home

Author Topic: Army book creation logistics  (Read 8460 times)

Offline kk14

  • Members
  • Posts: 554
Army book creation logistics
« on: January 08, 2010, 06:43:43 AM »
Hey all,

I will be on the forum on and off as school and other things grab more of my attention.

However, I had planned to create our own version of the Empire book, and want to further discuss the logistics of doing so before I started. I am posting my thoughts, and want to see how they measure up to everyone else's.

First of all, I want it to be a communal work, so no one author or coordinator.
Secondly, I want it to be reasonable. Which is to say, not OTT, Xtreme, radical, beardy, cheezy, and you get the picture. Call me conservative, but I don't see anything drastically wrong with the majority of the book that we have: it just needs some tweaking.

With regards to fluff, I think an open forum works best. I know Fandir had thought of writing some of his own, and others are welcome to as well. As long as we do not drastically change anything, the book would be improved by new pieces, I think.

With regards to rules is where I am at a loss. I have been pondering how to go about this all Christmas break and see no easy path. On the one hand I feel an open forum is best. On the other, they just seem to go in circles, with each person stating their opinion and new idea, many of which are good, but the result is too many to choose from. Ideally, there would be a group of people who co-author this part, presenting and weighing opinions until concensus is reached. But who is to be selected?

With regards to the artwork, much of the Warhammer art is getting dated, and it would be nice to add some fresh stuff. Again, I would not want to deviate too much from the original style and feel, but obviously anyone wanting to submit any would have artistic license for as much leeway as possible.

Painting: Not many of us can measure up to the Heavy Metal team, but we could showcase conversions and different army colours than the standard red-and-white. We could furthermore include pics of War Altars and Karl Franz's Dragon, models which are not showcased in our current book at all. Again, submissions would be lovely.
If you can't convince the voters to accept your view, and you take to the gun, you are by definition anti-American.

Veni, Vidi, domum meum redire volo.

Offline Obi

  • Members
  • Posts: 6225
  • Rest in peace Nate
Re: Army book creation logistics
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2010, 09:04:28 AM »
Hey all,

I will be on the forum on and off as school and other things grab more of my attention.

However, I had planned to create our own version of the Empire book, and want to further discuss the logistics of doing so before I started. I am posting my thoughts, and want to see how they measure up to everyone else's.
Good idea.

Quote
First of all, I want it to be a communal work, so no one author or coordinator.
Great.
Quote
Secondly, I want it to be reasonable. Which is to say, not OTT, Xtreme, radical, beardy, cheezy, and you get the picture. Call me conservative, but I don't see anything drastically wrong with the majority of the book that we have: it just needs some tweaking.
I love you.

Quote
With regards to fluff, I think an open forum works best. I know Fandir had thought of writing some of his own, and others are welcome to as well. As long as we do not drastically change anything, the book would be improved by new pieces, I think.
I think so too- after all, fluff can't be 'wrong'.

Quote
With regards to rules is where I am at a loss. I have been pondering how to go about this all Christmas break and see no easy path. On the one hand I feel an open forum is best. On the other, they just seem to go in circles, with each person stating their opinion and new idea, many of which are good, but the result is too many to choose from. Ideally, there would be a group of people who co-author this part, presenting and weighing opinions until concensus is reached. But who is to be selected?
No open forum. For exactly the reasons you mentioned. A small group would be better, but the problem is indeed who to select. Quite honestly, it's best to pick a couple of like-minded people.

Quote
With regards to the artwork, much of the Warhammer art is getting dated, and it would be nice to add some fresh stuff. Again, I would not want to deviate too much from the original style and feel, but obviously anyone wanting to submit any would have artistic license for as much leeway as possible.
Maybe we could use some of the CiM stuff?

Quote
Painting: Not many of us can measure up to the Heavy Metal team, but we could showcase conversions and different army colours than the standard red-and-white. We could furthermore include pics of War Altars and Karl Franz's Dragon, models which are not showcased in our current book at all. Again, submissions would be lovely.
I think we should just straight up ask some of the good painters if we can use some of their pictures when we get around to that part of the book.


