Tears of Vykyris - the blurb
In a recent post on mashugenah's LJ, I said that I thought the blurb for Tears of Vykyris was successful, despite admitting it was also esoteric. I thought I would try and explain why, though I note that success is not something that can be determined objectively.
For the blurb for Tears of Vykyris I decided not to use words and instead used three pictures:
- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14355510/Poster1.jpg
- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14355510/Poster2.jpg
- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14355510/Poster3.jpg
These pictures were intended to achieve the following:
1. Stand Out From The Crowd: This one is simple and self serving, but using pictures was different and would have a higher chance of initially attracting the eye.
2. Genre And All That Jazz: The pictures describe sword opera/high fantasy elements of the scenario without having any spoilers. There are swords, magic, romance, angels, heroes and heroines, supernatural creatures, and high drama.
3. The Use Of Images: The scenario uses visual imagery heavily. Every PC, NPC, antagonist and location is shown in a picture (PCs even have 2 or 3 each). Those who appreciated the use of images in a blurb are more likely to enjoy this aspect of the scenario.
4. Something Left Unsaid: The pictures and the lines leave something unconveyed. They are intended to entice the viewer to try and work out what's meant by them. In the scenario, I used a rather heavy-hand regarding player knowledge (not just character knowledge) which I knew would likely be the biggest hurdle/impediment to a player enjoying the scenario. If the blurb left the viewer annoyed or scratching their head, the scenario would likely do a lot worse.
So, there you have it. I really liked how the blurb not only conveyed what was in the scenario but also the style of how the scenario was to played. This is much more difficult to do with just words (though not imposible - see Dale's Kapcon Summer Slam countdown and commentary here: http://kapcon.rpg.net.nz/?q=node/537). I don't have any concrete evidence of how successful this was, as I didn't question my players on it. I am pretty sure that the blurb will have been ignored by some players and that it may have turned away certain players who may have enjoyed the scenario. I also don't plan to use this blurb style elsewhere. Despite all that, I feel that Vykyris' blurb spoke to people about the game better than other blurbs I have 'written'.
For the blurb for Tears of Vykyris I decided not to use words and instead used three pictures:
- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14355510/Poster1.jpg
- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14355510/Poster2.jpg
- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14355510/Poster3.jpg
These pictures were intended to achieve the following:
1. Stand Out From The Crowd: This one is simple and self serving, but using pictures was different and would have a higher chance of initially attracting the eye.
2. Genre And All That Jazz: The pictures describe sword opera/high fantasy elements of the scenario without having any spoilers. There are swords, magic, romance, angels, heroes and heroines, supernatural creatures, and high drama.
3. The Use Of Images: The scenario uses visual imagery heavily. Every PC, NPC, antagonist and location is shown in a picture (PCs even have 2 or 3 each). Those who appreciated the use of images in a blurb are more likely to enjoy this aspect of the scenario.
4. Something Left Unsaid: The pictures and the lines leave something unconveyed. They are intended to entice the viewer to try and work out what's meant by them. In the scenario, I used a rather heavy-hand regarding player knowledge (not just character knowledge) which I knew would likely be the biggest hurdle/impediment to a player enjoying the scenario. If the blurb left the viewer annoyed or scratching their head, the scenario would likely do a lot worse.
So, there you have it. I really liked how the blurb not only conveyed what was in the scenario but also the style of how the scenario was to played. This is much more difficult to do with just words (though not imposible - see Dale's Kapcon Summer Slam countdown and commentary here: http://kapcon.rpg.net.nz/?q=node/537). I don't have any concrete evidence of how successful this was, as I didn't question my players on it. I am pretty sure that the blurb will have been ignored by some players and that it may have turned away certain players who may have enjoyed the scenario. I also don't plan to use this blurb style elsewhere. Despite all that, I feel that Vykyris' blurb spoke to people about the game better than other blurbs I have 'written'.