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: Changing powers

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

ABS12: Powers & Magic revisted

In the last post I presented an optional powers system structure that isn't fully developed or tested. It was just my quick notes.

I'll use that Magic User from the last playtest - Madi vs the giant rat.

The magic user is PL1.

Species

Life

Spd

Def

Def Type

BP

Damage

D Type

Mag

Sc/Tc

BP

Verb

Adj/Adv

BP

Verb

Adj/Adv

Cost

Magic User

2

2

3

Cloth

2

1d12/6

Staff

4

5

Fireball S

1d12/2

3

Net S

3

15

Fireball vs Adjective Verb Noun

Instead of the 5 Fireball spell that does 1d12/2 damage, under the test system it might be 5 power of the verb power Destroy and 5 of the noun power of Fire, combined to be called Greater Destroy Fire with the same damage of 1d12/2 which goes at normal spell casting distance. Destroy and Fire would be two separate verb skills, when combined create a manifested power.

Changing Verbs + Fire

Other verb power verb skills could then combine with fire. Covert Fire might be the ability to hide in flames, or blend into flames. Reveal Fire might let a character sense where fires are located within a certain range.Travel Fire might let a character walk through fire or move as a ball of fire through the air, if they also have air noun powers.

Two Manifestation Aspects

Also in that last chart I added stuff like armor, size, and duration. Maybe powers can manifest in two chosen ways. In the fireball's case, it is in range and damage.

Flexible Two Manisfestations

Maybe the same power can manifest using two other aspects from the five: scale of damage/heal, range, duration, armor, size, and duration.

For example, the same verb level of 5 Destroy Fire might also be used at no range - encompassing one spot near the caster, yet last a longer duration in this case a Long time - maybe 5 rounds. Or maybe it can be used defensively surrounding the character in a ring of fire that does 1d12/2 damage to those that touch it. Or maybe instead of high damage, the character wants to do a 1damage fire spread out across a Large area of 5 units big - like grids or meters instead of one.

For now,  picking two aspects of powers seems like a good rule of thumb.

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: PL0 info added

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

I added PL0 to the charts that I recently made.

Also I adjust this info near the bottom with the encounter information.

0 PL, 0DL represents an unlearned species. Only gives 1 to life, speed, and defense as well as the basic weapon, natural weapon, armor, and essential functional verbs not derived by training or development. Do not add any verbs derived from any kind of training. They do not receive such basic training until PL1.