[OOC] Storytelling (The Novel)

[Aethera]

Hi all,

I'm actively writing Storytelling with a Vengeance, the novel (because I can), and I'm coming to some possible problem areas... I was hoping you might have comments or suggestions. I've hidden my early concerns after getting some feedback already, but I'll come back to them later, most likely.

 

Game System and Copyright Law: I really don't know how WOTC or Paizo treats fan-written spinoffs. I've poked a couple people who might, and hopefully I'll hear back from them also. This obviously affects the story from the very beginning. The problem is, this isn't a standard D&D or PF fanfiction. The game system will disappear fairly quickly, with very little aside from mentions in the first few chapters and the occasional request for a die roll. I can negate this somewhat by making it generic, but that's going to make decisions regarding which skill checks (etc) to ask for harder to make. My best bet might be to make it somewhere in the gray area between 3.5e and PF, but then I could easily upset both WOTC and Paizo, and get screwed that way. Thoughts?

Generic seems to be the best bet, thanks all. I'm working on it, though it means I have to be a little more vague in spots than I like.

Cast of Characters: I originally wrote this as a high school group of guys, but that's a little too stereotypical for me. I was reworking it for an older highschool/college level group of guys, but I'm not sure that's enough of a change. What makes a group stereotypical? I think it's going to be guys, just because if it's a long-standing group from high school, I've found that most cliques were single gender. I could possibly add a tomboy female (*cough*me*cough*) but that'd lessen the effect of Dee's entrance.

A couple ideas offered... none quite clicked for me, so at the moment it's still a group of 18-22yo guys, though I'm going to mention a female player that's absent.

Beta-Readers: When I get a chapter draft finished, I'm going to need feedback. I can post it on here as a private thread and not have that count against any possible future publication rights. I'll need to know who wants to read the chapter, and I'd like to have people read it who are willing to assess the game mechanics as well as tell me how well/poorly I did in grabbing attention, etc.

Opening Scene: (NEW Aug 21st) I've posted the opening scene in the Library for feedback, I'm not happy with it. Any ideas you might have are most welcome, and if you're interested in reading more, let me know and I'll add you to my list of readers (the thread will be private to cover publishing concerns).

More issues to come... I doubt this is it. >.<

Thanks for any thoughts and comments.
~Aethera

[zevonian]

How about just using game mechanics terms in ways that could apply to any number of games?

I think I can use one of the Dresden Files novels as an example, if I can recall it correctly. There's a pack of young werewolves that like to play rpg's. They invite him on occassion, and one night after a particularly harrowing adventure involving them all, he just says something to the effect of, "Hand me a character sheet, I think I'll roll up a barbarian."

So yeah, I think if you just use phrases like attack roll, wizard, strength check, etc. you'll be fine.

[Aeternis]

Originally Posted by Aethera

Game System and Copyright Law: I really don't know how WOTC or Paizo treats fan-written spinoffs. I've poked a couple people who might, and hopefully I'll hear back from them also. This obviously affects the story from the very beginning. The problem is, this isn't a standard D&D or PF fanfiction. The game system will disappear fairly quickly, with very little aside from mentions in the first few chapters and the occasional request for a die roll. I can negate this somewhat by making it generic, but that's going to make decisions regarding which skill checks (etc) to ask for harder to make. My best bet might be to make it somewhere in the gray area between 3.5e and PF, but then I could easily upset both WOTC and Paizo, and get screwed that way. Thoughts?

If it were me, I'd just not mention a system name and keep the details low, in core d20 functionality or less. Because if from what I know (or think I know) I can say that such a story will not be about the game, and minimal details will minimally alienate a non-gamer reading audience. Most gamers don't even game for mechanics anyway, so you won't gain much with heavy mechanics presentation I expect.

Cast of Characters: I originally wrote this as a high school group of guys, but that's a little too stereotypical for me. I was reworking it for an older highschool/college level group of guys, but I'm not sure that's enough of a change. What makes a group stereotypical? I think it's going to be guys, just because if it's a long-standing group from high school, I've found that most cliques were single gender. I could possibly add a tomboy female (*cough*me*cough*) but that'd lessen the effect of Dee's entrance.

Perhaps one other female as the "fresh meat" player who's been dragged in as a replacement (a romance interest of one of the existing characters seems the most common way of doing this). My primary experience with this sort of thing in literature is The Sleeping Dragon of course, if I recall correctly that's how one of the female characters got involved. The Session That Went Wrong was her first gaming experience.

I would also caution against self styled characters, for the same reason I caution against them in gaming. You can tell when a writer does that pretty easily. In cases where that character is a self-parody or the token "sensible, average person" this can work, but in any case where that character is supposed to be a/the hero the trap is practically inescapable to turn the content into something most people would rather not read - a saga of mild to severe narcissism.

[Aethera]

You two interested in reading a draft of chapter one? I think I might have it done in a day or two.

[Aethera]

Finally posted Chapter One over on deviantART. Chapter Two coming soon.