Style guide

Creating game materials? Monsters, spells, classes, adventures? This is the place!
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chiisu81
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Re: Style guide

Post by chiisu81 »

r15 uploaded to first post. Corrected fonts used, corrected page header, changed references to Core Rules in the Monster sections to page numbers in r108, and updated how damage is now listed. Also corrected the example skeleton stat-line.
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toddlyons
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Re: Style guide

Post by toddlyons »

Canadian English is a British/American hybrid. Is it acceptable to write a book with that spelling?
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chiisu81
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Re: Style guide

Post by chiisu81 »

I'll let Solo say for sure, but I believe we prefer American usually.
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Solomoriah
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Re: Style guide

Post by Solomoriah »

If you create a book where you are the primary author, you choose the English spelling standard for your book. But Oxford commas are still a hard and fast rule... :D

If a book is a compilation, I usually decide by who the primary editor is.

So if you want to use Canadian spelling customs in your book, proceed. As long as we know that we're good.
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toddlyons
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Re: Style guide

Post by toddlyons »

Thank you, Solo. At whatever point CC is complete enough for me to have a late-stage editorial pass, I'd like to put those affected words in their Canadian spelling. And I'll leave them in for the module I'm writing now (which seems like it will be much too long for an AA compilation).
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Solomoriah
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Re: Style guide

Post by Solomoriah »

Not sure I want this in the style guide, but it seems like a good place to discuss it.

In boxed text, I have a natural preference for writing things out as they are spoken (as it is potentially going to be read aloud). I do the same thing when I write dialog in stories.

For example, rather than:
"I say, Dr. Beasley, step about 3' to your right please!"
I'd say:
"I say, Doctor Beasley, step about three feet to your right please!"
I avoid abbreviations in this kind of text. I recall a book I read years ago, set in a near-future era, where all the characters addressed each other formally as "M. Jones" and "M. Smith" regardless of gender. While I appreciate the gender neutrality of it, the "M." was a speed bump for my brain as I had no idea what word was being abbreviated there.

Still don't in fact.

Related to this was my discovery that the single-quote or "prime" mark ' used as an abbreviation for "feet" (as a unit of distance) is not as universal as my elementary school teachers told me. For this reason, while I still use that mark in stat blocks for space saving purposes, I try hard never to use it in text, preferring "foot" or "feet" as appropriate.

Not trying to expand the ever-expanding style guide (and I haven't looked and do not remember if any of this is already there) but it's something I though worth discussing.
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chiisu81
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Re: Style guide

Post by chiisu81 »

I don't think it's currently in the style guide, but yes I prefer it written out when not in a stat-line/block, especially in boxed text. I wouldn't mind it always written out if it doesn't do something odd to layout in an existing document.
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leon
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Re: Style guide

Post by leon »

I'm deep into a mega-blast of edits for Tosasth, and these issues are fresh for me.

On the topic of writing out full units (feet) instead of using a prime mark ('), context matters as well as considering what's most usable. Also, consider the compromise of using an abbreviation (ft). Let's take a somewhat extreme example.
Hovering over you is a 10'x10'x10' cube.

Hovering over you is a ten foot by ten foot by ten foot cube.

Hovering over you is a 10ft by 10ft by 10ft cube.
If I'm at the table, the first version is more usable for me. In the context of intro text, the information doesn't need to be so precise and I'd probably not want to see abbreviations. E.g. "The boy came back to describe a big cube, perhaps ten feet across, that hovered over him."

I have a related topic: never start a sentence with a numeral. This too ought to bend to context. By the style guide, monster blocks should state the number of monsters ("3 Bats: AC ..."). Likewise, I had a sentence start like "1d10 rounds after..." This is a common style in business and technical writing. It's also a natural way to speak.

Going further, where monsters are described in the adventure, I have written compressed notes about mechanics. The point is to help the GM remember the mechanics without having to crack open the core rules. To that end, I've mostly written fragments of sentences ("Save vs. Paralysis on surprise" versus "Opponents must save vs. Paralysis when surprised"). Here are my notes for a basilisk.
Save vs. Paralysis on surprise, each round if fighting normally, including targeting spells. -4 AB/-2 AC if blind fighting. -2 AB if fighting with mirror. Basilisks save versus their own gaze when looking at a mirror.
See how I start "sentences" with -4 and -2? That's most usable for me. I don't want to add non-operational words to satisfy an inflexible rule about not starting a sentence with a numeral ("If fighting with a mirror -2 AB.")

Can we consider these topics (unit abbreviations and leading numerals) as guidelines which allow for exceptions based on context? I'm thinking about how policy specs will distinguish between "should" and "must". E.g. "you must include letters and digits in your password, and you should change it once a month."
I solemnly swear to fulfill the game master's oath to the best of my ability and judgment.

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Solomoriah
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Re: Style guide

Post by Solomoriah »

Many of the things you mention should be flexible; I have only one really firm position: Boxed text should never, ever use symbols or abbreviations. The words should be presented as the GM is intended to read them.

Replacing tick-marks/apostrophes with words for "feet" and "inches" isn't a priority; it's something we should do. But the marks remain appropriate in monster stat strings (which is about the only place I think they belong).
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chiisu81
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Re: Style guide

Post by chiisu81 »

r17 uploaded to first post. I forgot to address boxed text, I'll note that for next release.

- added ability score abbreviations (how did we miss that?)
- added section for ability checks; def. a first/rough-draft wording would like feedback on
- I want to end the capitalizing of character races. While editing CS3 recently I finally realized it just looks/reads better. I'm personally on the fence about magical & treasure items as well; they should definitely be bold, but capitalized as well? Hmmmmm.
- updated Morale is now "Ml" in stat strings due to easier-to-read Adventure BF font used
- updated monster stat-block page references for Core Rules 4E
- updated "No. of Attacks" in Monster Stat-blocks as we now use commas, not slashes, for multiple attacks
- added note about using non-breaking spaces in stat-lines if needed
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