What about yourself? (Or anyone else! Feel free to talk about writing - or whatever, since this thread is about anything!)
Well, strictly speaking, it's not about anything.
Ehhh, I'd disagree. It's literally in the title. (Even though it does say except the OGL... which, in my silly story has crept into the thread in a different manner...) LOL
I am writing a comic series right now. It is heavily based on mythology and folklore and many references to classical literature. I can't draw anything other than whales with ankles so I have a great friend who is amazing at drawing the art for it.
I still struggle with dialogue. I read many fairy tales and myths where the dialogue is either verse or otherwise very bare-bones. Either that, or I read old classics where the vernacular used is very outdated. (I actually have set parts of my computer to British spelling even though I am in America so that it wouldn't correct my writing so often.) Luckily my artist friend is also able to write well and has plenty of advice to spruce up my character's conversations.
Sounds like a great working relationship! If you do something with it - publish it or what not - I assume you'd let us know? :D
Sounds like a great working relationship! If you do something with it - publish it or what not - I assume you'd let us know? :D
I will definitely let y'all know if it ever gets published. That is the eventual goal with this thing, though it is the first time we have ever done anything like it so it may be awhile. But I will definitely tell y'all if it is published.
The story is still good, even after 21 parts! Funny too…
When I first began writing, dialogue was my weakest point.
Many, many, many eons ago (probably before most of ye young whipper snappers were born!), when my teacher, who (said she) enjoyed reading my writing - told me that dialogue was my weakest point.
I began focusing on dialogue - and now, I love doing dialogue.
I actually ran into the same problem across all of my English classes “Not enough dialogue” “short dialogue” etc, etc…
For me, because when I first began writing (which was in the 4th grade, after my teacher read The Hobbit over several months to the class - I was obsessed!) I had ideas of what my world would look like - but I didn't have a firm grasp on how to make the characters stand out and feel different. They all spoke the same, and the dialogue felt interchangeable - so I shied away from it way back when. Once she mentioned that, though - and gave me tips ("base some of them on friends - how would this friend respond versus this friend?") - it helped plant the roots that would give me the comfort to really dive into exploring dialogue.
What about yourself? (Or anyone else! Feel free to talk about writing - or whatever, since this thread is about anything!)
This… this is my story… I think I stole your life… Now, of course, I plan to do this for a living. The first book is… in the works…
Writing dialogue is hard because you have to have it fixed in your head how it sounds.
King is great for dialogue.
exposition is another piece, one that can twist a brain (few people have read A Clockwork Orange, for example), if done within the scope of the setting.
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Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
This… this is my story… I think I stole your life… Now, of course, I plan to do this for a living. The first book is… in the works…
Well, if you've stolen my life... I have a lot of tips for you and things to avoid in your future... lol
And if you're like me, the first book being in the works, will be in the works for years... While I don't normally write for a younger audience type book, one of my close friends had a son who was born with Down Syndrome and I've been writing a story similar to "Harry Potter" meets "Chronicles of Narnia" for like... 10 years now. lol
This… this is my story… I think I stole your life… Now, of course, I plan to do this for a living. The first book is… in the works…
Well, if you've stolen my life... I have a lot of tips for you and things to avoid in your future... lol
And if you're like me, the first book being in the works, will be in the works for years... While I don't normally write for a younger audience type book, one of my close friends had a son who was born with Down Syndrome and I've been writing a story similar to "Harry Potter" meets "Chronicles of Narnia" for like... 10 years now. lol
I’m hoping mine will come a wee bit quicker.. though it probably won’t with all the other projects I have going on. I hope you’ll let us know if the book ever comes out! I’m intrigued already!
Can’t write dialog to save my life. On the other hand I’m a decent poet and a decent storyteller. Given just how crazy my life has been I’m slowly working on an autobiography fitting in all the cray stories from my life. Also trying to put together a book of my photos and poems.
Is there any smaller unit in designing campaigns than Encounters and Threads?
Encounters being, well, encounters. Threads being those little bits of story or lore that connect encounters to create the larger interactive tale.
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Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Can’t write dialog to save my life. On the other hand I’m a decent poet and a decent storyteller. Given just how crazy my life has been I’m slowly working on an autobiography fitting in all the cray stories from my life. Also trying to put together a book of my photos and poems.
