Quote from: Spinachcat;694200I would be interested in RPGPundit's review of Playing at the World.

Agreed (and yeah I'll probably be getting that book eventually myself!).

Quote from: SpinachcatDoubly interested if he goes apeshit nutball on it.

Hmmm...*rolls Divination check*...ENT THE DIVINER foresees: Pundit will likely not go bugfuck on book. Pundit will likely not go bugfuck on author. Pundit *WILL* likely spend half the review screaming at storygame swine folks using OG's works for their own evil and stupid purposes.

Sounds about right?

These predictions can only be proven or disproven should I ever get a review copy.  I haven't got much interest in spending my own money to get a book 'about' RPGs.

Quote from: RPGPundit;694816These predictions can only be proven or disproven should I ever get a review copy.  I haven't got much interest in spending my own money to get a book 'about' RPGs.

I can see that, absolutely. I Think OG probably should send you one - as far as I can see getting a review on the site is generally a good thing, whether or not the preview is positive - but that'd be up to OG obviously.

Quote from: Old Geezer;693038If you think that's an angry tone, then in the words of Bruce Banner "you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

I posted this story because it's short.  I'm not going to post a 2500 word chapter on how CHAINMAIL influenced D&D.

And frankly, no, I wasn't really looking for feedback, I was looking to drum up attention.  If you like this, you will like what I've written.  If not, you won't.

Oh do fuck off Mike and stop playing the internet tough guy. You know what people are saying.

The Ghulash story could have happened to any one of millions of gamers. It's not particularly amusing and is far too long, even if you consider it short and funny.

Talking first hand about experiences that very few had is what would set your book apart. You may not think it so, but that's what lots of people would appear to be interested in. Either way, you need an editor.

EDIT: Maybe next time you could stick a (+) after the title...

Quote from: Joshua Ford;694852Oh do fuck off Mike and stop playing the internet tough guy. You know what people are saying.

The Ghulash story could have happened to any one of millions of gamers. It's not particularly amusing and is far too long, even if you consider it short and funny.

Talking first hand about experiences that very few had is what would set your book apart. You may not think it so, but that's what lots of people would appear to be interested in. Either way, you need an editor.

EDIT: Maybe next time you could stick a (+) after the title...

* snerk *

Fuck off yourself, and frankly except for you I've had pretty much nothing but good feedback.

Some people won't like it.  Boo hoo.

And double * snerk * for the "internet tough guy" remark.  Pot, kettle, etc.  

Also, I don't recall giving you permission to address my by my given name, sirrah.

Getting an editor is always a good idea. Hopefully that will be one of the points for the Kickstarter. Heck, you can actually use Kickstarter to have people pay you money so they can help you edit the book in some kind of "first look / beta" of the rough draft.

Quote from: Spinachcat;694998Getting an editor is always a good idea. Hopefully that will be one of the points for the Kickstarter. Heck, you can actually use Kickstarter to have people pay you money so they can help you edit the book in some kind of "first look / beta" of the rough draft.

I already have arranged two content editors, mostly to insure that in the year of working on this I haven't repeated myself.  However, I'm not really concerned about my use of written English (there are probably a few typos, but not a lot), and I'm not going to change my writing style or voice.

But my editors will be looking for "You already said this," "buh?" "you are making unstated assumptions here," and "this paragraph appears to have come to English after being translated from German to Akkadian."

Editing is very important, yes. And there's a big difference from a "professional editor" and "my buddy who once took some english courses will give it a once-over".

Quote from: Old GeezerAnd frankly, no, I wasn't really looking for feedback, I was looking to drum up attention.

Then you should have posted it in the "news and adverts" subforum, not "Roleplaying Games".

But whichever forum you post it in, if you post something in a discussion forum, then it'll be discussed. Perhaps coming from so long on rpg.net you're not used to actual discussion, but there it is.

Everyone has stories of their favourite character, the 36th level assassin drowlesbianstripperninja who killed Tiamat with a spoon. Nobody gives a shit about that. You've got things to offer no-one else has - your experiences and the people of early D&D. You've got a vein of gold, and you're leaving that in the ground that to drag up in carts the same dross any of us can give the world.

A real editor will tell you that.

Quote from: Old Geezer;695183However, I'm not really concerned about my use of written English (there are probably a few typos, but not a lot), and I'm not going to change my writing style or voice.

A good editor only enhances the author's voice and style. And there are no typos allowed in the age of spellcheck programs. Zero. Nada. None.

Quote from: RPGPundit;695874And there's a big difference from a "professional editor" and "my buddy who once took some english courses will give it a once-over".

My buddy just got some Marvel Origin books written for young readers for his son. They are 90% pics and 10% text for early grade kids, but none of them were edited and its quite horrific to see what a throwaway Marvel considered these books. Typos, grammar mistakes and just general WTF all around.

Quote from: Kyle Aaron;695886Everyone has stories of their favourite character, the 36th level assassin drowlesbianstripperninja who killed Tiamat with a spoon. Nobody gives a shit about that.

Sorry Kyle, I would totally read that chapter.

Quote from: Kyle Aaron;695886You've got things to offer no-one else has - your experiences and the people of early D&D.

Kyle is right. That's gold.

Quote from: Spinachcat;695891And there are no typos allowed in the age of spellcheck programs. Zero. Nada. None.

They still happen. A spellchecker can detect spelling and grammar mistakes but not context based errors. Human eyes are still needed to detect the correctly spelled word that just doesn't belong where it is.

Quote from: Spinachcat;695891And there are no typos allowed in the age of spellcheck programs. Zero. Nada. None.

Quote from: Exploderwizard;696041They still happen. A spellchecker can detect spelling and grammar mistakes but not context based errors. Human eyes are still needed to detect the correctly spelled word that just doesn't belong where it is.

Spinachcat is not saying that typos don't happen with a spellchecker, but that, in the age of spellcheckers, they are not allowed. The tolerance level for typos has dropped, because we know spellcheckers will catch the obvious ones, leaving the proofreader (not the editor) with a lessened workload.

That's a side point, but the proofreader/editor distinction does bring up something relevant to Michael's project: don't get an editor, just a proofreader. Editors are necessary in professional publishing, but for a self-published book that's basically a combo memoir/essay? Major editing is kind of a detriment to the book, rather than a plus. Just get someone to proof it for grammar, missing words, and errors not caught by the spellchecker (or for cupertinos -- errors introduced by the spellchecker.)

For self-published game materials, an editor is a good idea. But an editor would just get in the way for memoirs.

Editors are important, the only time editing can have an adverse effect is if you use a bad one. Don't use a bad one.

So, did anybody actually look at the list of chapters?  Because I think it answers a lot of people's questions.

And the funny stories are in there because I like telling funny stories and most people seem to find them amusing.  Neener.

Quote from: Spinachcat;695891A good editor only enhances the author's voice and style. And there are no typos allowed in the age of spellcheck programs. Zero. Nada. None.

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.