Style guide

Creating game materials? Monsters, spells, classes, adventures? This is the place!
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Solomoriah
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Re: Style guide

Post by Solomoriah »

How to word ability checks: I rewrite them about 75% of the time. Ability checks in adventures should follow the optional rule in the Core Rules, or use some form of saving throw, or something else actually found in the book. GMs who want another system can make it up and that's fine, but there's no good reason for us to be publishing adventures that use alternatives to what is in the book.

I did say 75%. Some adventures have things that require a certain minimum combined Strength to lift or open, and I'm fine with that, it's in some of the really old school adventures. Also, things that use a mechanic similar to the Open Doors mechanic are fine, even if they aren't exactly the same. The point is that mechanics should at least resemble the Core Rules.

As an aside, I do not understand the attraction of the roll-under-ability-score rules. It's mechanically backwards, as the only thing we normally roll under are percentiles, and does not take level of ability into account. Only things where gaining a level just does not give you an advantage (like Open Doors) should outright ignore level.
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Solomoriah
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Re: Style guide

Post by Solomoriah »

As far as non-breaking spaces go, don't worry about it. I'm fine fixing them in layout... global search and replace in LibreOffice is powerful enough to do it well.
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LibraryLass
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Re: Style guide

Post by LibraryLass »

Solomoriah wrote: Thu Dec 08, 2022 1:25 pmAs an aside, I do not understand the attraction of the roll-under-ability-score rules. It's mechanically backwards, as the only thing we normally roll under are percentiles, and does not take level of ability into account. Only things where gaining a level just does not give you an advantage (like Open Doors) should outright ignore level.
It's suggested by B/X, that's enough for some people, I guess. And I suppose, the convenience of the standard ability range running from 3-18, i.e. comfortably within the range of a d20 roll-under roll.

I don't care for it myself, which is a shame as one of my otherwise favorite games (Beyond the Wall) relies very heavily on them.
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Boggo
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Re: Style guide

Post by Boggo »

LibraryLass wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 12:02 am
Solomoriah wrote: Thu Dec 08, 2022 1:25 pmAs an aside, I do not understand the attraction of the roll-under-ability-score rules. It's mechanically backwards, as the only thing we normally roll under are percentiles, and does not take level of ability into account. Only things where gaining a level just does not give you an advantage (like Open Doors) should outright ignore level.
It's suggested by B/X, that's enough for some people, I guess. And I suppose, the convenience of the standard ability range running from 3-18, i.e. comfortably within the range of a d20 roll-under roll.

I don't care for it myself, which is a shame as one of my otherwise favorite games (Beyond the Wall) relies very heavily on them.
I used to use it a lot right up until the release of Unearthed Errata's Non Weapon Proficiencies
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chiisu81
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Re: Style guide

Post by chiisu81 »

r13 uploaded to first post.
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Solomoriah
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Re: Style guide

Post by Solomoriah »

Looks pretty good, but I do want to make a change. It's been pointed out to me that Ml as an abbreviation for Morale is hard to read, especially in the Century Gothic font. I'd like to change that to ML all in upper case, as an exception for the sake of clarity.
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chiisu81
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Re: Style guide

Post by chiisu81 »

r14 uploaded. We'll have to eventually update the generator code for the tools.
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ThorinSchmidt
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Re: Style guide

Post by ThorinSchmidt »

Solomoriah wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 12:55 pm Looks pretty good, but I do want to make a change. It's been pointed out to me that Ml as an abbreviation for Morale is hard to read, especially in the Century Gothic font. I'd like to change that to ML all in upper case, as an exception for the sake of clarity.
That is much easier for me to distinguish. Although by this point I know where morale is listed, and just need to go down the list, the "ML" draws my attention more quickly with less zooming needed.
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bobcatt
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Re: Style guide

Post by bobcatt »

Hello,

This is probably either redundant or I'm jumping the gun; is the Style Guide going to be updated to prescribe the use of the AuntJudy and AdventureBF fonts present in the new zip file?

cheers
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Solomoriah
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Re: Style guide

Post by Solomoriah »

Adventure title fonts really were never supposed to be "prescribed." AuntJudy is used in BF1 and nowhere else as far as I remember. I have a font called Celtic that was used for some. Queen Empress is the "default" if you don't make a choice, but even then it's not "prescribed."

Going forward, though, you need to use a title font that I'm sure I can publish, or I will have to change it.

Adventure BF, on the other hand, will be a requirement for body text in adventure materials.
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