Yesterday I wrote briefly about Designer's Block and wondered at whether it could be resolved with some of the same solutions available when dealing with Writer's Block. The answer is a resounding Yes. I tried unfiltered writing, that is, I just jotted down every option that came to mind without trying to figure out how each one would work, and then when I finished/ran out of time went back later to add mechanics to what I'd written and it worked beautifully. I had 9 deities to assign clerical powers for and now have only 3 to do, after less than an hour of brainstorming.
I don't think I'm going to meet my arbitrary Year's End deadline for having Renaissance ready for Beta testing, but it won't be long after.
Also, the title of this post is "...Solution 1". I may or may not post additional solutions as I come across them so be on the look out for those. And, naturally, if you have any solutions of your own for Designer's Block, please share them in the comments below!
Designer's Block
There are things I'm good at designing and thinking about, and things I'm not. Some of these things are consistent while others fluctuate. I can almost always come up with a new way to do a magic system. Actually sitting down and building spell lists though, that's when I get bogged down. Right now progress on Renaissance has crawled to a stop because the remaining tasks are either time intensive (reading the whole of the book, building an index, etc.) and I don't have time for that, or because I have designer's block. It's just what it sounds like. It's like writer's block, only for designing. I need to create lists of Divine Powers (clerical spells, basically) for about 8 or 9 deities still and I'm just stuck. Perhaps some of the tricks for resolving writer's block will work here too.
Testing Materials
I am perhaps jumping the gun on this article a bit, since it depends slightly on a concept I haven't discussed yet. The concept is that all game systems are capable of being converted into any other system. That being said, I wanted to talk briefly about a great source of testing materials for the designer with limited time: Published adventures.
Miscellanea Creep
I thought I was making great progress towards finishing by the end of the year but the "read throughs" of my notes are taking longer than anticipated, lots of stuff to add because of them. Plus, I keep adding things to the list that I had put aside when writing. Formatting stuff, mostly, like making a concise list of character Backgrounds, a concise list of Races and one for Spells. Supernatural Attributes etc. are essentially done but I need to build a few Supernatural Powers as examples.
Secession: Comments and Gaming
In case you weren't aware, there's been a lot of talk about secession from every state in the United States this last week or so. Except it hasn't been the States, officially, just citizens of the states. I wanted to take a moment to comment on that and also look at the inspiration this can offer for GM's because, after all, everything in life is relatable to role-playing and vice versa.
Democracy in Fantasy
From past and recent posts, you may think this blog is rapidly becoming a socio-economic political blog. However, it is not. Gaming is still my passion so, instead of despairing or reveling in last nights results, let's look at them from another angle. Inspiration. Imagine what an election would look like if magic were involved.
To begin with, the things the candidates could promise the masses would be vastly more fantastic: eternal water wells, no blight for the crops, weapons and tools that never lose their edge, etc. etc. And what's more, they'd actually be able to deliver on it, unlike our current politicians who practically do offer such ridiculous things.
There are hooks galore one could take from this or the pre- and ongoing-elections. Let's look at a few:
-One candidate or another has been elected. Now he needs to deliver on those promises but his political opponents need a little "support" before they're willing to enact the laws that will send government wizards to all the towns for the crops.
-The newly elected Grand Citizen has enacted laws requiring all blacksmiths to install an enchanting circle in their forge so that the weapons and tools they make comply with the new law ... but the local guilds are resisting and they've got enough political clout to make a public move against them impossible. The PC's are brought in by one side or the other to enforce the law or defend the guild from rogue agents.
-The PC's wizard has been enlisted to visit towns and build the Well of Eternal water but certain supplies are needed and, like all efficient governments, only insufficiently close approximations have been provided. You'll have to do what you can with what you've got 'cause you're on a time schedule and you don't get paid if it's late. Whether it's done right or not, that's irrelevant to your pay scale.
-The election has yet to take place and one candidate or the other needs some more experienced, specialized protection to see them through the campaign.
--What if both feel they need protection and both contact the PC's? Are they really in danger from each other, something more sinister apart from them, or are they just paranoid. How do they react if the PC's take both jobs and try to keep their divided loyalties a secret?
-The PC's uncover information that the magically monitored and operated polls are being manipulated by a third party to some nefarious means. Do they get involved, is the nefarious goal truly nefarious or just politically selfish? What's involved and is their assistance viewed as such, or is it seen as illegal interference despite the need and benevolence with which it is performed.
