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Post by hengest on Feb 26, 2021 18:31:58 GMT -5
Note for today: I find myself wanting to think more about my notes on EB, but since I have no time, maybe I should just keep paying attention to what pops up in odd moments.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Feb 26, 2021 22:28:38 GMT -5
Note for today: I find myself wanting to think more about my notes on EB, but since I have no time, maybe I should just keep paying attention to what pops up in odd moments. Sounds like a good plan.
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Post by hengest on Mar 12, 2021 21:20:16 GMT -5
Feature for Vision of a City
You stand well above the ground at the level of the highest roofs. The city is visible before you and seems quiet, the noise from the street fading to almost nothing at this height. As you look ahead across the city, you see many faces of belfries and towers that have a circular indentation. Within the circle, matter looks almost fuzzy, as when you look through the heat that rises from a fire. You would not expect this to be so visible from the ground.
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Post by hengest on Mar 13, 2021 21:55:49 GMT -5
More a note for myself than anything else. May not make sense to anyone else.
***
My goal for the modular stuff is to provide suggestive bits that are not (necessarily) going to remain mysterious or so out of place as it seems in my posts. But perhaps to draw a ref into thinking about something that otherwise would not have been thought. To offer a "thing" that could be part of any number of greater things that the ref might then work on, improvise, think about, cancel / erase and redo, whatever.
My goal for the larger project (right now focused on "fairy tales" and the few related matters in there) is to create a kind of "large module," something that could be added in some amount to nearly any setting and to change the character of the setting while keeping most of what's good and familiar about it. A kind of local continuous spectrum of planes with different properties. The places with "odd features" could make up much of the landscape or be "salted" into nearly any setting in any desired amount and intensity.
That said, I want a little more than the basic notion, although it should remain obvious how to strip it down to its basic elements and use them whereever.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 14, 2021 17:55:18 GMT -5
I think you have the seed of many products to put into pdf and distribute. I am mining as you post.
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Post by hengest on Mar 15, 2021 19:52:07 GMT -5
I think you have the seed of many products to put into pdf and distribute. I am mining as you post. Wait, mining to game or mining to publish in secret??
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 15, 2021 19:57:55 GMT -5
I think you have the seed of many products to put into pdf and distribute. I am mining as you post. Wait, mining to game or mining to publish in secret?? Mining to game was my thought. But eventually a lot of people may start from here and publish.
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Post by hengest on Mar 15, 2021 20:15:15 GMT -5
Wait, mining to game or mining to publish in secret?? Mining to game was my thought. But eventually a lot of people may start from here and publish. I am trying not to go in my usual cycle that involves a burst of activity and then collapse. Instead, I am trying to stay active on the board, write when I feel inspired, edit or take stock when I do not feel inspired. Trying to keep activity up even when creativity is low. I would like to publish some of this, though.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 17, 2021 14:47:19 GMT -5
Mining to game was my thought. But eventually a lot of people may start from here and publish. I am trying not to go in my usual cycle that involves a burst of activity and then collapse. Instead, I am trying to stay active on the board, write when I feel inspired, edit or take stock when I do not feel inspired. Trying to keep activity up even when creativity is low. I would like to publish some of this, though. As the saying and story goes, slow and steady wins the raise. We just keep posting and eventually we go back and look to see what most deserves to be collected and published. Some things get polished to published, but other things should probably be published with only minor edits and mostly just as written.
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Post by hengest on Mar 18, 2021 0:01:10 GMT -5
Personal note: As the fairy tale project and its related sections become more central to my thinking, I think the original Evening Bell material (particularly The Town) was more a one-shot idea with some atmospheric modular stuff to it. Not that I'm complaining, I'm glad that it got me started and may serve as a submission to the fanzine.
