Story Hour Authors! A few questions...

[el-remmen]

1. How many sessions deep are you into your story? (meaning- how many single game sessions have you written up for your SH so far?)

I have written up 33 sessions as of last night.


2. Everyone seems to agree that a successful story hour can only come about as a result of passion on the writer's part for the story, not the glory. Still, how much do you value reader feedback?

I like it – but I just like knowing people are reading – as long as they are reading they must love it or really hate it – so the individual comments are not as important – but I still like reading them, and wouldn’t mind having more.

3. What percentage of your own players read the story, would you say?

Hmmm, about 50%?

4. Do you value the page views column on the main page? If so, do you feel like jumping from a bridge when you see Piratecat's views?

Eh, I admit I compare sometimes – but not all of us have a bot that constantly views the pages for us like PC does.

5. What's the worst in-game moment you've had to write up? Examples could include a total party kill or heavily hyped bad guy going down in the first round, etc... Things that just don't really happen in epic fantasy fiction.

I love writing them all – esp. the embarrassing scenes – it is a challenge for me to write quirky “D&D” stuff into the narrative and make it work.

6. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH?

Hmm. . . I think it is different for everyone – but for me:

a) sense of place –the setting should come to life so that the PCs do not seem to be acting in a vacuum.
b) Dialogue. Each character should have a “voice” – they come alive in their own words.
c) Action Scenes.


7. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH writing style?

Again, this is different for everyone. . . I like a) attention to detail, b) lots of dialogue, c)fast-paced combat scenes.

8. How many sessions behind are you in your writing, compared to where the campaign actually is, in-game?

Ugh, 13 sessions.

9. Have you ever tried to turn events (discouraging a certain course of action, cheesing a rule, etc.) in-game for the benefit of the story hour? If so, have your players called you on it?

Nope.

10. If your story hour were published in novel form, paste here what you would want as the first-page teaser: several paragraphs from the story to hook the attention of a browsing bookstore patron. EDIT: quick note- people seem to think I mean the same old "give us a few paragraphs about your SH". I mean "Give us a few paragraphs FROM your SH".

From Session #27

“Are we ready to have this meal?” Ratchis asked, eagerly.

“I think we still have a lot to talk about,” Beorth said flatly. “And I would not like to interrupt the reverence of the occasion with talk of our troubles. Best we do our talking first.”

“Agreed,” said Ratchis.

“I think we should start at the beginning and go over everything that has happened and that we have learned in a systematic way. I will take some notes,” Beorth suggested. “Let’s start at the beginning.”

“Well, back when I was six years old…” Jeremy looked at the unsmiling faces of his companions. “Never mind, just a joke to break the tension.”

“Well, here are our tasks,” Beorth began, ignoring Jeremy. “Find a dragon, defeat the drow, find an extra-planar gate of some sort…”

“Does that include the stuff about the urn?” Jeremy asked.

“Don’t forget to include the gnomes as well,” Kazrack added. “And the true intentions of the king.”

“How’d that happen?” Jeremy asked, as he grabbed an extra pillow and propped it up against the wall and leaned back comfortably.

“What?” Kazrack asked.

“How’d the list get so long?”

Kazrack looked over at Beorth who was busily jotting down notes about their adventures and goals on separate sheets of parchment.

“I never trust paper for recording important things,” Kazrack said.

“We don’t have time for you to chisel it all down,” Jeremy said, sarcastically.

“I wasn’t think of etching it in stone. Maybe clay, but not stone.” Kazrack gave a rare smile.

“Do we really think King Brevelan really plans to sell the dragon-hunters into slavery?” Martin asked.

“I think he is up to something,” Ratchis grunted. “I trust that man even less than I like him.”

”Oh, don’t forget the amulet and the need to destroy it,” Kazrack said to the paladin.

“Don’t worry, no way for me to forget that,” Beorth said. “The real question is, we have all these tasks, but which is the most important to deal with first and where does each one take place so we can plan a course of action?”

“I’ve actually been visited in my dreams, I guess by Osiris, indicating that my task in return for Jeremy’s life must be done soon,” Kazrack said. (98)

“Interesting,” Martin said.

“Really?” Jeremy said softly, slightly awed by the idea that a god was sending dreams because of him.

“I think in terms of the dragon hunt, we need to find a way to determine one way or another if the dragon is real or an illusion,” Kazrack said.

“Well, if it really landed on the roof of the alderman’s house, it might have left claw marks on the shingles,” Martin suggested.

“Could it have even landed on the roof without collapsing it?” Kazrack asked.

“Well, dragons are magical so that could explain it,” Martin mused. “But also we don’t really know how large it really is. The various accounts of its appearance have varied in size, shape and coloration.”

“Have the elves reported seeing the dragon?” Beorth asked.

“No, they have not seen it,” Ratchis said.

“Speculations at this point are not helping. We should try to get a detailed story from someone who has seen the dragon and who we think we can trust to have observed it well, and go from there,” Jana said.

“Well, could Rindalith change into different forms?” Kazrack asked Jana. “Could it have been him I saw fly across the moon?” (99)

“He could never change his form at all that I knew of in the time I knew him,” said Jana. “So, I don’t know.”

“It is very possible that there are two dragons,” said Beorth. One that is an illusion, and one that is not a dragon, but is being mistaken for a dragon. The house that burned down could have been burned down by a gnome.”