I get that. Back in the 80s - I was very much into Heavy Metal (OK, still am...) - but back then had those dreams and aspirations of being in a band. I have a metric ton of lyrics, and... for lack of a better word, poems that are sort of closer to lyrics because they don't follow any "standard" poem tempo/rules... lol... I have short stories I've finished ... and some I could probably finish if I gave it another moment... always thought about doing the same. Just shoving them into a document, based on the theme of the poem, lyrics, story, and just self-publishing it out to the world.
Is there any smaller unit in designing campaigns than Encounters and Threads?
Encounters being, well, encounters. Threads being those little bits of story or lore that connect encounters to create the larger interactive tale.
In DDB’s campaign builder? Or in abstract campaign building terms?
In abstract terms. Design stuff.
I have a small chunk of my brain that has broken off and is on a tear about narrative systemics in tabletop games through a structuralist lens. In concrete terms it is me trying to figure out how the **** do I build these complex adventures so I can give help to others.
In practical terms, it is a review of existing lore and structure of the setting as an analysis of pattern determination to see if I broke any of my own rules -- seems I never wrote any of those out, and that broken off part caught something and is running away with it.
Could also just be a remainder from a fever dream (had a bad infection and major fever the last week or so).
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Is there any smaller unit in designing campaigns than Encounters and Threads?
Encounters being, well, encounters. Threads being those little bits of story or lore that connect encounters to create the larger interactive tale.
In DDB’s campaign builder? Or in abstract campaign building terms?
In abstract terms. Design stuff.
I have a small chunk of my brain that has broken off and is on a tear about narrative systemics in tabletop games through a structuralist lens. In concrete terms it is me trying to figure out how the **** do I build these complex adventures so I can give help to others.
In practical terms, it is a review of existing lore and structure of the setting as an analysis of pattern determination to see if I broke any of my own rules -- seems I never wrote any of those out, and that broken off part caught something and is running away with it.
Could also just be a remainder from a fever dream (had a bad infection and major fever the last week or so).
In addition to your tiny units, you can also have one additional one for both combat and story. For combat/exploration I usually include little “traps” which can be one-off traps, singular weak monsters, or something similar. No initiative needed, just a tiny, tiny encounter. For story/roleplaying I say that there are also scenes. Threads connect stuff, but scenes are made to be connected. They’re a few lines of dialogue between an NPC and a PC or even two PCs and serve to point out something small or segue to a thread.
Is there any smaller unit in designing campaigns than Encounters and Threads?
Encounters being, well, encounters. Threads being those little bits of story or lore that connect encounters to create the larger interactive tale.
In DDB’s campaign builder? Or in abstract campaign building terms?
In abstract terms. Design stuff.
I have a small chunk of my brain that has broken off and is on a tear about narrative systemics in tabletop games through a structuralist lens. In concrete terms it is me trying to figure out how the **** do I build these complex adventures so I can give help to others.
In practical terms, it is a review of existing lore and structure of the setting as an analysis of pattern determination to see if I broke any of my own rules -- seems I never wrote any of those out, and that broken off part caught something and is running away with it.
Could also just be a remainder from a fever dream (had a bad infection and major fever the last week or so).
In addition to your tiny units, you can also have one additional one for both combat and story. For combat/exploration I usually include little “traps” which can be one-off traps, singular weak monsters, or something similar. No initiative needed, just a tiny, tiny encounter. For story/roleplaying I say that there are also scenes. Threads connect stuff, but scenes are made to be connected. They’re a few lines of dialogue between an NPC and a PC or even two PCs and serve to point out something small or segue to a thread.
That's an interesting further breakdown.
I am coming at it from a "construction kit" sort of approach, with the end project goal being a campaign.
Your "traps" is part of my Encounters -- an encounter is a loosey-goosey construct that could be a single needle and thread, an NPC conversation snippet, a locked chest, a monster encounter, or even a room with all of the above. They are "the thing encountered", and handled as part of that story element.
I need to break it down a bit for folks because the construct is too abstract for a lot of folks, so that's a good point to raise. I have a typology of seven things right now, will see if I can give it a bit more oomph.
