Interview with Bob Chapin of “The Hunted”
Bob Chapin shares his inspiration for the shared story world, The Hunted, a project that’s been running for over a decade. Bob also talks about lessons learned while overseeing this project, how the budgetary practicalities shaped the world mythology, why he says to give up chasing the illusion of control, and how even he...
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Interview with Bob Chapin of “The Hunted”
Bob Chapin shares his inspiration for the shared story world, The Hunted, a project that’s been running for over a decade. Bob also talks about lessons learned while overseeing this project, how the budgetary practicalities shaped the world mythology, why he says to give...
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Creative Commons
SSWs present some very interesting opportunities (and challenges) from a copyright perspective. As soon as you allow the remixing of content in your SSW, whether it’s content you created or submitted content you published, you have to decide what kind of legal license framework...
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Building Settings Using RPG Design Mechanics
The following is a guest post from Corey Reid, creator of the Dino-Pirates of Ninja Island shared story world. I use role-playing game development as a way to build setting. A shared world needs setting – locations, landscapes, and institutions that characters can interact...
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“The Drifting Isle Chronicles”
A few days ago I stumbled on a promising new shared universe project being led by Joseph Robert Lewis, a prolific self-published author. The project is called “The Drifting Isle Chronicles,” and while it’s technically not a shared story world (Joseph is working with...
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‘Shared Story World Design Primer’ (DIY Days L.A.)
After posting several entries on SSW design here, I had the chance to expand on them at DIY Days L.A. 2011. Although I had about an hour to make the presentation, I barely had time to cover the absolute basics (I hope to go...
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Money, Shared Story Worlds, and You
This is the sixth in a series of posts regarding shared story world design Chances are you’re launching a SSW in order to make money. Maybe not enough to retire on, but more than zero. If so, you have a lot of options for opening the...
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The Path to Canonicity
This is the fifth in a series of posts regarding shared story world design This post will touch on the issues of managing canonicity for a SSW. “Canon” is a term applied to content deemed official or recognized as officially part of...
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Scoping the Audience Participation
This is the fourth in a series of posts regarding shared story world design A SSW model does not require you to make it fully open to audience participation. You have the ability to sandbox or cordon off any or all parts of the world you...
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Beckinfield
It began as a simple class project. The students of Beckinfield High School asked citizens to record video diaries. Their goal was to share small-town life through the eyes of its residents. The townsfolk took to this right away, uploading self-recorded video glimpses into...
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Empire State (Worldbuilder)
It was the last great science hero fight, but the energy blast ripped a hole in reality, and birthed the Empire State – a young, twisted parallel prohibition-era New York. When the rift starts to close, both worlds are threatened, and both must fight...
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Orion’s Arm Universe
Welcome to Orion’s Arm, a scenario set thousands of years in the future where civilization spans the stars. Godlike ascended intelligences rule vast interstellar empires, and lesser factions seek to carve out their own dominions through intrigue and conquest. And out beyond the edge...
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Grantville Gazette
A bi-monthly anthology of fan-written fiction set in the 1632 universe created by Eric Flint. Based on the “1632” novel written by Flint and expanded on over a series of additional novels, the Grantville Gazette emerged as a result of the amount and quality...
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The Hunted
We are The Hunted – survivors of vampire attacks who have banded together to protect ourselves from becoming cattle. Like sharks in a feeding frenzy, they are drawn to those who have been bitten, and will continue to drain us until we become one of them. They...
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Lost Zombies
Present Day The Campion Virus has reached its final mutation. The positive is that the virus is only transferable by bite, it is no longer an airborne virus. The negative is that the virus will, inevitably, take over the body and cause zombism. Take...
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World of Depleted
432 days after the Grid goes down, former undercover journalist Jenna Whitmore teams up with James Fallhery and Tom Faust, two military specialists who lost their units in the violent internal strife of the Fall. With orders that will lead them to the farthest...
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Bar Karma
There’s a place at the edge of the universe, a venue that’s behind time and before space, a watering hole where the tab you run up may never be paid – in this lifetime, at least. That place is Bar Karma. Notoriously lucky billionaire...
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