“Yeah, but we also heard it ate sheep,” Jeremy said. “Hmm, maybe we can set a trap for it.”

“You want to buy sheep?” Kazrack asked.

“The logistics of such a plan make it difficult to undertake,” said Ratchis. “We have no way of knowing the dragon or whatever it is would come for our sheep.”

“Well, how did we find out that the dragon might be an illusion? Mozek told us,” Beorth said. “Why would he tell us that if it were true or untrue? What is his relation to the dragon?”

“All we know about him is that he is some kind of demonic creature,” Kazrack looked to Jana. “That is not a lot to go on,, but I do want to say that I think we should go help the gnomes, even if that means ignoring the tasks for Osiris and going to back to the gnomes first.”

“Well, it seems to me that if we tried to confront the gnomes now we’d die,” said Ratchis, speaking the unfettered truth. ‘It seems to me that if Hurgun’s Maze is the key to all this and the source of some great power, that the drow witches might seek it out. We already know there is some connection between the gnomes and the Maze because of that creature we saw there.”

“Well, how do we find this place?” Jeremy asked.

“That is the question,” Beorth said. “From what I have learned people have been searching for it for over a hundred years to no avail.”

“Well, we have no reason to think that the drow witches even know about this place,” Kazrack said.

“Wrong,” said Jana scathingly. Everyone turned to look at her. “Don’t forget we told Tirhas everything we know about Mozek, and the gnomes and the creature and the little about the Maze we knew then. She know a lot more than she did before, and is probably smart enough to start putting things together.”

Jeremy sighed.

The party contemplated their predicament.

“Let’s not forget that we’re in a community with knowledge and legends that date back to the Mountain Wars,” Beorth said. “Perhaps when Martin looks in their library he can look for information on Hurgun’s Maze as well. Now, what else is there to do.”

“There are the quests that we’ve taken to bring Jeremy back to life,” Kazrack said. “There are four of them. I have to make sickle for the Circle of Thorns and Ratchis has to do some task for them.”

“So those are the prices you have to pay,” Beorth said, shaking his head. He seemed disappointed.

“They never asked if I wanted to be brought back,” Jeremy said, a hint of sadness in his voice. “Of course, I’m glad to be back. I supposed that in a different world I might have been not glad.”

“The burden of carrying the dead back to the land of the living is a heavy one,” said Beorth, solemnly.

“So, would you have done it?” Jeremy asked the paladin of Anubis.

“No,” Beorth replied without hesitating.

“Well, thanks for being honest.”

“I think it was a fool’s mistake,” Beorth looked at each of his companions in turn.

“Ok, can we stop talking about this now?” Jeremy said, he leaned his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes.

“Well, this is as good a time as any to mention that I would like to by Summit, if at all possible, and reclaim my spellbook,” Martin said.

“But you have been summoned by the King, and if you do not respond to the summoning there may be difficulties,” Ratchis said.

“I think we have enough time before the meeting time to go to Summit, and I can always send word that the meeting needs to be moved somewhere else or at another time. The message gave me that option. Let’s add this to the list,” Martin replied. “And of course, my task for Osiris, to retrieve the Book of Black Circles from the Brotherhood of the Lost, whoever they are.”

11. Give us a link, pookie.

How about three?

”Out of the Frying Pan – Book I: Gathering Wood

”Out of the Frying Pan – Book II: Catching the Spark (Part I)

”Out of the Frying Pan – Book II: Catching the Spark (Part II)

 

[Broccli_Head]

Hi. Just an excuse for authors to pimp their Story Hours (stories hour?) and kill some time with useless questions.

Hooray for Doc!

1. How many sessions deep are you into your story? (meaning- how many single game sessions have you written up for your SH so far?)

I really haven't kept track of sessions. However, we have been playing the same campaign regularly since May or June of 2001

2. Everyone seems to agree that a successful story hour can only come about as a result of passion on the writer's part for the story, not the glory. Still, how much do you value reader feedback?

I would love more feedback and input from outsiders. However, I think the story is for the benefit of my players and I to chronicle what has happened in the campaign.

3. What percentage of your own players read the story, would you say?

33% read it regulary. 25% post regular. Eventually others read it, but rarely do they give feedback.

4. Do you value the page views column on the main page? If so, do you feel like jumping from a bridge when you see Piratecat's views?

Not really.

5. What's the worst in-game moment you've had to write up? Examples could include a total party kill or heavily hyped bad guy going down in the first round, etc... Things that just don't really happen in epic fantasy fiction.

Way back in the early sessions, a psion in the group mind blasted a dragon and stunned her. Granted it took 3 attempts and the dragon lay the smack on a few PCs, but to be hacked to death while stunned always seemed an ignoble way to go for a dragon.

6. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH?

1) Character development
2) A well thought of campaign logically linked together with an end goal in mind that has a great background
3)Action not just words

7. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH writing style?

1)Good grammar! I can't read a story hour that has bad grammar. It's hard to follow. Granted we make mistakes here and there, but the good thing is that we can go back an edit!
2) Incorporating dialogue so that it flows with the story.
3)Minimal mechanics explanations in the body of the story (leaving notes and answers to question possible in subsequent posts)

8. How many sessions behind are you in your writing, compared to where the campaign actually is, in-game?

three or four

9. Have you ever tried to turn events (discouraging a certain course of action, cheesing a rule, etc.) in-game for the benefit of the story hour? If so, have your players called you on it?

