BOOKS: Ever tried writing a book?

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: tkotitan2
i've done a lot of preperation for my own campaigns for D&D, and if I wanted to, i could write a book, it would probably be easier since a book is noninteractive, and you have to leave things wide open in a game. If there's one thing I could reccomend for anyone who attempts a massive work of creativity, it is to be prepared. Know what you are going to write about before you write it. carefully outline and understand your plot flow first, determing characters and interactions required to further the story, then write. When you are cranking out the final work, the focus should be on presentation. Much like in D&D, the game always comes down to presentation, you could have nothing prepared but present things off the top of your head and still run a game, but it wouldn't be a very good one. careful preperation is key.

EDIT: and use spell checkers, and proofreaders.

Eh, things always ran better for us when I didn't prepare anything. Could be because the loonies I played with always would have gone out of the framework I could have prepared for.

 

[Titan]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: tkotitan2
i've done a lot of preperation for my own campaigns for D&D, and if I wanted to, i could write a book, it would probably be easier since a book is noninteractive, and you have to leave things wide open in a game. If there's one thing I could reccomend for anyone who attempts a massive work of creativity, it is to be prepared. Know what you are going to write about before you write it. carefully outline and understand your plot flow first, determing characters and interactions required to further the story, then write. When you are cranking out the final work, the focus should be on presentation. Much like in D&D, the game always comes down to presentation, you could have nothing prepared but present things off the top of your head and still run a game, but it wouldn't be a very good one. careful preperation is key.

EDIT: and use spell checkers, and proofreaders.

Eh, things always ran better for us when I didn't prepare anything. Could be because the loonies I played with always would have gone out of the framework I could have prepared for.

Oh yeah I have run tons of games with little or no preperation, and many of them were fun. But strictly as a gamer, for there to be a real game, the DM has to be willing to throw fair threats at the players in which some of them may die. I found that i feel guilty if i kill a character with a monster or trap that i prepare on the fly, so it's better to have those figured out ahead of time. I've gotten good at peparing problems, challenges of fair measure and large independence ahead of time, and outlining a probable outcome to the story, but when I DM, i let the players decide the path of the story, but I have a default in case they aren't doing anything. I also like injecting the problems I have prepared at times in the game, it allows me to feel like i'm playing, while being fair. But I am a mean DM, players die often in my games because they weren't smart enough to run away.