Baby's First Gazeteer

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

IDK if this fits better here or in Ravenloft Forum, but I'm starting to plan a project I hope will eventually make it way into one of the next netbooks, and I'd really like some advice from folx who have experience with this sort of thing.
I'm talking, of course, about a gazeteer for my homebrow dragonkind~themed cluster!

Analysing canon sourcebooks as well as old QTR articles, I reached the conclusion that a project of this sort ~ a piece of RPG content narrated by an in~world NPC ~ needs to achieve 3 goals:
1) Establish worldbuilding, much like the one required for any large~scale fantasy project. This part will actually be a tad easier than I'm used to: I usually write from what I call 'the self standing paradigm', meaning the fantasy world must have inner logic that can withstand a moderately thorough examination (As with Middle Earth or The Cosmere). However, Ravenloft's inner logic is 'there are dark powers who can create lands from whole cloth and like to torment villains and scare the **** out of everyone else', which leaves authors free to write by what I call 'the whimsical paradigm': Imagination needs not to be bound by any laws, not even those of common sense, and the author should shamelessly use it to fulfill every whim of theirs ~ or every fear, depends on the wanted results. 'Domains exist not to simulate a believable world, but to terrify', if to quote VRGtR. However, this is no excuse for lazy writing: I may not have to work too hard to make sure my worldbuilding logical, but I'm instead tasked with making sure it's scary.
2) Introduce a character solely through its own writing. Its choice of words and organisation, its implied opinion on the subjects, the matters it chooses to emphasize or overlook ~ These are my characterization tools, not descriptions or actions. This is going to be a new thing to me: I'm used to writing prose with First Person Protagonist Narrators, and more than once entretained the thought of writing an essay in my protagonist's name, but tried it only once and never got past the second page. Also, my narrator is an unconventional one ~ not an established adventurer or scholar of the supernatural ~ and very different in personality from myself. Maybe I should write a story from his POV first, to get the vibe?
3) Supply folx with something to do with my content. There should be fine balance here between things for DMs (Plot hooks, NPCs, etc.) and things for players (character options, items, backstory ideas).
VRGtR had these 'adventures in [domain]' random tables, which I don't think people actually roll on, but I found pretty good for inspiration. Is this something you'd like to see, as a way to get an idea of what your PCs can do in each domain?

[IanFordam]

IDK if this fits better here or in Ravenloft Forum, but I'm starting to plan a project I hope will eventually make it way into one of the next netbooks, and I'd really like some advice from folx who have experience with this sort of thing.
I'm talking, of course, about a gazeteer for my homebrow dragonkind~themed cluster!

For what it's worth, I see "Community Projects" as being a place to collaborate on projects to which the community as a whole may contribute for nearly the entire development of the project. Something which solicits initial high-level feedback but which ultimately ends up under the control of a single author (or small set of collaborators) fits better on the "Ravenloft Forum", I think.

Analysing canon sourcebooks as well as old QTR articles, I reached the conclusion that a project of this sort ~ a piece of RPG content narrated by an in~world NPC ~ needs to achieve 3 goals:
1) Establish worldbuilding, much like the one required for any large~scale fantasy project. This part will actually be a tad easier than I'm used to: I usually write from what I call 'the self standing paradigm', meaning the fantasy world must have inner logic that can withstand a moderately thorough examination (As with Middle Earth or The Cosmere). However, Ravenloft's inner logic is 'there are dark powers who can create lands from whole cloth and like to torment villains and scare the **** out of everyone else', which leaves authors free to write by what I call 'the whimsical paradigm': Imagination needs not to be bound by any laws, not even those of common sense, and the author should shamelessly use it to fulfill every whim of theirs ~ or every fear, depends on the wanted results. 'Domains exist not to simulate a believable world, but to terrify', if to quote VRGtR. However, this is no excuse for lazy writing: I may not have to work too hard to make sure my worldbuilding logical, but I'm instead tasked with making sure it's scary.

Here's a place where I disagree with VRGtR. To rework the quote above, I think that the Land of Mists exists to create a believable enough setting in which terror is a prevalent element. In other words, domains should be reasonably realistic so that the areas where logic falls apart are truly unsettling. (To be fair, the achievable realism will vary from domain to domain. Ain't nothing going to make the Nightmare Lands realistic... which is as it should be.)

In other other words, I would encourage you to find the balance between what you call the self standing paradigm and the whimsical paradigm.

