aaaaaaaa (that's the sound of progress)

[tiny_voices]

with september nearly over, i've been scrambling the past few days to get my game in a state that could be called "ready to play." that state isn't exactly defined, but i feel good about what i'm finalizing now, and refining can always happen later on. in fact, it most likely will, because i have never made a game before, and it will probably need tweaking. or at the very least i'll think of another 10 things i want to include in my rules and lore documents.

also, hey! my game has a name now! i call it "eXtraOrdinary." i've done a lot of pondering over the exact styling of it: could go for the more basic "Extraordinary" or the more over-the-top "[eXtra]Ordinary" or some other third thing, but i felt settling somewhere in the middle was good. it's (essentially) set in the early 2000s so i wanted something kinda in that vein. it can be abbreviated as XO which i think is cute and snappy. bonus points for being a fall out boy song also.

but hoo boy. feels like i've made so many names for things. languages, gods, champions, holidays... and my methods for coming up with names is that i don't really have a method. really it's more of a few different ways to fish for ideas. mess with translating words into other languages, pick a word related to the thing and make an anagram of it, mush good sounds together until they form a somewhat coherent word, add or subtract letters from a referenced character or term, etc. i think my creative process might just be a somewhat refined stabbing in the dark. guided primarily by vibes.

hopefully tomorrow (today, hi it's after midnight now) i can finish off my checklist and finally be able to call the game DONE. although again, it won't really be done. beyond basic testing and such, i definitely don't have time to create the additional art i had planned on making before this month is over. plus i don't have a design made for character sheets, though if all else fails i suppose i'll just fashion something out of a form-fillable PDF? i dunno.

(if anyone happens to read this that makes character sheets for RPGs, or knows someone who does, comment and let me know.)

unrelated but worth mentioning: cohost's final day is here. i've learned i'm not nearly as attached to cohost as many others, but it will be missed by me nonetheless. pour one out for ol' eggbug. long may they reign.

also unrelated and for no real reason: let's make a tiny playlist. i call it "creature." it's spooky season, after all.

1. vexation - the garden
2. your haunted head - concrete blonde
3. what d'you call it - ultra q
4. shattered glass- virgin in veil
5. everyday is halloween - the last days of jesus

okay love you bye

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> with september nearly over, i've been scrambling the past few days to get my game in a state that could be called "ready to play." <<

Go you!

>> in fact, it most likely will, because i have never made a game before, and it will probably need tweaking. or at the very least i'll think of another 10 things i want to include in my rules and lore documents. <<

If it's an error then fix it. If it's a mechanic, ask if it's crucial to function. If so, add it; if not, save it for a possible expansion later. If it's something like an extra monster, equipment, setting, spell, etc. then save it for later. You have to finish the game enough to be fun and function; it doesn't have to include everything possible. Always leave them wanting more! Expansions are good for your customer base and bottom line.

Check out one of our favorite game companies, Looney Labs. They often release little extras for Chrononauts, and new versions of Fluxx. Hell, we probably have a dozen decks of Fluxx by now and that's nowhere near all of them.

>>also, hey! my game has a name now! i call it "eXtraOrdinary." i've done a lot of pondering over the exact styling of it<<

Don't worry about it. Unless it's the most basic version, nobody's likely to remember the detailing anyhow.

>> but hoo boy. feels like i've made so many names for things. languages, gods, champions, holidays... and my methods for coming up with names is that i don't really have a method. <<

There is actually a list and it is very handy.

>> hopefully tomorrow (today, hi it's after midnight now)<<

I count "today" as between when I get up and when I go to bed. I'm always up after midnight, so splitting my waketime in the middle would be silly.

>> i can finish off my checklist and finally be able to call the game DONE.<<

Go for it!

>> although again, it won't really be done. beyond basic testing and such,<<

Alpha testing and beta testing are very important for final quality. Your players will think of things you never imagined, and you have to cope with that. They'll break things. They'll find the math error that wrecks the engine. That's their job.

>> i definitely don't have time to create the additional art i had planned on making before this month is over. plus i don't have a design made for character sheets, though if all else fails i suppose i'll just fashion something out of a form-fillable PDF? i dunno.<<

You need a printable character sheet, preferably easy to copy, unless the game is meant for online use only.

>> (if anyone happens to read this that makes character sheets for RPGs, or knows someone who does, comment and let me know.) <<

Well, I haven't built one but I've done plenty of other put-thing-on-page. I can give you some basics:

DO:

Make it legible, even after repeat copies.

Put the most important information at the top.

Put the next most important information in the upper left quadrant. (These are where English speakers start reading.)

Medium information can go upper right or lower left.

Stuff that won't be needed often goes in the lower right.

Use divider lines or boxes to help navigate and group related information together.

If there's something that needs to get changed a lot, like tracking spell use or damage, make a supplementary sheet for it so people don't shred their main character page. You can usually fit 4 of those on one 8.5x11" paper.

DON'T

Waste space on big fancy artwork. A small image or logo is fine.

Use a font that is too fancy to read. A slightly fancy header font is fine. Section titles and explanatory text should be in a simple font that is big enough to read.

Cram in stuff that people own't really need to play.

>> unrelated but worth mentioning: cohost's final day is here. i've learned i'm not nearly as attached to cohost as many others, but it will be missed by me nonetheless. pour one out for ol' eggbug. long may they reign.<<

A lot of people are missing Cohost. There is a mourning post here. Go ahead and smash a glass for Cohost, it was a great site.

Re: Thoughts

[i_zz_y]

oops i hit send by accident.

what i was saying was, i assumed digutal but then the other commenter made me think it could possibly be some sort of paper based rpg thing. like d&d.

whatever it is, i'd be interested to find out more. playing things is cool and fun.

by the way, your peofile mentions drawing, have you got somewhere you post drawings to?

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>what i was saying was, i assumed digutal but then the other commenter made me think it could possibly be some sort of paper based rpg thing. like d&d.<<

Ah, that makes sense. I like tabletop games. I'm not really into digital stuff.

>> playing things is cool and fun.<<

Agreed.

>> by the way, your peofile mentions drawing, have you got somewhere you post drawings to? <<

I am a fan of art, rather than an artist. I have uploaded some of my scrapbooked poems though.

Re: Thoughts

[i_zz_y]

whoops i replied to your comment by accident. sorry for referring to you as "the other commenter" directly to your face lmao

hello and hope you are well. sorry for the confusion. :^)

Re: Thoughts

[tiny_voices]

i have a few places i put my art: the ol' deviantArt, an art twitter, and my tumblr

i don't post super frequently though. at some point i'll figure out how to get some art on here too

Re: Thoughts

[i_zz_y]

Nice stuff!!!! :D Seems like you have some lore and stories going on. I really like the blue guy with the long hair O:

Keep up the good work!

Also, dreamwidth itself doesn't let you have much upload space. it's better to host images somewhere else and then just display them here with html (or fussing with rich text editor)

Re: Thoughts

[tiny_voices]

thank ya thank ya

[i_zz_y]

oh?

hello :)

I'm interested in games and people who make things, so you're getting a follow.

I assumed digital/computer/videogame but then the other comment changed my mind and