Today I am having a bit of a crisis of faith of sorts. I am starting to doubt my efforts in writing an Orc-themed RPG. It’s not a huge deal, as I am only writing it for fun, and I expect to make exactly $0 off of it. But, Orcs are kind of en vogue right now, especially in the RPG world. There are already several Orc-related RPGs and supplements out there. So, what would my paltry little amateurish effort have to add to all of that? I’m not really sure. I have a few supporters of the effort, who insist that I can do something unique with it. But, I’m not so sure about that. Right now it’s a pretty basic, high action, low/no magic RPG. It has the standard tropes, a possibly over-simple system, and really only presents orcs in a way that is familiar to many already. Thus, as an RPG, it’s nothing innovative. And honestly, when compared to professional works, it’s pretty amateur…and almost lazy.
I guess for me, it’s just an exercise in creativity. One thing it is doing is making me think of world-building and creating a setting that I cold use for fiction. Yesterday I spent a lot of time coming up with ideas about religion. Even though, mechanically, religion has no function in the game (Remember? Low-magic…). And I have managed to brainstorm a lot of ideas about orc society. Why they are the way they are, and how their society and culture breeds the violent brutes we all love.
So, I guess it’s not so much of a crisis of a writer’s faith, but more of a crisis of game designer’s faith. Which, in the end, I’m cool with. If the only thing that comes out of this whole effort is a cheap, beer & pretzels RPG, and a lot of material for fiction, I guess I can call it a success.
Ok, crisis averted. Thanks for listening!
By the way, who wants a copy of the first Beta Release?
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Which orcs are “my” orcs?
It occurred to me the other night that I have started several orc projects over the years. Many of which have been quite developed. What else occurred to me is that, in almost every instance, the orcs are slightly different than in the others. If I were to try to place all of them in the same world, it would require me to a) decide on which one was standard, and b) heavily edit the ones that don’t quite fit.
Physically, my orcs are pretty universal. They are somewhere between the hulking green brutes of WarCraft fame, and the black-skinned savages of Tolkien’s creation. My orcs are always larger and more muscular than humans, have brutish facial features with tusks, and generally green skin. The only exception has been the “gray men” from the second Ryvor story. These were meant to invoke the imagery of Tolkien-esque orcs, without calling them orcs. My orcs generally wear crude or simple armor, and rely more on brute strength and tenacity in a fight, rather than fancy skill or finesse. Socially speaking, they are universally aggressive, with many of their laws and customs being based on the idea that might makes right, and only the strongest may lead.
However, in some instances, the orcs seem inherently evil, bent on destruction and cruelty. In others, they are misunderstood savages, chained to the iron will of their overlord through fear and intimidation. In some instances they are stupid brutes who think more with their loins and stomachs than anything else. And other times they are contemplative, noble and deeply spiritual and traditional. So, the question is, where is my true orc represented?
I’m thinking that the answer is: All of the above. Since it is obvious that humans can range the entire spectrum of good and evil, is it so hard to imagine orcs being very different?
Physically, my orcs are pretty universal. They are somewhere between the hulking green brutes of WarCraft fame, and the black-skinned savages of Tolkien’s creation. My orcs are always larger and more muscular than humans, have brutish facial features with tusks, and generally green skin. The only exception has been the “gray men” from the second Ryvor story. These were meant to invoke the imagery of Tolkien-esque orcs, without calling them orcs. My orcs generally wear crude or simple armor, and rely more on brute strength and tenacity in a fight, rather than fancy skill or finesse. Socially speaking, they are universally aggressive, with many of their laws and customs being based on the idea that might makes right, and only the strongest may lead.
However, in some instances, the orcs seem inherently evil, bent on destruction and cruelty. In others, they are misunderstood savages, chained to the iron will of their overlord through fear and intimidation. In some instances they are stupid brutes who think more with their loins and stomachs than anything else. And other times they are contemplative, noble and deeply spiritual and traditional. So, the question is, where is my true orc represented?
