Homebrew DesignRoll up your sleeves and get working: there's lots of homebrewin' to be done! Post your custom creation for critiques or review those of your peers.
It is possible to copy-right data on a compact disk, provided that concessions are made for the file format ( P.D.F. in this case ). Doing this would allow Welknair to copy-right and distribute the content with minimal cost for a first run. Later, paper manuals could be produced for those who like the feel of tree in their hands.
...I know that I prefer paper...
...really. I'm only listing options. Publishing houses usually require contracts and the fine-print in those can some-times eat first-time authors whole.
Please be careful.
Hmm.. That's a decent idea. As it was, I was thinking that it would be very odd to go through the publishing process before the entire work is done.. The reason that I'm worrying about all this so early is because I want your guys's opinions about the game so far without risking someone whisking away the ideas. I'm going to claim that domain pretty soon, and when I do, I'm considering setting up a private forum, where only designated members can see or post ANYTHING. I trust you guys implicitely, and it would be very nice if I could get your feedback without having to go through publishing and copyright first (Though I know I will have to eventually). Thoughts on that?
"...never trust any-one that you have not met in person. Ever."
Spoiler
Role-play Games have editions... There is nothing wrong with making a First Edition, copy-righting it, and publishing it for review. Those that you choose to trust will share their opinions about it and then a Second Edition can be produced. ...repeat the cycle to infinity.
I... I acknowledge the seemingly kind heart that Welknair has. I appreciate it. But with the ease with which any and all data can be accessed by any person intelligent or experienced enough to penetrate the security, I can not recommend allowing functionary strangers access to your material without achieving that proof of copy-right first.
...I say all this, of course, so that you and your game concepts will be protected.
Last edited by Story Time : 05-14-2012 at 10:17 AM.
Reason: Punctuation
"...never trust any-one that you have not met in person. Ever."
Spoiler
Role-play Games have editions... There is nothing wrong with making a first edition, copy-righting it, and publishing it for review. Those that you choose to trust will share their opinions about it and then a Second Edition can be produced. ...repeat the cycle to infinity.
I... I acknowledge the seemingly kind hearth that Welknair has. I appreciate it. But with the ease with which any and all data can be accessed by any person intelligent or experienced enough to penetrate the security, I can not recommend allowing functionary strangers access to your material without achieving that proof of copy-right first.
...I say all this, of course, so that you and your game concepts will be protected.
Hmm... I wish the world were less power/money-hungry. Then everyone could freely share their ideas and collaborate to produce amazing things with remarkable efficiency. Well, that's just me being an idealist.
Back to the first-draft publishing plan, I suppose. Then perhaps instead of sending copy-able documents out to even select individuals, I get the main feedback through our previously-discussed playtest? In that, I'd describe the essential rules.
...on a more happy note, once you have the proof of copy-right, you can do almost what-ever you would like. The forae become an option. Publishing houses become options. Distribution can become, essentially, as you would like it.
Now, again, copy-right is affirmed upon the establishment of the copy ( the manual ). Welknair does not have to register that copy with the Library of Congress ( or what other national governments use ). But the registry is extremely helpful if an issue should ever be taken to a court.
...and...in this my personal bias begins to show. I would want to read a document made by Welknair...not the masses who crowd the Internet. ...no offense is meant to any-one else in this thread, but that is my true perspective.
Not to be pushy or anything, but can we go back to blowing up universes?
Of course! Back to the fun stuff!
You guys know the suggestion a while ago about being embodying the energies? Well I did a bit of work on how they operate.
Also, I have been struggling with how romantic relationships operate within Fourthland, given that my previous solution to deaths and reproduction kind of made them unecessary. Well, I found a way to work romantic-potential in. And then I kept going, like I tend to. I think I may have accidentally created a lifecycle system more complicated than that of the Trolls.
Fatigue makes me wax philosophic and/or babble. If I've posted something strange and tangential, that is probably the cause. This entry would be an example.
I'm original enough to avoid direct plagiarism of that sort - I don't have colored bloods.
Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick, Tock, Tock, Tock, Tock
"What's blood?"
Click, Click, Click, Click, Clack, Clack, Clack, Clack
But it IS a complicated and, I believe, unique system. If anything, it reminds me more of the Slaad lifecycle. But again, it isn't exactly analagous to that either.
Arc, Arc, Arc, Arc, Circle, Circle, Circle, Circle
NEWS UPDATE: I've settled on a plan for copyright, publishing and all that. I am actively working on the last essential bits (Crafting items, atm), as well as a chapter layout. Compilation for a first draft will begin very soon, if all goes well.
I think I got the basics of weapons and armor! On to misc. stuff! PROGRESSPROGRESSPROGRESS.
In OTHER news, I recently stumbled upon this wonderful web show hosted on Penny Arcade that no one previously had the decency to point out to me. It is like a show of me, once a week for ten minutes. Seriously, these guys' insights are wonderful, and the exact sort of thing I think about. I've already watched 12 or so, out of the near-100.
In OTHER news, I recently stumbled upon this wonderful web show hosted on Penny Arcade that no one previously had the decency to point out to me. It is like a show of me, once a week for ten minutes. Seriously, these guys' insights are wonderful, and the exact sort of thing I think about. I've already watched 12 or so, out of the near-100.
Which reminds me, I need to start watching those again, because I'm not up to date on them. Thought I have a roughly 3 season head start on you.
__________________
Countdown to Zombie Apocalypse 97
When you see this, copy it into your sig and -1
Hmm.. Yeah, I think I'm going to have to fold. Can't go risking all of my beloved 'nets, now can I?