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Post by mao on Mar 18, 2021 3:29:25 GMT -5
Personal note: As the fairy tale project and its related sections become more central to my thinking, I think the original Evening Bell material (particularly The Town) was more a one-shot idea with some atmospheric modular stuff to it. Not that I'm complaining, I'm glad that it got me started and may serve as a submission to the fanzine. I totally love the idea of a fairy tale world , but it is your project, so I want you to take the lead and I will just work under whatever restrictions for lack of a better word you want, it's your parade
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Post by hengest on Mar 18, 2021 19:41:09 GMT -5
Personal note: As the fairy tale project and its related sections become more central to my thinking, I think the original Evening Bell material (particularly The Town) was more a one-shot idea with some atmospheric modular stuff to it. Not that I'm complaining, I'm glad that it got me started and may serve as a submission to the fanzine. I totally love the idea of a fairy tale world , but it is your project, so I want you to take the lead and I will just work under whatever restrictions for lack of a better word you want, it's your parade I am still having a little trouble getting started with that portion (the collaboration with you). I am overwhelmed at present and I hope to have a touch of inspiration this weekend. My original idea is not exactly a fairy tale world (which I think must have been done in some form, although I haven't seen it). It's more that there are different kinds of "areas" and what we call fairy tales falls somewhere on the spectrum there, and that sometimes these areas can be accessed. It's also a worldbuilding device...kind of. I like your idea and your enthusiasm a lot, so I do want to give it a shot and see what I can contribute from that angle. But I am having to rethink some things and I get easily confused so it is taking me some time. If you want to post your thoughts on that collaboration thread, please go ahead and don't wait for me to get my act together. Since this is my "journal" thread about my design attempts, I will say that there seems to be a sweet spot in terms of stress and anguish. Like when the stress is turned up just enough, my posts get better (I think?). But after a point, I feel like I can't work at all. Kind of worth noting, maybe.
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Post by hengest on Mar 23, 2021 17:10:21 GMT -5
Again, just a "journal" note. I appreciate this forum for using the word "creativity" in reference to homebrew materials. I would never have thought of any of this stuff in way I have without that word being used here. I had some kind of other notion regarding this stuff that was not helpful to me.
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Post by hengest on Mar 28, 2021 11:15:47 GMT -5
Burned out from posting and getting itchy to try my hand at a piece of fiction. Don't know quite where to start.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 28, 2021 11:22:42 GMT -5
Burned out from posting and getting itchy to try my hand at a piece of fiction. Don't know quite where to start. How about writing something about Mars/Barsoom in first person. You are the latest John Carter to happen.
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Post by hengest on Mar 28, 2021 11:28:30 GMT -5
Burned out from posting and getting itchy to try my hand at a piece of fiction. Don't know quite where to start. How about writing something about Mars/Barsoom in first person. You are the latest John Carter to happen. I would never have expected this suggestion but will think on it.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 28, 2021 15:02:46 GMT -5
Burned out from posting and getting itchy to try my hand at a piece of fiction. Don't know quite where to start. Or you could do something with Pellucidar.
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Post by hengest on Jul 27, 2021 15:28:30 GMT -5
(Have done nothing with fiction.)
Much of my material so far as been about tone, although I hope there are some other bits to it, too.
Now I'm thinking about working in a different way...or trying to. Working outward from something I generate pesudo-randomly. Maybe I can find a degree of creativity in that...
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Post by hengest on Jul 28, 2021 0:05:25 GMT -5
I note, probably of interest to no one, that I forget most of what I post on this board. Particularly but not only my own materials. A week or even a few days out and I am quite surprised to see them. Strange.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Jul 28, 2021 9:55:10 GMT -5
I note, probably of interest to no one, that I forget most of what I post on this board. Particularly but not only my own materials. A week or even a few days out and I am quite surprised to see them. Strange. Maybe when you are really creative you sometimes tap into a mild Fugue state.
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Post by hengest on Jul 28, 2021 9:56:17 GMT -5
I note, probably of interest to no one, that I forget most of what I post on this board. Particularly but not only my own materials. A week or even a few days out and I am quite surprised to see them. Strange. Maybe when you are really creative you sometimes tap into a mild Fugue state. If only I could run my whole life that way, maybe I would grow old successfully and then realize I hadn't even noticed my series of fantastic successes.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Jul 28, 2021 10:00:36 GMT -5
Maybe when you are really creative you sometimes tap into a mild Fugue state. If only I could run my whole life that way, maybe I would grow old successfully and then realize I hadn't even noticed my series of fantastic successes. That is the most optimistic lemons into lemonade thing I've ever heard!
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Post by hengest on Jul 28, 2021 23:15:16 GMT -5
Don't want to start a thread about this, posting it here for anyone who reads this thread:
Before I knew about OSR, and well before I knew about this forum and the MIY / DIY way of doing things, I would get recommendations about games or hear that this or that edition was good or okay and I would take a look. But man, I would flip through that stuff, charts, charts, color illustrations, etc...I couldn't say why at the time but it always seemed like it was completely missing the point. I couldn't even see why I liked the idea of RPGs. At it turned out, what I liked had nothing to do with sourcebooks for builds for half-orcs or anything of the kind.
