How to deal with the simultaneous demand for and aversion to "flavor" in RPG books?

[PenguinKing]

Yeah, it's a tough one. Flavor. When it's absent, people complain, but when it's present, those same people hate it.

Generic material is derided as bland and boring, yet if one adds details, one gets shot down for making it harder to adapt to someone else's campaign. Flat, matter-of-fact descriptive text is deemed unevocative, yet one isn't "allowed" to use any sort of distinctive voice - at least if one wishes to avoid getting stomped all over for being less than crystal-clear. No setting and structure leaves users hanging, but any at all is apparently too much.

So how would you deal with it? If you were writing an RPG sourcebook, how would you strike a balance betwixt the demand for flavor and the demand for no flavor?

- Sir Bob.

P.S. Nih!

 

[kkoie]

Add what ever amount of "flavor" you like, but structure the classes, races, and other rules related material in a way that it would not take a lot of work to transport the material to another setting.

So for example, instead of a race that is called the Kelanthee who have pale blue skin, califlower shaped ears, violet eyes, and are natural wizards, with a bent towards conjuration, you would create a varient race of elves (like moon elves in FR, they are essentially another version of Grey Elf.)

With things like feats, prestige classes, items, spells, etc etc, you could add flavor, but don't make it difficult to change.

So a Knight of the Blue Flame, would have lots of flavor text, etc etc, but you wouldn't add so many qualifications and rules that would make it difficult to transport it to Forgotten Realms, by changing the name to a Knight of Tyr or something.

Anyway thats just my idea on the subject.

K Koie

 

[GuardianLurker]

Relics & Rituals does an excellent job of providing separating the flavor text and the rules in most cases; I recommend its practices highly to any others interested in doing the same.

 

[PenguinKing]

So for example, instead of a race that is called the Kelanthee who have pale blue skin, califlower shaped ears, violet eyes, and are natural wizards, with a bent towards conjuration, you would create a varient race of elves (like moon elves in FR, they are essentially another version of Grey Elf.)

So basically, you advocate D&D3E's practice of having elves, other elves, and other other elves?

- Sir Bob.

P.S. Nih!

 

[Nightfall]

I'm hopeful R&R2 does the same thing. Course it will be a little more "focused" I'm sure since it will try to cover new ground.

 

[ravenjiia]

Hear Me Out People...

Magic-
is defined as a force that drives all things.Energy.As an energy it can never be created nor destroyed but can be change into one form or another.

There are two kinds of Magic.Elemental Magic and Divine Magic.

Elemental Magic is divided into 4 components.Fire,Wind,Water and Earth.
Divine Magic is divided into 2 components.Holy and Unholy magic.Your so called Light and Darkness.

One must be able to "focus" to be attuned to magic.Most mages (note that i use the term mages which includes sorcerors,wizards,bards.etc) and clerics, focus through meditation.

Once attuned to magic,the magic user may tap into this energy and "wield" this energy.Thus i term magic users on this post wielders...Wielders need mental discipline to cast magic.Thus a wielder can use his energy(mana) to change magic energy to his desired effects.Energy needs energy to be change into one form to another.Thus a wielder use his energy to cast spells.

Several spell components needs to be met for a spell to be sucessfully cast.
1.the mental component
2.verbal component
3.somatic component

the mental component

For a magi to transform into a wolf he needs to know the anatomy of the wolf.
For a magi to cast fireball he needs to know its properties...that a fireball cannot be cast into vacuum of space or in fields that possess frost properties..etc..etc

Thus a wielder needs to know the properties of the spell,its effects and such to cast it sucessfully.

the verbal component

the verbal component facilitates memory.Thus when a wizard chants a spell and heraing himself chanting it helps him remember the properties of the spell,its effects and such...thus facilitating spell casting...

It is proven in universities that saying words out loud and hearimg the words helps learning...saying fireball helps you imagine a fireball without much effort...

a specific wielder has his on incantation that only he can understand.Thus each spell may have varying incantattion depending to the magi using it.

Bards however uses verbal component to its full effect.For saying "ray of death" in front of a crowd usually has a different effect than singing "ring-a-ring a poses...and they all fall down...

the somatic component

actions also facilitate spell casting...pointing your finger to where the fireball will billowed eazes the job.Thus like verbal component,it only facilitate spell casting.


*Notice that the more the powerful the spell the more the intricate the gesture?and cantrips spells requires just mental component and a simple gesture...it is because the deadlier the spell,its properties are more complicated...it needs a lot of facilitation to help the caster...

Like a very hard chemistry quiz...students needs a lot of clues to remeber the right formula...

and hey...this is copyrighted by the way...

I wrote a BOOk the is entitled LUMOS AND UMBRA...hope it gets printed...any questions...email me at ravenjiia@yahoo.com... dont reply this may be my first and last tme posting...just email me..im pretty busy..it make take a while to mail you back...

 

[arwink]

I try not to think about it, then write the product with the balance of fluff/crunch I think is necessary for the concept. If it works, then I try to keep the same balance with the next product. If it doesn't, then I move on to the next product and try something different.

 

[Crothian]

If people are asking for one thing, get it and then complain about it: why would you listen to the wants of those people??

 

[Psion]

Whoa. Threadomancy!

Answer the first:
Diff'rent strokes. Those are two different sets of people.

Answer the second:

I've said this before, but I used to be a big "gimme crunch" person. But after Book of Taverns came out, I realized it was not fluff I disdained, but bad, poorly written fluff.

So yeah. Bring on the fluff. If it's well written, interesting, and contributes to the game. Sadly, most isn't.

 

[ssampier]

I like flavor, I like crunch. Crunch is more transportable, but flavor is easier to read and gives me inspiration to create my own stuff. So I like both.

I think in your own campaign world your crunch should match your flavor, something my players don't understand. Just because the prestige class/race/class/spell exists, doesn't necessarily mean it "fits" into my world. I would be more than happy to go half-way by having them design a section of the world this may exist in, but no; they aren't interested. They want their loot now.

So basically, you advocate D&D3E's practice of having elves, other elves, and other other elves?

- Sir Bob.

P.S. Nih!

That's it, I'm making it dwarves, other dwarves, and other other dwarves

Dwarves see PHB

Other Dwarves They wear an eyepatch; see PHB

Other Other Dwarves These dwarves are part of a strong-knit clan. They have a dedication to stomping off various evils (such as trolls, giants, dragons, and demons). They are crazy and known for fairly suicidal techniques. To show off their bravery the Other Other Dwarves have large, colored mohawk hair and many elaborately decorated tattoos.*

*blantenly ripped off from Warhamer Fantasy Roleplay