A Question for those of you who have published monographs.

[Nightshade]

Was it worth the work?

I'm asking this because one of the things I've been doing in odd moments is, effectively, a project that's more or less a modified update of the old FutureWorld setting; an exploration based campaign set in a future where people explore alien worlds through stargates. It uses a somewhat different backhistory and such, but most of the same aliens (with some extras) and technologies and the like. I've already done a considerable amount of mechanical work, and I occasionally toyed with the idea of trying to turn it into a full blown monograph and see if Chaosium would like it, but I'm not sure if the amount of work and hassle is justified.

How have you felt about the ones you did?

(As an aside, how many people would be interested in such a product?)

[threedeesix]

Was it worth the work?

Yes. Now this is not because of the vast amount of wealth that I have attained*, but because of the self-satisfaction of knowing that I actually achieved something I had not really imagined doing just a few short years ago.

Was is easy? No. Did I think about giving up? More times than you can count.

How have you felt about the ones you did?

It's my baby. I watched it grow up and develop in a short time into something I'm very proud of, and her sibling is due next year.

(As an aside, how many people would be interested in such a product?)

Sounds interesting. So sign me up.

Rod

* I have attained very little wealth.

[Agentorange]

I'd buy it, but then I'm a BRP whore, I'd buy anything.

Seriously though, it sounds interesting enough to open the wallet for.

[Puck]

It is a lot of work and it can be very frustrating ( I threw down the Green numerous time and gave up). It certainly is not worth the money.

On the other hand the process is an adventure in itself and can be a lot of fun. Also, you will learn a lot from it.

My advice would be to go for it, but like any hobby, make sure you are having fun along the way.

I believe the Sci-fi/Space possibilities for BRP are still pretty open. I personally would love to see futuristic vehicle rules for BRP; spaceships, landing craft, and grav-tanks. Although with the use of stargates this doesn't sound where you are going.

P.S. I believe that if you take on a future world monograph it would make Mr. Rust very happy.

Edited October 12, 2010 by Puck

[NickMiddleton]

Was it worth the work?

Depends how much work ends up being involved. Outpost 19 was fairly straightforward, but it was a sketch of a setting and then what I think of as a scenario framework I'd already largely written and had played through: so much of the work I had to do was tidying up existing notes and filling in gaps. Plus, Chaosium handled editing and layout not me, so I had far less to do than is typical I think.

I have absolutely no idea if Chaosium would consider doing the same thing again: they seem to have a much healthier submission queue now than when I sent Dustin the original Outpost 19 manuscript. But it's surely worth at least discussing with Dustin.

How have you felt about the ones you did?

It does what I set out to do pretty much, and I'm pleased as punch with the work John Dalton (and the previous editor) did on it. Every time I read it I see little things I wish I'd caught, and I constantly wonder whether I communicated the original vision as well as I could. But as a first outing I'm definitely pleased with it.

(As an aside, how many people would be interested in such a product?)

Guaranteed sale here - my regular group are far less keen on SF than I am so don't know when I'd get to play but I'd buy a copy for certain.

Nick

[RosenMcStern]

(As an aside, how many people would be interested in such a product?)

Me for sure. I liked Outpost 19, and I am waiting for River of Heaven. We have too few SF publications for BRP at the moment.

[rust]

P.S. I believe that if you take on a future world monograph it would make Mr. Rust very happy.

Indeed.

[GianniVacca]

Was it worth the work?

I'm asking this because one of the things I've been doing in odd moments is, effectively, a project that's more or less a modified update of the old FutureWorld setting; an exploration based campaign set in a future where people explore alien worlds through stargates.[...]

(As an aside, how many people would be interested in such a product?)

If it's anything similar to Iria or Cowboy Bebop I'd certainly be interested.

[seneschal]

I've been trying to cajole rust into turning his water world colonization campaign into a coherent sourcebook but he insists that his language skills aren't up to the task. I dunno. Him speakie Ingles okie-dokey to me.

[rust]

I've been trying to cajole rust into turning his water world colonization campaign into a coherent sourcebook but he insists that his language skills aren't up to the task.

Well, to translate the "fluff" parts of the setting would be work instead of fun,

so it is highly unlikely that I will ever feel an urge to do it ...

[seneschal]

Well, to translate the "fluff" parts of the setting would be work instead of fun,

so it is highly unlikely that I will ever feel an urge to do it ...

Not even for wealth, glory, the adoration of gorgeous women, the acclamation of your peers, and the chance to see your name in lights?

Er, well, at least the chance to see your name in print and earn enough money to buy your next BRP supplement?

[Nightshade]

Not even for wealth, glory, the adoration of gorgeous women, the acclamation of your peers, and the chance to see your name in lights?

Er, well, at least the chance to see your name in print and earn enough money to buy your next BRP supplement?

Well, that is always the question, isn't it? Among other things, I'd hate to get people hepped up on the idea of Doorways in the Sky and then run out of steam doing the detail work halfway through.

[Atgxtg]

N

Er, well, at least the chance to see your name in print and earn enough money to buy your next BRP supplement?

What next supplment? Will most comapnies send you a copy of the book you just wrote?

[soltakss]

Was it worth the work?

Yes, I think it was. I'm yet to break even, having splashed out on a number of books for background research, but that's not really the point.

There is definitely something about having your name on the top of an article or on the front of a book that makes me feel proud.