-The PC's are tasked with guarding one of the wizards being sent to modify the wells and crops (or the PC's wizard is being sent). Wacky hijinks and/or dire consequences ensue when spells go awry, the influx of magic to the nations fields and water produces imbalances and unexpected side effects, etc. What about the results of people eating the MMO (Magically Modified Organisms) crops.
These are just a few of the possibilities. Do you have other ideas/suggestions? Drop them in the comments section for Mutually Assured Enjoyment or discussion!
To begin with, the things the candidates could promise the masses would be vastly more fantastic: eternal water wells, no blight for the crops, weapons and tools that never lose their edge, etc. etc. And what's more, they'd actually be able to deliver on it, unlike our current politicians who practically do offer such ridiculous things.
There are hooks galore one could take from this or the pre- and ongoing-elections. Let's look at a few:
-One candidate or another has been elected. Now he needs to deliver on those promises but his political opponents need a little "support" before they're willing to enact the laws that will send government wizards to all the towns for the crops.
-The newly elected Grand Citizen has enacted laws requiring all blacksmiths to install an enchanting circle in their forge so that the weapons and tools they make comply with the new law ... but the local guilds are resisting and they've got enough political clout to make a public move against them impossible. The PC's are brought in by one side or the other to enforce the law or defend the guild from rogue agents.
-The PC's wizard has been enlisted to visit towns and build the Well of Eternal water but certain supplies are needed and, like all efficient governments, only insufficiently close approximations have been provided. You'll have to do what you can with what you've got 'cause you're on a time schedule and you don't get paid if it's late. Whether it's done right or not, that's irrelevant to your pay scale.
-The election has yet to take place and one candidate or the other needs some more experienced, specialized protection to see them through the campaign.
--What if both feel they need protection and both contact the PC's? Are they really in danger from each other, something more sinister apart from them, or are they just paranoid. How do they react if the PC's take both jobs and try to keep their divided loyalties a secret?
-The PC's uncover information that the magically monitored and operated polls are being manipulated by a third party to some nefarious means. Do they get involved, is the nefarious goal truly nefarious or just politically selfish? What's involved and is their assistance viewed as such, or is it seen as illegal interference despite the need and benevolence with which it is performed.
-The PC's are tasked with guarding one of the wizards being sent to modify the wells and crops (or the PC's wizard is being sent). Wacky hijinks and/or dire consequences ensue when spells go awry, the influx of magic to the nations fields and water produces imbalances and unexpected side effects, etc. What about the results of people eating the MMO (Magically Modified Organisms) crops.
These are just a few of the possibilities. Do you have other ideas/suggestions? Drop them in the comments section for Mutually Assured Enjoyment or discussion!
Don't be an Ass
You'd think today's post would be politically related, what with it being the 6th and thus election day here in The States. But no, this is just an observation and a generally good rule of thumb. Don't be an ass.
For example, last night I noticed that someone in our apartment complex had parked over the line and partially in a striped off section that is a "continuation" of the sidewalk. I don't care that they parked there, but I've done that in this specific apartment complex and had my car towed. 48 hrs of pure frustration and inconvenience and $250+ later I finally got my car back. So, I decided to knock on a couple doors and find the person who's car it was. I did so and quickly found the owner, voiced my concerns and related my anecdote. She informed me that "they don't do that here at this apartment". Well, yes, they do, I just told you my car was towed, from that spot, just a few months ago. She didn't thank me. She didn't concede the possibility. She just gave a sort of lip curl that I guess was supposed to be a sneer and didn't say anything else. I left. She shut the door. This morning she had adjusted the car and was no longer over the line.
Her response was unnecessary. We live above her. I no longer worry about how much noise I make walking around or moving things. What could have remained a pleasant pseudo-acquaintance is now a restrained hostility. Rudeness is never necessary, even though it can be hard to reign in sometimes. Don't be an ass. It's just bad form.
