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This bit of the site has been thrown together for two reasons.
Firstly, it's to answer a few questions I think will come up regarding
the format and content of the new site and secondly it's to make
promises about getting the Campaign Log up to date that I can instantly
renege upon. The FAQ is divided into several sections, click on
the questions to see the answers. All very simple stuff.
The Questions
General Site Queries
-
There was nothing wrong with
the old site, why spend so much time changing things when you
should have been updating the campaign log?
- What screen resolution is this
site best viewed with?
-
Do I need any special fonts
do I need to view this site correctly?
- Where are all the pictures?
The Internet is a visual medium you know!
- Why doesn't the new version
of the site use frames?
- How often will this site be
updated?
- Do you know how many spelling
mistake and grammatical errors there are on this site? Don't you
proof-read?
Iourn Site Queries
- When will the next session
take place?
- Do you need any new players?
- Who is playing in the latest
games, and what characters are they playing?
- Are you ever going to continue
the Path Perfidious campaign? We want to find out what happens
to Jass!
- When are you going to update
the Campaign Log?
- The A to Z is even further
behind than the Campaign Log. What gives?
- Has the Timelines of Iourn
section replaced the Campaign Log?
- What is happening with the
Timelines? Are they being extended to cover all of history? You
mentioned a change in format for the Timelines, when is this happening?
- Will we finally see some more
information on the Moon Faiths? You've only done the Watchers
and that was three years ago.
- My favourite section of the
site is 'X', when will you update 'X' you lazy basket case?
- What about the maps? You
promised maps!
D&D Site Queries
- Will Iourn convert to the fourth
edition rules?
- What will happen to the third
edition material on the site?
- What are you currently working
on for the D&D site?
FBI Site Queries
- This Delta Green game
looks much better than your D&D rubbish, can I join?
- How often is the game run?
When is the next session?
- Is it true Marc is running
another FBI game for a second group of players?
- How will the subsequent campaigns
be incorporated in the site?
- Who plays in all these games?
- Do you really play in garage?
- What's going to be updated
next on the website?
- Is Jane Munroe the best FBI
agent ever?
The Answers
General Site Queries
-
Actually, there were quite a few things wrong
with the old site. I wanted to be able to add information to
the site that wasn't necessarily D&D or Iourn-related (such
as the FBI site) and the old format didn't really allow me to
do that. I was also very keen to separate my changes to the
D&D rules from my campaign setting so that if I ever posted
a second campaign setting to the site it would be much easier
to relate the rules changes to it. Also the pages were much
too long, especially in the old campaign log, so they needed
reorganising. On the whole I think the new site is better than
the old. [return to question]
-
The site was designed for a resolution of
1024 × 768 pixels. Viewing it on a smaller resolution
will mean that the title of each page (in the coloured banner
across the top of the screen) will occassionally run onto a
second line, and that some tables will be more compressed than
I intended. However, in the grand scheme of things these are
minor inconviniences, and you be able to enjoy this site even
if you are a 800 × 600 devotee. [return
to question]
- At present, yes. I used many different fonts
in creating this website. This is a bit of a web design faux pas,
and I'll probably eradicate the different fonts on my next overhaul
of the site. At present head over to the Fonts
section and check out the fonts I have used. I can email any you
don't have. [return to question]
-
In the past I had a limited amount of space
to work with. Demon only let me have 20 MB, and on a site with
a sporting over a million words that didn't stretch quite as
far as you might think. Since Graham started hosting the site
web space is no longer an issue; now the only thing stopping
me is time. In time there will be more pictures and even maps,
but it will take a while. However, I will include images when
they are relevent: you see most of them on the FBI site. [return
to question]
- You want frames? Well, personally I like frames
but in the end I decided they were too much hassle than they were
worth. To tell the truth, I couldn't figure out how to link to
a page within the site and still have the frame appear around
it. And before anyone emails in to enlighten me, I don't want
to know. I'm happy with sidebar the way it is, thanks. [return
to question]
- I endeavour to update this site once per week
although in practice that hasn't happened for about four years.
