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 : 5 new descriptions: Hunter, musician, disciple, elemental, and druid

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

[click to elnarge]

Herbalism - this is to both use and find herbs for healing, curing, and treatment of ailments for both humanoids and kindred creatures.


A Basic System 12 (ABS12)
Index of my blog

ABS12: Powers & Magic revisted

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

Current rough magic system: skill based

My first magic system began with two spells - fireball and life heal.

A few weeks ago I switched to skill based magic.

Magic Users Spells: disease, poison, splinter smash, firecone, corrupt touch, fear, drain touch, corrupt stare, petrification, charm, dig, fly, immune (to one element or poison/disease), aware, defense (increase defense temporarily), covert (invisible), or offensive bonus. Each build point raises damage up the scaling damage chart from 1 to a current max of 6 damage levels [(1d12*3) /4].

Considering next power system 
I considered this system in a message to one person that I exchange messages with.

I'm just getting to magic more recently, still trying to keep things simple reusing skills and creature abilities as the basis for magic atm. I may switch to an 'adjective', 'verb', and 'noun' system like 'minor destroy fire', 'greater summon earth', or 'fast heal life' tying the parts of a created spell name to mechanics and allow the player to describe the magic visual effects and form. Maybe do that as soon as I have the basic down.

This post I wanted to begin looking how such system may look like.

Here is a chart that I made up. I will place it as an option for now in the system.

[Click to enlarge]

A Basic System 12 (ABS12)
Index of my blog

ABS12: New species, description changes

I removed the speed that was counted double from fighters and thieves. Therefore fighters get 3 build points and thieves get 2 build points to buy verb actions.

I added some more species such as centaurs, scorpionfolk, lizardfolk, giant spider, etc.

In addition I attached the alterations to turn species into different types of that creature. Included is turning any species int a fighter, magic user, healer, and thief by stacking a few more points on top of the regular species stats. This is good for named or main boss type species. I plan on doing more in the future if it turns out okay.

Excuse the naming for alterations. I wasn't feeling creative: fightify, magicify, thiefify (whoops) even misspelled it), and healify. I'm just trying to make all alterations have an 'ify' suffix for now, to keep me from confusing it with the humanoid section.

[Click picture to enlarge]

ABS12: Description Build points, Special Verb Actions

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

So far, when I added creatures I tried to convert them over from several other open sources games, using an unofficial conversion system that I have in my head, using general rules that I created after analyzing the Open Gaming License (OGL) data several weeks ago for the black bear. I wrote up a comparison chart of common creatures from different systems months ago for Aioskoru world. Equiped with the list and the general rules that were extracted I converted the creatures using OGL data.

Last night I began to build a spreadsheet to help look at descriptions from a point based system. This may lead to some sort of description creation guidelines. I also included my first sets of creature data, removing the bonuses gained during PL increase.

That chart is shown at the bottom of this post.

DL vs Special Verbs
When I wrote the descriptions initially, it began with the concept that being one of the descriptions, such as a thief, would begin with a DL1 in thieving skills. I realized shortly after that it would be nice to have special skill verbs (abilities, stunts, and powers) built into the overall description. And so I added verbs such as covert stab and covert which can go above and ontop the DL1 bonus.

I realized that I've never added the rules for the special verbs yet. I think I need to more explicitly write in. I am adding the following text to the game.

I changed a few of the titles to special verb skill and DL.

Special Verb Skilled action

1d12 + PL + DL + Special Verb

Special Verb Combat action

Offensive roll 1d12 + PL + DL + Special Verb Damage


Special verbs are skills that go beyond the normal DL bonus. They can be thought of as special feats, special abilities, stunts, or special moves. Use the bonus for the special verb on top of the DL for added bonus. For combat, used the special verb damage instead of the standard melee damage for attacks using special verbs.

Skilled Actions
The definition itself is a group of skills defined by the gamemaster or in solo play the player for whatever appropriate for whatever world is being played. Anything that fits in this definition in a game will get a DL bonus. For example. Thieves can do thief skills not mentioned in the special verb skill sections. They may get the basic DL bonus when picking locks - if that is something all thieves do in your game world. Maybe they are good at bar fights. Maybe they have underground connections.



Possible Reduction: 2 covert for the thief
On top I put the 4 character descriptions. Unfortunately for the thief, they may lose one point of covert in order to balance out the descroptions.

[Click to enlarge]

I'm adding this chart to the bottom of the game for future use and comparison. It may change over time. New definitions will be added.

A Basic System 12 (ABS12)
Index of my blog