Module Template questions

[DukeLeto]

I was just wondering if there is a standard template that is used by people on here to create their modules, either in Word or Open Office format? In case I wanted to create a module without having to create my own template.

And a second question," do most retro-clone modules try to stick to the mid-80s module design flavor or something newer? I have to admit, that as much as I enjoy some of the old modules, the stuff put out for Pathfinder has a good look and feel to it ( IMHO ).



Thanks,
Duke Leto

[knightvision]

Hi,

Good questions. When we first started Knightvisiongames.com we went with the 80's setup with the gray text boxes, etc. However, to do POD (print on demand) those boxes have to be jpg/gif to work. what a pain. I really like the Pathfinder layouts as well. So we conbine the old school rules and text flavor with the 21st century layout. I've tried to make it like a movie script:

Adventure background
Adventure track - bullet points of scenarios
Get 'em in the game - Help the LL find ways to get the PCs into this adventure
Encounter
- Text to the PCs (red)
- NPCs (if any)
Action - monster stats
Treasure - if any
"That's a Wrap" - concluding the adventure
New Monster stats
New Magic Item stats
Pre-Gen characters
Maps (sometimes these have been scaled down and put in each encounter page)
OGL

So, our "template" is a mashup of old and new school.

[DukeLeto]

What software do you use to put the final product together?

[barrataria]

What software do you use to put the final product together?

I used Microsoft Word 97 Which was fine, except I get a weird graphic error once in a while and all the pics get deleted .... I imagine that wouldn't happen with a more recent version.

Chris Gonnerman does (or did, anyway) all the Basic Fantasy RPG modules on Open Office/Libre Office.

[knightvision]

What software do you use to put the final product together?

Knightvision Games uses Google Docs for the rough draft and MS Publisher for the final PDF and POD.

[Solomoriah]

Chris Gonnerman does (or did, anyway) all the Basic Fantasy RPG modules on Open Office/Libre Office.

I do, indeed. And it's not "did." I do work in fits and spurts, but if you look now you'll see I've made a prodigious number of releases in the last couple of weeks.

Good questions. When we first started Knightvisiongames.com we went with the 80's setup with the gray text boxes, etc. However, to do POD (print on demand) those boxes have to be jpg/gif to work. what a pain.

I'm not sure how you're doing text boxes; I do them in LibreOffice by specifying paragraph borders. I could do a gray background if I wanted, but I have found that PDF printing of gray is a bit flaky.

All Basic Fantasy Project works are created with the idea that they will be printed out by the users at home; publication is the second goal, not the first. Since gray printing is a problem, I don't do it... I stick to horizontal lines in my tables rather than alternating gray bars, and I use white backgrounds in my text boxes.

Adventure track - bullet points of scenarios

"Track," eh? Sounds like a railroad to me. It's hard, but I try really hard not to build railroads.

Working in OpenOffice.org/LibreOffice is lots easier if you use text styles rather than "direct" formatting. I start by overriding the Text Body style to be justified (a nod to the 80's modules whose style I emulate) and to specify either Soutane (for rules supplements) or Century Gothic (for modules). I have a MainHeading style (larger, centered, SoutaneBlack font), a SubHeading style (larger, not centered, SoutaneBlack) with appropriate before and after spacing defined. Any time you find yourself pressing Enter twice at the end of a paragraph, you aren't using the program to its fullest capability. I have a MonsterStats format (not justified, otherwise like Text Body), a HitPointBlock and HitPointBlockEnd style (with the tabs defined for my hit point checkboxes; the ...End format has extra space after it), and a Table Contents style set up with a slightly smaller version of the Text Body font and no leading or trailing spacing. If you're really clever, you use the "next" style declaration so that, when you type in MonsterStats format and press Enter, the next paragraph is automatically HitPointBlock; when you press Enter again, you're in HitPointBlockEnd. Clever use of backspace to remove unwanted styles, and Enter in the middle of a line to duplicate the present style, and I hardly need the mouse to set styles.

Oh, and of course I have a BoxedText style, with an 0.5 point black border and 0.04" spacing to the interior text, otherwise just like Text Body.

It took me a while to absorb the zen of it, but now it's second nature. Text just flows like melted butter onto the page, already formatted with little extra work needed. The only "direct" formatting I use is boldface and italics for individual words.

[knightvision]

oh, the Adventure track is no railroad to be sure. It just allows the Labyrinth Lord a quick overview of how the adventure is written. It's described in the adventure module how to use it. You can purchase or exciting line of Labyrinth Lord adventure modules here

Thanks for coming over to the LL forums and posting.