New Year's Resolution 2024

Happy New Year!

The 10 articles that I chose:

1. Junk by SailingOcelot
2. Senator Charlotte Bozscanby AwsmChimera
3. Controlby Those2Nerds
4. Those That May Vanish by https://www.worldanvil.com/author/Yumedatchi
5. Cosmic Bloom by nnie and skairunner
6. The Book of the Unquiet Dead by drunkenpanda951
7. Meadow goblinsby Blue Fairy 74
8. Al-Havemna by oaster2000
9. Magic by tjtrewin
10. Sins by Jandis (Sorry couldn't find the aurthor's page)

What I learned

Junk

Junk demonstrated a really interesting way to present information not only on the topic at hand, but also how you can show the way that something interconnects with the larger work that you are creating. I have generally done this only by linking connected or related topics. I found this a much more visully appealing way to present those connections.

Senator Charlotte Bozsca

This article has a really nice layout. I think the dynamic display is more interesting to look at then a lot of the articles that I have seen. I haven't got any idea how setting up an article to look like this works, but now that I have seen it I am interested in learning how to do more with my articles.

Control

An article doesn't have to be really long to include a lot of information. The layout was really well set up to maximized the bullpoint presentation. This article also got me thinking about the things that I don't know and that are based on areas of expertise. While I found the idea of this chemical really interesting, especially the social application that was used, I struggled to suspend my disbelief. Reading through the information, I kept feeling that it didn't feel like an actual drug. While this presented something for me to think about, I'm not sure how to change anything in my approach. It highlights the importance of writing what you know and researching things really well. It also highlighted the importance of knowing your audience. In this case, the information as presented is completely fine. There are not likely that many people who will be reading this article that are medical professionals and really knowledgable about drugs. That being said, it raised the question for me: how much do I need to understand a topic that I am writing about in order for it to be presented well? Not to mention that it got me thinking about the dynamic of being realistic versus being functional within a game system. We often have to forgo realism to allow for better game play.

Those That May Vanish

This article hooked me into reading it with the subtitle: "They Will Not Be Missed." It immediately led me to asking questions as it surprised me. I learned that you can layer hooks into your article so that whose who come to your page want to stay longer. No idea if I will do anything with that or how I would if I choose to do so. But I found it interesting and a really subtle way to pull the reader into your world.

Cosmic Bloom

This article was more of a reminder of things that I already know. Visual appeal varies greatly and you will attract or repulse readers based on the visual presentation that you choose. This is a nice article. But I find it uncomfortable to read because of it's glaring whiteness. It makes the page feel too bright. I'm not sure that this is anything that you can really do anything about, but it is good to understand that the visual style you choose really does matter.

The Book of the Unquiet Dead

I really liked the way that this article presented the material. It is really clear that this is a living document that has been read, handled, carried and altered by the people who have used this book. It gives the book a sense of history. Just a reminder that objects have a history of their own and in some ways can become characters in the world.

Meadow goblins

This article was a nice reminder that you can take familar things and make them into something special that lives only in your world.

Al-Havemna

I found this article posed an interesting question for me: What is the purpose of creating an entirely new language for you world? It can add emersion, I suppose. But is this something needed? I'm not feeling that the creating of a functional language to be something that is really needed for most worlds to come to life and feel real or complex. I found the history in this article interesting and that felt like it could have bearing on the telling of stories in this world. Perhaps this is more a question of who is sitting at your table or who is the intended audience. My players never really got into language on this level. We've always kept it at: speaking in elvish, they say. I think I will keep the world building of languages to just the outline of them. More focus on the history and social impact of the language rather then the actual language itself.

Magic

This world immediately gave me nestologic thoughts of playing RPG video games as a kid. This article reminds me that we can pull in visual cues that create emotion and carry connections to give something greater meaning without explicitly telling the reader about those connections.

Sins

This is a very nice article to look at. I like that it feels like actual myth and story telling. This reminded me that as writers those reading about our worlds will likely not know them as well as we know them. While I enjoyed this article, I didn't leave it feeling that I actually understand anything about the Sins and the importance or relevance of this myth to the people within this world setting. How do you strike that balance?

My New year Resolution

I will create a functional campaign setting this year so that my players and I can begin a new campaign. My focus will be creating enough content that the players have adequate amount of the world to explore and move around it. My caution is that I need to constantly remind myself that the world will never actually be complete and that it does not need to be complete in order to have great games with in it.