For example, last night I noticed that someone in our apartment complex had parked over the line and partially in a striped off section that is a "continuation" of the sidewalk. I don't care that they parked there, but I've done that in this specific apartment complex and had my car towed. 48 hrs of pure frustration and inconvenience and $250+ later I finally got my car back. So, I decided to knock on a couple doors and find the person who's car it was. I did so and quickly found the owner, voiced my concerns and related my anecdote. She informed me that "they don't do that here at this apartment". Well, yes, they do, I just told you my car was towed, from that spot, just a few months ago. She didn't thank me. She didn't concede the possibility. She just gave a sort of lip curl that I guess was supposed to be a sneer and didn't say anything else. I left. She shut the door. This morning she had adjusted the car and was no longer over the line.
Her response was unnecessary. We live above her. I no longer worry about how much noise I make walking around or moving things. What could have remained a pleasant pseudo-acquaintance is now a restrained hostility. Rudeness is never necessary, even though it can be hard to reign in sometimes. Don't be an ass. It's just bad form.
Marx Was Right but got it Wrong
So I disagree with Socialism, Communism, Marxism, etc. etc. primarily because they all treat individuals as faceless members of an organic whole that they call society. Maybe I'll argue more on that point some other time but for now I just want you to know where I stand before I begin. I read a line just now that states that: "...Marx believed that power rested with those who controlled the means of production,..."1 and it is true that this is what he believed. However ...
Uninspired Friday is Uninspired
No updates today, but, it's finally Friday! I don't know about y'all but this seemed like the longest week. Except for that one week, THAT week was the longest. Anyway, let's see, updates, updates. Nope, been playing Skyrim since my last update despite my intention to NOT do that until I finished. I couldn't help myself, with all the news about The Elder Scrolls Online and the reviews people released about them the last few weeks after Zenimax let several leading bloggers and guild leaders in to play a pre-alpha version of the game.
In conclusion, the girl on the Dr. Pepper can today (Erin Rhodes) looks like Marsha from the Brady Bunch ... or what I remember of it. I was awfully young when that show was on and I never actually watched it but it was something that I was aware existed so, meh.
I guess I shouldn't end on "meh". How about, Happy Gaming to all and to all a Good Weekend!
In conclusion, the girl on the Dr. Pepper can today (Erin Rhodes) looks like Marsha from the Brady Bunch ... or what I remember of it. I was awfully young when that show was on and I never actually watched it but it was something that I was aware existed so, meh.
I guess I shouldn't end on "meh". How about, Happy Gaming to all and to all a Good Weekend!
Progress Update
About 6 or 7 years ago I self-published the first edition of Renaissance. I then spent about a year selling and demo-ing it at conventions. It was fun and I met a lot of people but it just didn't take off. There was something missing from the system that kept it from really shining. I put it aside for a couple years and then about 2 years ago I had the time to pick it back up and re-imagine it. I've worked on it here and there for the last few years and I have to say that I'm really excited with how it's turned out. I'm now really close to having all the rules complete and temp-finalized (after all, you never know what will happen in testing) and I can't wait to start getting some feedback on it from people other than my players. Read on to see just how close to completion Renaisance 2nd edition is!
Road's Scholar
Something I've always disliked in role-playing games is that there was no way to advance other aspects of your character beyond the established rules for advancement. If I wanted my warrior to be a history buff, I had to waste valuable experience or skill points on his knowledge skill rather than putting them towards something more appropriate to his role in the party. To remedy this I have included mechanics in Renaissance to allow for characters to learn skills without having to obtain them with xp. That sounds foolish, but let me explain.
Supernatural Attributes
It occurs to me that I mentioned Supernatural attributes in my post on Monday but you may not be familiar with them. I won't go into the details of the mechanics for them but I thought you might like to hear a little about them so you would have some idea what I was talking about in the event I mention them again in the future.
Elder Scrolls Online - Return of the Excitement
I was a little bummed, okay, reeeaallly bummed by what I thought I saw developing in the Elder Scrolls Online. The first of their single-player games that I experienced was Daggerfall back in 1995 (released in '92 I believe) and I've been hooked ever since. I love these games and their world setting.
55 Ridiculous Things
I came across this article the other day and felt that the title of it was appropriate. I haven't linked it yet because I wanted to talk about it a little before you dash off to read it. The title of the article is "55 Facts About The Debt And U.S. Government Finances That Every American Voter Should Know". It's long and sounds boring, but trust me, it's neither. If you don't care about U.S. government, politics or how your money is spent then it's worth reading for the cynical humor within. If you do care, then it's worth reading for the outrageous uses our money is being put to that you should know about. This is the kind of stuff that you can really get bi-partisan anger for.
