I had intended to write some short stories based closely on pre-written RPG modules as an experiment. There’s a dozen reasons to do this, but the benefit of using pre-written modules in particular was to save time with the prep before I started writing. I have a busy summer coming up and wanted to write x words per day without dropping the ball on something else in my life. Pre-written adventure modules seemed like an intersting angle.
I can imagine RPG modules being decent for the initial inspiration, but otherwise it just seems fiddly. Since they are written with gameplay in mind, they are geared to a different type of storytelling.
Adaption as a general concept seems like it would be more time-consuming than simply creating a new story. I've wanted to do a story about Tantalus (from his daughter Niobe's perspective), but then I read up on the various myths about it and there's always so many decisions to make about what version to use, what aspects to keep or discard, working out some of the connecting part etc (Tantalus kills his son Pelops, but how? Where? What time of day?). There's also the fact that myths (as well as RPG modules, I assume) don't particularly go into the internal thoughts and feelings of the characters, only vague motivations.
I wrote a short story based around a paladin character my friend played in a campaign I ran. Sadly, when completed, despite being run to write, it was consigned to the archive in the "Unpublishable" folder.
This is mostly down to my own writing but it felt one dimensional and sterile compared to my usual work.
I don't know how RPG modules work, as I'm more of a poem/prose/flash writer, so I don't need my writing to be as fleshed out or detailed, but I would love to read your thoughts on it in later posts. I hope you feel better soon!
I can imagine RPG modules being decent for the initial inspiration, but otherwise it just seems fiddly. Since they are written with gameplay in mind, they are geared to a different type of storytelling.
Adaption as a general concept seems like it would be more time-consuming than simply creating a new story. I've wanted to do a story about Tantalus (from his daughter Niobe's perspective), but then I read up on the various myths about it and there's always so many decisions to make about what version to use, what aspects to keep or discard, working out some of the connecting part etc (Tantalus kills his son Pelops, but how? Where? What time of day?). There's also the fact that myths (as well as RPG modules, I assume) don't particularly go into the internal thoughts and feelings of the characters, only vague motivations.
Twenty years of game mastering? That's cool!
Get well soon buddy!
I wrote a short story based around a paladin character my friend played in a campaign I ran. Sadly, when completed, despite being run to write, it was consigned to the archive in the "Unpublishable" folder.
This is mostly down to my own writing but it felt one dimensional and sterile compared to my usual work.
I don't know how RPG modules work, as I'm more of a poem/prose/flash writer, so I don't need my writing to be as fleshed out or detailed, but I would love to read your thoughts on it in later posts. I hope you feel better soon!