Just wanted to let you know that we’ve been working on ensuring the blog is up to technical snuff (so to speak)…we’ve added a “contact” form and have an updated RSS feed. I’m a bit behind on the re-categorization of older posts, and I thank you for your patience.
I would like to feature other author blogs and content; if you have a blog you would like included, feel free use the new “Contact Form” or post in the comments.
Happy scribing!
One of the biggest arguments I’ve heard over the past, few years is, “Does system matter more than setting?”
The answer is, “Both do.”
Here’s why:
Game mechanics, for any platform (PC, video, tabletop or card game) handles the pacing of the game, attributing to its mood or what I call “game aura.” If you’re creating a “fast-paced zombie hunting game” for example, your mechanics should facilitate that feel. A good example of relevant mechanics is the card game Gloom, which was produced by Atlas Games. In this game, your goal is to make your “family” as miserable as possible. Whoever dies first, in the most horrific way possible, wins. Now, this game may sound truly terrifying but the art and the writing of the game give it an Edward Gorey-like feel, building the setting.
The mechanics are really inventive; you have see-through cards with points that stack on top of one another. In this way, the mechanics allow you to “make” your family member miserable by directly placing modifiers on top of your character. Hence, the mood is not detracted and the overall feel of the game remains intact.
Another good example of mechanics is the exceedingly popular Star Wars: Legos series. Star Wars, a science fantasy setting, is taken to a humorous level by playing off of the Legos setting. The mechanics are simple because they needed to be; who wants to “build” characters through stats if you’re playing Legos?
“New” game mechanics from upcoming or independent publishers are not as integrated with their setting, in many cases, because game designers often strip out the system to playtest it and make sure the system works. If your system has a “theme,” (i.e. fast-paced, larger-than-life), then this can be a good idea. If it doesn’t, you may want to “test” different parts of your game with the mechanics to ensure that the pacing and flow is not interrupted by say, your vampire needing to feed before making it through your next scene (Bloodrayne).
So if you are working on game mechanics, there are really two questions that are important for you to ask: One, does this system work with the game I’m designing and two, have I tested it in all of its forms to ensure it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the game.
Hello everyone,
Sorry for my absence, I’ve been hard at work on a bunch of new projects. This new site format was designed with you in mind, to help make it easier to navigate to content, and so I could branch out into different areas of the writing life.
Over the next few days, the navigation will be updated to reflect a more user-friendly theme, so feel free to check back by Monday and I’ll have new content to share!
In a series of incisive interviews, Leonard S. Marcus engages thirteen master storytellers in spirited conversation about their life and work, providing inspiring reading for fantasy fans and future writers alike.
What kind of child were you? When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? Why do you write fantasy?
"Fantasy," writes Leonard S. Marcus, "is storytelling with the beguiling power to transform the impossible into the imaginable and to reveal our own ‘real’ world in a fresh and truth-bearing light." Few have harnessed this power with the artistry, verve, and imagination of the authors encountered in this compelling book. How do they work their magic?
Finely nuanced and continually revealing, Leonard S. Marcus’s interviews range widely over questions of literary craft and moral vision, as he asks thirteen noted fantasy authors about their pivotal life experiences, their literary influences and work routines, and their core beliefs about the place of fantasy in literature and in our lives.
The Wand in the Word is available at Amazon.com
Today, Wizards of the Coast, who publish the Dungeons and Dragons line (among others), announced a new Open Game License(OGL) for publishers. What is an OGL? Well, the short of it, is that an OGL allows other publishers to use a game mechanic system to produce their own games, for their own profit. Typically, the rules for an OGL contract are publicly posted, so that other companies can decide what’s best for their business. Reasons for using the OGL license can range from less time investment (i.e. don’t have to playtest a “new” system) to marketing for an existing fan base.
Wizard’s new OGL license for 4th Edition rules is vastly different than the previously-released version. I feel that freelancers (artists included) should sit up and pay attention to these discussions because changes like this may affect workflow, payment, and publications. Even if you don’t ever plan on writing for this system or this industry, I feel that there is a lot we can learn from this situation, especially since there is more changes to come.
It seems like several people within the gaming industry are discussing the particulars of the agreement, but I feel that the most important part that any freelancer will need to know is that Wizards currently has a vested interest in every product that will be sold, published or distributed by anyone outside the company. As a freelancer, I feel you should keep that in the back of your mind. It’s too early to tell how this new license will be legally interpreted and implemented; however, if I were going to write for 4th Edition I would approach with caution.
Whenever a third party has an interest in a product, it’s akin to working for a “licensed” project. Licensed projects, while they can be fun, can sometimes drag on for months due to disagreements. Sometimes, they get canceled and other times, they get stuck on the shelf, never to see the light of day. That’s not to say that there isn’t a fair amount of products that do get published; it just means that the workflow can be slowed down because someone else (that the freelancer doesn’t typically come into contact with) is part of the project.
So if you here a lot of things about contracts and licensing related to 4E or any other system, don’t hesitate to ask the publisher directly about what the scope of your new involvement will be. Rumors and conjecture will only go so far, but I feel that you do need to arm yourself with knowledge.