Q: "Hi Mr. Ramussen. Over on the Atlas of Mystara, we've pinpointed what seems to have been a bit of an "back-and-forth" contention between you and Frank Mentzer, in regard to how to conceive of, and map, the regional borders of the Known World of Mystara.
"In your early modules (X6 and X9), you stick to the "rectangle system" of naming the regions of the D&D continent, and you steadily built upon this.
"Then Frank (in the 1985 Master Set) kind of threw this out the window and published a quite different map--a map which, in some cases, merges, ignores, or renames the regions you'd mapped out previously.
"Then in 1987, after Frank left, in your "Tortles of the Purple Sage" article, you present an errata map which re-presents the "rectangular regions" system in full. You also included an errata statement which seems to be trying to reconcile how Frank's 1985 incongruously names a vast swath of the continent as the "Empire of Thyatis."
"Could you share any recollections about this seeming "back-and-forth" between two different ways of mapping the regions?
"To help jog your memories, I've pasted the relevant maps together in an image:"
A: "TSR published my TOP SECRET in February 1980. I was employed by TSR from June 1982 to April 1984. During this time, I was assigned to write D&D and AD&D modules using a "rectangular region." During the time I worked for TSR, there were two design departments: 6-8 authors like me versus Gary Gygax working with Frank Mentzer. After TSR downsized for the third time, I found myself unemployed. I wrote "Tortles of the Purple Sage" which appeared in two issues of DUNGEON Magazine.
"I like to think of this discrepancy as a globe of the world based on rumors before Christopher Columbus and a globe of the world after discovering the realities of the New World.
"Historian Jon Peterson may give you a better interpretation of events versus my recollections. Thanks for asking!"
May 30th, 2021
Q: Your work on the Serpent Peninsula, the Savage Coast, and the Great Northway are appreciated.
My memory of events 40 years ago may be a bit hazy. I think it is Orcs Head Peninsula!
I believe Dave "Zeb" Cook did a few of these. I may also be responsible for The Wild Lands. I will need to check my copies of X6, X9, and "Tortles of the Purple Sage." I believe "Tortles" are my contribution to D&D. Turtoises never caught on.
Q: What role did Jackie play in the creative process?
Besides being my muse and my proofreader, Jackie has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Secondary Education and English plus a minor in Library Science