Core Activity and Mission Statement examples and discussion

[Apollonian]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Part of the problem with them is that they're more quipped parodies of the central focuses of those games than an actual description.

Upon further reflection, I think I can draw a distinction between the two: A core activity is what you do, while a mission statement is what you do, why you do it, and who you are. A game usually wants a core activity for the GM to build off of ("Kill monsters and take their stuff? Hm, who would want to do that and why? Maybe I could run a game of paladins venturing beyond the Wall of Terror to kill Nightshades and recover lost Relics of the Order...") while a campaign wants a mission statement to guide players - and probably more setting detail for them to build off of.

So I suppose that I'm looking more for mission statements, as I'm not building any games at the moment, only campaigns.

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by whswhs

My campaign prospectuses are from two to five times as long as the mission statements I provided.

So what do you use them both for?

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

So what do you use them both for?

Well, I don't. The mission statement is part of the prospectus. For example:

_____ Capital. Urban fantasy. Mage: The Ascension.
For centuries, secretive magical orders have struggled over whose vision of the cosmos will prevail. Under Edward VII, London is the center of the world’s greatest empire and of international finance, and also the home of many magical lodges. Recently Awakened mages will ally to seek knowledge and power and defend each other against rival orders. Play will emphasize freeform magical feats and their tactical and covert applications—but long-term plots will focus on uncovering hidden truths and acting on them, including truths about the purposes of secretive conspiracies.
You may enjoy this campaign if you like roleplaying old-fashioned manners and customs; you’re comfortable with freeform magic rules.

The mission statement is in bold; the rest is not.

In other words, I feel it's necessary to say more than just the mission statement. What is the genre? What is the rules system? What is the premise? What is the setting? What will be the focus of play? (In the past, I used to discuss whether campaigns would be G-, PG-, R-, or X-rated, how violent they would be, and how realistic they would be; and there's some point to this, I think.) Who is this proposal aimed at?