#rpg, #RPGaDay2020, #Tabletop

Prompt: Thread

Since I moved several years ago, I have only been able to get one campaign going with people from work, and though that went for a while, and through four campaigns, it eventually petered out. I haven't been as driven to find a new campaign- I'm just not that good at even reaching out to try anymore. So my gaming currently consists mostly of play by email games. I find it a very good gaming and writing exercise, and since the play is asynchronous, you can play whenever you have time. Though I love playing with pretty much anyone in that fashion, I find that the best threads that I have in games are with writers that are better than me. It seems to push my boundaries and make me a better writer. It makes the game a bit more challenging and makes me put in more effort, but I've found it a rewarding exercise, that has paid off in making me confident enough to actually try to make a living from my writing. I've also made contacts in the industry that I otherwise would not have done.

#rpg, #RPGaDay2020, #Tabletop

Prompt: Change

Change is a loaded word, as it means so many things. There's change going on in the world right now because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Calls for change spurred by police brutality, especially towards Black people, and specifically Black men. Calls for change in our government, from the top down. Calls for change by women in how the world at large treats them, especially men in charge- and a call to be equally represented at that level so that their voices are heard and respected. But what does it mean for tabletop games?

Steven Barnes once said that he had to sacrifice his melanin on the altar of his testosterone. That put a phrase to something that I'd felt my whole life. It's hard being a Black man in Fantasy and Science Fiction fandom. On the one side, your peers see it as a strange pursuit, and one that White people partake in. You also see few people in the hobby that look like you, or that can be mentors if you want to get into the industry. That is changing. And not just in my story- women, other people of color, all sexual orientations and gender identifications- diversity has taken the hobby by storm. And I think this is a good thing! My inner child smiles to see that other children won't have to make the gymnastic efforts to reconcile the cognitive dissonance of a hobby that doesn't recognize them or even want them in it. I can say that I'm proud of the vast majority of the community that has embraced these changes and realized the revitalization that comes from it.

#rpg, #RPGaDay2020

This is fittingly the beginning of my attempt to keep up with #RPGaDay2020.

Day 1 – Beginning

There are several beginnings that I could write about, but the one that comes to the forefront is the beginning of my journey into this hobby.

I'd naturally gravitated towards fantasy and science fiction. At a family reunion at an aunt's house, I'd sit in her library and read books, and she encouraged me to, even when the rest of my family didn't understand. I've very thankful for her, because that would be a common theme throughout life. I was a big Star Wars fanatic, and devoured any kind of media that had anything to do with Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Super Heroes.

One day as I walked through the mall, I saw a diorama in a window, depicting knights, mages, and dragons besieging a castle. I was captivated, and wandered in the store. At first, it was the miniatures that caught my attention, but as I visited that store each time my family came to the mall, I started to browse the books. I saved my allowance, and bought the AD&D Players guide. I didn't realize that I was missing half the rules, and just had fun making characters and assigning the stats to my figures and imagining large battles. I suppose that's where my love for making rules and hacking came into play- anything that I didn't have the rules for I just made up, extrapolating from the rules that I did have.

There was a whole progression into the hobby after that, but I can see that this beginning had a firm hand in shaping the way that I play games, and the way that I consume rules, with an eye more towards the characters that inhabit the world and how the game is goign to be played to be the most entertaining rather than just assuming that RAW is the way that it should be played.

A year ago, we lost a luminary of gaming, with a wide influence, Greg Stafford, the shaman of gaming. The first anniversary of his passing is October 10th, so Chaosium has designated the 10th through the 31st as a time to remember him, and play one of his games- or any game at all (after all, many of them have elements of Greg in them). There's also a lot of merchandise featuring the Greg Rune on Redbubble that are being offered at cost to celebrate Greg.

#WeAreAllUs

And what remains

So, it turns out that the rest of the course was not what I was here for. To go in order:

Layout 101

This wasn't so much a course as a series of hints and a few videos linked from youtube on Word, Google Docs, and InDesign. There were also more than a few links to some tools to help you along the way. I started out with Affinity Publisher for my module, and am torn between that and GM Binder. I can create something really unique with Affinity Publisher, but there's something to be said for the utility of GM Binder.

Editing

There was a video that I'm sorry to say was not on youtube, nor was it in the downloads. I'm not sure how to get access to it. It was a very good tutorial on editing, from the different types of editing, to things to look out for in your work. The only real downside was that the material was sort of dry, and though it was only 22 minutes, it took me a few sessions to get through it completely. The types of editing that the instructor focused on were copy editing, editing for clarity/consistency/accuracy, grammar, syntax, lore, and style. Though I had used a style guide in writing before, it was nice to see it included here, though a lot of it was tailored towards the Adventure League, and I don't think that it needed to be gone into in the detail that it was.

