tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post2688735511213838467..comments2023-09-28T07:23:51.376-07:00Comments on ProjectPerko: Designing Fantasy RacesCraig Perkohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-19846681184623999212011-12-15T14:25:23.018-08:002011-12-15T14:25:23.018-08:00Well, 12+ is way too many for a single theme, but ...Well, 12+ is way too many for a single theme, but you could split it up into 2-4 subthemes...<br /><br />But here's the real secret about themes: they're all tacky. There are no non-tacky themes.<br /><br />The best films and books have themes like "war against dark forces" and "love conquers all" and other painfully generic ideas. It's the execution that matters, the way you pull the players into the theme. That's why it's possible to even make super-lame themes like "steam powered mecha fight it out" into a fun and interesting game.<br /><br />Of course, the only time you state the theme is in your design phase. Your end product doesn't mention the theme anywhere, because making the theme explicit makes it dumb.Craig Perkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-25307290113757627302011-12-15T14:19:45.381-08:002011-12-15T14:19:45.381-08:00Part of the problem might be that I use races and ...Part of the problem might be that I use races and countries somewhat interchangeably. It is rare for em to make a fantasy race that isn't tied to a specific country, and I am also including countries in my experience here.<br /><br />The thematic principles might be stronger with a smaller number of subjects, rather than the 12+ factions I normally make.<br /><br /><br />Another part of the issue is that I have found it very difficult to construct themes don't come across as tacky. I start off hating the race when it is still objectively fine from an outside perspective.Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10571693100591327256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-60950384677232209622011-12-15T13:30:55.025-08:002011-12-15T13:30:55.025-08:00Obviously, I strongly disagree. To the point where...Obviously, I strongly disagree. To the point where I'm actually a little irritated that you say "There are alot of logical disconnects in that approach which reveal the race as subtly broken." That means you've never tried it.<br /><br />There's no problems of that sort any more than in a technical-centered approach, speaking from lots of experience.<br /><br />I took a technical approach for... around 20 years. I'm trying very hard not to be insulting, but the fact is that I went from a pure technical approach to a mixed theme and technical approach <b>because it works better</b>.<br /><br />It makes the players/audience pay more attention, feel more deeply, and want to participate. It produces more memorable races.Craig Perkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-24485681113943630712011-12-15T12:46:59.191-08:002011-12-15T12:46:59.191-08:00I certainly agree with the last bit you said.
I j...I certainly agree with the last bit you said.<br /><br />I just think that the Technical perspective will also develop these races when taken to the logical extreme, but it is very easy to get lazy with the approach.<br /><br />From early on you have something that looks like a race but is awful. You can get to the same points, but there is more work involved and there is less incentive (you already have the moment-to-moment details worked out)<br /><br />The thematic approach has the opposite problem, adding on is very easy, but it is easy because it's such a clear theme progression. There are alot of logical disconnects in that approach which reveal the race as subtly broken.<br /><br />Again, it takes more work to get a usable product with the technical approach, but I feel its adds color and allows you to make truly original content more easily.Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10571693100591327256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-20311852723795982292011-12-14T20:27:07.672-08:002011-12-14T20:27:07.672-08:00The "technician's approach" you advo...The "technician's approach" you advocate is one I was going to talk about until I realized the post was already two pages long.<br /><br />Long story short, people who rely on it tend to create races which seem cool but nobody ever wants to play or read about.<br /><br />Without any emotional/thematic/human pull to them, the technician's races are just piles of details that nobody but the inventor cares about.<br /><br />That's why you need to tie the race into your theme, to give them an emotional impact, or something interesting to say about the nature of your world.<br /><br />"They live near volcanos and export steam tech!" isn't something which makes the player sit up and notice. Instead, it's the ties to the themes and the emotions of the world that they begin to become interesting.<br /><br />For example, a player is making a character. Has never played the game before. Which race is he going to be interested by? "These guys have mechs, live near volcanos, and have some fire-based magic" or "these guys were lords of mecha two hundred years ago, but now their civilization has been destroyed and the survivors have been scattered, scavenging up pieces to keep their mechs in repair."<br /><br />If you decide the emotional and human content - the feelings and impressions and storylines you want to leave in your audience - then you can build races which help you do that.<br /><br />And, yes, part of that is making them coherent. And one way to do that is a technician's approach.<br /><br />But it's not the first step, it's the last one.Craig Perkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-55802443502856069002011-12-14T19:44:41.596-08:002011-12-14T19:44:41.596-08:00The thematic way only produces thematically cohere...The thematic way only produces thematically coherent worlds.<br /><br />Lets take an example: You have a world setting governed by a fundamental principle - lets say it's some steampunk thing like you had mentioned earlier.<br /><br />The question 'what wort of race comes about from people who build their lives around machines' creates a different set of principles that (in my opinion) are more consistent from a world-perspective. <br /><br />You have the principle of how this steam-punk tech works, so now you ask yourself 'what sort of race would be ingrained into this'. Well, there is alot of steam, and they presumably developed this tech, so clearly them being related to fire makes sense.<br /><br />Being forebearers of this technology, they had some sort of access to heat easily, so they live in a volcanic area. Seeing as they are not the only ones with steam-tech, it is probably their primary export and they are treated as something of artisans.<br /><br />Well, volcanic regions aren't that common, so clearly they must not be that common aswell. They can make up for this with their technology though.<br /><br />Gradually by answering these questions you get to understand their place in the world, and as you make more races that explore different questions the world becomes fully fleshed out.<br /><br />If you are going by theme, you are already pigeon-holing their end result and building up from there.<br /><br />It limits your races into pre-made stereotypes rather than ideas of how to explore how the world works.<br /><br />That said, it is much easier to construct a narrative with those sorts of pre-made themes.Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10571693100591327256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-29923609908699670992011-12-14T15:19:56.786-08:002011-12-14T15:19:56.786-08:00Sure, I'm not saying this is the only way of b...Sure, I'm not saying this is the only way of building a fantasy race.<br /><br />I think the thematic way is preferable much of the time because it produces coherent, thematic worlds. <br /><br />It's not hard to create "technical" races as you describe - the obvious example being forest elf, desert elf, dark elf, moon elf, etc, etc. However, they don't tend to hold the world together, even if they make internal sense.Craig Perkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-80620601051890772582011-12-14T14:28:45.321-08:002011-12-14T14:28:45.321-08:00I find this concept of creating fantasy races work...I find this concept of creating fantasy races works, but it is very hard to build upon it.<br /><br />Generally, if creating a race of some sort, I create a story about their group or faction. I try to think about how that race or fraction developed and made sense of who they were. <br /><br />In this way the explore the different implications of the world setting because they are what people might do to explore it.<br /><br />Its very similar in principle to your approach, but I feel it helps me make more realistic factions. <br /><br />Rather than 'what are the implications of a society where they have lost to the dark' it is 'what are the implications of a society that first discovered illusion magic' how would this shape their development? What does appearance mean in such a society?Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10571693100591327256noreply@blogger.com