This could be exploitet by producing Phoenix novels to make the game and its universe better known and more popular. There is a ready market out there for paperback novels of this type. Most of us have probably been reading novels related to their boardgames or roleplaying-games. My own bookshelf holds a good number of books pertaining to AD&D, BattleTech, Shadowrun and a plethora of others.
Why not Phoenix?
Mica surely has the material lying around already to fill several books; player input steadily increases this. If a scenario is over and part of the game history, why not make a book out of it?
I'm sure that we have a number of sci-fi authors playing the game now. Maybe one of those would be interested? Or, maybe novels could be created a bit like the expanded universe in starwars... Where numbers of authors could come in and write their bit.
I guess another great advertisment for phoenix would be to have something at Gen Con in the USA... I am of course willing to go out there on behalf of KJC and represent their games out there, for the standard fee ;-). Joking aside, maybe some of our USA polayers go there, they might be interested in doing something there.
My 5 cents worth anyway.
| QUOTE (Frabby @ Feb 11 2004, 09:12 AM) |
| Reading through heaps of special action results I find that Mica is not at all bad at writing, or designing storylines. I am sure all players who ever followed up a prolonged scenario will agree. |
I have played with the idea, but running Phoenix/BSE for so long has made me the master of the sound bite, but as for stringing together an entire chapter....
I feel that I would end up like the hacks that churn out Trek/Bab5/Vampire and Starwars novels with all the creativity of preparing a cupasoup.
I would however love to see the Emperor Paul saga put into print. Remembering Ivan the Gambler being dragged from the interment ceremony still makes me chuckle.
Storylines... we have a couple which have run out and could go into books (perhaps spiced up a little) without upsetting players or revealing game secrets. I see potential in
- Lysander's first tour to the peripheries and the wedding gift contest;
- Following up on this, the history of the Empress Sarah;
- The story of the SMS Tokyo, Duke West, and revealing both emperors as clones;
- Following up on this, civil war among humanity and what followed (not quite finished yet I guess);
- The founding days of the Dominion;
- The first Flagritz war and the DTR betrayal (dramatic and tragic);
- The story of the Daemons of Gomorrah (twisting facts a little so that the story fits into the Phoenix universe as we know it);
- The lost SMS expedition (scenario not finished yet);
- The exodus of the DTR from Darkfold to Venice and T.tauri (and how it almost led to a shooting war with the CNF because of the Illuvatorians);
- The BHD quest for Eden and the Messiah starship;
- The origin of the CIA Super Chief and CIA Las Vegas;
- The story of the DNA, merger with the DTR and re-emergence;
- Rise and fall of the first FCN empire and the war in Storm;
- The story of Alexander Enterprises;
- The assassination attempt on Abraham Crowthorne;
- The Alien Artefact war in Skord.
I'm sure there are plenty of others. Just somebody should write it down before the true story (as it was played in the game) is forgotten and/or all players involved have left.
| QUOTE (Mica Goldstone @ Feb 12 2004, 11:41 AM) | ||
I have played with the idea, but running Phoenix/BSE for so long has made me the master of the sound bite, but as for stringing together an entire chapter.... I feel that I would end up like the hacks that churn out Trek/Bab5/Vampire and Starwars novels with all the creativity of preparing a cupasoup. I would however love to see the Emperor Paul saga put into print. Remembering Ivan the Gambler being dragged from the interment ceremony still makes me chuckle. |
[QUOTE]
That Emperor Paul stuff was way cool.
But i see your point... Maybe someone will champion the cause one day.
Dave
Problem is if you havn't lived through the scenario yourself you can't very well reproduce without alot of help form other gamers who were there. I guess it's going to depend on the committment of the other players.
andy
| QUOTE (Frabby @ Feb 12 2004, 12:03 PM) |
| - Lysander's first tour to the peripheries and the wedding gift contest; - Following up on this, the history of the Empress Sarah; - The story of the SMS Tokyo, Duke West, and revealing both emperors as clones; <snip> |
Summaries of events like these would be useful to new players (and old?) and a good addition to the Phoenix website to entice more people to join the game.
The main problem however is that as a relatively new player, I have very little knowledge of the old storylines, and while I know something about ongoing things, most of it is knowledge that my affiliation would no doubt be somewhat less than impressed to see appearing in a short story.
But that said, if there is a concensus that there might at least be interest in some stand-alone short stories, I'd certainly be interested in having a crack at something.
| QUOTE (Simon @ Feb 13 2004, 07:28 PM) |
| I must admit, I've been toying with the idea of writing a few Phoenix related short stories, to see how well they go over with the players. The main problem however is that as a relatively new player, I have very little knowledge of the old storylines, |
Make up your own story
Perhaps I should forward Blair my Robert Ludlum novel collection, and get him cracking at some CIA fiction
"- Rise and fall of the first FCN empire and the war in Storm;"
Not resolved yet...
[/QUOTE]Making up an original story based within the Phoenix universe is a definite possibility, but I would imagine the established fanbase would want to read something that had more resonance, and was more recognisable - something at least based on previous events in the game.
However, I'm thinking about the Battletech novels now, and how those worked rather well as a series of books that developed out of a game. They had vaguely similiar themes too, with the great houses, the endless conflict, the knotted political scheming.
But, that said, I do rather suspect that the Phoenix player-base currently is simply not large enough to support novels...
And okay, I give up trying to figure out how to quote sections of previous posts.