Why did I think I needed or should even glance at sourcebooks? That was the business model, that was what I saw others do. None of that was necessary, it was a distraction.
It sounds crazy and prideful, but what can I say: I really think the model where the DM is a kind of substitute for a computer program that "processes" your attempts to empty fictional monsters of HP is just not even gaming. I recognize not all "new-school" types play that way and everyone can play their own game. But...I don't know, it somehow seems to defeat the purpose of a game.
End thrilling journal entry here.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Jul 28, 2021 23:34:04 GMT -5
Don't want to start a thread about this, posting it here for anyone who reads this thread: Before I knew about OSR, and well before I knew about this forum and the MIY / DIY way of doing things, I would get recommendations about games or hear that this or that edition was good or okay and I would take a look. But man, I would flip through that stuff, charts, charts, color illustrations, etc...I couldn't say why at the time but it always seemed like it was completely missing the point. I couldn't even see why I liked the idea of RPGs. At it turned out, what I liked had nothing to do with sourcebooks for builds for half-orcs or anything of the kind. Why did I think I needed or should even glance at sourcebooks? That was the business model, that was what I saw others do. None of that was necessary, it was a distraction. It sounds crazy and prideful, but what can I say: I really think the model where the DM is a kind of substitute for a computer program that "processes" your attempts to empty fictional monsters of HP is just not even gaming. I recognize not all "new-school" types play that way and everyone can play their own game. But...I don't know, it somehow seems to defeat the purpose of a game. End thrilling journal entry here. Nailed it!! Have an Exalt!
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Post by restless on Aug 4, 2021 8:12:30 GMT -5
4.7 When are we most vulnerable? When asleep. - Undead that come and lie inside you while you sleep. They gain what you should have gained from rest. Healing, spells, continued sanity. You wake up as you were when you lay down.
- A dungeon level deep enough in the underworld that resting there gives you inverted dreams. You dream of waking life, as you are surrounded by nightmares.
- A level where sleeping there may allow your tongue to leave you and strike off on its own within the level. It may take some of your equipment.
- Sleeping in the old forest may allow your flesh to send roots into the earth. Particularly hard on those who sleep face down.
*yoink*
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Post by restless on Aug 4, 2021 8:27:10 GMT -5
I note, probably of interest to no one, that I forget most of what I post on this board. Particularly but not only my own materials. A week or even a few days out and I am quite surprised to see them. Strange. I don't think that's necessarily so unusual. There's been several occasions where I was thinking about what I've been working on, did a Google search for some research and ended up finding things I wrote before, even on here! I'll go back and read it and realize that even though I forgot some of the details that I'd put before I was spot on on the idea. Getting it down and writing was the most important part so that it wasn't lost and I just revisit the same idea over and over.
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Post by hengest on Aug 8, 2021 19:56:12 GMT -5
I reviewed this thread recently ("Let's talk about Elves for a second), realized that my implicit settings would probably be pretty unbalanced and that the classic races and classes would probably be more balanced, then I remembered that it may not matter so much because what I imagine preparing doesn't look all that much like what I understand from classic play. It seems to be something else, good or bad. I have plenty of flavor, plenty of adventure hooks. I need a bare-bones system that I can learn how to run at high speed. I need a starter setting and areas of implicit conflict to get things going (current thread, sort of).
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Aug 8, 2021 23:38:46 GMT -5
I reviewed this thread recently ("Let's talk about Elves for a second), realized that my implicit settings would probably be pretty unbalanced and that the classic races and classes would probably be more balanced, then I remembered that it may not matter so much because what I imagine preparing doesn't look all that much like what I understand from classic play. It seems to be something else, good or bad. I have plenty of flavor, plenty of adventure hooks. I need a bare-bones system that I can learn how to run at high speed. I need a starter setting and areas of implicit conflict to get things going (current thread, sort of). Balance is over-rated, I like your implicit settings.
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Post by hengest on Aug 14, 2021 20:54:05 GMT -5
I wonder if it's possible to have a magic system that's fun and gameable but doesn't include anything useful directly in combat.
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Post by restless on Aug 15, 2021 12:55:35 GMT -5
Like a Floating Disk tripping people or a spell to make the ground slippery, etc? Some of this feels more S&S but also makes the magic user more dependent on support from fighters.
Even things like the various walls just set boundaries on the battlefield, and Bless and Protection (well, those are largely clerical, but still) spells are useful but not directly applicable.
I definitely feel that spells like Evard's Black Tentacles are more atmospheric than throwing a fireball or lightning bolt, too.
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