[freeroleplay] Re: Zaenar
- From: "Per I. Mathisen" <per@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Free Roleplaying Community <freeroleplay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 18:34:37 +0000 (GMT)
On Mon, 7 Mar 2005, Ricardo Gladwell wrote:
> I've been giving some thought to the idea of restarting the Open World
> Project, aka Zaener. It seems to me there tend to be a few common
> problems with fantasy worlds developed collaboratively.
Interesting topic. What examples do you know of that have been developed
collabortively?
> These can be summarised as follows:
>
> a) They tend to be bland collections of areas, characters and themes
> that do not fit together.
Very true. I think it is necessary that a single person or a single
close-knit team produce the overall 'theme' and enforce that strictly.
> b) The world does too much and becomes a mess of high-powered forces
> that couldn't possibly coexist in even the most high-magic campaigns.
Always a problem. Even in worlds produced by a single person ;)
> c) They tend to die a slow death from apathy, due perhaps to conflicting
> goals.
Perhaps also due to the 'product' never being used to anything. No goals
to strive for, no releases, no time when the 'product' has reached a
milestone.
> The solution I see to the above isto have a less open process that is
> still open to all but with some controls over what goes into the final
> product. I envisage a central team, or even a single Project Dictator.
A good idea. A review process with multiple people doing review may also
be an idea, but in the final instance having one person to take difficult
decisions is good, and perhaps necessary.
> Submissions can be rejected but only with recommendations on how they
> can be altered for successful re-submission.
Bad idea. Any moderately successful project will receive submissions that
are best rejected outright, and that you really don't want in any form
whatsoever, never mind how many modifications are made to it.
Anyway. My few cents.
- Per
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