From nv91-asa@nada.kth.se Sat May 10 20:28:38 1995 Status: RO X-Status: Received: from mail3.netcom.com (root@mail3.netcom.com [192.100.81.127]) by mail.nada.kth.se (8.6.10/8.6.10) with ESMTP id UAA21266 for ; Wed, 10 May 1995 20:28:31 +0200 Received: by mail3.netcom.com (8.6.12/Netcom) id IAA16330; Wed, 10 May 1995 08:38:18 -0700 Received: from blkbox.com by mail3.netcom.com (8.6.12/Netcom) id IAA16244; Wed, 10 May 1995 08:37:51 -0700 Subject: White Wolf Writer's Guidelines (fwd) To: World of Darkness List Date: Wed, 10 May 1995 10:46:46 -0500 (CDT) From: Rick Jones X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL22] Content-Type: text Content-Length: 29444 Message-ID: <9505101046.aa05134@blkbox.COM> Sender: owner-wod-l@netcom.com Precedence: list Reply-To: wod-l@netcom.com Here's what Jen Hartshorn posted to alt.games.whitewolf..... >From: madweaver@aol.com (MadWeaver) Newsgroups: alt.games.whitewolf Subject: WRITERS GUIDELINES ONLINE! ABOUT TIME,HUH? Remember that we *can not* accept online submissions; we need a signed disclosure form snailmailed with your proposal, as electronicly transmitted signatures are not legal. Please pass this on to anyone interested and get it out to any WWW pages that want it. I'll have copies ready to send out via email as well now, so if you know someone who needs them, tell them to write me at MadWeaver@aol.com. We're also planning on doing workshops for new writers at DragonCon and GenCon this summer, so if you're interested and plan to be at those cons, stop by. Good luck! --Jennifer, WWGS White Wolf Writers Guidelines We are continually seeking new ideas and material from writers. If you would like to submit an idea or project proposal to us, please follow these guidelines: Submissions All submissions must be accompanied by a signed Disclosure Form. Without this form, the submission cannot be considered. It will be returned if return postage has been supplied, but otherwise we must throw it away. Please, do not spend a long time on a submission and then forget to send a Disclosure Form with it! It is best to send a query before spending time on a lengthy submission. Some subjects may already be taken or planned for publication. Example: you come up with a great idea for a Vampire supplement set in Rio and want to write about it. Unfortunately, we already have someone working on it. If you are unsure about a subject, send in a query with a S.A.S.E. and we'll let you know if it's available or not. This is especially necessary when proposing World of Darkness crossover books. When writing proposal submissions, keep them brief. They shouldn't be more than two to three pages in length. If it is interesting enough, we'll ask you for more. You can give us the details then. For now, stick with the juicy plot points. Do not worry about sending writing samples yet. Your proposal itself should serve as the first example. If it grabs us, we'll ask for more samples. While we consider all proposals, realize that the majority of our products are created in-house and then sent to a freelancer for writing. Do not be surprised if we cannot immediately fit your proposal into our schedule. If you are interested in freelancing on projects, state this in a letter to us and include a writing sample. Vampire: The Masquerade Send submissions care of: Jennifer Hartshorn What It's About Vampire is called "A Storytelling Game of Personal Horror", and I'd like to see future books return to that theme more. The struggle to retain some degree of Humanity - or the rejection of Humanity altogether - is central to the existence of any vampire, and that should be reflected in the characters you write. The seduction of the so-called "dark side" can be both beautiful and terrible, and vampires are caught up in that struggle. Let your stories explore the World of Darkness through the eyes of the Kindred. We've already established the archetypes that have defined Vampire up until now, so in some ways your job is harder than that of earlier writers. But they've left you a lot to build on - use it! Would your city really have a Ventrue prince? Sure that's what people expect, but if you can surprise them (and me!), so much the better. Writing for Vampire What do I want to see? Show me something different. Historical sourcebooks. Non-Western city or area sourcebooks. The world doesn't need another dozen bloodlines - what players and Storytellers do want is sourcebooks that give them something that gets their creativity going. What do you think would be an interesting area of Kindred lore to explore? What is missing? Remember, I'm willing to hear proposals for non-typical sourcebooks. Don't go solely by what's been done before. If you can hold my interest, chances are you can do the same with a potential reader. What proposals are better left unwritten? I will be choosing Clanbook writers primarily from people who've written for us before, as they're some of the most important books we publish. Unless you're truly