Nick the new guy ...

TheMazeController

Hi My name really isn't Nick but whatever...

Here is Baby's first Obsidian Portal effort. http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/bad-wrong-fun I think it's OK so far but I would love any tips and tricks or constructive advice! I am browsing the forum and looking at the advice sections now.

Bye! (for now)

malcolypse

That looks pretty epic, TheMazeController, I'm not even sure that epic covers it. I know that I'd never be brave enough to try to run what was essentially two campaigns, with up to a dozen players in each, at the same time.

Welcome to OP and good luck.

TheMazeController

Well having a Dozen players in each camp wont be an issue quite in my game I am hoping. Besides the golden numbers I am shooting for for each camp are 8-10. This is all adults so scheduling will be player driven, ad-hoc, and on the fly using a mailing list per camp. We will also be using the OP calendar to co-ordinate the schedule. I figure that the weekly game should only feature 4-7 from a camp at a time "sallying forth" so to speak.

The fun part comes from the fact that each "camp" campaign will have an impact on the game world / effect (or is it affect?) events and what happens at it's opposite camp.

If I wasn't clear about what I meant look under "Unique Features of Bad Wrong Fun" (BWF) on the site perhaps it explains it better.

Speaking of which is there a mailing list feature to Obsidian Portal or can I set up my own Mini Forum on the BWF site?

As an aside I have run a game with 12 people at the table before, (It is suuuuper hard but I made it work using 4E and that is a beast.) and one of the possible epic conclusions to the campaign I have in my head involves a scenario with an assistant GM and both camps at the table in opposed or cooperative play.

Pray for me...

Also give me tips!

I am in the recruiting phase currently so I still have room for players. Who knows perhaps I wont generate enough interest (I kinda doubt that tho). I plan to hold weekly meetings until the end of January as recruits contact me. I will use the OP site to set reminders for the meetings and schedule them.

Once I have 4-5 new recruits at a time, I will set up a meeting. In the mean itme I am going to NYC meetups from D&D groups and face to face introducing myself and recruiting there as well.

The Main NYC D&D meetup I plan to attend / participate in and hopefuly draw from has about 1500 people give or take, someone's gotta be interested in my lil game.

Apart from that I am also doing the usual thing with fliers at hobby shops and libraries to drive people to the Bad Wrong Fun (BWF) site.

Additionally I am starting conversations about the project all over the place from here to the rpg.net, Mongoose's boards Design Mechanism's Boards the NYC / NJ Craigslists and enworld's boards.

I figure if I collect ideas to improve and spread word of mouth at the same time by Late Jan I may wind up having to turn players away even.

Another nice thing is that I am now being plugged as a partner site by the Makers of Runequest 6 on their website and Lawrence Whitaker has also plugged my experiment on his boards at Design Mechanism and sent me playtest materials to support our effort.

Kinda a rambling response but I am kinda a rambling man. I do better when I can sit and look at what a wrote for a long time so sorry if I was unclear about anything!

After the initial recruitment phase is over it will be up to players to use mailing lists for their "camps" to schedule games themselves with me through the mailing list and the BWF site. The Obsidian Portal Site explains about that on the main page under the heading of Unique features of Bad Wrong Fun.

Oh one other thing I am gonna want to do is make videos of the sessions as well.

Dungeon_Master_Loki

I'll certainly be observing as this progresses. Very ambitious and interesting approach.

TheMazeController

Thanks!

Quick question also ... can I print right from my Obsidian Portal Site? I'd like to just use the main page as a flyer modified somewhat - what would be the best way to do that you think?

GamingMegaverse

Wow, welcome, and good luck.
killervp
"A God...Rebuilt":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/a-god-rebuilt
Duskreign's "COTM for November 2011":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/wyrmshadow/wiki_pages/112011

Black_Vulmea

Welcome to the Portal.

I'm fond of the West Marches approach, and I'm looking forward to seeing how well it works out for you.

I currently have one group wandering around my setting, plus a solo character I experimented with the other day, and I'm looking to add another separate group as well. Not quite the same thing as West Marches, but I really do like the idea of different groups of player characters sharing the setting, each leaving their mark.

Best of luck with your campaign.

Mike aka Black Vulmea
"_Le Ballet de l'Acier_":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/le-ballet-de-l-acier - swashbuckling adventure in the age of the Three Musketeers and Captain Alatriste
Featured Campaign of the Month - August 2011

TheMazeController

Thanks for the well wishes!

Indeed it is basically designed to be the West Marches on steroids. I will be adding my own spin on things however, because I am like that and it's fun to be a devious bastard with one's players.

I am going to intertwine a political campaign into the backdrop of the setting, something along the lines of War of the Burning Sky or Scales of War. Players will be free to get involved in that backdrop or go free range. The scale and sweep of events will effect the setting either way tho.