The scenes bit I like a lot. It fits well into the large structure and I feel like a damn fool for not having seen it before (pun only secondary). Plus it fits with the larger schema: A THREAD is: the manner of connection between encounters that forms an episode, adventure, and campaign. Threads are tiny bits of story woven around the encounters to tie them together, give them reason and basis, and provide for the “sense of story”. An ENCOUNTER is: an engagement with something that presents an interaction for the characters. An EPISODE is: a series of connected episodes that tell a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. An ADVENTURE is: a series of interconnected episodes that tell a story. Adventures are made up of at least three episodes, telling the beginning, middle, and end of a story. A CAMPAIGN is: a series of interconnected adventures that tell a large scale story. Campaigns are always made up of at least three adventures, telling the beginning, middle, and end of a story. A FRAMEWORK is: how one hangs the Encounters in their sequences as a whole, and then weaves the threads of the plotline throughout them. A Framework often takes the form of a series of conventions, or tropes, that are repeated in a cycle or a journey. A BEGINNING is: a sequence of rising action that reveals something that motivates or pushes the protagonist forward. A MIDDLE is: a setback in the rising action that causes the protagonists to have to regroup and find a new path forward along the rising action, culminating in the first half of the climax. An END is: The second half of the climax and the falling action into the resolution. An INTERLUDE is: an Encounter or series of encounters that is outside the primary storyline, and could exist for character development, side stories, or just as a break in the action. A PROLOGUE is: the lore and set up for a campaign; it is a point where exposition sets the stage for the larger conflict. An INTRO is: the events and circumstances that lead to the start of a story. An EPILOGUE is: The What Happens After that follows the final events of a Campaign. A CODA is: a reminder of a previous story or thread, presented at the close of one story. An EVENT is: a significant Encounter that has long term importance or influence on other encounters, often in the form of a climax within a story.
I will add in Scenes -- they are the part missing between the framework and the thread that I couldn't quite figure out. And they solve the riddle of how one goes from an encounter to an encounter in the schema, even when those Encounters are Interludes.
Thank you!
Edit: welp, now there is a piece missing, lol. Thread/Scene/???/Framework.
Can't call it plot -- that's a whole deal that for this format is presumed. The missing piece has to do with motivations, I think, and the inevitable use of and inclusion of Imbroglios in the more traditional sense (sub-plots). ****, I knew I should have paid more attention in the writing courses, lol.
it might pop up when I look at Propp's again. The Frameworks that I am showing are all based on traditional Journey motifs (Hero's, Heroine's, Virgin's Promise, a couple of custom ones that blend elements, Propp's Fairytale breakdown, etc).
Plots can be pretty much anything -- For a guideline I am just snagging straight out of TV Tropes, lol. My default example is an "explore the world" plot, which is not something one sees used all that often (think Gulliver's Travels).
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Completely irrelevant, but I saw a couple things that got me thinking...
Are there stage (i.e. fake) magicians in your world?
Do they try to pass off what they do as actual magic? If so, are they successful? Does everybody who wants to be a performer just learn real magic instead?
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Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Completely irrelevant, but I saw a couple things that got me thinking...
Are there stage (i.e. fake) magicians in your world?
Do they try to pass off what they do as actual magic? If so, are they successful? Does everybody who wants to be a performer just learn real magic instead?
Yes. And they are typically members of the Bard guilds. It is mixed in with juggling and circus acts (as part of a Sirkus Troupe) as part of common entertainments.
Not everyone has the ability to harness mana on my world. More specifically, some folks (often those who go into the professions of warrior and vanguard/gladiator/barbaria) are highly resistant to magic, and the ability to draw up and store magic is found only in some people, although everyone has a little magic in them.
Such stage magicians (Play Mages) are skilled in Stage Magic, which uses sleight of hand as the base roll modifier. They are often also well trained in a kind of magic that anyone can do: Ritual magic. Wyrlde's ritual magic takes time -- and you are unlikely to want to cast fireball with it. But as an example, the Play Mage might be called on to gather everyone in a circle to do a ritual of protection at night.
During the day they would do escapes and card tricks and pull rabbits out of hats, with all the theatricality one would expect. They may or may not be able to read magical writing, but they don't generally need to if they know a couple basic simple rituals they can perform.
learning real magic requires innate capabilities (presumed for PCs) and focus, as well as some sort of training -- so for most Play Mages, the best among them would never quite rise above being able to cast 1st level spells (Simple Degree of Complexity) -- and then only if they have the ability to hold and store mana.
Outside of PCs, the ability is not directly inherited (ever is the official line, but it likely happens once in a very great while) and so there is an entire industry of people who kidnap children who do show the ability to use real magic. They are often sold to mysterious wizards who condemn the practice and the idea of it as abhorrent, even as they try and teach the child they bought all their secrets. Those who don't work out often are kicked out into the wider world (perhaps becoming swordmages or some other form of mage), although most simply end up in service to the mages of Akadia.
