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Old 12-18-2009, 06:16 PM   #1
ziresta
 
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Default What information do you put in a prospectus?

I'm trying a prospectus for the first time, and I'm having a hard time deciding just what to put on it . . . so far I've been including:

Campaign name
One sentence description of what the PCs will be expected to be (i.e. pirates, mercenaries)
One sentence description of the campaign's intended focus (i.e. action/adventure, everyday life)
Genre
Game system

That seems a little too bare bones to me, so, what else do you guys put in yours?
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Old 12-18-2009, 06:34 PM   #2
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Default Re: What information do you put in a prospectus?

I discussed this very same question in this thread.
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Old 12-18-2009, 06:51 PM   #3
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Default Re: What information do you put in a prospectus?

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Originally Posted by sir_pudding View Post
I discussed this very same question in this thread.
So you did. And clicking on that, I realize I read that very thread yesterday. I'd just forgotten about it until now.
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Old 12-18-2009, 07:38 PM   #4
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Default Re: What information do you put in a prospectus?

Well, e.g.,

____ The Gate of Horn: A dark fantasy campaign in which gifted dreamers meet and explore the realms of darkness, uncovering its hidden truths and encountering its dangers. Player characters will be present-day human beings in their waking lives . . . but something more in their dreams. Play will emphasize freeform magical arts, investigation of enigmas, and supernatural horror. Rules system: FUDGE.

That's name, premise, description of player characters, description of main types of action, game system. Not very different from yours except that I give premise/setting and expect players to figure out the genre from that.

Bill Stoddard
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Old 12-18-2009, 08:15 PM   #5
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Default Re: What information do you put in a prospectus?

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
That's name, premise, description of player characters, description of main types of action, game system. Not very different from yours except that I give premise/setting and expect players to figure out the genre from that.

Bill Stoddard
I've got a player who seems to assume (based on the character concepts he proposes) the genre is over-the-top comedy if genre isn't explicitly spelled out so I have to have it listed, but I probably should add a brief description of the setting. I'd left it out initially because the first several games on the prospectus were settings the players were very familiar with, being that they were either continuations of current games or settings they've run games in themselves, but for the rest, I think I'll go back and add a description.
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Old 12-18-2009, 08:28 PM   #6
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Default Re: What information do you put in a prospectus?

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Originally Posted by ziresta View Post
I've got a player who seems to assume (based on the character concepts he proposes) the genre is over-the-top comedy if genre isn't explicitly spelled out so I have to have it listed, but I probably should add a brief description of the setting. I'd left it out initially because the first several games on the prospectus were settings the players were very familiar with, being that they were either continuations of current games or settings they've run games in themselves, but for the rest, I think I'll go back and add a description.
I think we've run into a semantic issue. I don't consider "comedy" to be a genre but a play style. You can have comedic horror, comedic fantasy, comedic science fiction, comedic spy thrillers, and so on. In fact I've run several of those.

Looking at my prospectus, the proposal for Mad Science High said

Storylines will mix action/adventure with personal relationships; style will be light but not absurdist.

I think that may address the issue you're looking at.

Bill Stoddard
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Old 12-18-2009, 08:35 PM   #7
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Default Re: What information do you put in a prospectus?

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
I think we've run into a semantic issue. I don't consider "comedy" to be a genre but a play style. You can have comedic horror, comedic fantasy, comedic science fiction, comedic spy thrillers, and so on. In fact I've run several of those.

Looking at my prospectus, the proposal for Mad Science High said

Storylines will mix action/adventure with personal relationships; style will be light but not absurdist.

I think that may address the issue you're looking at.

Bill Stoddard
No I know comedy isn't a genre, I just really need to proofread my posts before posting them. It was supposed to say "assumes the genre is over-the-top multi-genre comedy."
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Last edited by ziresta; 12-18-2009 at 08:45 PM. Reason: I REALLY need to proofread before posting.
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Old 12-18-2009, 08:49 PM   #8
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Default Re: What information do you put in a prospectus?

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No I know comedy isn't a genre, I just really need to proofread my posts before posting them. It was supposed to say "assumes the genre is over-the-top multi-genre comedy."
Wow, that's really bizarre. It's like having one of those legendary munchkins who wants to play a battlesuit trooper in a Bunnies and Burrows campaign, or a wizard in a space patrol campaign. I would be a bit flummoxed; I expect players to get that the campaign is what I said it is and not something I didn't say.

Bill Stoddard
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Old 12-18-2009, 10:20 PM   #9
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Default Re: What information do you put in a prospectus?

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Wow, that's really bizarre. It's like having one of those legendary munchkins who wants to play a battlesuit trooper in a Bunnies and Burrows campaign, or a wizard in a space patrol campaign. I would be a bit flummoxed; I expect players to get that the campaign is what I said it is and not something I didn't say.

Bill Stoddard
I kind of understand it in his case. The GMs of his usual group (the one he plays with multiple nights a week) don't care usually so long as it's a character of the appropriate level, made using the appropriate variant of d20, regardless of what they say the genre and tone and whatnot will be (for some reason their campaigns tend to self-destruct a few sessions in, can't imagine why*). Since this problem didn't show up until he started gaming with them again, I think it's a habit he got into in their games where, as I said, it's fine.

And since he used to be nearly as bad a munchkin as the sort you mentioned, this is actually a welcome change. At least now he understands when I tell him why the proposed character won't work.

* This was sarcasm.
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Old 12-18-2009, 10:47 PM   #10
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Default Re: What information do you put in a prospectus?

Quote:
Originally Posted by whswhs
Wow, that's really bizarre. It's like having one of those legendary munchkins who wants to play a battlesuit trooper in a Bunnies and Burrows campaign, or a wizard in a space patrol campaign. I would be a bit flummoxed; I expect players to get that the campaign is what I said it is and not something I didn't say.
Drat! I get a kick out of creating things like a sword-swinging barbarian from a primitive planet in a Traveller game, a mysterious Chinese apothecary (the closest I can usually come to a wizard) in a GURPS Old West game, or a "hacker" wizard (loading up on information magics) in an AD&D game. Not because I want "kewl powerz"...but because I like being a bit unorthodox for a given setting. (I once played an intelligent chimpanzee who communicated with sign language in a Top Secret game. Only the GM got the joke when I named the character Lancelot Link.)
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