How much Jack could a Jack Chick Chick if a Jack Chick could Chick Jack? (Help!)

[Crothian]

And it is also a city in Spain that produces swords....

Ya, but Klinger is not from that city....

 

[brehobit]

I don't know if anyone else remembers this, but what actually drew me into playing D&D in the early 80s was a short pamphlet that explained what D&D and roleplaying were and then had a short transcript of play (sort of like what you find in the AD&D DMG). IIRC, the characters had to traverse an open pit and fight an owlbear. I think I was about 10 years old at the time and the concept blew my mind.

I found the pamphlet in a D&D display at the local drug store of all places! It was a folded two-pager, I think, filled front and back.

Yeah,
TSR put them out. I had a few around for the longest time. I think I was it around 1982. They were pretty good...

 

[ssampier]

I wonder why Wizards doesn't produce an decent three panel pamplet. If anyone in the industry could do it, they could.

 

[Gez]

White Wolf made a pamphlet once.

It isn't that good.

 

[reanjr]

Nigh impossible. You could certainly do it in less pages than GURPS lite, but one sheet of A4/letter paper with legible text won't cut it.

That sounds like a challenge.

What defines an RPG? What basic elements have to be there? Would freeforming be OK, because that can be explained very quickly:

"The Game"

Find a number of people and designate one as the Storyteller. The rest are are Players. Together, sitting around a table or somewhere else comfortable, the Storyteller and Players use their imagination to "write" a story collaboratively. The game starts with the Storyteller coming up with an idea of what type of story he would like to tell. He creates a basic premise, such as "The story is about a group of coworkers in a large office bulding that comes under terrorist attack."

The Players take over the role of characters in the story. Now, he may not want to give the story away to the Players right away, so he might tell them "The story takes place in a 25 story office building in a large metropolis. Each of you [the Players] will take the role of an lowly office worker on the 17th floor, such as a file clerk or staff assistant. Now tell me about your characters."

At this point, each of the Players decides what type of character they want to portray in the story. One Player might decide that she wants to play Sarah, the newly hired administrative assistant to the graphics design team. She tells the other Players and the Storyteller about Sarah. This character introduction should be brief, but the Player should try to at least touch on Sarah's appearence, her personality, what kind of relationship she has with her coworkers, etc.

The Player should try to only describe her character, but may go beyond this scope if it fits the Storyteller's story. For instance, the Storyteller hadn't thought to have a graphics design team, but the Player suggested it and it seems like a good idea, so the Storyteller rolls with it. If the Player describes something that doesn't work with what the Storyteller had in mind, he can veto or alter it.

Each player in turn introduces their character to the story. As they are describing their character, other Players or the Storyteller can chime in to flesh out the scenario or supporting characters.

After each of the Players is finished introducing their character to the story, the Storyteller will set up a scenario for these character to interact with. The Players then indicate what their characters do in this situation and so on. The Storyteller then slowly reveals through the story what is transpiring (the terrorist attack). The story continues, each Player and the Storyteller adding their own ideas and inspiration to it. At any point, the Storyteller has full control over the events of the story. He may veto or alter actions as he sees fit to make the story fit his premise or to make it more exciting and entertaining for all. Throughout this process the Players should try to indicate any actions their characters attempt, but not the resolution. That is the purview of the Storyteller.

...

That's basically a RPG. Probably fits on less than 1/2 page A4 or US Letter.
This post is covered by a BSD license. Feel free to use it or alter it in a "pamphlet" or any other publication as long you attribute Richard Remer.

 

[shurai]

off topic

BSD License? I'm an open-source zealot myself, so I approve. Have you heard of the Creative Commons? (http://creativecommons.org/) They have a nifty and flexible license (http://creativecommons.org/license/) especially for doing non-software creative work, such as a gaming manual or a pamphlet.

It's coo.

-S