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Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Are there stage (i.e. fake) magicians in your world?
Do they try to pass off what they do as actual magic? If so, are they successful? Does everybody who wants to be a performer just learn real magic instead?
Of course. Just like not all musicians or actors are bards, not all magicians are spell casters.
Some of them do and some of them don’t. Some of them are successful and some not so much (after all, that’s part of what Sleight of Hand, Performance, and Deception are for). No, they couldn’t possibly all learn magic. The average magician (or musician, or actor) is still essentially just a commoner after all.
To learn real magic one has to either be born with it like a sorcerer, be chosen like a cleric, make a pact like a warlock, swear an eternal oath to the universe like a paladin, develop the skills naturally somehow like a bard or ranger, or else study, study, study like a wizard. Few folk are born with magic, fewer still are chosen, fewer still are ever in a situation to make a pact, and even fewer still have the sheer determination to ever live up to such an oath. Developing the skills naturally takes quite a bit of superhuman talent, luck, perseverance, and likely all three. That leaves study, and such study is ve—ry expensive and time consuming (as any wizard can attest), and the average person usually lacks the resources necessary for that as they’re usually too busy just trying to feed themselves and keep a roof of some kind over their heads.
So no, most regular performers don’t have any real magic, and the ones that do have at best a cantrip or two to use. That’s why bards are so special, they can do what the average performer cannot.
Completely irrelevant, but I saw a couple things that got me thinking...
Are there stage (i.e. fake) magicians in your world?
Do they try to pass off what they do as actual magic? If so, are they successful? Does everybody who wants to be a performer just learn real magic instead?
I have an NPC planned around this sort of concept for my upcoming campaign. He's gonna be a halfling bard who pretends to have bard magic when he performs, but it's all tricks and sleight of hand and smoke and mirrors. In reality he got kicked out of his bard college (a term I'm making tad more literal in my world) for Reasons and doesn't have access to such magic, outside of maybe a cantrip or two he can inconsistently pull off.
Is there any smaller unit in designing campaigns than Encounters and Threads?
Encounters being, well, encounters. Threads being those little bits of story or lore that connect encounters to create the larger interactive tale.
In DDB’s campaign builder? Or in abstract campaign building terms?
In abstract terms. Design stuff.
I have a small chunk of my brain that has broken off and is on a tear about narrative systemics in tabletop games through a structuralist lens. In concrete terms it is me trying to figure out how the **** do I build these complex adventures so I can give help to others.
In practical terms, it is a review of existing lore and structure of the setting as an analysis of pattern determination to see if I broke any of my own rules -- seems I never wrote any of those out, and that broken off part caught something and is running away with it.
Could also just be a remainder from a fever dream (had a bad infection and major fever the last week or so).
In addition to your tiny units, you can also have one additional one for both combat and story. For combat/exploration I usually include little “traps” which can be one-off traps, singular weak monsters, or something similar. No initiative needed, just a tiny, tiny encounter. For story/roleplaying I say that there are also scenes. Threads connect stuff, but scenes are made to be connected. They’re a few lines of dialogue between an NPC and a PC or even two PCs and serve to point out something small or segue to a thread.
That's an interesting further breakdown.
I am coming at it from a "construction kit" sort of approach, with the end project goal being a campaign.
Your "traps" is part of my Encounters -- an encounter is a loosey-goosey construct that could be a single needle and thread, an NPC conversation snippet, a locked chest, a monster encounter, or even a room with all of the above. They are "the thing encountered", and handled as part of that story element.
I need to break it down a bit for folks because the construct is too abstract for a lot of folks, so that's a good point to raise. I have a typology of seven things right now, will see if I can give it a bit more oomph.
