Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf

Hello All.

I’m trying to maximize my Google search of the three Witches from Macbeth. Good stuff that.

Now on to our news. RunePunk is being revised before you’ve even seen it. After discussing some particulars with Clint, it was deemed necessary to revisit certain elements from a bottom-up approach rather than a top down one. If I haven’t been so boldly honest since starting this site, I don’t know if I’d actually bring this up, but revamping things a bit is certainly like scratching an itch. I’ve developed a lot as a writer and a designer since I started this journey and I’ve seen some design flaws that could be eliminated, but have been so busy jumping from project to project, I’ve not had time to revisit them, pushed as I was towards an imaginary deadline.

I’m going to compare designing to writing. Writing I’ve done for a long time, mostly in a corporate type environment. You learn better ways of getting across points, how to hold people’s interest, and whatnot. Like any other writing, you can look back and shudder. Game design is certainly a different type of beast, but as one develops and learns better ways to express things in the written word, one can also learn better ways to express their creative vision using game mechanics. With Savage Worlds, I was writing the setting and developing the mechanics simultaneously while mastering the system. Something I wouldn’t advise for the first outing. Add to that, I initially thought I had a simple premise, but I have a tendency to want to expand things outward and I initially ran through some false starts. It happens and I’m here to tell you it’s not the end of the world. Everything has to have a starting point and it’s rare and beautiful when you are able to create something that doesn’t require revision. I’ve crafted a handful of poems in a lifetime I can say were cut from whole cloth, but that’s about the extent of that. With games and game design, if you have a flaw, it definitely can rise to the surface.

With RunePunk, however, it’s not so much that it was a design flaw as a methodology that was complete and comprehensive, but a bit heavier than I would’ve liked. I’ve molded it into something stronger, simpler, and, ultimately, more robust. This is after a lot of eyes have already looked at it, played it, and enjoyed it as it was. I promise you, I know this is better. When I completed the changes today, I had that feeling of excitement I got when I finished the draft of Agents of Oblivion. I felt that I had nailed it and done the setting justice. Today, I’m confident I’ve finally gotten the essence of RunePunk down and now it’s simply a matter of tweaking some details out with Clint.

I’m fortunate enough to have Clint on board this project. He’s a talented, engaging individual who is able to bring a deep level of commitment and understanding to any project he becomes involved with. We’re on the same page with RunePunk and I will take this opportunity to address egos for a moment…whenever working on a project, you create with your heart and complete with your head. Once the creative process is done, refining the vision is essential in executing the work. People always say to work to please yourself, but you have to keep in mind that when designing game stuff, it’s for an interactive medium and, if you’re lucky, players will breathe life into them and your world can become the stuff of legend.

Enough waxing eloquent for one day. Just remember this, the RunePunk you didn’t see was good and we weren’t willing to settle for that.

Regards,

Sean