Trying to figure out crafting and inventory. I have a couple of problems here, namely that I don't want this to turn into Minecraft: The RPG (Wish I HAVE considered, but decided against due to the difficulty modeling 3-d shapes in TTRPGs). Just with the Energies, I have a heavier emphasis on resources than most other games I've seen. Now for Crafting, I need to figure out what to do about raw materials. Right now, I have recipes calling for specific combinations of natural resources. This is too remincent of Minecraft/Terraria for my tastes. At the same time, though, I don't want to totally discard the raw material costs, like D&D 3.5 did. Especially since I have an entire shape based around collecting the raw materials required... I'll have to figure something creative out. /randomrant
Inventory should totally be a sylladex. Homestuck all the way.
I've considered it, but as they similarly decided in the Homestuck D20 RPG, sylladexes are far to complicated to simulate in a TTRPG. Not to mention I try to stick to original ideas. I'll likely still end up with something pocket-dimension-esque...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xechon
For crafting, minecraft-esque seems the best way to go, if I think of anything that would break every law of physics, I'll let you know.
I'm having problems coming up with a better option. Hmm.. My main issue is that I fear that players will end up playing my game as if it were Minecraft, which it isn't. I don't want players spending all their time mining and building stuff instead of adventuring.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xechon
Also, random idea: (insert alien guy here) anti-elements.
*Shifty look* Negative energies? That's ludicrous! There's no way that I've already created such things.. That'd be entirely crazy!
Well, instead of a minecraft crafting system, how about more of a crafting system based on the SBURBage Worlds system, which is a homestuck conversion for Savage Worlds. I liked how it handled inventory and item crafting.
Fatigue makes me wax philosophic and/or babble. If I've posted something strange and tangential, that is probably the cause. This entry would be an example.
Well, instead of a minecraft crafting system, how about more of a crafting system based on the SBURBage Worlds system, which is a homestuck conversion for Savage Worlds. I liked how it handled inventory and item crafting.
I think I'll be doing something similar. I've done a loooot of thinking about the topic, and talked to copyright-friend a bit, and we've added what will likely be one of the more defining and more confusing laws of my universe: "Shape does not confer function". These are abstract entities we're talking about, not just physical ones. You can make it shaped like a shovel, but that doesn't mean it'll work like a shovel. You can find a sword-shaped object, but unless it IS a sword, it won't work like one. Function is an objective attribute of the ENTITY, not the shape. Changing the shape of an entity doesn't change its nature.
This law allows me to be MUCH more free with my crafting system, while further enforcing the alien-ness of my game. Now I just need to find a way for normal people to be able to understand it.
"A sword has a property; let's call it "Swordness", for lack of a better term.
An object with Swordness, no matter how it is shaped, is a sword. A fist imbued with this property will cut, and will stab, like a sword.
No matter how it is shaped, an object lacking Swordness does not function like a sword. This is an insurmountable barrier, unless you imbue an object with Swordness, which is done by imbuing the object with [Energy X], inflected to the 3rd degree."
In other words, just go through and have a section at the beginning explaining that function, and not form, is the name of the game we're playing.
I, for one, welcome the addition of sword-fists. Plus, you can have all the fun of saying:
"This functions like a sword and a particle accelerator. Yes, I know it looks like a fish, but screw you and your form-based logic."
"A sword has a property; let's call it "Swordness", for lack of a better term.
An object with Swordness, no matter how it is shaped, is a sword. A fist imbued with this property will cut, and will stab, like a sword.
No matter how it is shaped, an object lacking Swordness does not function like a sword. This is an insurmountable barrier, unless you imbue an object with Swordness, which is done by imbuing the object with [Energy X], inflected to the 3rd degree."
In other words, just go through and have a section at the beginning explaining that function, and not form, is the name of the game we're playing.
I, for one, welcome the addition of sword-fists. Plus, you can have all the fun of saying:
"This functions like a sword and a particle accelerator. Yes, I know it looks like a fish, but screw you and your form-based logic."
My thoughts exactly. That is a superb way to explain it. My game just keeps getting wierder and wierder, doesn't it?
I'm curious to see how players unlike us will handle exposure to the game. You have to admit that we here aren't exactly normal, even for D&D players. In addition, my game keeps getting wierder and wierder (Read: More and more AWESOME). I have one more novel concept I'll be trying to introduce: Progressive Disclosure. Basically, new players are fed the mechanics and world in more managable bite-sized bits, deemed "Stages". If the gaming group picks things up quickly, they'll likely be able to get through the first few in the first session. You guys? You could almost certainly get through all eight in the first 10 minutes, and still be hungry for more. Because we're wierd-awesome like that. But this method of "Progressive Disclosure" should help new players not become immediately overwhelmed by how absolutely absurd and alien my game and world are. I have a friend of mine that I see quite a deal but have only told bits about my game, and I plan to use them to test this method very soon.
Edit: Oh, and on the topic of crafting: It'll be focused around, as you said, imbuing objects with the "-ness" of the desired objects. Thus crafting is concept-based instead of resource-based.
Fatigue makes me wax philosophic and/or babble. If I've posted something strange and tangential, that is probably the cause. This entry would be an example.
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Re: [Welknair Update/Game Idea] Fourth Land
I wish the world were less power/money-hungry. Then everyone could freely share their ideas and collaborate to produce amazing things with remarkable efficiency. Well, that's just me being an idealist.
