Rodrigo Istalindir
Explorer
Dr Awkward said:
Note to self: Include 'Commune with Dead'
An idea for a nifty prop.
- Thread starter RangerWickett
- Start date
Note to self: Include 'Commune with Dead'
well, I've gone and done it.
I've got the content for a 128 page book (paper-back sized) done and printed.
In game, the wizard PC found a spell book a few sessions ago. Time has past. the player keeps forgetting what spells I told her were in it. My solution, hand her the spell book she found. To make things interesting, I had the original owner scribble notes to himself about various topics. Many of those notes are clues/explanations as to his strange behavior and the organization he belonged to. This the player something to puzzle over.
So I started with MS Word and did the following:
pasted the SRD text for each spell the wizard knew into the doc.
I put a ---- line between each spell, so I could tell what was going on
I set the font on the spells to something unreadable (part of the puzzle, want to know what spells he had, go figure out what font I used). All the player has to do is decipher the font, and then appy that to the first line in each spell, which is the spell name.
To outline my wizard's path to madness, I made a list of the journal entries I would need. I added some extra, to pad things out. I then went front to back and interspersed the journal entries between the various spells (that's when I'd write the real journal text). I then set the font for those entries to something cursive looking or another mystery font for the player to decode (I actually chose an easier font puzzle, because there is much more to text decode).
The result is a wizard's spell book with spells going up to 6th level, and a variety of notes, cryptic, and elusive, scattered through the book.
To print all this, here's what I had to do:
set the paper type to the double sheet format
break the original document into 32 page files (which will yield 8 sheets of paper, double sided when printed) to create the sections/choruses.
In my case, I have 4 sections.
I'll fold each section (much easier to fold 8 pages in half at once than 32 pages).
I'll then sew each section into the cover (yet to be built)
each section will be sewn adjacent to each other, in order.
This is pretty much how real books are built.
For the cover, I plan on getting a piece of cardstock/cardboard (not cardboard box cardboard, I want the solid stuff, 1/8" thick or so). I'll fold it to the proper thickness for the spine. Then I'll punch the threading holes
I'll then probably paint the cover with something book like, to make it look less like cardboard.
After that's all ready, I can sew in the sections
I'll also have to come up with something to cover the threading on the spine, perhaps I can glue on a second pit of cardboard/wood over the spine to give it a distinct appearance.
Let me know if anyone's interested in my word doc for their own use, I may be able to arrange something. Perhaps as a PDF?
Janx
I've got the content for a 128 page book (paper-back sized) done and printed.
In game, the wizard PC found a spell book a few sessions ago. Time has past. the player keeps forgetting what spells I told her were in it. My solution, hand her the spell book she found. To make things interesting, I had the original owner scribble notes to himself about various topics. Many of those notes are clues/explanations as to his strange behavior and the organization he belonged to. This the player something to puzzle over.
So I started with MS Word and did the following:
pasted the SRD text for each spell the wizard knew into the doc.
I put a ---- line between each spell, so I could tell what was going on
I set the font on the spells to something unreadable (part of the puzzle, want to know what spells he had, go figure out what font I used). All the player has to do is decipher the font, and then appy that to the first line in each spell, which is the spell name.
To outline my wizard's path to madness, I made a list of the journal entries I would need. I added some extra, to pad things out. I then went front to back and interspersed the journal entries between the various spells (that's when I'd write the real journal text). I then set the font for those entries to something cursive looking or another mystery font for the player to decode (I actually chose an easier font puzzle, because there is much more to text decode).
The result is a wizard's spell book with spells going up to 6th level, and a variety of notes, cryptic, and elusive, scattered through the book.
To print all this, here's what I had to do:
set the paper type to the double sheet format
break the original document into 32 page files (which will yield 8 sheets of paper, double sided when printed) to create the sections/choruses.
In my case, I have 4 sections.
I'll fold each section (much easier to fold 8 pages in half at once than 32 pages).
I'll then sew each section into the cover (yet to be built)
each section will be sewn adjacent to each other, in order.
This is pretty much how real books are built.
For the cover, I plan on getting a piece of cardstock/cardboard (not cardboard box cardboard, I want the solid stuff, 1/8" thick or so). I'll fold it to the proper thickness for the spine. Then I'll punch the threading holes
I'll then probably paint the cover with something book like, to make it look less like cardboard.
After that's all ready, I can sew in the sections
I'll also have to come up with something to cover the threading on the spine, perhaps I can glue on a second pit of cardboard/wood over the spine to give it a distinct appearance.
Let me know if anyone's interested in my word doc for their own use, I may be able to arrange something. Perhaps as a PDF?
Janx
RangerWickett
Legend
That sounds like it deserves to be sold. If only there were some sort of EN World community publisher that did that sort of thing. Hmmmm.
