RPGnet : The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Aight. Here we go.

I am currently in a tattoo shop on St. Mark's Street in the East Village of Manhattan. What better place for me to start this column? Looking through the sketchbooks of "Kattan" has me thinking: Role-playing Games are tired. A standard has been set and it bores me. I am looking at some amazing street-style sketches and I know that if I were to put this guy in MY RPG (which I intend to), he is going to get torn apart by the critics. Yet, there are so many concepts and styles completely untouched by the gaming community.. Graffiti, Skater-Raver, Amerime (American-Anime): and I think it's time some new styles got some representation.

In fact, I feel it's time for some new design concepts to be introduced into the gaming community as a whole. Missing my point? Go to your gaming shelf and grab a book. Take a look. I can probably describe it from here: some nifty border, 2 columns, pictures peppered here and there, and if they were feeling adventurous, maybe a text-wrapped picture here and there. Now, it may look good. In fact, It may be done very well. Many new companies have been coming out with some very good-looking books. Apophis Consortium's Obsidian and Obsidian's Shards of the Stone comes to mind. Kind of ironic, I know.

I am suggesting something completely new, though. Maybe, just maybe, you were at GenCon and managed to find the Synister Creative Systems booth and grabbed the "Last Exodus" pamphlet. Maybe I even gave it to you. I was the weirdo with the spikey dreadlocked hair and a lip ring. You kinda couldn't miss me. All the guards knew who I was. Either way, if you have it, you have a good clue of where I am going with this book.

Now that I have you completely confused, let me introduce myself. My name is Joshua Brain Jaffe. Yes, Brain (typo on my birth certificate. What can you do?). I am 22 years old, Jersey boy born and bred. I like hip-hop, techno, hardcore, metal, some classical, trip-hop and my current favorite is motown. I count my blessings to be self-employed at this stage in my life, so I am going to do everything I can to make this book sell.

Oh yeah! The book! This column is all about how I intend to turn the gaming industry's concept of what a roleplaying book should look like upside-down. The content is going to turn quite a few heads as well, but that's my brother's job. The book will be called "The Last Exodus". God, Sex, Drugs and rock&roll: oh my! I have many new ideas for layout, but before they hit the paper, I am going to discuss them with you, right here. You'll also get peppered with a few stories about life in NJ, being part of the SCS crew, driving through the Ghetto every day and more. Somewhere through all this debauchery a book will get designed and YOU are going to help me.

Over the next few months we'll discuss layout, fonts, art, art styles, text wrapping, pissing people off and how to deal with criticism. or not. Well, time for me to get MY tattoo, folks, so I must sign off. Please stay in touch. Remember: I may intrigue you, I may upset you, or you may fall in love with me (ladies, my email is somewhere on this page) but either way, this should prove new and interesting. Participate, and you never know what may happen.

Peace Out.

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Quality Control: Creating the New Look of the Game

A Tattoo and an Introduction

What do you think?

All Heroes for a Day

Other columns at RPGnet


Quality Control: Creating the New Look of the Game A Tattoo and an Introduction Joshua Brain Jaffe September 19, 2000	Aight. Here we go. I am currently in a tattoo shop on St. Mark's Street in the East Village of Manhattan. What better place for me to start this column? Looking through the sketchbooks of "Kattan" has me thinking: Role-playing Games are tired. A standard has been set and it bores me. I am looking at some amazing street-style sketches and I know that if I were to put this guy in MY RPG (which I intend to), he is going to get torn apart by the critics. Yet, there are so many concepts and styles completely untouched by the gaming community.. Graffiti, Skater-Raver, Amerime (American-Anime): and I think it's time some new styles got some representation. In fact, I feel it's time for some new design concepts to be introduced into the gaming community as a whole. Missing my point? Go to your gaming shelf and grab a book. Take a look. I can probably describe it from here: some nifty border, 2 columns, pictures peppered here and there, and if they were feeling adventurous, maybe a text-wrapped picture here and there. Now, it may look good. In fact, It may be done very well. Many new companies have been coming out with some very good-looking books. Apophis Consortium's Obsidian and Obsidian's Shards of the Stone comes to mind. Kind of ironic, I know. I am suggesting something completely new, though. Maybe, just maybe, you were at GenCon and managed to find the Synister Creative Systems booth and grabbed the "Last Exodus" pamphlet. Maybe I even gave it to you. I was the weirdo with the spikey dreadlocked hair and a lip ring. You kinda couldn't miss me. All the guards knew who I was. Either way, if you have it, you have a good clue of where I am going with this book. Now that I have you completely confused, let me introduce myself. My name is Joshua Brain Jaffe. Yes, Brain (typo on my birth certificate. What can you do?). I am 22 years old, Jersey boy born and bred. I like hip-hop, techno, hardcore, metal, some classical, trip-hop and my current favorite is motown. I count my blessings to be self-employed at this stage in my life, so I am going to do everything I can to make this book sell. Oh yeah! The book! This column is all about how I intend to turn the gaming industry's concept of what a roleplaying book should look like upside-down. The content is going to turn quite a few heads as well, but that's my brother's job. The book will be called "The Last Exodus". God, Sex, Drugs and rock&roll: oh my! I have many new ideas for layout, but before they hit the paper, I am going to discuss them with you, right here. You'll also get peppered with a few stories about life in NJ, being part of the SCS crew, driving through the Ghetto every day and more. Somewhere through all this debauchery a book will get designed and YOU are going to help me. Over the next few months we'll discuss layout, fonts, art, art styles, text wrapping, pissing people off and how to deal with criticism. or not. Well, time for me to get MY tattoo, folks, so I must sign off. Please stay in touch. Remember: I may intrigue you, I may upset you, or you may fall in love with me (ladies, my email is somewhere on this page) but either way, this should prove new and interesting. Participate, and you never know what may happen. Peace Out.