You want Critique? I'll give you the Deal
Apr. 28th, 2007 07:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eyebeamsSo, over in small press land there's a bunch of drama about whether or not somebody's game sucked and was ready for show or not. There's fear of a culture of yes-people, versus fear that this is really camouflage for people wrestling for control of the scene.
I'd like to help. Here's the Deal:
Submission: You, the self-publisher, send me your game in word-processing manuscript form, to m AT mobunited dot com. I don't want its "ashcan" or more graphics than absolutely necessary to run the game.
Playtest: I will playtest the game with my group. I might also playtest with an open group of players drawn from my community. You will receive subjective documentation of each playtest culled from the game and post-game discussion.
Redlines: I will then redline your draft for conceptual and stylistic content.
The Honour System: You will get it back and do whatever the hell you want with it. Edit it according to my notes or not, I don't care. It's up to you.
But here's the honour system part: If you feel that I have assisted you in refining your game, I expect you, on your honour, to do two things:
Pay me 20 bucks. This is primarily symbolic; you acknowledge that you got something of financial value from the process and I buy pizza for my family or some widget for the house. I accept US, Canadian and Canadian Tire currency.
Credit me. Your published game will include the following credit:
"Developmental assistance via The Deal, by Malcolm Sheppard (http://www.mobunited.com)"
You should also add the names I give you to the list of playtesters.
Send me the revision.
Again, I don't need the published version, though you can send it if you want.
But aren't you some kind of mad-dog asshole who hates all things indie?
In certain contexts I probably am a bit of a jerk. Of course, if I really hate indie games I'm sure a fool for owning a bunch of them, aren't I? My opinions of individual games don't really depend on their source. They depend on how much I feel driven to use them, in whole or in part and how much I find them influencing my own play/design/writing process.
Here's a set of opinions that will help you get to know where I stand. I like Burning Empires, The Burning Wheel (though I like BE better), Truth and Justice, Dead Inside*, The Riddle of Steel and Spirit of the Century. I think Sorcerer's okay, though I used to like it a bit more. I like The Shadow of Yesterday a bit less than the Burning X's and such, but I especially like Keys (which are a more focused counterpart of a system I'd designed when I was working on Dominion). I didn't like Paladin.
And incidentally, I don't hold with strong pro- or anti-immersion arguments.
If I don't think I can give your work a fair shake I just won't talk to you. I can think of maybe 2-3 people that applies to and none of them are involved in any of the recent arguments. No, not even you, guy-who-thinks-I'm-talking-about-you.
No, I don't hold with the artistic or economic theories in the indie community. You won't get any commentary from me about Big Model compliance. You'll get comments about what my group and I liked and disliked. I have no interest in ad hominem input either way.
And if you want to mend fences or start conversations, this is the way to do it.
What if I break the Deal?
If I run across a published copy of the game that is substantially (not just slightly) altered according to my redlines but does not include credit or payment, I will loudly ask if that game's designer has broken the Deal. With examples.
Why are you doing this?
Because, believe it or not, I want the creator-owned tier to flourish, to the point where I've put a substantial amount of my own time and money toward helping creators I know bring out the best in their work.
It also serves as a promotional tool for me that's actually fun instead of onerous.
Do you want to steal my idea?
No, but I might want to pay you for it I like what I see. But nothing in the Deal makes that mandatory.
Isn't this just a backhanded way of mocking indie games?
Certainly not. I just believe I have a perspective on things that you might not get otherwise.
Fuck you, you arrogant bastard! I'm gonna mock you on a messageboard and/or send you hate mail!
I can live with that. Make sure you repost this in its entirety before you get on with it, though. Selective editing is for the weak.
* I'd love to see a second edition Dead Inside. It feels a lot bigger than its page count.
I'd like to help. Here's the Deal:
Submission: You, the self-publisher, send me your game in word-processing manuscript form, to m AT mobunited dot com. I don't want its "ashcan" or more graphics than absolutely necessary to run the game.
Playtest: I will playtest the game with my group. I might also playtest with an open group of players drawn from my community. You will receive subjective documentation of each playtest culled from the game and post-game discussion.
Redlines: I will then redline your draft for conceptual and stylistic content.
The Honour System: You will get it back and do whatever the hell you want with it. Edit it according to my notes or not, I don't care. It's up to you.
But here's the honour system part: If you feel that I have assisted you in refining your game, I expect you, on your honour, to do two things:
Pay me 20 bucks. This is primarily symbolic; you acknowledge that you got something of financial value from the process and I buy pizza for my family or some widget for the house. I accept US, Canadian and Canadian Tire currency.
Credit me. Your published game will include the following credit:
"Developmental assistance via The Deal, by Malcolm Sheppard (http://www.mobunited.com)"
You should also add the names I give you to the list of playtesters.
Send me the revision.
Again, I don't need the published version, though you can send it if you want.
But aren't you some kind of mad-dog asshole who hates all things indie?
In certain contexts I probably am a bit of a jerk. Of course, if I really hate indie games I'm sure a fool for owning a bunch of them, aren't I? My opinions of individual games don't really depend on their source. They depend on how much I feel driven to use them, in whole or in part and how much I find them influencing my own play/design/writing process.
Here's a set of opinions that will help you get to know where I stand. I like Burning Empires, The Burning Wheel (though I like BE better), Truth and Justice, Dead Inside*, The Riddle of Steel and Spirit of the Century. I think Sorcerer's okay, though I used to like it a bit more. I like The Shadow of Yesterday a bit less than the Burning X's and such, but I especially like Keys (which are a more focused counterpart of a system I'd designed when I was working on Dominion). I didn't like Paladin.
And incidentally, I don't hold with strong pro- or anti-immersion arguments.
If I don't think I can give your work a fair shake I just won't talk to you. I can think of maybe 2-3 people that applies to and none of them are involved in any of the recent arguments. No, not even you, guy-who-thinks-I'm-talking-about-you.
No, I don't hold with the artistic or economic theories in the indie community. You won't get any commentary from me about Big Model compliance. You'll get comments about what my group and I liked and disliked. I have no interest in ad hominem input either way.
And if you want to mend fences or start conversations, this is the way to do it.
What if I break the Deal?
If I run across a published copy of the game that is substantially (not just slightly) altered according to my redlines but does not include credit or payment, I will loudly ask if that game's designer has broken the Deal. With examples.
Why are you doing this?
Because, believe it or not, I want the creator-owned tier to flourish, to the point where I've put a substantial amount of my own time and money toward helping creators I know bring out the best in their work.
It also serves as a promotional tool for me that's actually fun instead of onerous.
Do you want to steal my idea?
No, but I might want to pay you for it I like what I see. But nothing in the Deal makes that mandatory.
Isn't this just a backhanded way of mocking indie games?
Certainly not. I just believe I have a perspective on things that you might not get otherwise.
Fuck you, you arrogant bastard! I'm gonna mock you on a messageboard and/or send you hate mail!
I can live with that. Make sure you repost this in its entirety before you get on with it, though. Selective editing is for the weak.
* I'd love to see a second edition Dead Inside. It feels a lot bigger than its page count.
