unWritten Continuum

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.