Does anyone know of a way to host files using Obsidian Portal? I have a Downloads page on my Wiki but I am forced to host files elsewhere. Am I doing it wrong? If it doesn't exist has there been any talk of that as a feature?

arsheesh

Hey there Maze Controller, welcome to the Portal! To answer your last question, currently the Portal does not have any file hosting features other than the media upload feature. I've always thought this would be a really handy feature to have, especially for those home brewed systems that have made pdf copies of house rules, however, no joy. Anyway, your campaign(s) look fairly ambitious, I wish you the best. Hope to see more of you around the Portal.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

TheMazeController

Thanks!

I now have a lil video up on the site, thanks to those who helped me figure that one out(how to center it)! The site progresses but is still in it's infancy, baby steps tho baby steps.

Now all I need is some players. lol.

still 14 shy of my pie in the sky number. I will settle for 16 total tho which will mean I am only 10 short according to emails. These bums better start using the site since I plan to make it awesome.

twiggyleaf

Hey MazeController

The video is excellent. One of the most innovative I have seen on OP. And your ideas for collaborative generation of the campaign world are also very cool. Good luck with the whole thing and welcome to OP! (Yet another scion of creation enters the fold!)


twiggyleaf
"Shimring - The Faces of Divinity":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shimring
(a multiplanar 3.5 D&D campaign)

TheMazeController

First meeting scheduled today in midtown Manhattan @ the Compleat Strategist going from noon to 4 to hash ideas Q&A demo site & future features and delegate slamm tasks to volunteers.

Will keep you guys posted.

How do I add a sig? I tried and failed (obviously) also what music players can I embed on the OP page?

Thanks for the feedback help and love!

FrankSirmarco

Looks good so far. Welcome to OP, Maze!

Morrinn

Hey Maze, welcome to OP.
I don't think you can add a sig for the forums, I think guys just sign each post manually.

TheMazeController

Thanks!

Ok well next question -

Posting this from notepad from ideas file. Basically it is thoughts on how to set up sidebar and a overlay for the tabs. A helpful member warned me about going "all wiki" already so I want to get this set up soon-ish before I have too many nubs (As if I wasn't the biggest nub of them all lol.) trying stuff on my portal

Feedback welcome on the following:


================================

For Tabs Bar graphic replacement

Version A:

*Home* *Adventure Logs* *Wiki* *Player Camps* *Items* *Forum* *Maps* *Comments* *Downloads*

----------------------------------

Sidebar

Version A:

Home

Recent Updates

Maps

Major Factions

Important People

Camps

----------------------------------

Side Bar replacement

Version B:

Home

Videos

Adventure Log

Player Camps

Factions

Important People
----------------------------------

For Tabs Bar graphic replacement

Version B:

*Home* *Adventure Logs* *Wiki* *Player Camps* *Regions* *Items* *Forum* *Comments* *Downloads*

===============================

Other suggested layouts are welcome!

GamingMegaverse

I vote version b for both.
killervp
"A God...Rebuilt":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/a-god-rebuilt
Duskreign's "COTM for November 2011":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/wyrmshadow/wiki_pages/112011

TheMazeController

Still mulling it over - videos may become multimedia since I am planning on having a music section of the site.

Thinking of adding some other stuff as well - a News section and a few other areas...

baby steps tho baby steps...

In addition I am going to try a fe things which I think are cool we will see how far I can take stuff.

How does OP handle forums can I make sub sections to my forums? I want to have seperate areas for different topics and the 2 "camps".

I also would like to posit a theory -

Sidebar vs top tabs bar....

Sidebar should be for site functionality / navigation - and open to all.

Tabs below the banner should be set up for players to use the site.

Thoughts?

TheMazeController

Okay posting again - I figure someone here might know. So I am in the Hobby shop today meeting potential players and I am talking to someone about the site here at Obsidian Portal. The guy says to me "Let me Google it" and starts to type in Bad Wrong Fun on his iphone as I am saying it wont work like that - You have to type in the URL since it's hosted by Obsidian Portal.

He then says to me "No - you're the 3rd hit on Google."

My question is - Is that normal? The site is only 3 days old since I made it and started pimping it out to people. Indexed and 3rd hit on Google in 3 days? I thought the net doesn't work that way?

malcolypse

I don't know if it's normal, but I decided to do an experiment. I googled as far as "bad wro" and it suggested Bad Wrong Fun, and you were indeed the third on their list. Congrats. Unless google is stalking you.

TheMazeController

Goddamit!

Google and I had a bad breakup a few months back .... I told Google it wasn't Google it was me,

I was having a covert Affair with Bing at the time...

No but seriously I know weird right? I am anonymously infamous - just how I like it.