I’m thinking that the answer is: All of the above. Since it is obvious that humans can range the entire spectrum of good and evil, is it so hard to imagine orcs being very different?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Putting it out there
So, I have this huge fear of rejection. I have had it since I was a wee lad, and there doesn’t seem to be any hope of it fully going away. The one area in my life where I have the most trouble with it is my writing. Whenever I manage to finish a story, I almost never put it out there for public consumption. Usually, I send it to a choice few friends, asking for critiques. Generally, I get back “attaboys” and not much more. This is fine, because at least I know that my writing entertained someone. But lately, I have been trying to polish my writing, and so I have been asking for real critiques, and have taken what I have gotten back to heart, prompting rewrites and revamps.
But, anyways, back to my fear of rejection. I have a friend who writes a lot. He wrote a story a week for an entire year. I am envious of is ability to do so. And not only that, but he put all of them up on a blog for the world to see. And there’s just something about that that I can’t do. Every story I work on, especially the ones I finish are like precious children to me. I want to keep them safe from harm. What if people don’t like them? What if they think they are crap? I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it.
I think there is also the fact that I have always wanted to be published and paid for writing. So I am loathe to give away what I could possibly sell. Perhaps that’s a bit arrogant of me. To think that every piece of crap I write is worth something tangible.
So, here’s my thing; I have a FictionPress account. In the past I have posted up a couple of works there. I’ve gotten some feedback, and it’s good. But I’m thinking about putting each story I write up there. And when I want to try to submit something for publication, take it down. Would this work? Would this be a good or bad thing? Or is this just me making a mountain out of a molehill, since most of the stuff that get “self-published” online is filed away by the majority of people as “amateur” and not worth even looking at?
Or would anyone even care one way or another?
Chances are, I’m just babbling here, and I’ve already lost anyone who bothered reading this after the first sentence…
But, anyways, back to my fear of rejection. I have a friend who writes a lot. He wrote a story a week for an entire year. I am envious of is ability to do so. And not only that, but he put all of them up on a blog for the world to see. And there’s just something about that that I can’t do. Every story I work on, especially the ones I finish are like precious children to me. I want to keep them safe from harm. What if people don’t like them? What if they think they are crap? I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it.
I think there is also the fact that I have always wanted to be published and paid for writing. So I am loathe to give away what I could possibly sell. Perhaps that’s a bit arrogant of me. To think that every piece of crap I write is worth something tangible.
So, here’s my thing; I have a FictionPress account. In the past I have posted up a couple of works there. I’ve gotten some feedback, and it’s good. But I’m thinking about putting each story I write up there. And when I want to try to submit something for publication, take it down. Would this work? Would this be a good or bad thing? Or is this just me making a mountain out of a molehill, since most of the stuff that get “self-published” online is filed away by the majority of people as “amateur” and not worth even looking at?
Or would anyone even care one way or another?
Chances are, I’m just babbling here, and I’ve already lost anyone who bothered reading this after the first sentence…
Monday, February 7, 2011
Victory in defeat
As all of my real-life (and most of my online) friends know, I love football, and have been a die-hard Steelers fan since before I even knew what the game was. Every year I wear my custom Terry Bradshaw jersey, and cheer for my boys to kick ass. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t. But, they are always a good team to watch, and no team has ever had an easy victory over them.In 2007, I moved to Wisconsin, and married the woman of my dreams less than a year later. My wife has been a Packers fan all of her life, and she loves football just as much as I do. So, for the last few years, we have cheered equally for each other’s teams. Then, the Perfect Storm happened. The improbable matchup of a lifetime. The Packers and the Steelers squared off for the Big Game! And what a game! We were on the edge of our seats the whole time. And even though I lost, I still had fun, and am still very proud of my Steelers.
Interestingly, I have always placed all football teams into three categories. The team(s) I love, which was usually just the Steelers; the teams I hate, which will always include the Cowboys; and the rest, whom I’ve been more or less ambivalent to. Now, I have added the Packers to my Love category (in spot #2, of course), and the Vikings and Bears to my Hate category. So this game was kind of a win-win for me. I’m happy that the Packers won, and that Rodgers can finally be 100% shed of Favre’s shadow (that guy is such a douchenozzle). I’m only sad that my Steelers had to lose in order for it to happen. But, there’s always next year!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The ball rolls…just a little.
So this week my boss is out on vacation. And admittedly, when he’s not in giving me little tasks to do…well, I end up with a lot of free time on my hands. Lately, I have been trying to focus that time on writing. The other day it was for homework, but more often than not, it’s for fiction and games.