Yes. I like to push the story. If they have, I haven't listened all that much. Some of my players like DM fiat since they also prefer story to power. Others do not and struggle when some mechanic they feel should work in a particular situation does not.

10. If your story hour were published in novel form, paste here what you would want as the first-page teaser: several paragraphs from the story to hook the attention of a browsing bookstore patron. EDIT: quick note- people seem to think I mean the same old "give us a few paragraphs about your SH". I mean "Give us a few paragraphs FROM your SH".

From HotVRII:

Pain! Ellysidell felt like he was on fire and was yanked from his reverie.

Souliess dreamed that he was baking in an oven and woke with a start. Their room was on fire, the door was no where to be seen, and the heat was intense. Dense smoke began to form. However, there was no crackling sound and he could not even here his scream. He shouted at Ellysidell, but the elf looked at him strange. No Sound had come out! Quickly, he manifested a mindlink with Ell. Then before he could converse with his companion he sent out feelers to detect any other minds in the room.

That was when the whirling, white-hot blades appeared and tore through the wolverine. Boiling blood hissed as it hit the walls of fire and steamed as they hit the ground. It was his blood and no one heard his yells of pain. He looked up and saw only a ripple in the heat as the blades quickly disappeared. He felt the alien and cruel mind. Death was here and it projected his demise willingly!

Ellysidell saw scimitars lash out at his roommate and struck where he thought they had originated. His blade cut only through air. Souliess reached out to the mind of the enemy and tried to wipe his mind. He could not tell the ripples of power from the shimmers of heat. He hurt badly. Somewhere in their minds a ripping and tearing of cloth echoed. Souliess felt the stong will of the assassin shrug off the attack and reward him with two more cuts of the blazing scimitars. Souliess toppled to the ground. A heap of steaming guts burst forth from his sundered belly.

Then the attacker switched to Ellysidell. The elf yelled and raged and redoubled his effort. He thought about fleeing with the body of his fallen comrade, but only fleetingly. The flaming falchion and the semi-visible blades met each other and sparks flew. Ellysidell felt that he even hit one or two times, but the trade off was four, maybe five slashes that criss-crossed his body. Then two more slices formed a bloody, smoky "X" across his chest and abdomen. Stunned and left exposed, he saw the swirl of red robes and red skin and horns and sharp teeth briefly before he fell. The enemy sliced deeply into his abdomen spilling way too much blood onto the floor. Ellysidell stared in disbelief, sank to his knees, then collapsed face first into the pool of his steaming blood.

Farrouk thought to himself as his wounds began to close, All too easy., and began wiping his blades on the fur of the dead, hairy psion to prevent them from tarnishing...


11. Give us a link, pookie.

See the Sig!

 

[Joker]

1.) None, they are both fictitious (sp?) introduction based on real (with real I mean fake as in made up for a game.) characters. But as soon as I start Dm?g my campaign, I will start writing Story Hours based on what happens in sessions.

2.) It may sound slightly arrogant but I like reading what I write. Though I don't mind feedback. Though I would never tell you to plz go to my sig and press the link to read my tiny Story Hour. Nope. Not me.

3.) Well 20%, but he's not a player, he's a Dm.

4.) I don't really care, b/c it's not a good representation of how many ppl actually read it. Besides, we all know that Piratecat just presses refresh a couple thousand times a day so that it looks like ppl actually read it .

5.) I haven't really ahd an in-game moment yet but I think the hardest would be the infantile conversations that my friends have with the Dm sometimes. I would usually change it or leave it out entirely.

6.)

-Story/Plot- I like to see characters going through something bigger than kill this or kill that n stuff.

-Writing Style- I can't really explain this.

-Suspense, overcoming conflicts n stuff- These are always fun to read, especially if it's well written.

7.)

-Good formatting is definately one. Chtutulfagn (I am absolutely positive I misspelled his name), the one person who posted in my SH told me about this and when I changed my huge block of text into paragraphs and actually spaced it, I noticed a huge difference in the difficulty of reading it. It also became a lot more enjoyable.

-Simple spelling goes a long way.

-Going away from clich? and trying to find different things to say the same thing.

8.) Well, I quit the campaign that my SH was mainly for and I started a RTTTOEE. I thought about writing a Story Hour for that, but seeing the plethora of RTTTOEE SH's I didn't think I could add anything very new to what already existed.

Hopefully I can start my own campaign after Christmas.

9.) I wouldn't do that for a Story Hour per se. But I may do it to save the campaign.

10.)“I am Nemesis. May my sword of justice be sharp…”

The man stood in front of the mirror, scraping the short hair of his head.

“May the instruments of my righteousness be undefiled…”

Scrape.

“May the shield of my faith be strong.?

With every scrape, he uttered another one of the lines from his three-line mantra.
When his head felt smooth again, he wiped the condensation of the mirror to see the result of his handiwork.
His unusually blue eyes stared back at him.
He gazed at his throat, looked at it for a moment then looked back at the sharp razor. He was tempted, but then he put the razor down.

He turned around and walked out of the bathroom naked, into the large living area that contained everything he owned, which was everything he needed.