amazing, I probably won't take first timers on Clanbooks. I'm pretty much set with proposals for American cities, though again, if you've got something really different and cool, I'll take a look at it. I'm not going to do a book on the Inconnu anytime in the foreseeable future- they're cool because they're mysterious, so if we write a whole book on them, there goes the mystery. Don't send me reams of your old D&D or Earthdawn short stories as "writing samples"- I want to know what your ideas are for Vampire , not those other games. Your proposal can serve as a writing sample; if I want more, I'll ask. We're not interested in publishing "modules" or adventures at this point, either. And please, no more Highlanders! The player characters need to be central to any proposed sourcebook. If you come up with a great idea for The South Pole by Night, you'd better have a fantastic explanation of why players would ever end up there. In other words, make sure any proposal is going to be useful to the wide range of players and Storytellers who will be buying it. Werewolf: The Apocalypse Send submissions care of: Bill Bridges What It's About Werewolf is a game about a dying race spitting in the face of certain doom. It is about a dying culture, a culture with meaning and a primal spiritual connection to the universe. It is about the dilemma of modern existence in an industrial society, the mad urge for material things at the cost of the spiritual, the destruction and remolding of nature in the pursuit of a better widget for the thingamajig. Werewolf is about the plight of a world choked by reason and industry, smothering out the ancient, instinctual urges and primordial feelings. Amid this battle stand the Garou, the werewolves of legend, an ancient race that has always walked the earth defending it against all enemies. The Garou are Gaia's warriors against the Wyrm, a mythic beast of corruption and destruction, the evil shadow of modern existence personified, given face in the form of toxic waste and pollution. The Garou have a primal connection to what we have lost: the primordial, eternal recreating youth of the world. They are of the Dawn Times, and still remember life before "civilisation" and the forgetting that comes with it. Oh, and Werewolf is also about COMBAT! The Garou don't take all this lying down - they fight like hell against the machine. The Garou do what so many of us desperately wish we could do - RAGE OUT! In a world clogged by hopelessly tangled red tape and propriety, the Garou cut through the crap with force of claw and fang. Unlike mages, they aren't going to intellectualize and philosophize their way out of this hell - they're going to tear their way out with every ounce of animal cunning and raw muscle they've got. For the Garou, it's Apocalypse now. Writing For Werewolf Werewolf is more of a traditional roleplaying game than the other Storyteller games in that its main emphasis is on combat and adventure. However, it is untraditional in that it examines the cultural aspects surrounding these activities. While Garou may be outsiders to the world of humankind, they are more deeply a part of their own society than any human could ever be in theirs. Garou player characters are all members of a pack, but this pack is far more than the traditional excuse for a bunch of players to get together and go bash heads in. Instinct backs up a Garou's pack mentality. This is not to say that they are all cogs in a machine - on the contrary, they are all individuals working together in an organic way. Remember this when writing for Werewolf. Combat is not the only situation to drop the players into in a Werewolf game. There are also tribal moots, magical rituals, adventures of exploration into the spirit world, etc., etc. Don't downplay the power of a good rousing battle, though. Garou are rageful creatures and don't have a lot of patience for their enemies. However, with the release of the Rage card game, I am looking for Werewolf books with more emphasis on culture, myths and personal drama, not combat. The Garou's main enemy is the Wyrm and its minions. These guys are nasty and vile. They are also largely unredeemable. While they may be tragic in whatever brought them to the Wyrm, once they are in its coils, they must be destroyed. Leave it for Mage or Vampire to wrestle with the moral issues of black white and gray. Werewolves don't bother with such civilized trivialities - they know evil when they see it (even if they are wrong). Don't hesitate to make the Wyrm's minions as vile as imaginable. However, other antagonists besides the Wyrm, such as hunters or scientists interested only in discovery, are not so ethically clear. These could give the players some moral dilemmas. Other shapeshifters can also haunt the underdeveloped guilt complex of the Garou; they were wronged by their cousins long ago and don't easily forget. What I'm Looking For I would like to see proposals for historical sourcebooks from any period