Clarification/Stupid Question
zircher:
How much of the play aid advice can be moved into a supplemental text or a separate designer's note?
Jonathan Walton:
Pat: There's no rules on art and design. Include whatever you like, but the reviewers will not judge your game better or worse based on how it looks.
Daniel and Zircher: The 3,000-word limit is pretty serious, but you can include anything not necessary for playing the game in supplemental materials that the reviewers will probably look over but not necessarily read and review in detail. But anything past ~3,000 words is optional when it comes to the work the reviewers will be asked to put in.
Jonathan Walton:
A couple general thoughts on length and cutting, for those who have a working draft already:
I am somewhat skeptical that making an alpha draft any longer is going to make it better. If you have critical advice on how to play the game -- where playing without the advice leads to a measurably worse play experience -- maybe the "advice" should actually be part of the rules: how the game works in the first place.
Additionally, remember that your text should leave players excited about playing your game and seeing how it actually works at the table. This means you don't necessarily need to explain in detail exactly how things should go. You wrote the game to facilitate certain kinds of experiences, right? Then trust in your own design abilities and allow the players to find out for themselves how it works. Show, don't tell. Teach your players to fish, don't describe the fishing trip they are about to embark on.
I hope that helps, if you're beginning to face difficult decisions about wordcount. You may also find it useful to imagine that you're writing this draft as a proposal to a potential publisher, investor, or other interested party, and they have asked you for 3,000 words of your best design work, proving that a Shakespeare-inspired game is feasible.
Baxil:
JWalt: The official rules make vague mention that, if a 2011 Chef fails to return their preliminary reviews, that duty might be kicked back to non-finishing participants or to past Chefs. Are you taking volunteers? For a confluence of reasons (including illness), I'm regretfully bowing out of this year's comp, but I'd love to help out.
Jonathan Walton:
Definitely! Thanks, Baxil. I'll keep you on speed-dial in the event of a reviewing emergency.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page