…when I play this:
because I missed an idea so trivially obvious that I deserve a big kick in the butt. Yesterday I was worrying about how to introduce the actors and their relationships to the player. I came up with a variety of schemes, but the one I settled on was a description in the Actor Display that accompanies the Storyteller software.
What an idiot I am! I forgot that the most effective medium of communication in humans is storytelling. So why not tell stories illustrating their personalities and relationships? Duh!
All I need to do is write a bunch more stories that show the actors interacting with each other. They can go into the novel.
On a related note, Laura Mixon has urged me to consider publishing the Siboot novel as a regular science fiction title. I am averse to the idea, for a variety of reasons. She thinks it’s good enough for commercial publication. But I don’t want to sell a book, I want to sell Siboot. The purpose of the novel is to attract players and possibly attract attention for a Kickstarter campaign, should I choose to take that route. I want to give the novel away from my website. If I go with a traditional publisher, the novel will have to be locked down long before the design and programming is complete — which could cause me serious problems. Moreover, reading the novel is critical in order to understand the game; people won’t buy Siboot if they also have to buy a novel. Lastly, there’s all the hassle associated with publishing. What if they publish the novel a year after I’m finished with the software?
Still, I have promised Laura that I’ll keep an open mind on the subject.
Writing these new stories will be enjoyable. I like writing; it’s a nice break from programming.