in history. However, I will demand that the author show some understanding of the history in question, and has his/her facts correct. I do not want to see modern Garou dropped into historical situations; the tribes were different back then - show me how. Part of any historical sourcebook is revealing how culture was different in the period in question. I am interested in alternative looks at history and our whole modern scientific paradigm. We think of science as revealing the truth of the world, but as Mage makes clear, it is simply another way of creating the world. For Garou, myths are creation stories, but not always of the distant past. The tale of a modern Garou's defeat of the Wyrm strengthens their world view, recreates it again. Creation is now. Think about this and what it means. Then send me a proposal. Mage: The Ascension Send submissions to: Phil Brucato In Mage, we try to drag philosophy and spirituality screaming through the streets of hell, carving a path to Ascension through the Gothic-Punk wasteland. Remember that magick stems from belief, not from dusty tomes or experience points. Prospective writers should be familiar with the second edition Mage rulebook (due October 1995), and hopefully any supplements for the game as well. This is not AD&D; mages are enlightened beings, not lightning-bolt machines. The most important question a writer can ask herself is why. Why is this happening? Why does this character act this way? What made him who he is? How did he Awaken? What does he want out of life? Stories should follow a logical progression, and characters should act in a logical fashion. Things should never just happen out of the writer's whim; they should flow from some set of circumstances (thought the circumstances themselves may be pretty weird). Know your subjects. I try to fit writers to projects reflecting their field of expertise. Some research is essential; I don't want writers who get their ideas of magick from bad Conan novels. Remember, too, that there will be a good number of Mage players who know a great deal about "real" magick, and who perhaps even practice it. While I would rather avoid specific references to "real-world" faiths, Mage magick should still have roots in reality. Do your research! If you're doing a sourcebook or fiction story, concentrate on problem-solving, dilemmas and moral choices rather than on dragon-slaying or Technomancer-battling. All the same, try to keep the action engaging, atmospheric and exciting. Mage walks a fine line between intellectual pondering and visceral action. Try to include a little of both. Things I do not want: * City or Area Sourcebooks: These have been done to death by Vampire and Werewolf. I am not doing any city sourcebooks, and the few area ones I have planned are already contracted. Please don't even send proposals for them. One exception: If anyone out there can write me a good book about Africa, South America or the Far East, I would love to do one. I would prefer to have some startling new take on the area (not, "A Supernatural Fodor's Guide to Africa"), preferably one inspired by personal experience there. I do not want a standard sourcebook; I do not want stereotypes. If I can't release some book that gives me some mystic insight into that area, I don't want to do it. * Tradition or Technocracy Books: They're already taken. * Books of Rotes and Talismans: Mage is about using your imagination. I feel that books of spell lists run counter to that idea. * Scenario Books: They don't sell and they really don't work well for Storyteller games, especially ones as open-ended as Mage. A few Mage truisms to ponder: * Creation is an ongoing process. * Reality is as you perceive it; enlightenment can work wonders. * All things have a reason, and each thing has it's place. * The deepest black and purest white are still only shades of gray. * There's no such thing as a free lunch. * A mage's greatest foe is himself. Character statistics and Chantry/Construct write-ups should follow the format presented in published Mage products. Wraith: The Oblivion Send submission care of: Richard Dansky What It's About Wraith concerns itself with the travails and adventures of those spirits unable to rest quietly after their mortal shells pass away. Set in a world that is a ghost of our own, Wraith has all the majesty and grandeur of a crumbling gothic cathedral. The soul-searing effects of irreversible decay and the transcendent beauty of pure spirituality are juxtaposed here in the Shadowlands and Skinlands where the spirits of the Restless Dead walk. While the overall tone of the game is somber, there are moments of hope and joy to be found among the Restless more intense than a living woman or man could hope to experience. After all, men and women can love until death do them part. Wraiths, on the other hand, have all eternity. Wraith is also a game of bitter struggle. Central to the game is the conflict between Psyche and Shadow, the light and dark