Tentative Torchbearer Table (of Contents)
So, I am struggling with a small puzzle here with Torchbearer; how to organise the book? Here is one possibility, but I welcome discussion of it; I am not totally certain in it.
- Story: From Water Does All Life Begin. A story of the Scarlet Lark setting. This sets the mood of languid, lush, watery excess of the setting. Subsections of the rules-chapters are separated by SL vignettes no longer than a page, as well, even when the chapter-introductory fiction is non-SL in nature. Approximately half of the vignettes should feature Feneng or Blackbird Lantern; the rest are excerpts from fictional literature of the setting, in the manner of Nobilis.
- Step-by-step How To Play; this presents the game rules in a condensed, but not simplified, fashion, suited to just grab the book and learn as you go. Probably does not contain any interspersed vignettes, for ease-of-use.
- Story: ??? Not something of the Scarlet Lark setting. Lighthearted, impression of dryness and scarcity, for strength of contrast.
- The rules of the game in long form, including some designer's notes and discussion of emergent properties.
- Story: Red Saffron. A story of the Scarlet Lark setting, featuring Feneng.
- Scarlet Lark resources, including:
- Sample characters, of varying extremeness. Naturally the recurring characters of the fiction are represented, either here or in the next subsection.
- Sample Torches, at least one of which was once a character.
- Bites of setting material, in encyclopedic rather than narrative form. These should give an impression of interconnection but confusion; they contain repeating motifs but also contain contradictions and outright impossible situations.
- A note about the special properties of the setting materials and their use in play.
- Story: ??? Not something of the Scarlet Lark setting. Dark, impression of savagery and ill-temper, for contrast.
- Designer bling, including a list of inspirations and Other Cool Games, acknowledgements and dedication.
- Story: ??? Something with Blackbird Lantern; should make reference to the water temple in FWDALB and Feneng of RS. A story of the Scarlet Lark setting.
- Appendices: copyable materials and a "cheat sheet" rules summary which has page references to the two larger rules sections.
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