The scenes bit I like a lot. It fits well into the large structure and I feel like a damn fool for not having seen it before (pun only secondary). Plus it fits with the larger schema: A THREAD is: the manner of connection between encounters that forms an episode, adventure, and campaign. Threads are tiny bits of story woven around the encounters to tie them together, give them reason and basis, and provide for the “sense of story”. An ENCOUNTER is: an engagement with something that presents an interaction for the characters. An EPISODE is: a series of connected episodes that tell a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. An ADVENTURE is: a series of interconnected episodes that tell a story. Adventures are made up of at least three episodes, telling the beginning, middle, and end of a story. A CAMPAIGN is: a series of interconnected adventures that tell a large scale story. Campaigns are always made up of at least three adventures, telling the beginning, middle, and end of a story. A FRAMEWORK is: how one hangs the Encounters in their sequences as a whole, and then weaves the threads of the plotline throughout them. A Framework often takes the form of a series of conventions, or tropes, that are repeated in a cycle or a journey. A BEGINNING is: a sequence of rising action that reveals something that motivates or pushes the protagonist forward. A MIDDLE is: a setback in the rising action that causes the protagonists to have to regroup and find a new path forward along the rising action, culminating in the first half of the climax. An END is: The second half of the climax and the falling action into the resolution. An INTERLUDE is: an Encounter or series of encounters that is outside the primary storyline, and could exist for character development, side stories, or just as a break in the action. A PROLOGUE is: the lore and set up for a campaign; it is a point where exposition sets the stage for the larger conflict. An INTRO is: the events and circumstances that lead to the start of a story. An EPILOGUE is: The What Happens After that follows the final events of a Campaign. A CODA is: a reminder of a previous story or thread, presented at the close of one story. An EVENT is: a significant Encounter that has long term importance or influence on other encounters, often in the form of a climax within a story.
I will add in Scenes -- they are the part missing between the framework and the thread that I couldn't quite figure out. And they solve the riddle of how one goes from an encounter to an encounter in the schema, even when those Encounters are Interludes.
Thank you!
Edit: welp, now there is a piece missing, lol. Thread/Scene/???/Framework.
Can't call it plot -- that's a whole deal that for this format is presumed. The missing piece has to do with motivations, I think, and the inevitable use of and inclusion of Imbroglios in the more traditional sense (sub-plots). ****, I knew I should have paid more attention in the writing courses, lol.
it might pop up when I look at Propp's again. The Frameworks that I am showing are all based on traditional Journey motifs (Hero's, Heroine's, Virgin's Promise, a couple of custom ones that blend elements, Propp's Fairytale breakdown, etc).
Plots can be pretty much anything -- For a guideline I am just snagging straight out of TV Tropes, lol. My default example is an "explore the world" plot, which is not something one sees used all that often (think Gulliver's Travels).
Completely irrelevant, but I saw a couple things that got me thinking...
Are there stage (i.e. fake) magicians in your world?
Do they try to pass off what they do as actual magic? If so, are they successful? Does everybody who wants to be a performer just learn real magic instead?
Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack:+3 to hit, reach 5 ft., or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.
Smoke Pot (3/Day). Dane can throw a smoke pot at a point up to 20 feet away where it emits a cloud of smoke that creates a heavily obscured area in a 5-foot radius which disperses in 1 round.
Spark Pellet. Dane can crush a spark pellet and emit a fountain of harmless sparks that fill a 5-foot cube within 5 feet of himself. The sparks ignite any flammable objects in the area which are not being worn or carried.
Description
Dane MacKenzie the magician thrives in front of an audience. He knows how to entrance people, entertain them, and even inspire them. His “magic” tricks captivate, astound and amaze his audiences, even if there’s no real magic to them, and awaken a sense of awe and wonder. Mixed with his special brand of humor that brings joy and laughter to all but the most joyless folk, and a little bit of song and dance, his routines are sure to please almost any audience.
Dane can always find a place to perform, usually in an inn or tavern but possibly with a circus, at a theater, or even in a noble’s court. His performances makes Dane something of a local figure. When strangers recognize him in a town where he has performed, they typically gush at his talents and ask him for impromptu performances. Dane is more than happy to avail himself of any free lodging or food offered to him by establishments or fans alike.
Dane is also a fair hand with alchemical substances. He uses his knowledge to create substances which assist him in his act. Most commonly he creates small pellets that emit a fountain of (mostly) harmless sparks when crushed, and a powder that instantly chills water on contact. His most potent creations however are his smoke pots, small clay pots or glass vials containing a substance that emits smoke when the container is broken.
Personality Characteristics
Traits: “Nobody stays angry at me or around me for long, since I can defuse any amount of tension.” & “I’ll settle for nothing less than perfection.” Ideal: (People) “I like seeing the smiles on people’s faces when I perform. That’s all that matters.“ Bond: “I will do anything to prove myself superior to my hated rival, The ‘Great’ Sandini.” Flaw: “Despite my best efforts, I am unreliable to my friends.”
Are there stage (i.e. fake) magicians in your world?
