Robin D. Laws's Blog, page 106

Pre-Prandial Link Review: Forgotten Rogue, McDonald & Thompson

Forgotten Bookmarks finds a lost D&D rogue.

Hey, Toronto: Kevin McDonald and Scott Thompson of Kids in the Hall renown are launching a two-man show with a gig at the Comedy Bar this weekend.

From Plot Point to Scene

I'm currently plotting a novel. As I shape it from an initial premise to a series of incidents, I'm in part relying on the Hamlet's Hit Points beat system. When I'm finished, this will give me a visual map of the story, allowing me to make sure that the action varies between scene types, and that it establishes the rhythm of up and down moments required for an engaging narrative.

The first step is to lay out all of the pivotal story points, as established in the premise, and then to see what moments I require to introduce, build, and resolve them. Some of these moments are obviously procedural beats, in which the characters pursue practical, external goals. Others are scenes of drama, in which interaction arises from the characters' emotional needs.

At this early stage, however, I can't always see how I'm going to introduce a given plot point. So I label most of them as pipe beats. These beats convey information that will be needed later.



(As you have probably guessed, these are not the real plot points from the actual work-in-progress.)

Ideally, exposition is conveyed in a seamless way, slipped into a scene that does something else. Or it can become gratifying in and of itself if broken up, into a question that is later followed by a reveal. Obvious pipe beats either tip the author's hand, or bore the reader with a long, tension-free infodump.

My next stage, then, is to look at each pipe beat and see if it can be conveyed not in an obvious fashion, but in the course of either a dramatic or a procedural scene.

In this next stage of the preliminary outlining process, the pipe beats have begun to disappear. The story is beginning to build from a set of points into full scenes, vessels for suspense and emotional engagement.



Now I just have to fit them all together, in a clear and logical chain of events that keeps the spotlight on the people in the story, while avoiding the twin banes of coincidence and contrivance.

The Birds

The updated archive is here!

Korad: Fleshing Out the Veytikka

In our last poll, we learned more about Ulthon, populous province in which the majority of people are non-human. To be precise, they're the carrion-eating Veytikka, of whom we can now say:

The Veytikka are pacifists, hence their refusal to kill animals for food. Despite their dining habits, the Veytikka are obsessed with cleanliness/body odor. Veytikka may temporarily acquire memories and abilities of whatever they eat. Ulthonese humans and Veytikka share a fondness for revels, keeping their communities intimately well-acquainted.

Also, we know that with the right ritual the desolate zones called the wronglands become dimensional portals. Any mistake is lethal.

I'm still not getting a clear image of the Veytikka, and will now exercise editorial fiat to put further questions to the wisdom of the group:

View Poll: Coloration

View Poll: Skin covering

View Poll: Morphology

View Poll: Visage

View Poll: Social organization

Ripped Headlines and Ashen Stars

Continuing a basic GUMSHOE motif, Ashen Stars encourages GMs to find inspirations for scenarios in the news of the day. In so doing, it follows in the issue-oriented footsteps of the Star Trek franchise, the Battlestar Galactica reboot, and the general observation that all science fiction is really about the present.

For example, you might springboard from the recent spate of scientific studies exploring the connection between genetics and political beliefs. The PC team of freelance troubleshooters takes a contract to return the supposedly brainwashed daughter of a wealthy shipping magnate to her homeworld. They find her on a planet resettled by members of a reactionary nufaith. Investigation leads them to the colony's water system, which turns out to be dosed by chemicals that activate the complex genetic response predisposing people to loyalty, obedience, and conformism. Do they concentrate only on spiriting away their target, hoping she'll return to form when the substance clears her system? Or do they take it on themselves to restore the population's free will by destroying the chemical mechanisms of social control? And if they do this, will the people they're saving thank them for it?

Neologism of the Moment: Nerdtrope

nerdtrope
verb

To make an old genre palatable to a contemporary, audience through the addition of fantastical, geek-culture elements.

Deadlands nerdtropes the western. 7th Sea and Legend of the Five Rings nerdtrope the swashbuckler and chanbara genres, respectively. Mutant City Blues nerdtropes the police procedural.

We're used to seeing nerdtroping in the definitionally geeky of hobby gaming world. Now that geek culture has gone mainstream, we're seeing it in big commercial films. Cowboys and Aliens nerdtropes the western as Deadlands did before it. Reel Steel nerdtropes the boxing flick.

Pre-Prandial Link Review: Spikeboy, Swinbowie, Breaking the 1st Rule of a Lovecraftian Universe

I can't even begin to imagine what this will be like -- Spike Lee to direct Oldboy remake.

Should Tilda Swinton star in a David Bowie biopic, or David Bowie in a Tilda Swinton biopic?

Oh, no! They're correlating the contents. They're correlating the contents!!

The Birds

The updated archive is here!






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Hamlet's Hit Points Nabs ENnie Nomination

Thanks to the nominating judges for recognizing Hamlet's Hit Points in the category of Best RPG-Related Product, and congratulations to all the other nominees across the board. We can look forward to another strong year, with much nail-biting at the ceremony.

RPG Scenario Pro Tip: Watch Your Boilerplate

When staring at an empty document that will eventually become a roleplaying adventure, you may find it helpful to start with introductory boilerplate. This helps you get rolling and ease your way into the writing process. Once you're revising the completed work, however, be sure to look on these passages with an ungenerous eye. Cut as much as you can, to make room for meaty content that may actually make it into play when run by the GM.

For example, if you find that you've inserted some general roleplaying advice at the head of your adventure, cut it. It belongs somewhere else—in a support article, say. Leave in advice that pertains specifically to this scenario. Anything else confuses the reader, who will be left wondering why the scenario requires the particular play style you're endorsing.

If you've written the standard paragraph telling the GM that she should carefully read the scenario before running it, and the adventure you're writing is not for an introductory product, cut it. You are almost invariably writing for an experienced GM; don't condescend to her by telling her something she already knows. At best, this is a waste of space. At worst, it's a tell, revealing your lack of confidence in your work. It hints at your fear that you didn't organize the material well, and thus requires extra study to smoothly run. Rather than shifting this responsibility onto the GM, ensure that your presentation helps her to 1) prepare beforehand and 2) quickly zero in on the passages she needs while running.