And in relation to both, I finished a piece of orc fiction this morning! It’s just a 2,500-word short detailing the mating rituals of orcs. But I like it. And even better, the two people who have read it liked it a lot. I will go back and polish it up sometime soon. But for now I will put one more chalk-mark in the Victory category.
On the game-writing front, I have been pecking away at two different efforts. The first is Being Green, my orc RPG. I have most of what I need to have for the mechanics. Now I am fine-tuning those, and trying to come up with a setting. This part is turning out harder than I thought, but that’s mainly my own fault. I have created several settings over the years where orcs feature prominently. And each one has some elements in common. So, instead of re-inventing the wheel yet again, I decided to adapt one of those for my game. However, the one document that has the version I want to use eludes me. I just can’t find it. And what’s worse is that I can’t find the flash drive I thought it was saved on! That’s a huge deal, but I prefer not to think about that right now…
This all brings me to another question for my gamer friends. How much is too much? When you open a new RPG, do you like lots of detailed history, or do you prefer a simple presentation of the setting, with enough info to get started, and keep it all making sense? Or do you prefer something in-between? Do the Setting and History need to be divided into separate sections, or should they be integrated together?
Ok, so that’s more an one question. But they’re all interrelated.
The other game is Steam Jammer, my steampunk space adventure game, based a lot on Disney’s Treasure Planet. For that one, I am just importing the core mechanics from Being Green, and concentrating on writing up the background and game-specific rules (such as ships and firearms…neither of which exist in Being Green). I’m having fun coming up with stuff. Basically, imagine the North Atlantic and the Caribbean during the 17th century, add in the American Colonies during the 18th century, and then spread the whole thing across the galaxy. It’s a fun exercise. Especially coming up with pseudo-scientifically plausible reasons for such things as why ships can fly through space without a contained atmosphere for the occupants (I rather like the idea I came up with for that one).
All that and I am growing a full beard for the Super Bowl. In case anyone doesn’t know, I have been a Steelers fan my whole life. My wife has been a Packers fan all of hers. We have rules in place for trash talk, as well as a little wager involving personal grooming. Should be fun!
And in relation to both, I finished a piece of orc fiction this morning! It’s just a 2,500-word short detailing the mating rituals of orcs. But I like it. And even better, the two people who have read it liked it a lot. I will go back and polish it up sometime soon. But for now I will put one more chalk-mark in the Victory category.
On the game-writing front, I have been pecking away at two different efforts. The first is Being Green, my orc RPG. I have most of what I need to have for the mechanics. Now I am fine-tuning those, and trying to come up with a setting. This part is turning out harder than I thought, but that’s mainly my own fault. I have created several settings over the years where orcs feature prominently. And each one has some elements in common. So, instead of re-inventing the wheel yet again, I decided to adapt one of those for my game. However, the one document that has the version I want to use eludes me. I just can’t find it. And what’s worse is that I can’t find the flash drive I thought it was saved on! That’s a huge deal, but I prefer not to think about that right now…
This all brings me to another question for my gamer friends. How much is too much? When you open a new RPG, do you like lots of detailed history, or do you prefer a simple presentation of the setting, with enough info to get started, and keep it all making sense? Or do you prefer something in-between? Do the Setting and History need to be divided into separate sections, or should they be integrated together?
Ok, so that’s more an one question. But they’re all interrelated.
The other game is Steam Jammer, my steampunk space adventure game, based a lot on Disney’s Treasure Planet. For that one, I am just importing the core mechanics from Being Green, and concentrating on writing up the background and game-specific rules (such as ships and firearms…neither of which exist in Being Green). I’m having fun coming up with stuff. Basically, imagine the North Atlantic and the Caribbean during the 17th century, add in the American Colonies during the 18th century, and then spread the whole thing across the galaxy. It’s a fun exercise. Especially coming up with pseudo-scientifically plausible reasons for such things as why ships can fly through space without a contained atmosphere for the occupants (I rather like the idea I came up with for that one).
All that and I am growing a full beard for the Super Bowl. In case anyone doesn’t know, I have been a Steelers fan my whole life. My wife has been a Packers fan all of hers. We have rules in place for trash talk, as well as a little wager involving personal grooming. Should be fun!
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