Magic and Supernatural Attributes - Update
Progress continues on getting Renaissance completed before the end of the year. The Magic system has had many variations over the design of 2nd ed. and my players have been justifiably irritated (in a good-natured way) with me plenty of times when I would text or call them mid-week to let them know that we would need to update their characters because of changes I had made to the magic system after the last session. However, this weekend saw, among other things, what I hope is the final version of the magic system. It may need a little polish for final publishing but it's definitely complete enough for public testing.
Hit Points vs. Wounds
As I near the completion of phase two writing on Renaissance I have spent quite a bit of time considering what to include in the initial book and what should be sectioned off as GM's material or supplemental material. In particular, I've gone back and forth on whether to include an appendix with alternate rules for HP vs. Wounds or whether I should release an HP supplement once the beta testing is done.
Constant Inspiration
It's been months since I made much progress on any of my role-playing projects. I get a little done here and there but recently that's been it. I haven't had the inspiration necessary to sit down and spend time getting large sections completed. Thankfully, I was recently reminded of the solution to this doldrum.
Effective Editing
I was running through the spell lists this morning, searching in particular for any necromancy spells because I couldn't remember if or how many I had included. There aren't a ton, but there are a reasonable number to spark the interest and research of budding necromancers. However, what I also discovered was that I had several different spells that did the same thing. Suddenly it occurred to me that this was a much more effective editing practice for games than the standard proof reading style.
Tools For Finishing Projects
Renaissance has been on the back burner for a while now. To continue that analogy, not only has it been on the back burner, but the heat has been set to 'low' (or 'lo' as most stove dials have it). There simply hasn't been time available, with all the other priorities in life, to work on it much. However, I have made some progress and wanted to touch on that and the tools/practices which have enabled me to do so.
Taxation: Fixed
So with all the talk of Romney's tax plan versus Obama's tax plan and blah blah blah in the media these days, I decided to do a little research of my own. In the process, I though, hey, I wonder how hard it really is to develop a tax plan. Turns out, if you don't complicate it, it's not that hard. Admittedly, I don't have 100% hard evidence for these numbers, but for the purposes of this exercise, they are reasonably reliable.
Organic Alchemy
Crack open your Organic Chemistry books folks. Enroll in your local college's Chemistry program. Alchemy is here and apparently it's never been easier!
Political Assumptions
It seems in any given election that everyone who is going to vote already knows who they are going to vote for. Furthermore, no amount of arguing or writing seems capable of changing the minds of anyone in any portion of the spectrum. There is a LOT of writing that goes on regarding politics, government and candidates but those who pay attention to such things do so only in two formats: Either in Familiar Consumption or in Filtered Consumption.
The Importance of Other Projects
I have read in a number of places that it is important, as a creative person, to do something creative everyday to further your talent. If your creative art is writing, write every day. If it is painting, paint every day. You get the idea. This is not something I am good at, but like my projects I am a work in progress.
The Health Question
We often ask ourselves, "why bother?". Why bother eating healthy if I'm going to hate every meal, constantly yearn for something more and only net myself an extra 2 - 5 years of life, if that. After all, aren't 60 to 70 years of good meals preferable to 62 - 75 years of blah meals? Even though I still struggle with implementing the change, I can offer you two very good reasons for attempting to do so. The first is your children, those you have now or those you may someday have, especially the ones you may someday have. The second is that everything you've been told about eating healthy is a lie.
Do or Do Not - Thoughts
I read an article the other day that was excellent, but it had a different interpretation of the famous Yoda quote "There is no try. Do or do not". The article briefly asserted that the quote implied that there was no reason to try anything if you were not assured of success. I happen to disagree and left a comment to that effect. You can read the comment in its mostly unaltered state below.
Star Wars: Dark Resurrection
Because I made a reference to Star Wars a few days ago, I thought it'd be nice to have something more concrete to go along with it. Below is a link to an Italian, fan made movie that you may or may not have seen already. If you haven't it's well worth a watch. Vol 0 is a prequel to Vol 1 (naturally, I suppose) and at present Vol 2 is as yet unreleased. We can only hope (and donate) that they will be able to finish at some point!
http://www.darkresurrection.com/portal/index.php/en
Oh yeah, the page is in Italian, but you'll probably be able to figure out what to click on to get to the pages you want for watching the movies. If I remember correctly they do have subtitles.
http://www.darkresurrection.com/portal/index.php/en
Oh yeah, the page is in Italian, but you'll probably be able to figure out what to click on to get to the pages you want for watching the movies. If I remember correctly they do have subtitles.
