Steve Jackson Games Forums - Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management

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- - Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management (https://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=166725)

Re: Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company (Post 2361726)

And making more Nikkis is nearly as problematic as making more Kromms, not least because it would really complicate things for the only one Steven Marsh.

So we create several more Stevens, too.

Re: Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management

SJGames is in Texas and Texas A&M cloned the first cat so you may be on to something

Re: Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kromm (Post 2361725)

Or in this case, "only one Nikki."

"Development" is shorthand for what our editors do: Handle queries, proposals, questions that arise during writing, draft reviews, questions that arise from playtesting, and editing. It can include the game design and writing itself. All of the hands-on work this implies is done in unformatted text or using Microsoft Word.

"Production" describes what our production artists do: Lay out the text; design the pages, including headers, footers, fills, bleeds, and page numbers; insert art and diagrams; create a title page (and sometimes a cover), table of contents, and index; and finally turn it all into a PDF. Stuff you'd do in, say, InDesign, or QuarkXPress.

"Production" follows "development," with the exception of last-minute changes made when the writer and editor look at the near-final work of the production artist.

Anyway, I handle "development" but Nikki handles "production." Once I start talking about something being "in production," it's totally out of my hands except from a possible last review of the product ("production review") before we upload it for you to buy.

Oh I fully respect what everyone does, was more trying to imply how much I am salivating at the prospect of the product.

I appreciate how much work you and Nikki do esp in the current difficult situation, the conistant quality of gurps is testament to it.

If I can wait for Cyberpunk 2077 I can wait for this

Re: Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kromm (Post 2361725)

"Development" is shorthand for what our editors do [...] "Production" describes what our production artists do [...] "Production" follows "development" [...] I handle "development" but Nikki handles "production."

Since Steven's name has come up:

"Project management" is assigning writers, editors, illustrators, and production artists to projects, and making sure these people communicate; setting up playtests; facilitating project handoffs from development to production; making sure that developers review the resulting production output; and establishing timelines for all of the above, as well as release dates. Most of this is done via email. It's concurrent with all of development and production.

That's Steven's job. So for every Kromm and Nikki you add, you need at least one Steven and possibly two.

Re: Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kromm (Post 2361739)

That's Steven's job. So for every Kromm and Nikki you add, you need at least one Steven and possibly two.

I should add that I handled both development and project management from 1995-2002. I put project management on hold in 2002 to develop Fourth Edition. Since that time, I've drifted more and more solidly into a pure development role. But I can still hack project management, and sometimes do. I'm just useless at production.

Re: Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management

Maybe this stuff needs to be in the FAQ :P

Re: Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gigermann (Post 2361747)

Maybe this stuff needs to be in the FAQ :P

I think it's largely "boring corporate structure stuff" that has nothing specifically to do with anything gamers need to care about, but if one of the various FAQ-keepers wants to tag it, flag it, or quote it, that would be fine. I'm writing a lot about it here because I'm a full-disclosure kind of guy . . . and I suppose also because one of my pet peeves is people thinking that editors are production artists.

Re: Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kromm (Post 2361752)

Yes.

I am, professionally, a copy editor (meaning I make sure the language is correct, check the format against house style, and ask questions to clarify passages I find hard to follow) and a developmental editor (more asking questions, and suggesting ways to improve a document), but not an editor (the staff member who decides whether a work should be published, or at least recommends its publication). I know enough about things like page layout and table format to make suggestions to the people who actually do the work, but I don't use any of the software that's essential to that sort of work.

Re: Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management

Whoa... holy crap how did I miss that this product was in development? Obviously, a LOT of people have been clamoring for it, me among them. Hopefully (COVID) it will be released soon!

Re: Call for Playtesters: GURPS Realm Management

Quote:

Originally Posted by acrosome (Post 2361826)

Whoa... holy crap how did I miss that this product was in development? Obviously, a LOT of people have been clamoring for it, me among them. Hopefully (COVID) it will be released soon!

That's the plan. It took me a long time to write it to get the right balance of crunch to abstraction. It's not a bean-counting system - I know folks are tired of me saying that but I like to manage expectations when possible about my work. You aren't counting pigs and seeing how many survive the winter. You instead have resources like "Agriculture Points" that you can spend to feed your people or perform other actions. It *does* come with its own task resolution system which is it's own chapter and I'm pretty proud of it. One thing that system should also allow is "fights" between groups like those presented in Boardrooms and Curia. At least that was the plan.

I sincerely hope folks like it because it tested me sorely at every turn and I think it's some of my best work.