2) Introduce a character solely through its own writing. Its choice of words and organisation, its implied opinion on the subjects, the matters it chooses to emphasize or overlook ~ These are my characterization tools, not descriptions or actions. This is going to be a new thing to me: I'm used to writing prose with First Person Protagonist Narrators, and more than once entretained the thought of writing an essay in my protagonist's name, but tried it only once and never got past the second page. Also, my narrator is an unconventional one ~ not an established adventurer or scholar of the supernatural ~ and very different in personality from myself. Maybe I should write a story from his POV first, to get the vibe?

It is entirely possible to write a good gazetteer in the third person. Having a first-person narrator can be useful and entertaining, but if you find yourself stumbling over the narrator's voice, it may be worth setting the narrator aside, at least until you're happy with the worldbuilding details.

3) Supply folx with something to do with my content. There should be fine balance here between things for DMs (Plot hooks, NPCs, etc.) and things for players (character options, items, backstory ideas).
VRGtR had these 'adventures in [domain]' random tables, which I don't think people actually roll on, but I found pretty good for inspiration. Is this something you'd like to see, as a way to get an idea of what your PCs can do in each domain?

Personally, I don't care whether adventure hooks are presented as random tables or Dread Possibilities or what. However, I do strongly advocate in favor of giving the DM ideas for possible stories, including ones which do not involve the darklord. (See Mistmaster's articles in QtR for an excellent example of these sorts of hooks.) Exactly as you say, DMs need to know what their PCs can do.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

It is entirely possible to write a good gazetteer in the third person. Having a first-person narrator can be useful and entertaining, but if you find yourself stumbling over the narrator's voice, it may be worth setting the narrator aside, at least until you're happy with the worldbuilding details.

I think I'll first draft the worldbuilding from my own perspective, to get the facts organised, then write the final version with an in-world narrator.

[Krabellin]

IDK if this fits better here or in Ravenloft Forum, but I'm starting to plan a project I hope will eventually make it way into one of the next netbooks, and I'd really like some advice from folx who have experience with this sort of thing.
I'm talking, of course, about a gazeteer for my homebrow dragonkind~themed cluster!

Analysing canon sourcebooks as well as old QTR articles, I reached the conclusion that a project of this sort ~ a piece of RPG content narrated by an in~world NPC ~ needs to achieve 3 goals:
1) Establish worldbuilding, much like the one required for any large~scale fantasy project. This part will actually be a tad easier than I'm used to: I usually write from what I call 'the self standing paradigm', meaning the fantasy world must have inner logic that can withstand a moderately thorough examination (As with Middle Earth or The Cosmere). However, Ravenloft's inner logic is 'there are dark powers who can create lands from whole cloth and like to torment villains and scare the **** out of everyone else', which leaves authors free to write by what I call 'the whimsical paradigm': Imagination needs not to be bound by any laws, not even those of common sense, and the author should shamelessly use it to fulfill every whim of theirs ~ or every fear, depends on the wanted results. 'Domains exist not to simulate a believable world, but to terrify', if to quote VRGtR. However, this is no excuse for lazy writing: I may not have to work too hard to make sure my worldbuilding logical, but I'm instead tasked with making sure it's scary.
2) Introduce a character solely through its own writing. Its choice of words and organisation, its implied opinion on the subjects, the matters it chooses to emphasize or overlook ~ These are my characterization tools, not descriptions or actions. This is going to be a new thing to me: I'm used to writing prose with First Person Protagonist Narrators, and more than once entretained the thought of writing an essay in my protagonist's name, but tried it only once and never got past the second page. Also, my narrator is an unconventional one ~ not an established adventurer or scholar of the supernatural ~ and very different in personality from myself. Maybe I should write a story from his POV first, to get the vibe?
3) Supply folx with something to do with my content. There should be fine balance here between things for DMs (Plot hooks, NPCs, etc.) and things for players (character options, items, backstory ideas).
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VRGtR had these 'adventures in [domain]' random tables, which I don't think people actually roll on, but I found pretty good for inspiration. Is this something you'd like to see, as a way to get an idea of what your PCs can do in each domain?

Yes, of course! I’d love to take a look at your table drafts or ideas for adventures. Tables like these are a great tool. Even if game masters don’t roll the dice using them right during the game, they use them as ready-made sparks to create their own storylines.