sides of the characters' personae. Underlying everything each wraith does is the terrible fight not to succumb to the lures of Oblivion, the spiritual darkness which finds its echo in each soul's Shadow. Writing for Wraith The most important thing in writing for Wraith is to create strong characters with interesting stories. Remember, only those spirits who have unfinished business and the Passion to deal with it after death become wraiths in the first place, so writing about ghostly nebbishes is contrary to the spirit of the game. Similarly, this is not a game of character "types". Remember that it is each wraith's individual Passions that drive her existence, and generic characters whose actions can be predicted from their wardrobe also run counter to what Wraith is all about. Wraith is derived from the traditional ghost story. However, there are a lot of ghost story traditions, and I'm trying to incorporate all of them into the game. Just because the ghost stories most of us are familiar with are from the "Dead European Male" tradition doesn't mean that Wraith is going to ignore all of the other dead people in the world. Remember, what I'm most interested in is strong characters with strong stories, and I don't care if those stories come from Tierra del Fuego or Tienamen. If you have an idea for a sourcebook, make sure that your idea is going to be accessible to as wide a range of Storytellers as possible. Bear in mind that the story you want to tell should be only one of many that can be told about the people and places in your book. Make certain that other Storytellers can take your characters and locations and make them their own. So talk to me. Wraith is a game of Passions, after all, so give me the ideas for sourcebooks and stories that have your passion behind them. Both history and physics get a bit fluid with Wraith, so give me your best proposal without worrying if it "fits" with any mythical Master Plan I have for the game. If you can tell me stories that can pique my interest, with characters whom I can genuinely care about, I'll trust you to tell those same stories and share those same characters with the world. Changeling: The Dreaming Send submissions care of: Ian Lemke What It's About Changeling is a game of modern fantasy. It is a return to childhood fantasy; a time when you could fight legions of dark knights, slay the fire-breathing dragon and still make it home in time for dinner. The stories told in this game are about beings who live in a realm of fantasy all their own, and yet the fantasy is dying, as they find themselves slowly slipping into the coming Autumn. They must continually struggle to keep the dream alive. Writing for Changeling Changeling sourcebooks will have a very different tone and feel from the previous books in the Storyteller line. This is a game of fantasy, and though it has its dark side, it is the wonderful and the fantastic which should be emphasized. However, changelings are real people who have real lives. This duality is important to kept in mind. A strong knowledge of faerie lore is not necessary (though it is helpful) when writing for Changeling. However, strong descriptive ability and a good sense of storytelling is very important. Changeling is in many ways a game about art and creativity. This can be revealed through colorful and vibrant descriptions. The reader should be able to easily visualize your writing. The duality of being a changeling - living in one world and yet being a part of another - should be a constant theme. And though the world of the changelings is a fantastic and wondrous place, the edges are fading as the color is slowly washed away, as the drab, mundane world slowly returns. Banality is always a threat hovering over the characters' heads. More than anything else, they fear that one day they will forget and never awaken again. The mythic aspect of Changeling should not be ignored. In a sense, the fae are living breathing stories, so everything about them should be a part of the greater story. Changeling stories should be "larger than life" and should possess strong mythic elements. Changeling heroes are heroes in the truest sense of the word, and its villains are equally villainous. What I'm Looking For Changeling is still in its early stages, leaving ample room for creativity. Ideas for new directions to take the setting are always welcome. I am particularly looking for authors with a strong sense of the wondrous and with vivid descriptive abilities. Things to remember when writing for any White Wolf Game: Theme and Mood When writing a story or sourcebook, do not lose sight of the goal. Sometimes, you have to step back from all the details and ask: what is this about? That's your theme. It is the glue which holds together all the scenes in your story. The mood is how you tell the story. Remember that our take on gaming comes from a storytelling emphasis. Cause and effect operates off poetic physics, not Newtonian. In other words, things