A question about writing an RPG Book…

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

A question about writing an RPG Book…

I am working on an RPG book and I need some advise. Part of the book involve 26 gates to various far off places (Not Ravenloft, Pseudo-Asia, Pseudo-Ethiopia, etc.) in addition to other elements. I am comfortable with most of the work, however I cannot decide how to resolve an issue about those gates.

In theory, each gate should have a guardian. Further, each guardian thematically matches their realm (So a vampire at the gate to Not Ravenloft, an oni demon at the gate to Pseudo-Asian, a were-hyena at the gate to Pseudo-Ethiopia and so forth). My question is, how thoroughly should I detail each guardian?

I do not see the book as being about the guardians, but using the gates is a central theme.

 

[bruceparis]

I don't think you need to detail them (stat-wise) very much at all. Such "creatures" would be of demi-god status - meaning that they would have all Traits at 12+2. They would wear legendary armour (giving at least +4 to Parry) and wield legendary weapons (giving at least +4 to Fight or Shoot). I, personally, would imbue them with story and description that lets your players know that these guys are not to be messed with. And if they do try and mess with them ... well ...

You could also have a description in your book that reads: "Guardians of the gates not only control who goes through, but also who they let out." Why would you kill the only guy who can let you out of a demi-plane? ;-)

 

[delericho]

My question is, how thoroughly should I detail each guardian?

How do you foresee the PCs interacting with the Guardians? If they're very unlikely to encounter them at all, then a one-sentence description is probably enough (or may even be overkill). If they're expected to talk to the Guardian, then a description of the personality is probably better. And if they're expected to fight their way through, you'll need one or more stat-blocks (or the SW equivalent) to handle that.

IOW, decide what job you need them to do, then pick the right tool for that job.

 

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

The guardians cannot be gods - regular PCs need to be able to deal with them. However, I have resolved the issue, some but not all of the guardians will be detailed and others just described, and thank everyone for their response.