He walked towards the man-high mirror and inspected his tall, muscular body: The clean shaved head, the broad shoulders, the powerful arms, the rippling muscles on his stomach and the muscled legs. On the left side of his body except his face he had carved the word ‘DUTY?in every known language and on the right side he had carved the word ‘HONOR?in every language.
But there was not a single hint of vanity on his face. Instead, the look that he wore was one of meticulous objectivity, as if checking to see if a tool or weapon that was of great import to him was in good shape.

As always, he was satisfied.


Maybe that's too much for a teaser. Oh well.

11.) Click the link, click the link. I will pay you if u click the link. Well, not really, but it's the thought that counts.



I hope this post was at least mildly informative/entertaining. I sure thought it was an excellent pass time to spend my skipped English class. And if I said things that were said before, I'm sorry, my English class wasn't long enough to read the whole thing.

Tata.

 

[(contact)]

1. How many sessions deep are you into your story? (meaning- how many single game sessions have you written up for your SH so far?)

• The Liberation of Tenh is about 50 runs deep (not including the TOEE2), and the Risen Goddess is at 40-ish. Both campaigns been running since the release of 3rd edition.

2. Everyone seems to agree that a successful story hour can only come about as a result of passion on the writer's part for the story, not the glory. Still, how much do you value reader feedback?

• Reader feedback and the writer's passion aren't opposite ends of a spectrum. Both are crucial, but only the writer's enjoyment of writing the story hour will sustain it. I love it when my readers give me feedback and suggestions, but that alone isn't enough to keep me plugging away. I have a lot of fun writing up the story hours, and feedback is the icing on that cake.

3. What percentage of your own players read the story, would you say?

• 0% read the story hour online, but 100% read the logs. I put all the important plot clues and foreshadowing in the logs, which makes them a very useful tool for my players, particularly since we get to play so rarely.

4. Do you value the page views column on the main page? If so, do you feel like jumping from a bridge when you see Piratecat's views?

• Yes and no. I've had to re-start my threads a couple of times, so the view count doesn't represent actual views, but I do appreciate people checking them out. Piratecat freaking *created* this forum with his story hour, so he *should* have more views than my sister's exotic dance routine.

5. What's the worst in-game moment you've had to write up? Examples could include a total party kill or heavily hyped bad guy going down in the first round, etc... Things that just don't really happen in epic fantasy fiction.

• I'm not trying to write epic fantasy fiction. I'm writing D&D logs. In D&D 'noble' characters loot bodies and much hyped bad guys roll 1s on their saving throws. The audience understands these game-specific dynamics, and those sorts of things add value to the story, not detract from it. It's like a big inside joke we're all in on.
  
  That said, the biggest headache is condensing long battles into an interesting narrative.

6. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH?

• 1. Humor
  2. Readability (see below)
  3. The advancement of a larger plotline within the D&D game structure.

7. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH writing style?

• 1. A unique voice
  2. Clear characterization
  3. Clear challenges and conflicts

8. How many sessions behind are you in your writing, compared to where the campaign actually is, in-game?

• Both active story hours are up-to-date as of today.

9. Have you ever tried to turn events (discouraging a certain course of action, cheesing a rule, etc.) in-game for the benefit of the story hour? If so, have your players called you on it?

• Yes I have, and they didn't. Anything you twist for the benifit of the story hour will benefit the in-game story as well. If your readers would be bored wiht a scene or encounter, chances are your players would be as well, so let that scene hit the cutting room floor!

10. If your story hour were published in novel form, paste here what you would want as the first-page teaser: several paragraphs from the story to hook the attention of a browsing bookstore patron. EDIT: quick note- people seem to think I mean the same old "give us a few paragraphs about your SH". I mean "Give us a few paragraphs FROM your SH".

• From the Liberation of Tenh, Chapter 4: All Covered in Blood and Nowhere to Go.
  
  The party are dirty, disheveled, wounded, and covered in blood, most of it not their own. The stench of burning feebleminded barbarians clings to Pris and Ethel's clothes and hair. There is a wild-eyed post-combat look on each and every face.
  
  Now they finally fit in here in Stoink.
  
  ------
  
  From Chapter 20: Storming the Gates of Heaven
  
  The two adventurers walk into the bustling city, bloody, dirty and burdened by a person-sized bundle slung over the shoulder of the huge sorcerer. Traveling East from the marketplace, they find themselves in a well-to-do neighborhood composed of small residences surrounding larger villas. Heydricus leads them to one of the villas, a modest home by Chendl's standards, but palatial to the eyes of the Wintershiven priest.
  
  A young woman, petite and red-headed, is working in the flower-garden that surrounds the approach to the main house. She stands up and squints at the travelers, silhouetted against the afternoon sun. When they get closer, the woman barks out "Heydricus! Gods alive, I thought you were dead!"
  
  "Hello, Alli," Heydricus says in his warmest voice.
  
  "I'd hoped you were dead, anyway, you rat-loving sloth merchant!" Alli grips her garden shears in the unmistakable pose of a seasoned back alley knife-fighter.
  
  "It's good to see you too," Heydricus says as he drops Prisantha's body into the freshly planted flowers. "Is Millia home?"
  
  "She's never home when you come calling, you fatherless dog-scratching vagrant." Alli growls as she steps forward.
  
  Alli pauses and squints at the bundle in her garden. "Is that . . . Gods, Heydricus . . . is that a corpse?"
  
