The Fox Talks. . .About Game Creation
By Kitsufox

Since I’ve been conspicuously absent the last 2 issues, I’ve decided to go back-to-basics and bring up some of the basics of creating your own game. No. I’m not going to repeat what Sky said in the April issue. I’m going to talk more about the preparations needed for a game to have a solid IC storyline.

CLANS
Clans always need consideration. Most important is the immediate past of your clans. Who led before the current leader? Will you be making newly created characters comply with this bit of game history, or do you not care if every clan member gives a different name for the leader before the current one?

STEREOTYPES
Will your game use the book stereotypes, or will you redefine the clans based on the clans’ (and the games’) history? I actually advise this strongly, as it pushes players to think outside the box and be more creative.

One way to easily set your game apart is to redefine the clans. Is your RiverClan led by a power-hungry she-cat who plans to rule the forest? Is she mated to the pushover leader of ThunderClan and essentially leads that clan too? Is ThunderClan’s deputy meanwhile planning to kill the pushover leader to restore control of ThunderClan back to itself? Plots like this not only make your game more fun while they’re getting played out, but they help keep things fresh and make your games’ forest into something you can truly call your own.

CANON
The word ‘canon’ is defined as the facts that can be proven using the source works. In this case it refers to the Warriors books and things outlined in answers to questions given in the Wands and Worlds chats with the authors. But, what you need to concern yourself with here is not the overriding canon, but how your game is going to interpret the source works and put them into action. In short: The games’ canon, rather than the Warriors canon.

Deciding on your games’ canon is an important step in the creation process. This might include deciding that none of the happenings of the books happened, or that the original series happened, but nothing beyond that.

This might also include smaller changes such as alterations to a ceremony (IE: changing the naming of a new medicine cat to the leader, instead of permitting the old medicine cat to do it) or defining what you consider officially permissible in names.

CONCLUSION
With all of this in your mind I challenge you all to push the bounds of the fandom towards better and more original games. The reason behind the failure of many Warriors Role Playing Games include lack of originality and consistency.

Don’t let these two game killers infect yours.

Good Role Playing, Friends!