Cutting the first stead tree

From: John Hughes <nysalor_at_ramtR9U4PSpz-SpYJeEYg9FIDbe6WGkz0hklnjKdiyhZOu5BoczoNvis-bPSRSF9spk8>
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 01:19:26 -0800


Comrades

Darrin - thanks for the background. I especially loved that plinth painting.

How are we to proceed? Can I ask folk to comment on my proposed stages of stead building, which are reproduced below. It was not intended to be in any way final, so if you have alternative ideas or structures, now is the time to air them.

The second question is do we proceed on several steads at once, or do we do one together and iron out our system as we go? (I personally prefer the second option).

Third, we have a talented and diverse bunch of people here. If one particular part of the project interests you, please speak up.

I propose that after a few days discussion on how to approach the project, we put up a poll towards the end of the weekend where people can indicate the parts of the stead or steads they might like to work on. That will probably give us small groups of two or three people who can go to private email and come up with something - even something tentative - to share. We all have characters and locales and story seeds, I'd like to get them in circulation as soon as possible. I think we'd all prefer to have some real data to work with, even if we put it through two or three iterations till we get it right.

PROJECT OUTLINE My tentative overview suggested we target four types of stead -

Each stead description would contain the following sections, built up in stages (though we could do parallel first iterations:

  1. A brief overview and description of the stead (using the clan gen etc.)
  2. An initial rough map of the immediate locale ( a rough grid and splotches!)
  3. A brief timeline recording significant events affecting the stead (lodge burned. giant sat on buttery etc.)
  4. A listing and description of the local clan ring (names roles and brief stats)
  5. A listing and description of important people at the stead (names roles and brief stats, possible story seeds)
  6. A detailed description of stead buildings and landmarks (description, location, associated stories or history, scenario seeds)
  7. A listing of resources, crops, crafts, shrines, wyters etc. (stock, crafts, trade if any, whatever is appropriate. Eccentric wyters with personality!)
  8. Associated poems, mythlets, songs, triads and cattle boasts (optional but adds a lot)
  9. A list of people and locales keyed to scenario seeds
  10. A final, detailed keyed map

As we build up data and detail, there will certainly be a lot of shared or alternative detail. If we end up doing four steads, we should try and use four different clan types, four different ring types etc.

I have asked Issaries about sharing the clan questionaire, and will report as soon as i hear back. While the clan generatore may be extremely helpful, we can also go far by producing backgrounds based on the current version (or even without using it at all).

I will upload to the files area up some windoz truetype map symbol and dingbat fonts that mat prove useful. Please do likewise if you have any you think might be useful.

At this stage, don't be scared to post a brain dump of silly and not so silly ideas, half-formed thoughts, lists of things you'd like to see etc. Grammer and sentence structure strictly optional!

One that just occured to me: I'd like a wyter who is like a bear.

Pass the axe, brother, for I see this land through the eyes of my god...

John 

nysalor_at_utivuJiNtCcG5mesPX7l2n81M_foB3tj3h70d4WMi47_8tQM5pzSNBL_mTaQko74AQOmbv8u3rpCaoZETUKV.yahoo.invalid                              John Hughes
Questlines: http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/

The hills of Largertarn
Midst the storms of Ohorlanth
Are two silver horns,
Two breasts childing,
Two steads of lightning.

Midst the gales of Valind
They are two rusted swords,
Twin waves of darkness,
Twin pillars of ice.

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