When designing a world as a setting for replaying and storytelling, condensing your concept down to an elevator pitch is a great exercise. Not that you’re likely to corner a venture capitalist and a Hollywood producer in an elevator and pump them to invest money in your idea, but because you are going to corner friends, players, and readers and ask them to invest something even more precious than cash in your creation—their leisure time.
I can’t talk about elevator pitches without declaring how much I hate the term. Once that proletarian complaint is out of the way, I’m ready to proclaim that the elevator pitch is a great tool for sharpening up a product.
Did I say “product”? Absolutely! Even if your worldbuilding effort is entirely for private consumption, treating the work as a product is constructive.
(
Read the rest at Kobold Quarterly ...)
http://trollandflame.blogspot.com/2012/10/short-rpg-descriptions.html
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting approach, and it would be really useful for people who are considering trying out a particular game. I was amused, though not surprised, by how many people didn't seem to understand the concept in their descriptions.
Delete(The Product) is (two adjectives that describe it)! It is like (Well known thing) meets (another well known thing) but with a bit of (other well known thing).
ReplyDeleteReal world example: My new game is dark and fun! It is like Call of Ctulhu meets Big Trouble in Little China but with a bit of Hellboy.
Have you seen "The Player?" The opening scene is nothing but a seemingly endless string of hopeful scriptwriters pitching their films this way. It's hilarious.
DeleteHaven't seen it, but I did used to work as a film peon. There was always one guy on a crew that only spoke in movie pitches.
DeleteHi, Nice post thanks for sharing. Would you please consider adding a link to my website on your page. Please email me back. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAaron Grey
aarongrey112@gmail.com