Author Topic: Encouraging Contributors  (Read 17952 times)

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Offline Old Man

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #40 on: July 04, 2013, 09:04:16 PM »
... If you haven't noticed yet, check out the profile for VladD (and others) where they are now showing a Rolemaster 30th Anniversary Contest award banner.  Much more to come...

Yeah saw that. Waiting eagerly for the next set of results. :)
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Offline craggles

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #41 on: July 05, 2013, 12:33:34 AM »
Yay - it's using the bloody sword version (my favourite)!! :D
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Offline PhillipAEllis

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #42 on: July 05, 2013, 12:37:54 AM »
Excitable boy.... :)
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Offline VladD

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #43 on: July 05, 2013, 04:09:17 AM »
Those award things are really nice!
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Offline GrumpyOldFart

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #44 on: July 05, 2013, 09:02:13 AM »
One of the problems of a comment section directly attached to the magazine &/or articles, is that it needs to be moderated so that spam &/or trolling doesn't creep in.

Sounds like it needs a way for the author of the article to moderate that article's comments section. If he cares about the feedback, he'll do the work. If he doesn't, he'll disable commenting.

Quote
2) an address or addresses for sending feedback (perhaps linked to a correspondence column in the magazine.

That could work as above, but communication changes from public to private. I can't articulate why exactly, but I think you'll get better results if the feedback is public.
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Offline jdale

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #45 on: July 05, 2013, 10:25:26 AM »
Perhaps an alternative would be a link at the end of each article, "discuss this article", that takes the reader to a thread on the forum? Having the discussion on the forum makes it much easier to follow than if you need to constantly go back to the article to check for replies.
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Offline Thom @ ICE

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #46 on: July 05, 2013, 12:32:33 PM »
Just be careful about the Chicken or the egg aspect...
If you post the article before the forum post is created you'll need to go back and add that link to the article.
If you post the forum post first then you'll need to go back and update with a link to the article.

Also, I am assuming you are talking about these ICE forums, and since The Guild Companion is not connected to ICE (though we do appreciate it) an article about a different system really shouldn't be discussed here on the ICE forums.   If you are referring to The Guild Companion forums (not sure that they are still active) then you will likely reduce feedback because users won't necessarily want to create new forum logon's just to provide feedback.
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Offline Wolfhound

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #47 on: July 07, 2013, 11:50:35 AM »
You are correct, the GuildCompanion.com forums are no longer active.  Any other (non ICE systems) should have threads for discussion started on the http://www.realroleplaying.com/rmsmf/index.php?www forums ), as they have allowed us to have a similar thread there for discussion of both ICE as well as other (although they prefer avoiding the d20 based systems) RPG systems. 

But for ICE based games (Rolemaster/HARP/Spacemaster/etc.) should be discussed here, as the volume of ICE fans are obviously greater on the ICE forums that through the RealRolePlaying forums. 
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Offline OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #48 on: August 19, 2013, 06:17:36 PM »
As far as I'm concerned, aside from pure laziness and lack of motivation (foremost the latter but…), my main problem with submitting anything is the eternal question of whether what one soever submits and on which one spent hours would be of any interest to anyone as, in the end, it was probably developed for one's own world, settings and campaign.
My second problem is with copyrights, as my main contributions would be new professions (doh!), many using spells thus having base lists. Alas, whilst I use public-domain lists (such as some posted in the RM mailing-list… decades ago), I'm not really sure posting them in the GC is legal (as for tracking the spell list creators… I have lists dating from the late 90s!).
Even the lists I created myself would be a bother, since they're written in my world's units (time and length) though it's kinda minor compared to the previous ones.
The world was then consumed by darkness, and mankind was devoured alive and cast into hell, led by a jubilant 紗羽. She rejoiced in being able to continue serving the gods, thus perpetuating her travels across worlds to destroy them. She looked at her doll and, remembering their promises, told her: "You see, my dear, we succeeded! We've become legends! We've become villains! We've become witches!" She then laughed with a joyful, childlike laughter, just as she kept doing for all of eternity.

Offline Old Man

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #49 on: August 19, 2013, 07:22:04 PM »

OLF,

I worried about similar issues (personal campaign content not being usuable) but Nicholas and I were able to develop what was originally a setting out of my homebrew campaign into a Cyradon setting and scenario. So I'd encourage sending outlines/proposals to ICE/GC (if they don't mind) and see what they think.

Regards,
OM
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Offline Cory Magel

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #50 on: August 19, 2013, 09:12:58 PM »
FYI, doing what Old Man suggests also gives them a good idea if they think you are suitable for future projects offers they could potentially extend to you.
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Offline Cory Magel

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #51 on: August 19, 2013, 09:16:51 PM »
...many using spells thus having base lists. Alas, whilst I use public-domain lists (such as some posted in the RM mailing-list… decades ago), I'm not really sure posting them in the GC is legal (as for tracking the spell list creators… I have lists dating from the late 90s!).  Even the lists I created myself would be a bother, since they're written in my world's units (time and length) though it's kinda minor compared to the previous ones.
Obviously the powers that be have final say, but... Spell lists are not that big a deal in my own personal opinion.  So many of RM's work is at least partially rehashed from previous versions but with enough modification that there's little room to claim they were 'stolen'.  MUCH of the time a spell list is just a remixing of spells from other lists that are inherent to all versions of RM.  While there are very few of the Channeling Companion spell lists that are a direct pull from the past I am sure there are several that are very similar to old ones.
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Offline OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #52 on: August 21, 2013, 01:21:53 PM »
What about creations adapted from other public sources such as this list?
The world was then consumed by darkness, and mankind was devoured alive and cast into hell, led by a jubilant 紗羽. She rejoiced in being able to continue serving the gods, thus perpetuating her travels across worlds to destroy them. She looked at her doll and, remembering their promises, told her: "You see, my dear, we succeeded! We've become legends! We've become villains! We've become witches!" She then laughed with a joyful, childlike laughter, just as she kept doing for all of eternity.

