How do you actually write down your solo rpg session?
How much do you write down? Novel style or just a few pointers? Do you use a txt file (or similar) or a physical notebook? Can you give me an example?
I'm asking because I always have problems with this. I don't want to write a novel but if I don't write down anything it doesn't feel like roleplaying at all.
edit: I found a post by roryb bracebuckle which addresses my problem: http://noonetoplay.blogspot.de/2013/12/solo-play-styles.html
#notetaking
I've used the "journaling" method, usually something written by one of the characters in the solo game, for a little color and bias. It allows for some commentary on any other characters in the group and some variation in style (although mine usually tends toward the verbose...). When I was exploring random dungeon generator elements in solitaire play the map quickly became the record of my adventures, annotated with traps, encounters, wounds sustained, spells cast, etc.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough the question of recording a solo game's narrative formed a key element of the solo wargame I developed, Operation Drumbeat, in which the u-boat captain (the player) keeps notes on the boat's war logbook, creating a record of the patrol much as one might have done historically. And the historical examples show everything from sketchy notations to a full narrative.
I do either novel-ish or epistolary. Usually I do novel, either third or first person, because I also like using it as a writing, improvement tool.
ReplyDeleteIf i just want to create a story in my head I usually just do bullet point fragments and jot down key facts or notes.
Basically, it depends of the way you play. For example, I usually play either 9Qs or Microscope RPG as base, so that defines my write up.
ReplyDeleteIn 9Qs player follows the structure of the system, so I write up question by question until it all connects to a story.
When I play Microscope, I usually just draw short description of each event in history diagram as recommended in the system, and when the session is over I try to write the complete history in chronological order novel-ish way :)
Also, since I do lots of rolling on random idea generator, I like to add some notes about mechanic I use whenever I think it might be interesting either to readers of my blog, or for me to remember the way I reached some decision if I ever decide to read the write up again.
I've been writing my sessions out in second person perspective LIke you would find in a game book. I use an Android Tablet for my session and a piece of software called Creative Book Builder. This software supports markdown syntax, which allows me to make the technical details of consulting oracle tables and the like different from the main narrative record of what happened.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you and I have the same problem, Sophia Brandt . I try to keep to minimal notes, and am usually successful so long as I'm just bashing heads in a dungeon somewhere, but, as soon as a social situation comes up, I turn into a novelist, writing out every line of dialogue as verbatim in-character text, describing locations and actions, etc. It really bogs things down, which is a major contributing factor to me not doing it more often.
ReplyDeleteI should add that I am an amature writer that has hopes of writing somthing that people would be willing to pay for one day, so writing the sessions out in detail is a good thing for me. Trying to describe hitpoint loss was a real eye opener for me in terms of how much D&D stlye systems abstract away the consequences of constant violence.
ReplyDeleteI take really sketchy notes in notepad and write it all out later as a combination story & game report. I even add in notes on game mechanics / random generator ideas that aren't in my notes for the benefit of other solo gamers.
ReplyDeleteI'd been a bit curious about how other people go about it too. This question actually inspired me to write a whole blog post on the subject. As a bonus, I even included the unedited notes from one of my recent sessions in case anyone wants to see just how far I have to get from notes to narrative:
http://aleaiactandaest.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/notes-on-notes.html
The game plays on my blog are what I write for my sessions. I did try to cut down and 'play' in my head but this did not make it as fun for me (check out my 3 lessons post).
ReplyDeleteI think I really need to step back and do more rolling within a session to mix things up again. The last session I did was an origin piece and I did not roll a single dice.
i have done it many different ways, but what i have found is that readers want me to include the mechanics as well as the narrative. It's easy enough for me to do, and I have found that it helps me remember where the moments of tension were.Usually, I swear (and I type it as I think it, so it's recorded for posterity.)
ReplyDeleteDialog between characters is typed real-time as best I can manage. It doesn't have to be pretty - I can, and probably will, clean it up in post production.
Here's an example of my actual notes from a session: http://tabletopdiversions.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-ever-expanding-dungeon-session-19.html
In most cases, I go back over the notes and construct a narrative, into which I paste the mechanics and bits of dialog directly from the notes .
I typically use JF's "World vs. Hero" system for my solo RPG playing, which lends itself very naturally to creating full-fledged narratives. Although, like JY above, I like to add in the game mechanics so that readers can "play along" as they read.
ReplyDeleteMy play sessions (previously posted elsewhere on now-defunct sites, alas) can now be read here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6reoxEpAa8_anA2X3puQ21BSVE/edit?usp=sharing and
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6reoxEpAa8_bjNlOF9DZ0tNNEE/edit?usp=sharing
For solo notes, I tend to track mechanical bits and then interpret them and combine them with brief narrative description of how I saw things in my head. Kind of like taking notes on a movie and then writing my own summary of how I saw it in game terms.
ReplyDelete