Do they try to pass off what they do as actual magic? If so, are they successful? Does everybody who wants to be a performer just learn real magic instead?
Indeed. It's a concept I enjoyed in the Dragonlance books that when the gods "vanished" there were Charlatan "healers" in the world who used plants and such to heal people but claimed it was magic. Same thing with wizards - (and others) in my game - where they use various plants or liquids to create "fireball" effects.
Ehhh, I'd disagree. It's literally in the title. (Even though it does say except the OGL... which, in my silly story has crept into the thread in a different manner...) LOL
Sounds like a great working relationship! If you do something with it - publish it or what not - I assume you'd let us know? :D
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
I will definitely let y'all know if it ever gets published. That is the eventual goal with this thing, though it is the first time we have ever done anything like it so it may be awhile. But I will definitely tell y'all if it is published.
This… this is my story… I think I stole your life… Now, of course, I plan to do this for a living. The first book is… in the works…
Writing dialogue is hard because you have to have it fixed in your head how it sounds.
King is great for dialogue.
exposition is another piece, one that can twist a brain (few people have read A Clockwork Orange, for example), if done within the scope of the setting.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Well, if you've stolen my life... I have a lot of tips for you and things to avoid in your future... lol
And if you're like me, the first book being in the works, will be in the works for years... While I don't normally write for a younger audience type book, one of my close friends had a son who was born with Down Syndrome and I've been writing a story similar to "Harry Potter" meets "Chronicles of Narnia" for like... 10 years now. lol
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
I’m hoping mine will come a wee bit quicker.. though it probably won’t with all the other projects I have going on. I hope you’ll let us know if the book ever comes out! I’m intrigued already!
Can’t write dialog to save my life. On the other hand I’m a decent poet and a decent storyteller. Given just how crazy my life has been I’m slowly working on an autobiography fitting in all the cray stories from my life. Also trying to put together a book of my photos and poems.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Is there any smaller unit in designing campaigns than Encounters and Threads?
Encounters being, well, encounters. Threads being those little bits of story or lore that connect encounters to create the larger interactive tale.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
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In DDB’s campaign builder? Or in abstract campaign building terms?
I get that. Back in the 80s - I was very much into Heavy Metal (OK, still am...) - but back then had those dreams and aspirations of being in a band. I have a metric ton of lyrics, and... for lack of a better word, poems that are sort of closer to lyrics because they don't follow any "standard" poem tempo/rules... lol... I have short stories I've finished ... and some I could probably finish if I gave it another moment... always thought about doing the same. Just shoving them into a document, based on the theme of the poem, lyrics, story, and just self-publishing it out to the world.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
In abstract terms. Design stuff.
I have a small chunk of my brain that has broken off and is on a tear about narrative systemics in tabletop games through a structuralist lens. In concrete terms it is me trying to figure out how the **** do I build these complex adventures so I can give help to others.
In practical terms, it is a review of existing lore and structure of the setting as an analysis of pattern determination to see if I broke any of my own rules -- seems I never wrote any of those out, and that broken off part caught something and is running away with it.
Could also just be a remainder from a fever dream (had a bad infection and major fever the last week or so).
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
In addition to your tiny units, you can also have one additional one for both combat and story. For combat/exploration I usually include little “traps” which can be one-off traps, singular weak monsters, or something similar. No initiative needed, just a tiny, tiny encounter. For story/roleplaying I say that there are also scenes. Threads connect stuff, but scenes are made to be connected. They’re a few lines of dialogue between an NPC and a PC or even two PCs and serve to point out something small or segue to a thread.
That's an interesting further breakdown.
I am coming at it from a "construction kit" sort of approach, with the end project goal being a campaign.
Your "traps" is part of my Encounters -- an encounter is a loosey-goosey construct that could be a single needle and thread, an NPC conversation snippet, a locked chest, a monster encounter, or even a room with all of the above. They are "the thing encountered", and handled as part of that story element.
I need to break it down a bit for folks because the construct is too abstract for a lot of folks, so that's a good point to raise. I have a typology of seven things right now, will see if I can give it a bit more oomph.
The scenes bit I like a lot. It fits well into the large structure and I feel like a damn fool for not having seen it before (pun only secondary). Plus it fits with the larger schema:
A THREAD is: the manner of connection between encounters that forms an episode, adventure, and campaign. Threads are tiny bits of story woven around the encounters to tie them together, give them reason and basis, and provide for the “sense of story”.
An ENCOUNTER is: an engagement with something that presents an interaction for the characters.