happen because the story demands it, not because A logically always leads to B. But don't forget that your story is interactive; others contribute. Have Fun Above all, remember that this is meant to be a Storytelling game. This means, like all stories, it should be entertaining for all involved. This doesn't mean talking down to your audience or sacrificing mature themes. It simply means that you must skillfully juggle the needs of the story while keeping the audience awake. Sometimes, it is not the story, but the Storyteller that is important. Grammar and Formatting Please run all submissions through a spell-check and grammar-check. Sloppy submissions impress no one. A professional attitude is more important in the long run than a good idea. Ideas are easy to come by; it's finding reliable, quality writers that's difficult. * Character statistics should be written as per examples given in the following products: Chicago By Night (Vampire), Rage Across Australia (Werewolf), The Book of Chantries (Mage). Formats for any locales (caerns, Chantries/Constructs, etc.) should also follow the format presented in published products. * Pay attention to the way we handle sexist language in our products. Use "humanity" or "people" instead of "mankind." Alternate genders when using third person singular pronouns in nonspecific manners. Try to write in the plural to avoid the situation, but do not force yourself to do so. Eventually it just sounds silly to write "theirs" all the time. * Standard printers' style calls for commas and periods to be placed within quotation marks. Example: The Garou bristled at being called a "Charach." * For spelling, please refer to the Lexicon for the particular game. Additionally, use Americanized English - no one, not no-one; reorganize, not re-organize; color, not colour; meter, not metre. The only exception to this rule is "theatre." * Roleplay, roleplayer and roleplaying are not hyphenated. * Write in active voice - "he threw the chair," not "the chair was thrown by him." This is very important! * Avoid the use of be verbs. Try to be descriptive, not defining. "Edwards noticed the problem first," not "Edwards was the first to notice the problem." * Hyphenate compound proper nouns. "Italian-American." For hyphenation of particular words, refer to a dictionary or the lexicon. * Do not place a comma before the last part of a series unless such is necessary to avoid confusion. * "Affect" is generally used as a verb and means "to influence." "Effect" means "cause" when used as a verb and "result" when used as a noun. * In general, avoid the use of contractions except in quoted material. * Only use apostrophes for the possessive or to indicate missing letters (the '20s, not the '20's; UFOs, not UFO's). * B.C. comes after the year while A.D. comes before (123 B.C. and A.D. 1066). * Write in the present tense as much as possible. Do not change tenses or persons in the middle of a paragraph or section, and try to be as consistent as possible. Capitalization In general, game-specific (referring to a stat on a character sheet) terminology is capitalized, while setting-specific terminology is not. Occasional exceptions for items of a titular or ritualistic nature are made (i.e. Justicar, Philodox). Items are also capitalized when they possess meanings other than those of standard English usage (such as Werewolf's Banes, which are evil spirits rather than items detrimental to a given foe). As per standard English usage, specific places, persons, et al. are always capitalized. In addition, to reflect our esteem for the position of Storyteller, this title is always capitalized. One exception for Vampire: the use of "kine" in reference to mortals rather than its standard meaning of "cattle." This is left lower-cased, to reflect the utter contempt most Kindred have for their lessers, and to imply that vampires indeed see no distinction between humans and animals. Vampire: clan, frenzy, vampire, prince, primogen, story, scene, chronicle; but: Justicar, Archon, Blood Bond, Attribute, Ability, Talent, Discipline, Background Trait, Virtue, Conscience, Humanity, Willpower, Lupine, Prince Lodin, Rotschreck, Lick, Kindred, the Embrace, the Kiss, the Damned, Cainite Werewolf: breed, auspice, tribe, caern, sept, moot, werewolf, vampire, fetish, talen, fomori, story, scene, metis, chronicle; but: Gift, Philodox, Ahroun, Attribute, Ability, Bane, Rage, Gnosis, Leech, Sept of the Green, Litany The (game-specific and ritualistic) Forms of the Garou are capitalized: Homid, Glabro, Crinos, Hispo, Lupus. When referring to breeds, however, the words "homid" and "lupus" are lower-case. Example: "The lupus Garou assumed Homid form to pursue the Pentex agent." Mage: Mage is the exception to the aformentioned capitalization rules, for in Mage we attempt to present a lofty, archaic style similar to Puritan/Enlightenment texts, in which many terms were routinely capitalized. Thus, the words "mage," "cabal" and "focus" are not