I'm asking this because one of the things I've been doing in odd moments is, effectively, a project that's more or less a modified update of the old FutureWorld setting; an exploration based campaign set in a future where people explore alien worlds through stargates. It uses a somewhat different backhistory and such, but most of the same aliens (with some extras) and technologies and the like. I've already done a considerable amount of mechanical work, and I occasionally toyed with the idea of trying to turn it into a full blown monograph and see if Chaosium would like it, but I'm not sure if the amount of work and hassle is justified.

The amount of work is quite high. It took me six months to write Merrie England and probably about the same to write my parts of Birchbark Chronicles: Golden Horde. Although I usually worked on Saturday nights while my wife was here and all weekend when she was away, it still took a lot of my spare time. The hardest part was fleshing out the background and trying to ensure consistency.

If you write up the technologies and background then add character generation then you have most of a SciFi supplement. It might be worth writing something for yourself and then seeing how much extra work would be needed to make it into a fully blown monograph.

How have you felt about the ones you did?

Relieved that they are finished, pleased that people like them, excited at the next one.

(As an aside, how many people would be interested in such a product?)

It sounds good to me and we need more SciFi for BRP.

[rust]

Er, well, at least the chance to see your name in print and earn enough money to buy your next BRP supplement?

No, not really. While it is not that difficult to translate the mechanics and the

general framework of a setting, the "fluff" that transports the "feel and mood"

of a setting requires more language skill than I have.

I can write such texts in German, I even managed to sell a few science fiction

short stories (and therefore know what my name in print looks like ...), but to

do it in English in about the same quality would be hard work for me - and I do

not want to see anything in lesser quality published.

[rleduc]

Since the days when “old school” was simply “the school” I had been running post apocalyptic games that were a restaging of what has become “the cannon fantasy” setting. To me it was an obvious and fun thing to do, but none of the PA games that I could get ever had that as their focus – sure I could beat mechanics into allowing the game I wanted, but never out of the box.

So then I got the crazy idea to write a monograph which would, I imagined, be shared amongst the friendly people here at BRPCentral – and a few friends and the occasional outsider who stumbled upon it.

Well before I know it, R&R is being compared on RPGNet with all the current high profile PA games and getting trashed – I felt that in general the wider audience was buying it hoping for “Aftermath – the BRP version” and then being disappointed. In retrospect I should have spelled out exactly what I was trying to do -- the title was too subtle (come on people Rubble and Ruin – dang doesn’t that sound a lot like certain other old school games).

Still, I am glad I wrote it – I am sorry that there is a swath of people who bought it expecting something else, and should I find time to write another monograph I will (though I will try to be more explicit with my back text).

[seneschal]

What next supplment? Will most comapnies send you a copy of the book you just wrote?

The next supplement written by someone else.

[seneschal]

Since the days when “old school” was simply “the school” I had been running post apocalyptic games that were a restaging of what has become “the cannon fantasy” setting. To me it was an obvious and fun thing to do, but none of the PA games that I could get ever had that as their focus – sure I could beat mechanics into allowing the game I wanted, but never out of the box.

So then I got the crazy idea to write a monograph which would, I imagined, be shared amongst the friendly people here at BRPCentral – and a few friends and the occasional outsider who stumbled upon it.

Well before I know it, R&R is being compared on RPGNet with all the current high profile PA games and getting trashed – I felt that in general the wider audience was buying it hoping for “Aftermath – the BRP version” and then being disappointed. In retrospect I should have spelled out exactly what I was trying to do -- the title was too subtle (come on people Rubble and Ruin – dang doesn’t that sound a lot like certain other old school games).

Still, I am glad I wrote it – I am sorry that there is a swath of people who bought it expecting something else, and should I find time to write another monograph I will (though I will try to be more explicit with my back text).

I wouldn't feel too bad. Post-apocalyptic has as many flavor variations as any other subgenre. You've got everything from the light-hearted gonzo feel of Thundarr the Barbarian to the depressingly realistic saga of The Road. Sheesh, even the John Carter novels could be considered post-apocalyptic, and they aren't the same experience as The Postman or the Deadlands novels.

[Thalaba]

I thought that Post Apoc thread at RPG.net was a bit unfortunate. Only three people who posted had seen Rubble and Ruin. One of them didn't understand the concept of the monograph, and a second criticized the lack of mutation rules, not knowing they're in the core book. Both seemed to be excited by something more gonzo than what R&R was aiming for. The third person who had seen it said something positive: that it 'shined' in areas - but never posted again in more detail. I don't think that thread was a proper reflection on the product at all, based on my skim through it. Sadly, I haven't had time to properly read R&R yet, or I would have posted a rebuttal. FWIW, Rubble and Ruin looks to be the kind of gritty Post Apoc that I prefer, and I thought it was pretty well laid out and illustrated, too - so your efforts are definitely appreciated. Mind you, I knew what to expect from it before I ordered it, having read your blog etc.

[eric71]

Rubble & Ruin,in my opinion is one of the best PA supplements to come out in along time.And im a huge fan of the genre,if its post apoc ive read it ,watched it ,or played it.

Edited October 15, 2010 by eric71

[rleduc]

Thanks everyone for the comments regarding R&R but I feel that I am thread-jacking the thread. What I was getting at was that for me writing a monograph was a personal thing that I did because I wanted to write what I felt was a cool thing – independent of any response from the gaming community as a whole (but certainly with the folks on this forum in mind), and even though I did step onto a PA third rail – it was still worth it.

Not only would I do it again – but I am starting to outline my next idea. (But it is nice to hear people say they enjoyed the work )