Author Topic: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?  (Read 3654 times)

riftalope

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"Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« on: October 10, 2006, 12:07:58 PM »
 Do any of your campaign members or groups do what my local gamers call a bluebook?  It's how we flex the novelist in us by penning out character thoughts and away from game events. This is where the GM becomes the editor, with the power to adjust, revise, or flat out remove parts of what you say went on in his world. With bluebooking you get to shine without taking away time from everyone else. Want to solidify that conversation you and your squire had? Bluebook it. Want a clearer background? Bluebook it. Want the GM to know how in love or angry or deluded your character is? You get the point.

As a GM you can encourage good bluebooks by tacking a small experience bonus (one point in hero) for a game with submitted bluebooking.
Pick up the Zen. Let it pull you faster to your point of balance. Once in balance, see the Zen all around you. Pick up the Zen. -Heropa, Zen and the Art of Grav-engine Recofiguration.

42

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2006, 02:43:15 PM »
I really like that idea. Kind of combines a gaming group with a writing group.

I'm not sure if everyone in my gaming group is literate enough to do it. Maybe someday I'll have group that is.

It could also be a great way to gain motivation to write short stories or just fan fic.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2006, 02:44:36 PM by 42 »
The Folly of youth is to think that intelligence is a subsitute for experience. The folly of age is to think that experience is a subsitute for intelligence.

Harbinger

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2006, 08:32:11 PM »
Agreed. A lot of characters I've seen (and, yes, some I've played) would benefit from some fleshing out. It's amazing how some character background helps your role-playing.
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Mr_Pleasington

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #3 on: October 11, 2006, 11:54:55 AM »
It's a great idea I've found doesn't work well in practice, at least for my groups.

We've had some success with people posting in-character account on Livejournal, especially when we were playing Vampire, but eventually folks get busy and that's that.

42

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #4 on: October 11, 2006, 02:10:44 PM »
There would probably have to be some sort of incentive to get players to "bluebook." Some sort of story award or something that helps motivate the player to develop the character. Yet there would also need to be an understanding that not all players have the time to write about their character regularly, and for some it may even lessen the enjoyment of playing.
The Folly of youth is to think that intelligence is a subsitute for experience. The folly of age is to think that experience is a subsitute for intelligence.

Eagle Prince

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #5 on: October 11, 2006, 08:03:15 PM »
Do you have any examples of this?
I am the Immortal One hidden from the dawn; I am the Emperor-King after day has gone.

Harbinger

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #6 on: October 11, 2006, 09:44:03 PM »
Following much tribulation, I have finally raised EP's corpse and given it a semblance of life.
After I went through his pockets and looked for loose change, of course.
Welcome back. :)
Fighter, your intelligence is found to be lacking when compared to the average intelligence of a group of your peers. -White Mage

Small boys throw stones at frogs in jest. But the frogs do not die in jest. The frogs die in earnest. -Pliny the Elder

riftalope

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2006, 01:02:55 PM »
Thanks Harbinger,
 Eagle Prince, for an example I'll point to the present Hero Game I'm in (Marvel universe). The GM gives his standard experience out, plus one point if you've given bluebooking for the last session. His brother never bluebooks, so he's got none, ever. My roommate, making something every time, has twenty extra points from it. And despite him sometimes making entire adventures or three at a time, he still gets one point per adventure. He's having fun!

We enter games with bluebook rewards with the agreement that we may or may not get much out of it. Sometimes a player that is creative (see: roommate) will write things when there's no bb reward in the campaign, just to confirm to the GM that "this" is how the character thinks, that he's really Role Playing and not just Roll playing.

RPH
Pick up the Zen. Let it pull you faster to your point of balance. Once in balance, see the Zen all around you. Pick up the Zen. -Heropa, Zen and the Art of Grav-engine Recofiguration.

42

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2006, 04:39:17 PM »
I wonder what it would be like to have a buebook heavy campaign.

It would help out campaigns where the members can't meet together very often. Plus it builds on the whole "collaborative story-telling" idea of role-playing.
The Folly of youth is to think that intelligence is a subsitute for experience. The folly of age is to think that experience is a subsitute for intelligence.

The Lost One

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2006, 11:14:40 PM »
FYI, the terms "bluebook" and "bluebooking" has a special meaning for attorneys. The bluebook is the official guide to legal citations and it is used to torture law students, particular those on a law review or legal journal.

*Lost One hides under his covers at the thought of bluebooking*
A peasant between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats.

42

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #10 on: October 31, 2006, 11:17:15 PM »
Yay, we scared a lawyer. I knew this site was good for something.
The Folly of youth is to think that intelligence is a subsitute for experience. The folly of age is to think that experience is a subsitute for intelligence.

riftalope

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #11 on: November 11, 2006, 08:15:30 PM »
I'd take a bow, but I'm against frightened people. :P
Pick up the Zen. Let it pull you faster to your point of balance. Once in balance, see the Zen all around you. Pick up the Zen. -Heropa, Zen and the Art of Grav-engine Recofiguration.

Eagle Prince

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Re: "Bluebooking" in your campaign?
« Reply #12 on: November 20, 2006, 05:30:08 AM »
Well if you really wanted to try it out, we could do a game with it.  I think we have already done this in a way with a few campaigns.  Like in that low-magic game, I did a knight tourny over email or in the evil game with all the dreams... I mean it was over email vs a blog or something, but it amounted to the same thing imo.
I am the Immortal One hidden from the dawn; I am the Emperor-King after day has gone.