  "Not for long," Heydricus cheerily replies, and walks up to the porch. "Come along, Tau, I'll fix us some bitter-sweet water."
  
  "The hell you will!" Alli starts to say when she is interrupted by a new arrival.
  
  A tall, raven-haired woman, older than Heydricus and beautiful in that way that young women can never be, is standing over the body of Prisantha. She is dressed in finery, and her jewelry is expensive, if subtly stated. She stares at the sorcerer and quietly adjusts the neckline of her dress, lowering it ever so slightly. "Heydricus," she says, and allows the name to linger on her tongue.
  
  "Millia," Heydricus says with a smile. He bounds off the porch in one sure stride and takes her hand in his, kissing it. "Allow me to introduce my companion Tau of Wintershiven, Loremaster of Pholtus, Mendicant of the Blinding Light."
  
  "You're filthy." Millia states in a distant and distracted voice as she stares into Heydricus' amber eyes.
  
  "Ah, you remember." Heydricus whispers. He turns back to the porch and moves inside. "Alli," he begins in an authoritative tone, "take the body into the stables, but for the love of Tritherion don't unpack it. Tau, let's get cleaned up. Millia, it is my most fervent wish that you will join us for dinner. Shall we say," Heydricus looks at the sun, "sevenish?"

11. Give us a link, pookie.

• TOEE2
  
  The Risen Goddess
  
  The Liberation of Tenh

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

1. How many sessions deep are you into your story? (meaning- how many single game sessions have you written up for your SH so far?)

Somewhere around 120 sessions, over 8 years. Only the past 60 or so are represented in the SH, though

2. Everyone seems to agree that a successful story hour can only come about as a result of passion on the writer's part for the story, not the glory. Still, how much do you value reader feedback?

Reader feedback is awesome. Its especially nice when people who aren't a part of the gaming group enjoy the story.

3. What percentage of your own players read the story, would you say?

All five of them.

4. Do you value the page views column on the main page? If so, do you feel like jumping from a bridge when you see Piratecat's views?

Page views mean a lot, since it gives you an idea of how much people are enjoying your work. That said, when starting off, its very easy to feel extraordinarily depressed by how low the number is, so the only reason to REALLY write is for your own benefit and that of your gaming group.

5. What's the worst in-game moment you've had to write up? Examples could include a total party kill or heavily hyped bad guy going down in the first round, etc... Things that just don't really happen in epic fantasy fiction.

I can't really say that there have been any moments like that. Ther biggest problem was making sure I got the details right.

6. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH?

1. Representing the actual game experience well.
2. Good Grammar.
3. Captivating story.

7. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH writing style?

1. Again, good grammar, paragraph breaks, etc.
2. Levity to break up the story is nice, but jokey Story Hours can be tough to read at times.
3. The ability to convey the PC's quirks and differences.

8. How many sessions behind are you in your writing, compared to where the campaign actually is, in-game?

Right now, 4 or 5. I've been lax lately. Initially, I wrote the SH from the perspective of several years away, more recently, I'm writing within a week or so of the session.

9. Have you ever tried to turn events (discouraging a certain course of action, cheesing a rule, etc.) in-game for the benefit of the story hour? If so, have your players called you on it?

My first SH installment was written after the entire run had already finished. In the more recent installments, I hope I've never played to the crowd, so to speak.

10. If your story hour were published in novel form, paste here what you would want as the first-page teaser: several paragraphs from the story to hook the attention of a browsing bookstore patron. EDIT: quick note- people seem to think I mean the same old "give us a few paragraphs about your SH". I mean "Give us a few paragraphs FROM your SH".

They enter the room where Brisco is, and Jovah asks him again what it is that the soldiers want him for. Brisco explains that the soldiers work for a man named Terrence Forge. Forge has a large number of men in the northern, unclaimed territories, and they are training for some kind of mission, but no one knows exactly what. Terrence Forge is a rich, rich man. He owns the Forgeway Company along with his older brother. The Forgeway Company is a large, powerful, Caradinian-based enterprise that makes money from Inns, mail service, and other things; sort of a medieval Wells Fargo. The party stayed in one the Forgeway Inns while they were in Norridge, Gavin points out.

Another of the Forgeway Company’s businesses is Magical and Alchemical research. This work is done primarily for the Caradinian military. This is the division of the company that Brisco got hired into. Forgeway’s contracts with its alchemical researchers are notorious for not having out clauses, as Brisco found out.

“Why would anyone hire you to invent stuff for them?” Jovah asks incredulously. “You’d be spending half your time inventing cherry-flavored halberds, or something…”

“They didn’t hire me just ‘cause they wanted me to be some minor guy!” Brisco protests. “I had an invention that I wanted to try and perfect! Forge saw the value of it…” the gnome’s voice trails off.

“That’s why he wouldn’t let me go.”

Jalea looks at the little gnome, and leans up against the wall. “This oughta be good,” he says to himself.

“What was it?” asks Aris.

“I’ve got some here! I can show you!” Brisco takes a wooden cup and a candle from the table, and then holds them under his cloak, turning away from the party and hunching over.

“Trade secrets. No peeking.”