Offline Thom @ ICE

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #53 on: August 21, 2013, 01:40:47 PM »
That is your own list and does not appear to be a representation of anything ICE ever published.   The fact that it uses the Spell List concept is fine, provided you don't create an rpg based on that and sell the material (which may or may not be legitimate).

If someone wanted to post a new profession simply list the spell lists that you are using by name (without detailing the spells on them) for ICE spell lists.
If you are creating new spell lists you are fine, provided you are not selling it.
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Offline OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #54 on: August 21, 2013, 03:30:35 PM »
That is your own list…
Or not. By "other public sources", I meant that some of the spells are RM2 adaptations of fan-created spells for other game systems.
The world was then consumed by darkness, and mankind was devoured alive and cast into hell, led by a jubilant 紗羽. She rejoiced in being able to continue serving the gods, thus perpetuating her travels across worlds to destroy them. She looked at her doll and, remembering their promises, told her: "You see, my dear, we succeeded! We've become legends! We've become villains! We've become witches!" She then laughed with a joyful, childlike laughter, just as she kept doing for all of eternity.

Offline Cory Magel

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #55 on: August 21, 2013, 05:24:46 PM »
It's pretty difficult to come up with original spells that can't be at least claimed to be influenced from other works.  Obvious examples would be Fly and Haste.  No one can realistically claim ownership of those concepts.  I would be like claiming a copy-write on elves.  Additionally even the details of those spells, meaning how they work, can only be so varied.  You can say Invisibility bends light around you, or causes light to go right through you, or even merely creates the illusion that an object is not there... but those are fairly logical ideas that many people would come up with.

So I see little chance that a spell list you put together, unless it is a direct and exact copy of another, is going to be legally problematic.  I've redone a lot of RM2 lists simply so they would be more balanced in our RMSS games and, while I've never looked into publishing them, having reworked some of the details of the spells and moving them around for balance reasons is 'good enough' to call them 'new' I suspect.

Take a look at the Warlock in the Channeling Companion.  While there are differences this is essentially an update to the old Warlock.  It's not exactly the same, but it's obvious that's what it is based on.  Even the Mythic and Summoner, which were relatively original, could be (likely legitimately) compared to old RM professions.
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Offline Badger

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #56 on: September 13, 2013, 12:01:20 PM »
G'day,

I'd just like to mention that there is an excellent lack of atrocious writing on these threads. Seriously. I get that a lot of you have been writing for gaming materials and tech journals and so on... But guys... You lot have some game (so to speak). :)

I've spent most of the last decade with part of my job being editing and mentoring writers and students. The usual suspects here have a well above average ability to engage and communicate.

If any of you have something that you want critiqued; let me know. It's a happy distraction from my 9 to 5.

I will tell you exactly what I see when I read your piece. I won't sugar coat it, but I won't denigrate it, either.

I can't really offer useful commentary on game mechanics - my own biases are too entrenched. I think I can help with style, novel craft, plotting, non fiction engagement, that kind of thing.

Cheers,

Badger

Offline PhillipAEllis

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #57 on: September 13, 2013, 02:56:49 PM »
You never know, Badger, I might take you up on the offer. :)

Have you thought of contributing material at all? If so, what sort of material would potentially interest you?
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Offline Cory Magel

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #58 on: September 14, 2013, 04:07:42 PM »
It always drives me nuts when I type "Through" instead of "Thought" and stuff like that.  I think it comes from typing quicker than I'm thinking at certain times. ;)
- Cory Magel

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Offline GrumpyOldFart

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Re: Encouraging Contributors
« Reply #59 on: September 14, 2013, 07:59:35 PM »
Quote
I can't really offer useful commentary on game mechanics - my own biases are too entrenched.

I don't see why that's a problem, so long as you have a conscious reason to preserve your bias. As an example, I tend to be more than a bit "anti-heroic." I think if an RPG has humans as a character race and magic in the game mechanics (that said humans can potentially use), then your magic mechanics aren't truly "right" unless they are so clear and so grounded in the real world that you could imagine seeing a "THAU 131: Introduction to Thaumatology" listing in a university course catalog.

Obviously, people who prefer high fantasy aren't going to be interested in anything I come up with in terms of magic. Fine and good, but if make my biases and the reasoning behind them clear at the outset, they can ignore it and go on to something that interests them, without feeling like I wasted their time. As such, I can even gain "goodwill points" from someone who firmly believes "I'm doing it wrong." And on the other hand, those who are "simulationist" in their views about RPGs find out early on that I'm not going to lead them through an explanation and yet still leave them with something as unsatisfactory as "I ate a berry and it un-broke my arm.... it doesn't have to make any sense, it's magic."

In short, people's tastes in what they expect from their RPGs are such a broad range that regardless of what your biases are, chances are very good that there is someone out there who largely shares them. There is likely even someone out there who not only shares them but will thank you for being able to articulate the reasoning behind those biases better than they ever managed to do.
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Oo Ee Oo Aa Aa, Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang... Traditional Verbal Components
Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Wool of Bat and Tongue of Dog... Traditional Potion Formula