unWritten Continuum

Well, not actually me. Paul Tevis started a play test of unWritten at Nerdly Beach Party, but they didn’t get a chance to finish it. Here is what he said… feed://afistfulofgames.blogspot.com/atom.xml

I finally got a play test report from Per and Pooka. It was awesome. They had good and bad things to say. I worked on both. My next play test copy should be out in about a week(?) I’ve been getting a lot of people contacting me about play testing it. I’m working on it, I’m working it.

So I’ve been editing and editing and editing my game. Like crazy. I write, then I edit, over and over. I’ll get it soon enough!

unWritten, with its major mods. This is, almost, completely a new game. but I feel like it’s really captured what i’ve been after from the very beginning. a game that could produce an authentically good story on its own right, that empowers all its players, and that allows everyone to have the experience they’re looking for, despite the play styles of others. (that last one isn’t absolute, but I think I’m pretty close.)

Vasco, I think it address the issues you’ve been having with it from the beginning.

Greg and Brendon, I think you guys will be very pleasantly surprised by the changes.

Josh, well, yeah… you haven’t seen it lately, so, I think… You’re going to love it… I think… How’s work?
As always, if you see any typo’s let me know.

oh, last thing, I’ve formatted the book for 8.5 X 7 size sheets. That way it’ll fit on 8.5 X 14, bent in half and saddle stitched. but I sent it to you in a 8.5 X 11, so you don’t waste paper if you can’t print it the way I want… cause I can’t.

I’ve been working on my game for about 4 or 5 years now. I’m trying to create a game that will allow you to get really excited about your characters, that you develop an engaging story, and that the players aren’t pigeonholed into one person’s idea of how the game should be. Over the Past few years I’ve been working, incrementally towards this. Since OrcCon I think I’ve made my greatest leap towards this end. Pretty soon I’ll have the next playtest ready… hopefully someone gives it a try and tells me about it.

So I just rewrote the latest edition of unWritten. I’ve done some major changes to it since my playtests at OrcCon. I’m really pleased with the changes, but, damn, it’s been tough. It’s ready for some more playtests. I hope to get those underway this weekend. Over the past several months I’ve almost completed it… probably, something like 5 times. Hopefully, this near completion is the final near completion I’m going to have to deal with. I think I’ll be able to get it done, art’ed up, and published for an origins release… followed by a GenCon booth. That’s my goal anyway. Well, it’s 3:30 in the morning. I better get some shut eye. 

So I’ve started writing about unWritten on a couple of sites. Join the discussion if you can.

at NerdSoCal!

at story games!

I think that outlining via the Josh method has probably been the most productive way of organizing a game text, for me at least. Yes, its very 9th grade, but you know, its been a pretty long time since I’ve spoken to Mrs. English (yup that was my 9th grade english teachers name.)

In order to do it you still need to have more of a complete game design, I think. But, wow, its taken my game to another level.

[edit]

I’d like to add that what outlining has done for me and why its taken me to the next level is because it forces me to see the game in its individual components. So when I’m writing up the individual parts I don’t get hung up on repeating myself, which is something I do a lot.

Yesterday Joshua BishopRoby and I had lunch. Over the tacos he help me with my game design and told me he’d help me out on the electric frontier, hence this blog. Thanks Josh.

After lunch we spoke a bit about layout and writing and other such Joshisms. By that evening he posted this on his blog. So I took his advice and this is what I’ve come up with so far…

(Its outlined, I swear. It just didn’t come through in the copy & pasting.)

What is unWritten
Scenes, rounds, chapters, sessions, and books
What do the players do
Collaboration
Interacting with the setting
Role playing
Social Contract
Setting player
Setting player rotation
Acting player
Setting record
Setting questions
Genre
Narrative machination
Environment questions
History questions
Society questions
Notable characters questions
Setting characters
Group questions
Premise
Cue questions
Progress track
Cues
Character record
Character questions
Traits
Expertise
Physical
Social
Milieu
Defining Praxis
Scenes
Story constraints
Interpreting cues
Scene framing
Situation
Order of action (initiative)
To conflict or not to conflict
Conflict
Reflecting the premise
Conflict attributes
Success
Consequence
Praxis
Narration
Resolving a conflict
Dice
Trait dice
Add on traits
Placement
Scars & consequences
Story structure
3 act structure
The hero’s journey
Story index

So I’ve begun blogging. This here post is my proof.

I’ve been developing an RPG for about 4 years now, about 6 months ago it ceased being an RPG and became a Story Game. I’m going to blog about this process, as well as, the further creation, completion, and publication of unWritten.