Making the Most of Your Time
I wrote this in response to another blog article that I read recently and felt it was worth sharing here as well.
The balance between stuff and a sense of purpose is one I've been struggling with for some time. Perhaps, though, it would be more accurate to say the balance between mere entertainment and time well spent; because time well spent creates a sense of purpose and fulfillment, and while "stuff" often falls into the entertainment category, one can waste time just as easily without wasting money too.
The balance between stuff and a sense of purpose is one I've been struggling with for some time. Perhaps, though, it would be more accurate to say the balance between mere entertainment and time well spent; because time well spent creates a sense of purpose and fulfillment, and while "stuff" often falls into the entertainment category, one can waste time just as easily without wasting money too.
A New Hope
No, this doesn't have anything to do with Star Wars . . . though it probably should.
I'm thinking about re-purposing this blog to include more variety. I had hoped to be spending the majority of my time on my role-playing system when not at work, but I have, as you may have noticed if you've skimmed the archives or been following along, not been posting ... at all. This means I haven't been spending my time on gaming for the most part, but that doesn't mean there's not topics to write about. So, let's try it out. At the moment I'm not guaranteeing regular updates or posts or even any particular topic, but I'm going to permit myself to post whatever strikes my fancy. Hopefully it will strike your fancy too!
I'm thinking about re-purposing this blog to include more variety. I had hoped to be spending the majority of my time on my role-playing system when not at work, but I have, as you may have noticed if you've skimmed the archives or been following along, not been posting ... at all. This means I haven't been spending my time on gaming for the most part, but that doesn't mean there's not topics to write about. So, let's try it out. At the moment I'm not guaranteeing regular updates or posts or even any particular topic, but I'm going to permit myself to post whatever strikes my fancy. Hopefully it will strike your fancy too!
Contacts as Starting Resources
Allowing players to begin the game with some number of contacts from their character's past experience is an idea I've been tossing around recently. Based on my last article last week, it's obvious that I see starting characters as generally inexperienced in the world of adventuring. However, it would be a grave error to assume that they sprang fully formed into the world with no past connections or experiences whatsoever.
Level 1 Characters
Level 1 characters, or, starting level characters, have always given me pause. Specifically, the question I ponder is "What does level 1 represent?". Typically starting level characters range from truly incompetent to vaguely capable depending on the system you are playing in. There are a few systems, though off hand I can't recall which ones (I'll try to get that answer for you in another article), that allow for the creation of fairly capable characters right off the block so obviously each system answers this question differently. Or do they?
How Boring Demographics can become Exciting Adventure Hooks
While some of us do actually enjoy reviewing demographics, up to a point, they are not on their own particularly interesting for adventurers. However, by doing a little pre-game work on a city and figuring up its demographics, there are ways to extrapolate any number of interesting adventure hooks for your players.
Walk your World
First, I apologize. No pun was intended. Now then, moving on.
When I work on a world setting, I used to find myself building lots of high-level structures (not in terms of character level but in terms of framework) such as government types, tax levels, demographics, etc. As a result, I often ended up with excess material that player's almost never needed and found myself having to flesh out towns and cities on the fly. Not necessarily a bad way to run, but if I'm running based on a pre-designed setting, I need more information from the ground up and less from the top down. Thankfully, I found a solution to this situation.
When I work on a world setting, I used to find myself building lots of high-level structures (not in terms of character level but in terms of framework) such as government types, tax levels, demographics, etc. As a result, I often ended up with excess material that player's almost never needed and found myself having to flesh out towns and cities on the fly. Not necessarily a bad way to run, but if I'm running based on a pre-designed setting, I need more information from the ground up and less from the top down. Thankfully, I found a solution to this situation.
Shifting Focus
My focus has shifted a lot, for the last few months, between work, preparing for my infrequent games, working on Renaissance and working on my world setting. I prefer to focus on one project until it is done and then move on to the next and while that is effective at work and with some projects others require periods of down-time which make it inefficient or ineffective to maintain such singular focus.
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