At the moment I'm writing the equivalent of a weekly update, but
not posting it to the net as quickly as I should. I'd like to
promise more regular updates, but we'd both know I was lying.
[return to question]
- Yes, I know. It truly shames me. In my defence
I'd like to say that it's not because I don't know how to spell
or use proper punctuation, it's just there is such a volume of
material to place on line, and I have so little time to do it,
that the work is often rushed. I do try to proof read but often
it's all I can do to upload the material and then slink off to
bed at 2:00am. Feel free to draw my attention to any errors and
I will correct them. [return to question]
Iourn Site Queries
- I am not currently running a weekly campaign.
I'll start something else in September 2010, hopefully under the
HD&D rules. In the meantime, the League of Light continues
to be run under third edition. Roleplaying Retreat VI will happen
next year as advertised. [return to question]
- Maybe when the new weekly game starts I'll
make an appeal for some new players. [return to
question]
- The players and characters for the League
of Light campaign require no introduction: Marc Brown (Elias
Raithbourne), INdran (Raza de Luna), Graham Reynolds (Brack Ogrebane),
Daniel Rust (Arvan) and Jonathan Gilbert (Ravenna MalBraeve née
Tannesh). Jon only plays about 75% sessions, but due to the groups
enormous faff-factor he doesn't actually miss anything. Meanwhile
Steve Ward has done the unthinkable and retired Nicos Allumière
(at least for the time being), he's then been going though his
replacement characters with surprising alacrity. He'll be reprising
Syrah Pendragon in the next session. [return to
question]
- The finale of the Path Perfidious campaign
was played on 1 March 2008. Unfortunately, we didn't finish it.
One more weekend should knock it on the head, but there is the
small logistical matter of getting all the players in the same
place at the same time. It will happen, but I'm not sure when
at this stage. It's been eighteen months already! [return
to question]
- This question especially for INdran! I am
committed to bringing the log up to date and keeping it there.
I've been able to do a much better job with the FBI game because
I've only been playing it, not writing it. When I'm running a
game as well as trying to write the log, that is when things fall
apart. I did manage to keep things moving with the Game of
Souls campaign for a little while, and I've come to the conclusion
that the main obstacle to the campaign logs is a lack of organisation.
Therefore I have developed a plan. [return to question]
- Yes it is. I want to keep the A to Z up to
date, but I am fighting a losing battle. It long long ceased to
be a useful part of this website, and I think it has got to the
stage where I cannot easily keep it updated. The A to Z, and the
Character Spotlights are therefore paused. What I hope to do is
to create a database to house A to Z information. This would replace
the existing A to Z, but it would have to be built from scratch,
and at the moment I simply do not have the time.[return
to question]
- Absolutely not. It was always my intention
to have the Timelines and the Campaign Log. They do two completely
different things. The Timelines are useful to me, and they're
useful as a reminder to the players, but I don't think you can
easily follow the plot from them as they don't contain enough
information. The logs do contain enough information (perhaps too
much information) but they take longer to write. I have not abandoned
the logs. And I should probably point out that I haven't abandoned
the timeline either, considering how out of date it currently
is. [return to question]
- I was working with Graham to turn the timelines
into a database, but he's been rather distracted by becoming a
father. Congratulations Graham! While this work is going on I'm
not going to update the timelines that are currently sitting on
the website. I would hope to get the new timelines up on the web
before September 2010. If it gets done sooner consider it a bonus.
[return to question]
- Throughout the entire Notoriety of Kings
campaign I intended to write a section on the Church of Fire for
the benefit of Steve. It never happened. The section on the churches
is not at the top of my list at the moment, but I have posted
a little information on the topic recently. It will take a while
to get through all eighteen churches.[return to
question]
- My top priority at the moment is information
that is going to be of immediate relevance to the League of
Light campaign. Of course, that's quite a broad brush so I
could conceivably be working on anything. [return
to question]
- Yes, I did promise maps - and one day there
will be maps! Image maps that you can click to open more maps.
