[Verilian/Sira's Scrapbook] The Truth.. as I See It

[Gossamer]

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words...

[Verilian]

So after reading Jen's most recent scrap, I thought I'd post my own storyteller philosopy. Some of it is the same as hers, naturally, but some of it is different. Plus.. I like to write these things, because it gives me insight into myself as I write them. Anyway, here is my storyteller philosophy. Storyteller Philosophy 1. Don't say NO - Never outright say no to a thread, or an idea. Sometimes you might be busy, but offer to put them on a wait list or something. If they find somebody else before you are ready, then that's fine, but don't turn them down. Don't outright turn down an idea also. If it's one that doesn't fit with Mizahar's theme, offer the help them find the closest thing that does. Never ignore a player's requests, and don't just say no, offer an alternative. 2. Nobody gets left behind - Try to appeal to every player in your city, not just your favorites, or one type of player. I actually have trouble with this sometimes, because I like to run dangerous adventure threads, but not everybody is an adventurer. Try to find a way to give everyone a chance to shine. 3. Always be open to suggestions - I don't get very many of these, but I believe a storyteller should always be open to suggestions from others. Whether this be a suggestion for a new location, for a quest, or whatever, you should always be willing to listen to new ideas. 4. Interconnectedness - I am a big fan of trying to make connections from one thread to the next. Connecting events, rather than just making everything a series of completely unrelated and random events, makes the world seem more realistic and makes the players feel like they are having an actual impact on the world. Not everything has to be related, but I've had people tell me how cool they thought it was when they realized that a thread they did ended up making a difference later on in one of my plots. 5. Make long lasting plots - Small quests are great, but long overarching stories are even better. You don't have to knock everything out in just one thread, spread it out over multiple quests and seasons. Don't be in a rush to finish a story in its entirety, let it spread out naturally across the seasons. 6. Be fair - Treat everyone fairly. Try not to show special preference toward one PC or another, and try to give everyone a chance to stand out. Don't do threads for just one person, but then ignore others. Even if you don't like them, you should still treat them fairly. Don't pick and choose the threads you grade because you like the way one person writes over another, grade them in order. Don't answer one person's PM, but ignore another, answer them all. 7. Innovate - Constantly seek new ways to make your domain better. Don't be afraid to give new ideas a test drive, even if you think they are stupid. Learn from other storytellers, but don't steal their work. If you think something might be a useful addition to your city, then try it. If it doesn't work out, you can always stop doing it. 8. Have fun - This is the most important part. Never let being a storyteller stop being fun, because the moment you stop having fun, your players will notice, and they will stop having fun. A storyteller who no longer enjoys what they are doing is the worst thing that can happen to a domain. If that happens, take a step back, try to figure out why you aren't having fun anymore, and do what it takes to make it fun again. Okay, so I only had eight, but I think these are the things that are most important to me. If I think of anything else I might add it, but I just thought I'd share my own philosophy.. Anyway... I hope this was useful.. or something. >.> The End

[Wrenmae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zDi7ZT-aBw

I found this and now wholesomely believe this is what you do.

[Sira]

Okay, so here are my NaNo standings so far. I am doing way better than last year. NaNo Standings Date 2011 2012 -- Goal 1st 2212 3467 1667 2nd 3959 7993 3334 3rd 5821 9765 5001 4th 7456 9765 6668 5th 8669 12737 8335 6th 8669 17066 10002 7th 9534 20435 11669 8th 9534 22773 13336 9th 12800 25681 15003 10th 12800 26196 16670 11th 14099 26196 18337 12th 14099 26196 20004 13th 14099 28156 21671 14th 14818 30719 23338 15th 15272 32158 25005 16th 17231 33236 26672 17th 19062 33236 28339 18th 20694 33236 30006 19th 20694 35208 31673 20th 20694 44352 33340 21st 20694 46214 35007 22nd 20668 46214 36674 23rd 20668 46214 38341 24th 20668 46214 40008 25th 20668 46214 41675 26th 20668 50202 43342 27th 20668 50209 45009 28th 20668 51133 46676 29th 21119 51523 48343 30th 21119 51523 50000

[Phoenix]

It's the 12th. You're behind on updating. Just thought I should let you know

[Sira]

Lol, it's up to date now.

[Verilian]

Warhammer Stuff Okay, so Antar asked to see some of the warhammer stuff I've been painting.. so here goes. Some of the pics might be very large. These are some of my early ones, they aren't very good or detailed. This was my roommates very first attempt at painting a model.. much better than me A couple more my roommate did. The dwarf he was experimenting with shading, and the ogre is incomplete but still good. Another thing done by my roommate. This is the general of my army, and more importantly, my first attempt at real detail. Sorry the pic didn't come out clearer This is the spider I just finished And this is his rider who I just started working on. Here is a dragonslayer by my roommate. It's not done yet, but as you can see he is much fancier than what I do. I know, I know. It's warhammer, not wow.. but.. For the Horde!!!! (or if you prefer, Lok'tar Ogar!) These were all done by my wife. She is also much better than me Goblin by me Another goblin by me.. I need to go back and clean him up still. Another by me. And this guy is another by my roommate.

[Invictus]

It takes a very steady hand to do all that, and I think it's awesome you're into Warhammer. Do you do a whole lot with washes and highlights? I've noticed what looks like it on a few, but with the grainy pictures I'm honestly not sure on others. It makes all the difference in the world with detail. But really, very cool!

[Sira]

The ogres and stuff have lots of washes and stuff on them, but those were done by my roommate. I am still trying to learn the basics, but I do mess around with washes sometimes. The shield and ax on the dwarf general both have a black wash on them, I think. And my roommate has bought several other colors. He's way better at it than I am, and he's only been doing it for two months, whereas I've had these for a long time. I introduced it to him and he just took off. It's great though, because he is teaching me everything he learns, even if I don't have the skill to use everything he's taught me yet.

[Sira]

...because it was necessary