The gnomish inventor feverishly works away under his cloak for a minute or so, whistling a tune as he goes. The party looks on, half amused, half confused. Finally, Brisco turns around. He’s wrapped the cup in cloth, and torn up the candle, removing the wick and sticking it into the rags. He lights the wick from another candle in the room, and sets the thing on the pillow of the bed, and looks at Jovah with a grin and a look of satisfaction.
Sir Brennen is unimpressed. “So what! That isn’t even a very good candle! What the H…”

WHOOM!

The cup explodes into splinters; the window above the bed is shattered and pieces of glass land in the alley behind the Inn.

Jovah is knocked flat on his back, and Sir Brennen stands in the middle of the room, blinking like he’s just had a flashbulb go off in front of his eyes.

“What the H*** was that!” Jalea screams from the corner of the room.

Brennen looks at the elf uncomprehendingly. “Speak up! Did you just say something!” the Sword of Kelanen says, too loudly for the room. Gavin and Reanna start putting out the fire that has started on the bed.

“Dear god in heaven,” Aris mumbles.

“The miserable little creature rediscovered the formula for smokepowder!”

“Are you telling me he invented that for the government of Carrandor!?” Reanna yells. “Should I gut him now, or do we need to ‘interrogate’ him first?!”

“Hold on, hold on,” says Jovah, holding Reanna back. “He’s my cousin! I’m sure he has a good explanation for all this,” he adds, not particularly hopefully.

“They don’t have it any more,” says Brisco, keeping on the far side of Jovah from Reanna. “I destroyed the formula, and blew up all the stored powder.”

“Okay, that means I can kill him now, right?” Reanna struggles against Jovah and Sir Brennen.

“No,” says Jovah.

“Maybe just beat him up a little bit?” Reanna asks plaintively.

“NO!” yells Jovah.

During the night, Jalea finds the bag of smokepowder Brisco is concealing in his backpack, and replaces the powder with a reasonable facsimile. The next morning Brisco seems none the wiser. Jalea makes a note to himself: Avoid open flame.

Jalea has a 7 Wisdom. His chances of remembering this in a moment of crisis are remote.

11. Give us a link, pookie.

See the Sig, snookums! Also, see here!

 

[el-remmen]

BUMP!

I changed by story hour excerpt to a much better one - so why not go back and take a look?

 

[seasong]

1. How many sessions deep are you into your story? (meaning- how many single game sessions have you written up for your SH so far?)

1 Prologue, and about 3 1/2 for Chapter One. I'm verbose, however, so it looks like more .

2. Everyone seems to agree that a successful story hour can only come about as a result of passion on the writer's part for the story, not the glory. Still, how much do you value reader feedback?

I'm writing in the first place because I have a few readers. If there were no readers, I'd be content to keep it all in my head.

As it is, I've discovered that the SH is helping my players and I talk about certain things. Sometimes I write something wrong, and they bring it up - sometimes because I saw it differently than they did. Sometimes I write something right, and it helps cement the emotional impact in the campaign.

Reader feedback also includes questions. I love questions. The give me a buzz.

3. What percentage of your own players read the story, would you say?

100%

Sadly, this is the only online thing I write that they spend much time reading.

4. Do you value the page views column on the main page? If so, do you feel like jumping from a bridge when you see Piratecat's views?

I use it to see if anyone has read since my last update. It's very valuable in that sense - it gives me an idea of when to update, and allows me to (very roughly) estimate my steady readership (about 10, maybe ).

PirateCat's views are cool. It's something to aspire to, a few years down the line.

5. What's the worst in-game moment you've had to write up? Examples could include a total party kill or heavily hyped bad guy going down in the first round, etc... Things that just don't really happen in epic fantasy fiction.

Haven't been running it long enough. Currently, the capture of the party by the enemy in warfare. It was a bit of a sensitive issue.

6. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH?

a. Getting readers to invest in the characters and setting, through characterization, verisimilitude, and suspense.

b. Maintaining a proper mix of action and drama.

c. Keeping a good connection with your audience - fully half of the reason I like Story Hours is the fact that these are actual campaigns, played by actual people, that I can talk to.

7. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH writing style?

a. A good mix of mild, strong and powerful cliffhangers in each major update.

b. Casual, graceful writing that is easily read without being overly simplistic.

c. Posts that are closer to bite-sized than feast-sized.

8. How many sessions behind are you in your writing, compared to where the campaign actually is, in-game?

One. I hope to maintain that - run a session once a week, write about it over the course of the week.

9. Have you ever tried to turn events (discouraging a certain course of action, cheesing a rule, etc.) in-game for the benefit of the story hour? If so, have your players called you on it?

Don't need to. My players got mad story skillz, yo.

10. If your story hour were published in novel form, paste here what you would want as the first-page teaser: several paragraphs from the story to hook the attention of a browsing bookstore patron. EDIT: quick note- people seem to think I mean the same old "give us a few paragraphs about your SH". I mean "Give us a few paragraphs FROM your SH".

Somewhere behind him, the orc grabbed its spear on the run, and yelled something that sounded vaguely insulting.

Then, like some heavenly cohort, Greppa saw the jogging wall of shields that meant they'd heard his scream. Unfortunately, the orc was practically on top of him. So he did the only thing he could think of.

He cast shadow servant as fast as he could, dropped his spear, and told the servant to lift the spear between the orc's legs. He heard the spear break behind him, and the orc tumbling, and pushed as hard as he could for the line of safety. He was almost there when the orc's spear punched through his floating ribs. Serrated chitin poked out through the front of his tunic, and he fell again, as the shields swarmed past him towards the kneeling orc.