An EPISODE is: a series of connected episodes that tell a story, with a beginning, middle, and end.
An ADVENTURE is: a series of interconnected episodes that tell a story. Adventures are made up of at least three episodes, telling the beginning, middle, and end of a story.
A CAMPAIGN is: a series of interconnected adventures that tell a large scale story. Campaigns are always made up of at least three adventures, telling the beginning, middle, and end of a story.
A FRAMEWORK is: how one hangs the Encounters in their sequences as a whole, and then weaves the threads of the plotline throughout them. A Framework often takes the form of a series of conventions, or tropes, that are repeated in a cycle or a journey.
A BEGINNING is: a sequence of rising action that reveals something that motivates or pushes the protagonist forward.
A MIDDLE is: a setback in the rising action that causes the protagonists to have to regroup and find a new path forward along the rising action, culminating in the first half of the climax.
An END is: The second half of the climax and the falling action into the resolution.
An INTERLUDE is: an Encounter or series of encounters that is outside the primary storyline, and could exist for character development, side stories, or just as a break in the action.
A PROLOGUE is: the lore and set up for a campaign; it is a point where exposition sets the stage for the larger conflict.
An INTRO is: the events and circumstances that lead to the start of a story.
An EPILOGUE is: The What Happens After that follows the final events of a Campaign.
A CODA is: a reminder of a previous story or thread, presented at the close of one story.
An EVENT is: a significant Encounter that has long term importance or influence on other encounters, often in the form of a climax within a story.
I will add in Scenes -- they are the part missing between the framework and the thread that I couldn't quite figure out. And they solve the riddle of how one goes from an encounter to an encounter in the schema, even when those Encounters are Interludes.
Thank you!
Edit: welp, now there is a piece missing, lol. Thread/Scene/???/Framework.
Can't call it plot -- that's a whole deal that for this format is presumed. The missing piece has to do with motivations, I think, and the inevitable use of and inclusion of Imbroglios in the more traditional sense (sub-plots). ****, I knew I should have paid more attention in the writing courses, lol.
it might pop up when I look at Propp's again. The Frameworks that I am showing are all based on traditional Journey motifs (Hero's, Heroine's, Virgin's Promise, a couple of custom ones that blend elements, Propp's Fairytale breakdown, etc).
Plots can be pretty much anything -- For a guideline I am just snagging straight out of TV Tropes, lol. My default example is an "explore the world" plot, which is not something one sees used all that often (think Gulliver's Travels).
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Completely irrelevant, but I saw a couple things that got me thinking...
Are there stage (i.e. fake) magicians in your world?
Do they try to pass off what they do as actual magic? If so, are they successful? Does everybody who wants to be a performer just learn real magic instead?
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
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Yes. And they are typically members of the Bard guilds. It is mixed in with juggling and circus acts (as part of a Sirkus Troupe) as part of common entertainments.
Not everyone has the ability to harness mana on my world. More specifically, some folks (often those who go into the professions of warrior and vanguard/gladiator/barbaria) are highly resistant to magic, and the ability to draw up and store magic is found only in some people, although everyone has a little magic in them.
Such stage magicians (Play Mages) are skilled in Stage Magic, which uses sleight of hand as the base roll modifier. They are often also well trained in a kind of magic that anyone can do: Ritual magic. Wyrlde's ritual magic takes time -- and you are unlikely to want to cast fireball with it. But as an example, the Play Mage might be called on to gather everyone in a circle to do a ritual of protection at night.
During the day they would do escapes and card tricks and pull rabbits out of hats, with all the theatricality one would expect. They may or may not be able to read magical writing, but they don't generally need to if they know a couple basic simple rituals they can perform.
learning real magic requires innate capabilities (presumed for PCs) and focus, as well as some sort of training -- so for most Play Mages, the best among them would never quite rise above being able to cast 1st level spells (Simple Degree of Complexity) -- and then only if they have the ability to hold and store mana.
Outside of PCs, the ability is not directly inherited (ever is the official line, but it likely happens once in a very great while) and so there is an entire industry of people who kidnap children who do show the ability to use real magic. They are often sold to mysterious wizards who condemn the practice and the idea of it as abhorrent, even as they try and teach the child they bought all their secrets. Those who don't work out often are kicked out into the wider world (perhaps becoming swordmages or some other form of mage), although most simply end up in service to the mages of Akadia.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Of course. Just like not all musicians or actors are bards, not all magicians are spell casters.
