Working with Scene Action Generator and Verb Fuel

Scene Action Generator

Verb Fuel

After the introductory comparison posted in November 15th of 2019 post, it's time to get into the tool and fuel.

This post began back in November of 2019 but the release was postponed until the main Grammar Fuel series is complete. It continues the comparison of Scene Action Generator to Verb Fuel.

Scene Action Generator
Roll 2xd12 = 7, 2 = visit (setting action type)

This is a setting action type because of two main interpretations of the word visit. One interpretation is that the character will visit someone, something, or someplace–a new setting. A second interpretation is that someone or something will visit the character's current setting. Pick the strongest or first interpretation that comes to mind. I would pick the first because it helps to make the character more active and forward-looking. Also, I know that there is the word arrive on the table for arrival type scenes.

Who, what, or where is the character visiting in the scene? And for what reason? 

Those details can depend on the overall story so far created in the beginning and revealing itself up until the current scene. Something in the story propels the character towards a new setting or location to visit.

Verb Fuel
Roll d100 (aka 3xd10) = 1, 9, 4 = 194 = cough

Cough literally means to suddenly and explosively expel noise from the lungs, which makes a coughing sound.
To cough up figuratively means to hand something over or to confess something.

So, what does cough mean in this scene?

In Verb Fuel, three main uses for these verbs are mentioned (also that the verb list might be usable for other ways not found in the book).
1. The verb states what is happening in the scene.
Literally: Within the scene, someone may begin to cough.
Figuratively: Within the scene, someone may begin to hand something over. Or someone may begin to confess to something.
2. The verb is the main action word of the conflict of the scene.

Literally: Within the scene, someone may begin to cause the character to cough. Maybe the coughing is caused by is a gas, fumes, or smoke. Or maybe the character begins to feel sick.

Figuratively: Within the scene, someone may have a task to get someone to hand something over. Or maybe the character must try to get someone to begin to confess to something.

3. The verb may be used in dialogue to speak about someone or something. 
Literally: within a scene someone may *cough cough*, or hack hack for any reason, biologically meaning that something in the throat or lungs is causing the cough such as a cold, sickness, smoke, irritant, allergy, or something like physical or physiological reason.
Body Language: Coughing may indicate the character needs to say something that a person is holding back.

Comparing Scene Action Generator and Verb Fuel

Scene Action Generator

Verb Fuel

This post will introduce and compare the Scene Action Generator tool and Verb Fuel resource. In the next post I'd like to play around with both the tool and the resource just for fun.

I use the word generator and tool for the Scene Action Generator because, to me, the categorization and groupings brings additional use and function that the alphabetized resource does not. The alphabetized resource is a fuel in the sense that is a just an uncategorized pool of words ready to add further meaning.

Pages

• Scene Action Generator is 2 pages, without any graphical cover, title page, nor table of contents.
• Verb Fuel is 12 pages with a cover, title page, and table of contents.

So, Verb Fuel leaving out the cover to table of contents, content wise, is 8 pages or four times more pages than the two pages of Scene Action Generator.

Content found in the table 

• Scene Action Generator has 6 broad categorized action types and in total has 144 rolled results–some of which have more than one keywords to pick from. An attempt was made to group somewhat similar words, especially for less drama-action–especially if they mean somewhat similar dynamics to scene action flow. Counting up all of the verbs on the table, there is just over 280 verbs categorized and grouped on the table
• Verb Fuel has 1,000 alphabetized rolled results. Each result has one verb or a contraction that contains a verb.

Example from the books

This is the example from Scene Action Generator.

• For example, a 1d12 roll resulting in 5 means a ‘social’ action type. Another 1d12 roll resulting in a 12 would indicate a either an ‘involve’ or ‘engage’ action. This might means that something is happening that involves or is engaged by more than one person. People or something else is joining in on the conflict in the scene.

This is the example from Verb Fuel.

• Example of using the Verb Fuel random verb table: The player rolls for a verb, rolling 0, 7, and 4 or = 074. Looking up 74 on the verb chart is the word “begin”. What does “begin” mean? That depends on what actually is beginning. Or maybe tense is important, maybe the action is not in the present tense. Maybe something began in the past. Or maybe something will begin in the future.

Sources

Scene Action Generator & Verb Fuel have the same origin actually. Verb Fuel radically changed in October to a more inspiring source.

• If I remember correctly, Scene Action Generator began as a concept by looking over lists of verbs for my fantasy languages. I wished for a very large list of verbs to helped build scenes randomly. Then after releasing the Plot Generator keywords, the list expanded and changed a bit until it went dormant for months. After resurrecting the project in October of 2018, I tried to think up the most popular adventure tasks. Categories of the verbs gradually emerged–which meant moving around words. And finally, story tasks verbs were collected until 144 results were filled.
• Verb Fuel actually began with the same initial idea to build a very large list of verbs to help build scenes randomly. Further than Scene Action Generator, the first hope was to build a list to 500 verbs. I can't remember when, but I came across a community content licensed source of words. Experimenting with that source, I began to figure out that what I wanted was more ownership of the resulting list. In October 15th of 2019, sick of community content source possibly limiting what I could do with the end result of the list, I came across a 1000 word public domain source of American English words. It was however unclassified and lacked parts of speech. However, fueled knowing that I could own the rights to the final product, unlike the community content source, I started from the beginning. I put parts of speech selectively onto this 900 words gleaned from the public domain source document using three dictionaries.
  
  When finished, about 400 verbs emerged. This initial list is too abstract academic, business, religious, and US government related. It lacked common everyday verbs that is more useful for stories. I started to add more common verbs. The 400 verb list quickly became 617. I did a quick draft to see if I could make a product late in October. The final list wasn't fully satisfying to me. I let it set for a week and then tried again, finding a few more sources of great verbs. After reaching 1000, I let it set a few days. Going back through the list, I replaced some verbs with better verbs.

ABS12: updated intro with overall game summary and purpose, verb actions, and preview of future graphics version

All the changes from this page will be added to the complete master game page at A Basic System 12 (ABS12).

Purpose of the game
Overview
No other players are needed for this game. It is built with a solo game system where you ask a question, roll, add or subtract modifiers if needed, and check a chart for the answer. You can also use the game without the solo components.

This is a single die linear system, with one stat. Skill proficiency are defined by Descriptions.

Purpose of the game
The purpose of the game is to break away from the normal boredom, pains, and worries of life by having a character go through a story, explore stuff, do neat things, and to have an adventure. It does so by allowing you to play a character that receives answers obtained at least partially by a random number.

Also I will be adding this to the Verb Action section as a brief summary before listing the details.

Summary of the Verb Actions
Initiative - used to figure out who goes first
Unskilled verb - used for actions that are done unskilled
Skilled verb - used for actions done skillfully
Special verb - used for special actions indicated within one's description
Combat verb - used to attack or defend against another
Combat damage - used to figure out the reduction of life

Power action - used for actions that use powers

Working with a graphics version
I've started making a basic graphics version of the game for myself. It's something that I want to do for layout practice. I may post it up to RPGNow in the future if I can get everything looking good enough for an amateur RPG release. Maybe I'll do a 'pay what you want' release so that followers can contribute if they wish.

But I want that version to be at least be in beta quality. Tested to the point where I'm comfortable with the overall system.

A Basic System 12 (ABS12)
Index of my blog