Research
Researching. Or the differences between the games.
07/09/2010 11:05
In the past I’ve talked about how much research I do for the games I work on. Some people question the need for this, because I write games and not “books.” I typically roll my eyes at this notion. For me, why should I not do my research when I work on a project? Yes, it is easier to “make things up,” but in the end it takes more work.
Creating a setting requires you to think of it in its’ entirety. You need to have logical consistency as well as maintain the continuity you setup for said setting. For example, in Shadow, Sword & Spell: Basic we created a setting to be used for the context of the game. The decisions James and I had on this were long, and the centered around the basic concept of what we wanted from the game. James wanted to have a game that was nothing but a toolkit. This stems from his self marinating in the world of Classic D&D. As much as I am a fan of this style of gaming, I have come to realize that for most, they want the setting, or at least the start of a setting. Gamers do not have as much time as they use to create the settings. This is not a bad thing, and it is something, we as gamers need to come to terms with.
So with Shadow, Sword & Spell: Basic I argued that a setting was needed, and it was needed for a reason. The reason? To show how the rules work, and what the game should be. This is what I learned with Colonial Gothic, gamers need guidance in what the game should be, and the best way to do this is give as many setting examples as possible. This is one reason I pulled the trigger on Colonial Gothic’s Flames of Freedom campaign, and this is why I argued that we needed some form of a setting in SS&S.
SS&S has the same problem James faces with Thousand Suns. That problem is that a setting of some type needs to be crafted. This, from a distance seems like not that big of a problem, but it is. You need to have a sense of what you want to create. You need to make sure it is not a derivative and is original. More importantly you need to create it. The pressure for this is great, because you are doing it in front of gamers. You do not have the luxury to tweak with it in the background and keep it to yourself. In addition, you have to get it right out of the gates. You do not have the luxury of hiding your design mistakes or you missing internal consistency.
In some ways with the Colonial Gothic process is easier. Why? Because I have history to work with it, and I can use the history to inspire the setting. When you have a historical period to deal with, the temptation is to play it loose and fall back on the belief that the game is not historical but is just a game. When you deal with history, you owe it to not only the gamer, but the history, to get it right. That is why I do m research, and spend more time on it, then the writing. I want to get it right.
So that is why I have the pile of research in the picture. That is just the research for the Philadelphia portion of Flames of Freedom. That is why I’ve been doing this research for close to a year, and have already begun the process for Part Three and Part Four.
So with Shadow, Sword & Spell: Basic I argued that a setting was needed, and it was needed for a reason. The reason? To show how the rules work, and what the game should be. This is what I learned with Colonial Gothic, gamers need guidance in what the game should be, and the best way to do this is give as many setting examples as possible. This is one reason I pulled the trigger on Colonial Gothic’s Flames of Freedom campaign, and this is why I argued that we needed some form of a setting in SS&S.
SS&S has the same problem James faces with Thousand Suns. That problem is that a setting of some type needs to be crafted. This, from a distance seems like not that big of a problem, but it is. You need to have a sense of what you want to create. You need to make sure it is not a derivative and is original. More importantly you need to create it. The pressure for this is great, because you are doing it in front of gamers. You do not have the luxury to tweak with it in the background and keep it to yourself. In addition, you have to get it right out of the gates. You do not have the luxury of hiding your design mistakes or you missing internal consistency.
In some ways with the Colonial Gothic process is easier. Why? Because I have history to work with it, and I can use the history to inspire the setting. When you have a historical period to deal with, the temptation is to play it loose and fall back on the belief that the game is not historical but is just a game. When you deal with history, you owe it to not only the gamer, but the history, to get it right. That is why I do m research, and spend more time on it, then the writing. I want to get it right.
So that is why I have the pile of research in the picture. That is just the research for the Philadelphia portion of Flames of Freedom. That is why I’ve been doing this research for close to a year, and have already begun the process for Part Three and Part Four.
Comments