RPG Storytime - Dungeons & Dragons

The first weekly episodes of RPG Storytime had to be the classic where it all began: Dungeons & Dragons.  And what better adventures to do than some of the early classics from back in the '70s and '80s when I first began playing?

I've taken these adventures from my childhood and adjusted them to fit into my current world of Angepa.  I'm hoping to tie it all together as one large world where everything connects.

One of these D&D series is Indiana Jane & the Lost City.

https://rpgstorytime.buzzsprout.com/1015516/3380611-dungeons-dragons-indiana-jane-the-lost-city-episode-1

The Art of Turning RPG Games into Videos

Earlier this year I started a channel called RPG Storytime which shows videos I've made that tell the stories that came out of RPG games.  Rather than live streaming us playing the game, like most channels do, I take the story that was generated from the game sessions, and I write a script for it.  I narrate it like an audiobook, put in sound effects and music, and I set up shots of miniatures on tiny sets which illustrates what's happening.

This creates a fast-paced story that continues from video to video.  Viewers follow it like it's a TV series, and get invested in the characters.  In order to get it to that point, though, there are some important things I have to remember.  First and foremost, I need to follow the rules of storytelling rather than the rules of the game itself.  There are a lot of rules and details in a game that would bog down a story.  These should only be brought up when they're relevant to the story, or when there's an amazing roll.  It becomes important to highlight this aspect when something seems way out of the ordinary, and happened only because of an unexpected roll of the dice.

What's also very important is developing the characters as characters, not as classes.  Rather than a character being a third level rogue, they are a moderately experienced map maker, or someone seeking out artifacts.  Give them some trait that people would want to read in a book or see in a character in a movie.

Most importantly, the series needs to stay focused on the story and character arcs.  Individual fights mean nothing if they're not part of a story that's leading to something.  This is something to keep in mind when game mastering, but it is far more important when you're reciting the story to the audience.

All that being said, I have found that it is good to tape the players playing at least for a little while, or to set them up as though they're playing later on, because it's good to integrate these moments into the videos.  Viewers seem to like seeing the players make the decisions.  To that end, I also tape the players giving testimonials that can be intercut with the story so viewers can get a sense of their thinking and decision making processes.

Ultimately, regardless of how successful the videos are, I'm proud of them and really enjoy having these records of the stories which have come out of our RPG sessions.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTOn2WMkuvRskZ2SN1YBplQ

Relic Worlds Games at Strategicon This Weekend

I will be showing two Relic Worlds games at Strategicon this weekend.

First will be Relic Worlds: Showdown, the miniatures game using the Savage Worlds rules.  This will be Saturday at 10 am.

Second will be The Lost Worlds, the Relic Worlds board game where players search various planets for lost treasures.  This will be Saturday at 3 pm.

Come out and join us!  Directions for the convention can be found at their website:

http://www.strategicon.net/

What's Coming Out for Relic Worlds

Since I've been talking about Relic Worlds recently, I figured I'd describe what products will be coming out for it, and what I'm working on for them.

First, what already exists are the following:

7 short stories
3 Pick Your Path books
2 novels
1 comic book

Here's what I'm coming out with this year:

12 short stories
1 Pick Your Path book
2 games
1 novel

There will actually be one more Pick Your Path book that will come out at Wondercon, but that's technically next year.  Some of the short stories might also come out next year as well, depending on how quickly the magazines publish them, (if they publish them,) and whether I am able to stick to my schedule.

www.relicworlds.com

My Varying Interests

Perhaps my biggest benefit is also my biggest drawback, my varying interests.  I've always had a wide array of likes and hobbies.  I can never settle on just one thing; it makes me restless.  This is also one of the main reasons I'm a storyteller; I always want to jump to another world.  Had I chosen a different profession I would be stuck in one world.  Speaking of telling stories, I've never understood the concept of always writing in one genre.  It feels like when one does that, they're taking away the greatest benefit of writing.  I know it's better for building a platform and making more money, but I would feel so trapped if I did that.

But I digress.  I was speaking of my interests, and I have recently narrowed them down to three basic categories:

Writing
Filmmaking
Game design

Thanks to the wonders of self-publishing, Youtube, and print on demand, I'm able to do all three.  This has, in a way, caused a problem for me.  You see, for years, I was trying to pitch projects in all three of these categories to those who could make them a reality.  I got turned down so much that I have a huge backlog of projects.  Ever since self-publishing in all three categories came out, I've been doing them myself.  And the floodgates have flown wide open, overwhelming me with the ability to make whatever I want and get it to the public.

The problem is the irritating finite of time... and the fact that I need to sleep, and do a job that brings in enough money to live.  Plus, and this is a big one, I need to promote the projects so I'm not just whistling in the dark.

And so I have had to organize these into specific projects set for specific times.

Writing includes the two books I'm putting together this year along with the short stories for Relic Worlds, plus the promotions for the past titles.  The books I'm making this year are coming out at the beginning of the year and end of the year, while the promotions will be scattered throughout.

Filmmaking has become the gaming channel I have on Youtube called Command Combat Battle Reports, as well as a show I have that supports Relic Worlds that centers around geocaching.  These are fitting in during the middle of the year.

Games would include a wide host of games I've invented, but since I'm short on time and this is the lowest priority, it's centered around finishing Command Combat: Civil War, which I started years ago, and games that support the promotion of Relic Worlds.  These are being done sort of around the center and end of the year.

All My Blogs

I’m going to be brutally honest here.  I don’t particularly like blogging.  Actually, I like the theory of it.  In fact, I love the fact that it gives a voice to everyone to say what they believe; and I don’t buy the idea that it merely creates rumors while “legitimate” newspapers and magazines tell the truth.  They are owned and controlled by corporate backers who tell them what to say, so they’re as much rumor mongering as any blog.  A reader merely has to judge how much integrity a given source has.

For me, though, I’m so busy creating books and games that I don’t have time for a blog.  And you’re expected to write something at least once a week to get noticed.  However, I’ve been told, and have noticed this to be true, that people tend to not notice you unless you have a blog.

And so I write.  And now, in my usual fashion of over-doing it, I’ve created multiple blogs.  I’m a person who’s torn in many directions, and I create projects for every interest.  It’s spread me a bit thin, and perhaps I should drop some, but every time I think of it, it’s like Sophie’s Choice.  Which of my children could I really let go?

And so I keep them, and I have a blog for every one of them.  All but one of them, the Dice Depot, are mine.  I do the Dice Depot for Ric Wickham, who has a fantastic game site.  Here they are listed:

Bandwagon Books

Jeff McArthur

Relic Worlds

Tales of a Failed Filmmaker

I also have Facebook groups for these, and my projects Command Combat Battle Reports and Geo-Hunters, plus, of course, Twitter accounts.  Accchhh!!!