I'm taking a small break from editing to prep for Carnage (http://www.carnagecon.com). It's not a huge convention, but I love it. I look forward to it every year, and my products are always well received there.
I'm planning four events for the con. Three of them are for Strange World and one is for Now Playing.
The three SW events are going to be included in an upcoming adventure product called The FPI Files, Volume One. This will contain several (either 4 or 6) adventures for Strange World that I have run at conventions. How many adventures end up in the book depends on how big they are once written. I do not want the book to be so big that it is prohibitively expensive.
I'm looking forward to Carnage. It's both relaxing and a blast all in one!
It will not even take a week to finish my prep work, so I'll be back on track with SW in no time.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Expedition: Bigfoot Enters Editing Phase
The writing of Expedition: Bigfoot is complete and it's now in the editing phase. This means that Strange World writing is now fully complete!
Once I have finished editing the adventure, I'm going to prep it to be an online demo. It will be padded to include an intro to the game, and some premade leading characters. I will then lay it out and post it online as a free PDF for everyone to download and try out. I've been running it at conventions for some time now, and so I know that it's a lot of fun!
The online demo will require the Sneak Peek #1 so that the Storyteller and actors can have the info they need on Bigfoot. That is, of course, already a free download, so that should not be a problem.
I plan to post regularly to keep you all apprised of the game's progress.
Once I have finished editing the adventure, I'm going to prep it to be an online demo. It will be padded to include an intro to the game, and some premade leading characters. I will then lay it out and post it online as a free PDF for everyone to download and try out. I've been running it at conventions for some time now, and so I know that it's a lot of fun!
The online demo will require the Sneak Peek #1 so that the Storyteller and actors can have the info they need on Bigfoot. That is, of course, already a free download, so that should not be a problem.
I plan to post regularly to keep you all apprised of the game's progress.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Storytelling Game vs. Role-Playing Game
Okay, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what to call the game. Technically, it is a role-playing game, but it is also a storytelling game. Wikipedia says that role-playing games are a type of storytelling game, and I agree.
The thing is that Strange World is very much about the characters and the story. It is really about dynamic, interactive storytelling. The rules, which are light, are just meant to help the storytelling and to add a level of randomness and surprise to the story. Strange World is not about killing monsters. If shots are fired, then the cast is likely to be in deep doo-doo! No, the game is about drama and suspense with just a taste of action thrown in for good measure.
So, I want to call Strange World a Storytelling Game, and even go as far as putting that on the front cover. My only concern is whether that would throw off "role-players." I think the Storytelling label would be more attractive to non-gamers (who are likely to be interested in Strange World), but would it turn people away?
I'm going to give it some more thought, but I'm still leaning toward calling it a Storytelling Game.
The thing is that Strange World is very much about the characters and the story. It is really about dynamic, interactive storytelling. The rules, which are light, are just meant to help the storytelling and to add a level of randomness and surprise to the story. Strange World is not about killing monsters. If shots are fired, then the cast is likely to be in deep doo-doo! No, the game is about drama and suspense with just a taste of action thrown in for good measure.
So, I want to call Strange World a Storytelling Game, and even go as far as putting that on the front cover. My only concern is whether that would throw off "role-players." I think the Storytelling label would be more attractive to non-gamers (who are likely to be interested in Strange World), but would it turn people away?
I'm going to give it some more thought, but I'm still leaning toward calling it a Storytelling Game.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Strange World Status
I figured that I ought to post the current status of the product since I just started the blog and that is probably the first thing on your mind.
I have finally finished the core writing of the book. It has taken over a year and a half to get this far because it is a non-fiction book and that requires an awful lot of research. But now it's done, and so the rest will move a lot more swiftly!
When I say "core writing" I mean that the real guts of the book is finished. However, like with Now Playing, I'm including a single ready-to-run adventure to help get you playing right away. This adventure is called "Expedition: Bigfoot" and has not only been created and playtested, but has been run several times at conventions! This is a very fun adventure, and I'm happy to put in the book. It will also be posted as the official downloadable demo of the game. I'm currently writing it up, but it is moving very quickly, since I have been running it for a while already. I expect to be done with it this week.
I have also begun my pass at editing the book. I will not be the only editor, but I will do a pass through the book before I hand it over to the editor.
I will begin layout once I have finished my editing the book. I'll work in the changes from the other editor when it comes back. Layout should go smoothly because a) I have already worked out the basic layout--fonts, styles, margins, border, etc., and b) I already have some of the artwork.
Still, artwork and editing are the real unknowns here, since I cannot predict how long it will take them to do their work. I plan to keep you posted on the status.
So, when will it release? Well, I don't know for sure because I cannot predict the artwork and editing, but I'm hoping for January.
I have finally finished the core writing of the book. It has taken over a year and a half to get this far because it is a non-fiction book and that requires an awful lot of research. But now it's done, and so the rest will move a lot more swiftly!
When I say "core writing" I mean that the real guts of the book is finished. However, like with Now Playing, I'm including a single ready-to-run adventure to help get you playing right away. This adventure is called "Expedition: Bigfoot" and has not only been created and playtested, but has been run several times at conventions! This is a very fun adventure, and I'm happy to put in the book. It will also be posted as the official downloadable demo of the game. I'm currently writing it up, but it is moving very quickly, since I have been running it for a while already. I expect to be done with it this week.
I have also begun my pass at editing the book. I will not be the only editor, but I will do a pass through the book before I hand it over to the editor.
I will begin layout once I have finished my editing the book. I'll work in the changes from the other editor when it comes back. Layout should go smoothly because a) I have already worked out the basic layout--fonts, styles, margins, border, etc., and b) I already have some of the artwork.
Still, artwork and editing are the real unknowns here, since I cannot predict how long it will take them to do their work. I plan to keep you posted on the status.
So, when will it release? Well, I don't know for sure because I cannot predict the artwork and editing, but I'm hoping for January.
Welcome!
Well, I know what some of you may be thinking: Strange World has been in development for over a year now, so why a dev blog now? The simple answer is that I just now decided to do it. However, there is still value in it, because we are now getting down to the wire and I thought you all might want to know what the current status of the product is, and perhaps to hear about some of the decisions being made regarding it.
Also, this blog will serve the entire Strange World product line. I know that Now Playing did not have many supplements (so far only one with at least one more on the way), but things will be different for Strange World. There are many supplemental products planned for the line, and one is already underway! These will be discussed here.
So welcome to the Strange World dev blog! I hope you like it!
Also, this blog will serve the entire Strange World product line. I know that Now Playing did not have many supplements (so far only one with at least one more on the way), but things will be different for Strange World. There are many supplemental products planned for the line, and one is already underway! These will be discussed here.
So welcome to the Strange World dev blog! I hope you like it!
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