" I reluctantly agreed, and that's how I got started playing it.

Now, I'd like to talk about your adventures in FFXI. Around what time did you first start playing the game?

It was when the Rise of the Zilart expansion was released. I played it while being helped along in the game by various other people. From there, I think I played until just after the release of Seekers of Adoulin. I went back and played a bit for this interview, but I've forgotten most of it. (laughs wryly)

Indeed, it has been more than 10 years since Seekers of Adoulin was released. Going back to the game, I'm curious what home nation you chose when you first started, as well as the race, gender, and job for your character.

I chose San d'Oria, and was a Hume woman playing as a white mage. I wanted to play as a support character, so I selected the Hume due to their balanced stats, although I did somewhat regret choosing to play as a female character.

Why was that?

Players from overseas were constantly hitting on me. (laughs wryly)

The white mage class was already a pretty popular one to begin with. (laughs)

I went with the white mage because I heard beforehand that white mages are often chosen to join parties since they were helpful in leveling people up, but it also meant that I had trouble playing the game solo at first. Once I was getting added to parties, I was basically just spamming Cure spells all the time.

Why did you choose San d'Oria as your home nation?

Hmm... I can't really remember. It might've been because it was the country of the elf-like race.

What was your first impression when you set foot in the world of Vana'diel?

I got goosebumps. It had the same impact as when I encountered TRPGs for the first time. I feel that people such as us who work on the creative side of games, or those who simply love to create things, often have this desire to immerse themselves in worlds that they find appealing. I felt like Vana'diel was a world where I could realize that dream. I thought to myself, "My character can live here? Is this for real? This is like the perfect world!" I also wondered why it took me so long to embrace MMORPGs.

（笑）。

Of course, it was my first experience with online gaming, so I really had no concept of what I was supposed to do or how I was supposed to act. I probably got a lot of things wrong in the beginning. I remember another player who was playing as a Mithra started talking to me on the map and I didn't really know how to respond. I also spent time just walking and thinking how great the music in Ronfaure was, and ended up getting chased down by an Orc.

Yeah, that's a pretty common occurrence. (laughs)

Also, I remember getting trampled by a ram on the La Theine Plateau. I feel like I have similar stories for all of the game's areas. The fact that I still have these memories from the game after all these years is a truly wonderful thing.

You mentioned that you chose white mage as your first main job, but I heard that you later played as a red mage too.

I suppose it depends on what's considered to be the character's main job, but I was often asked to play as a red mage in various situations and since it's a job that requires you to pay attention to your equipment, I ended up making that my main job. I got to the point where I could use all of the support jobs, so I raised my white mage, black mage, and scholar to Level 99.

Did you play as any of the front-line jobs?

I think I raised a number of different jobs like thief, paladin, and a few others to Level 99 as well. However, I was never really asked to play on the front line though. I also enjoyed playing solo as a beastmaster.

So you've played as quite a few different jobs in the game.

I didn't level all of them up, but I did play quite a few, yes. The blue mage was also one of my favorite jobs in the FINAL FANTASY series, so I played as one in FFXI as well. It's always fun acquiring blue magic, so I end up spending a lot of time with the job, no matter what I am playing. Although, I did have quite a bit of trouble going on blue magic runs in FFXI. (laughs wryly)