It'll be very impressive, really. You just wait and see. [return
to question]
D&D Site Queries
- No. And this FAQ isn't big enough for me to
explain why. The short answer: I don't like running it. The Iourn
campaigns will continue running under version 3.5 until my new
Hybrid rules (HD&D) are complete. What's HD&D? Head over
to my blog at iourn.wordpress.com
and find out. We've been discussing it for about a year now. My
hope is to have a playtest version of HD&D ready for the next
retreat in Marc. They may or may not happen. [return
to question]
- I have no intention of adding to any of the
third edition material currently on the site. Any sections that
are currently unfinished will remain that way (so no more Master
Lists). However, I won't be deleting anything. The third edition
site will be archived, and remain fully accessible from the main
menu. However, HD&D material and will be front and centre.
[return to question]
- Currently, I'm not working on anything for
the D&D site per se. All the reviews, rules discussions and
arguments are happening over on my blog. Once I start running
the game, and once the changes to the rules have reach critical
mass then I will look to restructure the D&D site for fourth
edition. The third edition portion of the site will be archived,
and HD&D material will start to appear this summer. However,
the process won't be finished until Spring 2010. That's the date
I'm currently thinking of to revamp the whole website, and give
it a new and more colourful look. [return to question]
FBI Site Queries
This campaign has now finished - I'll update these answers soon.
- Haven't a clue - not my game, remember? But
if you really want to play you can drop me an email and I will
pass on your plea to Marc. [return to question]
- The game is back on Tuesday evenings. Session
120 was on the 20 July 2008. There isn't much material left to
cover and Marc is confident that he will finally wrap it up this
Summer. We'll see! [return to question]
- Yes and no. Marc did run a number of adventures
for the north-east evidence response team, based in Augusta, Maine.
This campaign ended a few months ago now, although the characters
still remain living entities in the campaign setting. He has also
run a few one-offs for the north-west team, based in Alaska. I
fully intend to incorporate details of that campaign into this
website, although as I didn't play in these campaigns it is unlikley
that they'll have the same level of detail as the mid-west campaign.
[return to question]
- On 17 July 2006, the FBI site went through
a substantial overhaul. The notion of keeping all the events into
one chronological timeline, although laudable, would be too cumbersome
and too confusing with events coming in from three different campaigns.
Therefore all the session logs were reformatted along the lines
of the Iourn model. This is a more robust structure that is better
able to cope with many events happening at the same time. The
chronological order of events is slightly less clear, so I have
also devised a new timeline section to sit beside it (again, based
on the Iourn site). Work on this timeline is still ongoing.[return
to question]
- Myself, Graham, James, Malcolm and Dan are
regulars in the mid-west game. It's been a long road but we're
holding on in there. The players for the defunct north-east game
were Jan and Jenny.[return to question]
- We preferred the term "club house"
and it wasn't as grotty as you might suppose. We had a table,
and electricity and even an Internet connection. However, Marc
changes house with alarming regularity and now we have moved onto
a significantly more luxurious lounge. Just as well that happened
before the freezing Kent winter set in. [return
to question]
- At the moment, I am maintaining the Session
Synopses of all new sessions. If the synopsis of session 120 isn't
up by the time you read this, then it soon will be. The outstanding
casefiles will be posted online at the rate of one per month on
the fifteenth of the month, starting in August 2008. Once I have
filled the gap between sessions 95-101, I will also upload a massive
update to the Who's Who section. By the time all the synopses
are online, the campaign will be long finished. However, before
I sign off on the site, I will make sure that all the casefiles,
timelines, agents' histories and every else is thoroughly updated.
[return to question]
- Yes. Yes she is. [return to
question]
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