capitalized; everything else is. See Wraith books and Changeling books for examples of capitalization for those games. Clarification of Terms: In Werewolf, the term homid now refers only to the Garou breed (a werewolf born of a human mother). Use the term human in all other instances. Enumeration For our purposes, zero through nine are spelled out, while 10 and larger numbers are enumerated. Exceptions to this are statistics and numbers in parentheses, such as (difficulty 6). In addition, a huge number, such as "a million" or "a hundred thousand," should be spelled out. For All Computers: * Do not format your work - keep everything flush left, do not center text and do not put it on right justification. Let it have that ragged edge. * Do not indent paragraphs. * Include a hardcopy (printout) and word processor file. * Do double space hardcopy. * Do not double space the computer file. * Put all text in 12-point Times font. * Do not bold, italicize, underline or otherwise mess with the text. * Leave at least a one-inch margin all around. * Save non-Mac files in two of these forms: ASCII, WordPerfect 5.0, Microsoft Word or Wordstar. (We use MS Word 5,1 for the Macintosh - do not send Word 6.0 or greater files. If you are using Word 6.0, we feel for you and hope you come to your senses soon and downgrade). * Use 3.5-inch disks. Mac MS Word Files: * Italicize quotations. * Bold all section heads. * We use a hierarchy of headers. It starts with chapter for our chapter titles, and then goes 1, 2 and 3, all placed within brackets. The way we do this is as follows: Chapter Two: History <1>Introduction <2>The Quiet Time <3>Michael Please include these so that we can get an idea of how you would like the text to look. These numbers do not represent sequential order, but type size; <2> is a larger typeface than <3>. * When putting in a dash (not a hyphen) use an em dash. This is generally done as "Option" + "Command" + "-." This creates a "-" instead of a "-." Put one space on either side of the em dash - as in this example. * Follow all other rules defined above. Good luck! Send submissions to: (care of particular game developer) White Wolf Publications 780 Park North Blvd. Suite 100 Clarkston, GA 30021 RECORD OF DISCLOSURE TO: WHITE WOLF 780 Park North Blvd. Suite 100 Clarkston, GA 30021 I wish to submit for your consideration, subject to all of the conditions below, the idea or item described in the section provided below. I am the sole and exclusive owner (or the authorized representative [parent, agent, etc.] of the owner) of said item or idea and am of legal age and free to make agreements relative to the submission of this idea or item. DESCRIPTION OF IDEA OR ITEM: (Use attachments if necessary for fuller description. If you wish, you may also include photos, drawings, etc. If the item or idea is patented, you may furnish us with a copy of the patent since it defines your rights in the subject matter thereof.) I submit my idea or item voluntarily and on a non-confidential basis, and I understand that this submission by me and its acceptance by White Wolf does not, in whole or in part, establish or create by implication, or otherwise, any relationship between White Wolf and me not expressed herein. I further understand and agree that White Wolf, in its own judgment, may accept or reject my submission and shall not be obligated to me in any way, with respect to my submission, until White Wolf shall, at its own election, enter into a properly executed written agreement with me, and then only according to all of the terms of said agreement. If no agreement is concluded, I shall rely solely upon such rights as I may have under patent, copyright, and trademark laws. I agree that White Wolf may have a reasonable period in which to consider this submission. I wish White Wolf to return the submitted material to me when consideration has been given to this submission (if I have provided postage costs beforehand), but shall not hold White Wolf responsible for items or materials which are accidentally damaged or lost. I understand that it is in my own interest to retain a copy of all materials submitted. I further understand that the acceptance by White Wolf of this disclosure does not create or imply: (a) any financial or other obligation of any kind on the part of White Wolf; (b) any confidential relationship or guarantee of secrecy; and (c) any recognition or acknowledgment of either novelty or originality. I agree that White Wolf may photograph, photocopy, or otherwise reproduce, for its own records only, any material submitted by me herewith or subsequently with respect to said idea or item, whether accepted or rejected. PLEASE PRINT Signature: Name : Date: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Telephone: Country: -- Rick Jones And these blast points -- too accurate for Sandpeople. rick@blkbox.com Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise. Meyrick@aol.com --Star Wars (what WAS Obi-Wan smoking that day?)