My current project (well, it’s been my current project for about 5 years now) is a supplement for d20 Modern. It introduces new classes, new character options, all that good crunchy stuff. It also has a very specific setting to the game that would need to be conveyed in a sourcebook to a GM. I have the specific setting detailed in my head- it helps that it’s based on a real place- but it’s challenging to get it out of my head and onto paper.I am attempting to remedy this problem by running the game, which will force me to have information for the players, and thus actually have it concrete somewhere. Then it’s just a matter of cleaning it up and organizing it. Plus, I get the advantage that players will contribute content (and I will reward them in game for such!)
Of course, I also want to run a good game, and make it enjoyable for everyone. If I, the creator of the game, can’t run a good game of it, how much hope is there for anyone else to, and for anyone to buy it?
So here is a condensed “design diary” for the game I am about to run, abstracted as to not give anything away for the players or talk too much about the game itself.
In this case, years ago, I came up with the classes that I wanted this game to have, and wrote them up. Over time I’ve made tweaks to them, but the core concepts have mostly stayed the same. It’s an important first step to have your concept and have the basics set down before you proceed.
I worked it down to be semi-playable: I didn’t have every class’s skill list, but I had a lot of the important stuff. In my case, I even ran a mini-campaign of it years ago that didn’t go nearly as well as I’d hoped, but did a great job of showing me what concepts worked and what didn’t work. Classes and feats? Good stuff. New skill system and allegiance system? Tossed! As much as I’m tempted to make sweeping changes to the d20 System, it’s better to keep it simple: projects like this are ambitious enough as it is.
Flash forward a few years. I had worked on it off and on, even merging the d20 SRD into the document to try to make it more like a full handbook. And I got people interested in playing the game, with all new players.
First thing I did was set aside the book and concentrate only on stories. I began to jot down simple one sentence-fragment ideas on notebook paper. I watched tv shows to look for ideas (I probably get one useable idea per entire season of show I watch for research). I went through the SciFi channel’s list of Twilight Zone episodes and wrote down the ones I could use. I looked at (and in some cases, bought) adventures that could be adapted. I jotted down more ideas. I wrote down the adventures that I have run before in previous games that could work for this. I’ve filled about 4 pages of notebook paper up with simple ideas.
Then I picked one to write up as a first adventure. When I plan an adventure, I do it entirely in outline form. I work through mentally what I want to happen, then write it down. This is easiest in fairly linear adventures where everything can go in order, but if it’s non-linear I write everything spaced around pages in blocks. I write down important NPC’s, their names, and any important details about them. I write down any important dialogue and if there’s anything that needs to be conveyed. I sketch out anything that needs to be laid out (like a dungeon or whatever.)
Stats I do last, often at the very last minute if at all. I try to find pre-printed NPC stats if possible and just reference them directly from the book when possible. If I do have to write something out (often because of my manic use of templates) I’ll use a seperate sheet.
The outline style fits me best because I improvise heavily during games. It also means I can feel free to let games branch out on their own without being constrained into a heavy plot, but all the elements I want to include are written down on paper so I don’t forget them in the spur of the moment. This may sound totally obvious, but it’s important to have things written down so the PCs have something to do! The majority of players I’ve played with need at least some kind of hook to get them going. I try to include enough to get them moving and make sure that if they stall I have a way to keep them from getting frustrated.
So, I have my first adventure plan. I then took a step back for the first adventure and decided what information I needed my players to have to make them immersed. Since the game’s setting is a college campus, a campus map goes a long way. Even with my computer-based artistic talents, making a map is a LOT of work. So I found one online and hacked it. Then I wrote up on a seperate sheet all the parts of town that are important for the PC’s to know. This information will eventually be written up into the sourcebook- indeed, it’ll make up a large portion of it, but it can be hard to write about the “computer science building” without having to make it interesting to PC’s in the next weekend. This was an important step, and hopefully I can keep it up during play so that by the end, I’ll have the bulk of it done. (And again, the players should be big helps with this!)
The first adventure will be “Orientation.” I have my outline, I have players, and I have a time and place. We’ll be creating all the characters there at the same time, which I think is the best method. I also have a method to get people to make character backstories and backgrounds in game which I think is pretty clever.
I’ll let you know how it all goes!
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