11. Give us a link, pookie.

Mountain Thunder
the web page

 

[Zad]

Answering for Wizardru's Story Hour, since I write it.


1. How many sessions deep are you into your story? (meaning- how many single game sessions have you written up for your SH so far?)

Wow hard question. The campaign has been running a good couple years now. About 60 sessions according to my count.


2. Everyone seems to agree that a successful story hour can only come about as a result of passion on the writer's part for the story, not the glory. Still, how much do you value reader feedback?

Immensely. I don't get a lot of reader feedback but every bit I do get is a great motivator to keep writing it. Mine is not one of the most popular ones, but the feedback still is great.


3. What percentage of your own players read the story, would you say?

All of them. I hear about it whenever my weak memory lets me down


4. Do you value the page views column on the main page? If so, do you feel like jumping from a bridge when you see Piratecat's views?

Yes, and yes.


5. What's the worst in-game moment you've had to write up? Examples could include a total party kill or heavily hyped bad guy going down in the first round, etc... Things that just don't really happen in epic fantasy fiction.

Probably the time that I got killed. We don't have a lot of death in our campaign, and I was the first PC to fall.


6. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH?

Telling a good story.
Not too much detail.
A good feeling for the characters.


7. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH writing style?

Establishing perspective (some told by a player, others by the DM)
Good flow of updates so you don't loose touch with the story
Um..... and something else

8. How many sessions behind are you in your writing, compared to where the campaign actually is, in-game?

None. I write up each story just after the session it occurs in. I take some notes but also rely on memory.


9. Have you ever tried to turn events (discouraging a certain course of action, cheesing a rule, etc.) in-game for the benefit of the story hour? If so, have your players called you on it?

I'm a player, not the DM. I do believe we have, half jokingly, said "Well we can't do THAT. It wouldn't look good in the story hour."


10. If your story hour were published in novel form, paste here what you would want as the first-page teaser: several paragraphs from the story to hook the attention of a browsing bookstore patron. EDIT: quick note- people seem to think I mean the same old "give us a few paragraphs about your SH". I mean "Give us a few paragraphs FROM your SH".

We descended the chain ladder and proceeded to prepare more spells – the ones with shorter durations. On our way down, we tripped an Alarm spell that she had placed and upon hearing of our arrival, she too began preparing. We were only partially ready to begin when Nightscale rose out of the lake and hissed “Impudent blood ticks! You seek to challenge me?” It was then we began to see the that the tables were turned.

-----------------

I slipped up to the doorway and surveyed the courtyard.

There were a dozen or more guards at various posts. So brazen had they become that they were not even in human form, but fully apparent as wererats. Near the gate, a large black tiger was mauling one of the wererats while the others looked on. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the mount of the blackguard. A purple crystal, ten feet high and pulsing with an eerie light was also in the courtyard, a pair of wererats near it.

From the general lack of alertness, it was clear these fiends had no idea what awaited them.

The distraction of the tiger was quite convenient – none of the guards suspected anything odd even for an instant. Even after the bomb appeared in front of the gates, none of them noticed it.

I gave Valanthe a few seconds to get clear, then took careful aim. Our entire plan could have fallen apart if I missed this shot. Fortunately I did not, and the bomb exploded.

“Exploded” hardly does justice to the spectacle. I had never seen such a detonation, and from the twisted giggle I heard behind me, I suspect Scorch hadn’t either. The sound was deafening, and the charge blasted the doors off their hinges and shattered the portcullis. Several guards near the device were nothing more than shadows on the wall. I had no doubt that the forces outside would realize that the attack was on.

The battle that followed was truly epic. I plan to search later for an elven bard and tell him the tale, so that he may take it into history. No skulking about in dungeons, no orcs in the night. This was a fight of good versus evil and everyone knew it.




11. Give us a link, pookie.


Wizardru's Story Hour

 

[pogre]

1. How many sessions deep are you into your story? (meaning- how many single game sessions have you written up for your SH so far?)

One

2. Everyone seems to agree that a successful story hour can only come about as a result of passion on the writer's part for the story, not the glory. Still, how much do you value reader feedback?

My players dig it and that's what it is about! I started this story hour as a DM's Log - I have a bunch of the old DM's Logs from my campaigns in the early 80s and I really like to look them over from time to time. I'm hoping this story hour will do the same for me and my players.

3. What percentage of your own players read the story, would you say?

100% so far...

4. Do you value the page views column on the main page? If so, do you feel like jumping from a bridge when you see Piratecat's views?

I think it's worth something, but we all have different goals.
Not at all, Pirate Cat deserves to be well-read!

5. What's the worst in-game moment you've had to write up? Examples could include a total party kill or heavily hyped bad guy going down in the first round, etc... Things that just don't really happen in epic fantasy fiction.

NA

6. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH?

1. Original ideas on some level.
2. Fun locations.
3. Plots other DMs might like to steal.
3a. Better lighting for my photos - they are improving I promise!

7. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH writing style?

1. Pacing.
2. Quality characters
3. Lots of Pictures ;-) - ok really that's just mine!

8. How many sessions behind are you in your writing, compared to where the campaign actually is, in-game?

2 now.

