Update (9/18/2002)

So, this is the point where I give you another update. I am due, after all.

I've set myself the schedule (for now) of writing every Wednesday evening. I have too many irons in the fire to dedicate more time than this right now, but I figure that a slow, steady pace will eventually bring the project to completion, rather than trying to cram it all in quickly and then burning out.

One complication that I discovered as I began to write was that I had lost touch with the fundamental Alyria feel. The mood that underlies the game was eluding me. So I did what I normally do in such circumstances: I went looking for appropriate music.

I found some, too. All for free on MP3.com. Now I have me my very own Alyria soundtrack to play while I write. Trust me, it makes all the difference in the world for me.

(For the morbidly curious, here are links to the different groups that are represented on that CD:

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/6/mystical_sun.html
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/200/johannes_roussel.html
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/213/synthetic_dream_foundation.html
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/399/darkened_soul.html

I particularly found "Mists of Solace" and "Flickering Embrace" (from Synthetic Dream Foundation) to be helpful at setting the right mood. If someone is really interested, I'll post the playlist itself.

Also, I was finding myself stonewalled on different topics. How do I write about X in the proper mood and tone? So here's my solution. I know the setting elements that I'm going to include. So, rather than worrying about an outline at this point or figuring out the best order to explain everything in, I'm just going to write separate mini-essays on each setting element. So, for instance, I have a piece on the Howling Lands. I don't know where I'm going to put that essay, but I do know that I need it. So I'm going to write up my descriptions as if each was its own entity. Then I'll cobble it together in the order that seems best. To use an analogy, I'm forming my bricks before I try to build my wall.

At this point, I am contemplating first pulling together a setting document (that would otherwise be the first few chapters of the game) and bundling this into my current Alyria zip file. Then I would work on rewriting the rules section and adding supplemental fiction so that I could release one PDF (call it the Butt-Ugly Release). Finally I would get the final release together, with artwork, nice layout, and so on.

So, that's the status of Legends of Alyria at this point. Again, if anyone would like to playtest the game, drop me a line and let me know. There is still plenty of time to tweak and refine the game, plus I'd love to be able to include storymaps produced from actual play. My goal is to make this game as playable from the "box" as possible, and having storymaps in the game that have worked in play would be a big step in that direction.

Seth Ben-Ezra
Great Wolf