Some of them do and some of them don’t. Some of them are successful and some not so much (after all, that’s part of what Sleight of Hand, Performance, and Deception are for). No, they couldn’t possibly all learn magic. The average magician (or musician, or actor) is still essentially just a commoner after all.
To learn real magic one has to either be born with it like a sorcerer, be chosen like a cleric, make a pact like a warlock, swear an eternal oath to the universe like a paladin, develop the skills naturally somehow like a bard or ranger, or else study, study, study like a wizard. Few folk are born with magic, fewer still are chosen, fewer still are ever in a situation to make a pact, and even fewer still have the sheer determination to ever live up to such an oath. Developing the skills naturally takes quite a bit of superhuman talent, luck, perseverance, and likely all three. That leaves study, and such study is ve—ry expensive and time consuming (as any wizard can attest), and the average person usually lacks the resources necessary for that as they’re usually too busy just trying to feed themselves and keep a roof of some kind over their heads.
So no, most regular performers don’t have any real magic, and the ones that do have at best a cantrip or two to use. That’s why bards are so special, they can do what the average performer cannot.
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I have an NPC planned around this sort of concept for my upcoming campaign. He's gonna be a halfling bard who pretends to have bard magic when he performs, but it's all tricks and sleight of hand and smoke and mirrors. In reality he got kicked out of his bard college (a term I'm making tad more literal in my world) for Reasons and doesn't have access to such magic, outside of maybe a cantrip or two he can inconsistently pull off.
Glad to be of assistance!
Hey, you inspired me:
Additional Proficiencies. Alchemist’s Supplies, Disguise Kit, Pan Flute, Playing Card Set
Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.
Smoke Pot (3/Day). Dane can throw a smoke pot at a point up to 20 feet away where it emits a cloud of smoke that creates a heavily obscured area in a 5-foot radius which disperses in 1 round.
Spark Pellet. Dane can crush a spark pellet and emit a fountain of harmless sparks that fill a 5-foot cube within 5 feet of himself. The sparks ignite any flammable objects in the area which are not being worn or carried.
Description
Dane MacKenzie the magician thrives in front of an audience. He knows how to entrance people, entertain them, and even inspire them. His “magic” tricks captivate, astound and amaze his audiences, even if there’s no real magic to them, and awaken a sense of awe and wonder. Mixed with his special brand of humor that brings joy and laughter to all but the most joyless folk, and a little bit of song and dance, his routines are sure to please almost any audience.
Dane can always find a place to perform, usually in an inn or tavern but possibly with a circus, at a theater, or even in a noble’s court. His performances makes Dane something of a local figure. When strangers recognize him in a town where he has performed, they typically gush at his talents and ask him for impromptu performances. Dane is more than happy to avail himself of any free lodging or food offered to him by establishments or fans alike.
Dane is also a fair hand with alchemical substances. He uses his knowledge to create substances which assist him in his act. Most commonly he creates small pellets that emit a fountain of (mostly) harmless sparks when crushed, and a powder that instantly chills water on contact. His most potent creations however are his smoke pots, small clay pots or glass vials containing a substance that emits smoke when the container is broken.
Personality Characteristics
Traits: “Nobody stays angry at me or around me for long, since I can defuse any amount of tension.” & “I’ll settle for nothing less than perfection.”
Ideal: (People) “I like seeing the smiles on people’s faces when I perform. That’s all that matters.“
Bond: “I will do anything to prove myself superior to my hated rival, The ‘Great’ Sandini.”
Flaw: “Despite my best efforts, I am unreliable to my friends.”
Equipment: A set of traveler’s clothes, a cloak of billowing, a dagger, a pan flute, a deck of cards, a wand, a holy symbol, a backpack containing 2 costumes, a disguise kit, Alchemist’s Supplies, a glass orb filled with water in which swims a clockwork goldfish, and his magicians kit (a pouch containing 3 smoke pots, several spark pellets, a sachet of insta-chill powder, a crystal, a bit of string, a small knife, a tinderbox, some candles, a block of incense, a steel mirror, some chalk, and some sealing wax), and a pouch containing 15 gp.
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Indeed. It's a concept I enjoyed in the Dragonlance books that when the gods "vanished" there were Charlatan "healers" in the world who used plants and such to heal people but claimed it was magic. Same thing with wizards - (and others) in my game - where they use various plants or liquids to create "fireball" effects.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up