Check-In

Another admonishment for editing, and included some new tips and things to look out for in editing. One thing that always bears repeating is the admonishment to make every word count. Any attention not spent on the adventurers is wasted, and as a writer, you must always be aware of the mood and theme of the adventure.

Playtesting

The next section was on playtesting. It was written with the writer that had no experience with playtesting in mind, so a lot of it was wasted on me as I am not the target audience. A decent questionnaire for playtesting was included which could be very useful if you do not have such a resource.

Marketing

Another section not tailored to me, I see that it could be very useful if you are not already engaged with your potential audience, and includes some links to resources that are again, not tailored towards the audience, but content that is already available on the web.

Publishing

The last lesson included a pre-flight checklist on publishing, and information in regards to being included in the package of modules that came out of the course. Of note: as this was to be posted on DMs Guild, I think that the modules to be included had to be D&D, but I'm not sure as I was unable to finish by the deadline.

And what remains

So, it turns out that the rest of the course was not what I was here for. To go in order:

Layout 101

This wasn't so much a course as a series of hints and a few videos linked from youtube on Word, Google Docs, and InDesign. There were also more than a few links to some tools to help you along the way. I started out with Affinity Publisher for my module, and am torn between that and GM Binder. I can create something really unique with Affinity Publisher, but there's something to be said for the utility of GM Binder.

Editing

There was a video that I'm sorry to say was not on youtube, nor was it in the downloads. I'm not sure how to get access to it. It was a very good tutorial on editing, from the different types of editing, to things to look out for in your work. The only real downside was that the material was sort of dry, and though it was only 22 minutes, it took me a few sessions to get through it completely. The types of editing that the instructor focused on were copy editing, editing for clarity/consistency/accuracy, grammar, syntax, lore, and style. Though I had used a style guide in writing before, it was nice to see it included here, though a lot of it was tailored towards the Adventure League, and I don't think that it needed to be gone into in the detail that it was.

Check-In

Another admonishment for editing, and included some new tips and things to look out for in editing. One thing that always bears repeating is the admonishment to make every word count. Any attention not spent on the adventurers is wasted, and as a writer, you must always be aware of the mood and theme of the adventure.

Playtesting

The next section was on playtesting. It was written with the writer that had no experience with playtesting in mind, so a lot of it was wasted on me as I am not the target audience. A decent questionnaire for playtesting was included which could be very useful if you do not have such a resource.

Marketing

Another section not tailored to me, I see that it could be very useful if you are not already engaged with your potential audience, and includes some links to resources that are again, not tailored towards the audience, but content that is already available on the web.

Publishing

The last lesson included a pre-flight checklist on publishing, and information in regards to being included in the package of modules that came out of the course. Of note: as this was to be posted on DMs Guild, I think that the modules to be included had to be D&D, but I'm not sure as I was unable to finish by the deadline.

Layout 101: Quick and Dirty Tips

Unless I missed something, there was nowhere during the lessons that we were explicitly told to start writing. But I guess it was implied, as this lesson is about laying out the adventure. I'll need to finish that step before I can proceed, but I can say that it's rather disconcerting that there was no instruction that you should take your outline and such and finish your module.

Designing a Cover – Part 2: Activity

I'm still not sold on this concept for the workshop, but in the interest of moving ahead (and also because no matter what, I'll be doing this one even if at a later time), I created a cover.

RPG Writer Workshop – Week 3 Lesson 1 (Lesson 10)

#Designing a Cover – Part 2: Activity

I'm still not sold on this concept for the workshop, but in the interest of moving ahead (and also because no matter what, I'll be doing this one even if at a later time), I created a cover.

Designing an Eye-Catching Cover

I'm not an artist, but I do have access to some artwork that I've procured through various patronage, so hopefully, that and some creative commons work can help me get through this obstacle.

1. Set a Theme

What Gods We Make is supposed to be a story of young gods coming into their power. When I think about the gods, I think about the sky. Not all gods are sky gods, nor do they live in heaven. But the celestial sphere is most common when one thinks of them. Nature is also a possibility, as is a forge, as the new gods are being tempered. There's also fire, to represent change.

2. Determine a Fitting Palette

Using the online tool Paletton, I devised a palette of reds that I think will accent my chosen cover image.

I've chosen a couple for the background, but it remains to be seen which I will use.

4. Pick a font

I skipped step three because it was the simple admonishment to stay away from black and white.

As far as font, I wanted something that spoke to the destruction/rebirth inherent in the adventure. Heading to Da Font, I came upon a few likely candidates: Charcoal First, Baston, Edirne, Alpha Echo, and Good bye lullaby.

I haven't decided which will fit best yet; I'll have to see that in the editor.

Other steps

Step 5 & 6 are very similar to step 3, i.e. advice and tips to “Make it pop” and “Make the design congruent on the interior”.

The activity directed me to create the cover. That will be in the next post. I have ideas- and some of them are steering me away from my initial concept. Something that is more akin to a one-shot. Stay tuned.