I managed to finish the re-reading/editing the text of Lost Heroes RPG’s setting: “Book of the Gods” last week. My feeling is that’s mostly complete. The writing is spot-on in some places and others it’s terrible weak, hence why I say it’s only 68% complete.
But I figure, that’s okay. This setting I’m putting together is basically a baseline of all my ideas and the previous versions brought together in some sort of coherent draft. Using this text, I can start to playtest it (using any system) to get a feel for how the setting (as opposed to the system) works and feels in-game.
I may make this raw text available to the few who have expressed an interest in reading it (ask if you want it). But my plan next is to put it together as a single PDF. The advantage of a single PDF is that it is a binary blob, one that can be download to be read offline, converted to ebook and uploaded to various online sites for further distribution. I will put the text online in HTML format but I’m not sure yet how this will happen.
The other thing I’ve learned from reading though the text is that, I need to split it up. There should be a core text, the basic setting plus the Mad/Dark Gods and Dreamlands and then a separate supplement/book for each of the four groups of pantheons: Tuatha De Dannan/Fomorri, Angels/Demons, Olympians and Norse (Aesir/Vanir). Having these four large groups embedded in the same work means I don’t give them the treatment they need to come alive. Don’t get me wrong, the basic facts and info is there to use and play them, but it’s compressed and thusly very dry to read.
It also makes it difficult to approach as a written project as each of these pantheons needs it’s own flavour and should have it’s only feel (I know what that feel should be too, as I’ve hinted at it before).
My work rate is slow I have to admit. This is a labour of love for me, but must fit in-between all the other must-do stuff and doing 32% more work is a daunting task.