9. Have you ever tried to turn events (discouraging a certain course of action, cheesing a rule, etc.) in-game for the benefit of the story hour? If so, have your players called you on it?

Not yet.

10. If your story hour were published in novel form, paste here what you would want as the first-page teaser: several paragraphs from the story to hook the attention of a browsing bookstore patron. EDIT: quick note- people seem to think I mean the same old "give us a few paragraphs about your SH". I mean "Give us a few paragraphs FROM your SH".

Johann and Shannon ducked into the other tent and saw a large northern tribesman stripped to the waist yielding a huge axe struggling to his feet. Another tribesman was already on his feet wielding a slightly smaller battle-axe. The two fighters closed on the big clansmen.

Shannon tried to swing his giant two-handed sword first catching bits of tent and rope as he swung. Despite catching obstacles in its path the blade dug deep into the big tribesman’s shoulder, smashing through collarbone on its path. Quickly drawing the blade back Shannon could see he had hit a major artery as blood gushed forth from the wound. The tribesman wavered and then crumpled to the ground.

Johann was having more trouble with his opponent. Shannon’s swing had ripped a piece of tent cloth down into his view and he could not fully see his opponent. Johann swung wildly trying to keep the brigand off him out of self-defense more than anything. The tribesman swung his battle-axe and caught Johann fully in the ribs.

Johann felt his air leaving him and he grunted in pain. Chinks of armor came off his torso as he staggered from the blow. He weakly held up his weapon to ready for another swing, but he knew he was in trouble. His side felt warm and wet with the blood pouring down his side. He saw the crimson stain on his opponent’s blade and knew it was his own blood.

The sword missed the tribesman as Johann struggled to remain standing. Shannon tried to help, but he was caught up in some of the tent’s rigging he had loosed with his deathblow earlier. Johann’s opponent had sobered quickly and readied his weapon for another solid strike.

11. Give us a link, pookie. [/B]

See the sig please.

 

[Phasmus]

Note: While I do DM Vitis Campaign, I do not write the associated story hour. This honor goes to the player of Shayuri.

1. How many sessions deep are you into your story? (meaning- how many single game sessions have you written up for your SH so far?)

Seven.


2. Everyone seems to agree that a successful story hour can only come about as a result of passion on the writer's part for the story, not the glory. Still, how much do you value reader feedback?

-Lots-. As a relatively new DM (Vitis is my first campaign ever), any and all indications of where I am doing something right, or something wrong, are highly valued.


3. What percentage of your own players read the story, would you say?

All of them check it out on occasion, but only about 50% to 60% read it on a regular basis... (inasmuch as our posting schedule allows anything to be done on a regular basis)


4. Do you value the page views column on the main page? If so, do you feel like jumping from a bridge when you see Piratecat's views?

Yes we do... perhaps more-so than is healthy. We do our best to disassociate our page views from everyone else's. The alternative is simply too painful.


5. What's the worst in-game moment you've had to write up? Examples could include a total party kill or heavily hyped bad guy going down in the first round, etc... Things that just don't really happen in epic fantasy fiction.

We haven't reached any particularly painful in-game moments yet, narratively speaking.


6. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH?

1: Originality (Surprise the characters, surprise the readers!).
2: Consistency (Suspension of disbelief is precious, and must be protected).
3: DOOOM!!! (Conflict should be kept reasonably big and scary... players should not be allowed to take their destructive/defensive capacity for granted.)


7. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH writing style?

1: Capture the DM's Voice.
2: Capture the Players' voices
3: Use good grammar, etc.


8. How many sessions behind are you in your writing, compared to where the campaign actually is, in-game?

-Many-
We started this game in early 2002. We have played one session per week with relatively few missed. We intend to catch up though... someday.


9. Have you ever tried to turn events (discouraging a certain course of action, cheesing a rule, etc.) in-game for the benefit of the story hour? If so, have your players called you on it?

Because a fairly large amount of time has elapsed between when we played and when the story hour was written, this would be difficult to do... generally we just assume the optimally 'cinematic' events occurred, when we don't recall specifics.


10. If your story hour were published in novel form, paste here what you would want as the first-page teaser: several paragraphs from the story to hook the attention of a browsing bookstore patron. EDIT: quick note- people seem to think I mean the same old "give us a few paragraphs about your SH". I mean "Give us a few paragraphs FROM your SH".

---
"Forgive me, Shankara," Shayuri pipes up hesitantly, obviously relieved to be back in her own body, "but...what IS the situation? My memories are cloudy."

Shankara sighed. "It is grim, child. I am bound to this tomb in body, but through magic my eye wanders the land with impunity. I have seen the great castles of Caron falling. The very capital itself torn asunder. Cedilla too is all but gone. Only the great towers of its capital hold fast, protected by wards the illithid have not been able to pierce. Yet. Much of the heart of Kaldonia has fallen under the yoke of the mind flayers, and when they have completed the assimilation process, they will lead an army of thralls such as that this world has never seen. If we wait that long, I fear no power under the sun will be able to stop them. My message to the emperor explains all this, and informs him of my wishes that Dieresis offer aid. So far there is still resistance to the illithid...a few isolated pockets. Furthermore, the dwarf mountains in Umlaut remain largely free of their taint. The free peoples of Kaldonia must counter this invasion, or the entire world will be blanketed by the control of these abominations."
---


11. Give us a link, pookie.

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14295&pagenumber=1