On the Move!

Well, I've finally taken the plunge. I've been spreading myself far too thinly for a long time, so I'm bringing all my points of access into one location.

If you want to read the kinda blogs you read here, then you'll have to turn your RSS feeds and bookmarks to: this link.

If you want it all, aim at my blog.

You will find all parts of my efforts combined into a big mixed blog. The categories will separate it into the old familiar content streams, so take your pick.

This is one of my first php-based web design efforts, so expect a little rough on the edges. I've integrated a blog, a forum and a wiki (as well as I could) to allow a better place for feedback rather than blog comments and to have a place where explanations can grow and evolve as my understandings of the world do.

I hope you like it and humbly invite you to join in the fun!

Fang

Hiatus

I'm going to take a little time off to write the first draft of Scattershot. If you want to follow my progress, check here regularly.

Fang

Slow Progress

Only a little to offer this fortnight.

I'm halfway done categorizing over 2,000 spells culled from a couple of the biggest role-playing games on the market. This is building a replacement for the 35 aspects I had over-designed for the Scattershot Universe. It will also create a set of categories to put powers under as well (important for tagging the new database).

I've switched Universe6.ScattershotGames.com from Wordpress to PHPWebsite because it's wiki, forum and blog features are much more streamlined together. (It's a content management package, rather than blog software.) I'm looking forward to populating it with all the raw material you'll need to run an effective Universe 6 game!

Fang

An Update for the Update

Well, things are proceeding, if slowly. Here's what's been happening:

I've settled on a WordPress (WP) site for a couple of reasons. My ISP supports Fantastico which installs WP right and fast. Reading up on WP plug-ins I believe I can add wiki and forum capability (but I'm not sure if that those are up to date). WP is very fast and unlike The Unseen, nothing should need passwords to see.

I've had a little luck with the wiki-links part, but I can't seem to work out how to use the roll-back feature in cases of vandalism. Anyone having advice, I would greatly appreciate hearing from!

In case you're wondering why this goes so slowly, check it out! I'm posting on all ten of my blogs.

• Scattershot presents: Universe 6 - This weblog
• Scattershot presents: The Unseen - An ARG LARP for Scattershot
• The Scattershot Design Continuum - News about the evolution of the basic game system
• Fish or Sofa Magazine - For all things Scattershot
• Costumentality - A Webcomik I aspire to do based in Universe 6
• Impswitch Development Thinking - An isometric turn-based strategy MMORPG I tinker with
• Azeroth Gazette - I do have other hobbies (World of Warcraft: email me for the server)
• Cerebrum Abusive Ideas - Just ideas to hurt your brain, that's all
  

And I have a short article on Role-Play Gateway.

You might also check out the TWO POWERS I've already posted on Fish or Sofa!

See you in 14

Fang

Are We There Yet?

Where are We and Where are We Going?

I started this blog because I was out of ideas for Scattershot presents: The Unseen. I was also a bit intimidated by the concept of starting my very first LARP with no experience, no knowledge and an untried game concept. (On a side note, I think changing The Unseen to and ARG LARP will finally get that project going.)

The reason I chose this project was because I've done so much work on superpowers already. And I have; there is a very detailed and flexible superpowers system stored on my hard drives (one must have backups after all). I had also had my epiphany regarding the pseudo‑Freudian construction¹ of four color comic books through their storied history. I'm going to continue working towards concepts like the Fruitful Void and Complication Management, but I'm also married to the idea that Universe 6 isn't about precisely modeling extant comic books, but about escapist power fantasies. As far as metaphors and symbolism (mentioned in the first post), I'm planning to put strong guiding principals for these into the Experience Dice guidelines, simple enough!

Because of both the pseudo‑Freudian focus and the escapist fantasy, I'm positive that this game will need to tiptoe carefully around issues of dominance and personality. Play will, unknown to the players, get very close to their sense of identity. I'm going to have to deal with 'safe word' technology when speaking to the fringes of game play. I'm also going to need to carefully consider both how the game shapes the activities of each 'identity' as well as how the personal investment of escapism might cause hurtful clashes 'outside of game'.

One feature I'm proud to include is forcing players to address how out-of-place or impractical their ideals would be in the real world. This comes from addressing 'justice', 'fairness' and 'being human'. Hopefully, I can get people to 'feel out' their own personal 'weaknesses' by exploring the analogue in chara design and play. These are the various foci of the Fruitful Void.

I'm sorry to report, the selection process for wiki software has gotten bogged down. As a replacement, here are some of the parts I'll be putting in:

• Individual Universe 6 Chara Write-Ups
• Separate Given Powers with Detailed Explanations
• The Chapters of the Book in Printable Format
• A 'How-To' for Creating Super Powers
• A Chara Design Engine that 'Does the Maths' and Prints Out Adobe Files
• And...Ultimately, This Blog.

Thanks for reading! See you in 14.

F


¹ As it says below.