It's good to see that someone is grabbing this bull by the horns, we should start doing something serious with the forum.
Hello Athiuen and welcome to the Back Table.

caveat lector
I killed a duck with a spear, can't read train timetables though
"To be is to do"-Socrates;
"To do is to be"-Sartre;
"Do Be Do Be Do"-Sinatra

Offline kk14

  • Members
  • Posts: 554
Re: Army book creation logistics
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2010, 04:35:56 AM »
Nice.

We would need someone who could do theoryhammer well (aka maths).

I guess playtesters could be practically anyone.
If you can't convince the voters to accept your view, and you take to the gun, you are by definition anti-American.

Veni, Vidi, domum meum redire volo.

Offline Obi

  • Members
  • Posts: 6225
  • Rest in peace Nate
Re: Army book creation logistics
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2010, 08:54:39 AM »
Yup, I think we have about 7117 test players ;)

I think a team should look a bit like this:

Author (kk14)
Co-author (Obi)
Rules designer #1
Rules designer #2 (not sure if we need that one with the editors)
Fluffmaster
Picture master
Math-hammerer
Lay-out overseer
Hello Athiuen and welcome to the Back Table.

caveat lector
I killed a duck with a spear, can't read train timetables though
"To be is to do"-Socrates;
"To do is to be"-Sartre;
"Do Be Do Be Do"-Sinatra

Offline Warlord

  • Global Moderator
  • Members
  • Posts: 10563
  • Sydney, Australia
Re: Army book creation logistics
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2010, 01:07:16 AM »
kk14 - I am back. Apologies for my absense. In regards to some of the questions you asked me in the PM - that is the purpose of this board in the first place. Not that many threads get started in here, so I would say if you name the threads in a consistent manner that stands out, all should be fine.

I have really only seen this done on H&A, and generally there weren't that many contributors. We have a lot of members, with a lot of opinions, so asking "whats broken" is going to get a mass of responses in much the same way as "how do you fix this". That said, I think the key role of the organisers (whoever they may be) would be keep a log of all the suggested improvements to each unit choice. I have an idea actually on how it can be captured on a matrix, which could assist somewhat in finding out what popular consensus is (if that is the way you wnat it done). Alternatively, it can just hold a record of all possible changes, and then the deciders can decide which options are best.

Just brainstorming here...
Quote from: Gneisenau
I hate people who don't paint their armies, hate them with all my guts. Beats me how they value other things over painting, like eating or brushing teeth.

Offline fauthsie

  • Members
  • Posts: 599
  • Animosity Team GM
Re: Army book creation logistics
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2010, 01:55:15 AM »
One thing that I have learned from writing campaign books is that there is no way you will make everyone happy... Generally designers are better off just writing a book about how they see the issues... then presenting it for feedback before doing a final versions... The final version then takes feedback and merging the good ideas with what has been written.
A new Campaigning home....

http://animositycampaigns.com/joomla

FAUTHSIE CAMPAIGN CONSULTING INC.... I MAKE YOUR CAMPAIGN GO!!!

Offline der Hurenwiebel

  • Members
  • Posts: 1078
  • Adversus Malum Pugnamus
Re: Army book creation logistics
« Reply #6 on: January 27, 2010, 04:28:08 PM »
I'll go with rules designer 1 or 2

been playing the game since the 80's as well as the sister game WAB and have seen a lot of the alternative solutions that have been seen to work.
"DEfighter wrote:
Hey, trolls stay the hell out, this is a serious thread. Empire are cheese. 2 steam tanks, a war altar and 4 cannons is so obviously overpowered. Anyone who thinks otherwise clearly hasn't had their dragon shot down on turn 1 yet."

oh really now.  LOL ROFLMAO oh the irony.

Offline kk14

  • Members
  • Posts: 554
Re: Army book creation logistics
« Reply #7 on: January 28, 2010, 07:02:07 AM »
Sure.
If you can't convince the voters to accept your view, and you take to the gun, you are by definition anti-American.

Veni, Vidi, domum meum redire volo.

Offline drew

  • Members
  • Posts: 42
Re: Army book creation logistics
« Reply #8 on: February 28, 2011, 08:46:45 PM »
I'll be the math-hammerer unless anyone else wants to do it