Editing Bluebooking

Please reread my notes on "how to" bluebook.
My requests for subject line, and email address, etc...
Below describes the process of Bluebooking.  If you want to include another PLAYER please email the request BEFORE
starting the bluebook conversations. I don't want any player to
participate that doesn't want to, or doesn't have time. So get
confirmation first.

Please include the GM (me) on ANY/EVERY email for bluebooking,
including the initial request.

We can develop PRIVATE wiki posts for your Bluebooking once done.

Anyone interested can go ahead and start emailing me, please allow me
2-3 days minimum time to read/reply.


==BLUEBOOKING XP==
'''NOTE''': Between sessions the maximum xp award for Bluebooking will be 500xp.



==BLUEBOOK ROLEPLAYING==

'Bluebooking' was first described by Aaron Allston in the Champions
supplement "Strike Force". The 'blue book' in question is a standard
(in the U.S.) blue book used to answer essay questions during exams.
Instead of using it to figure out whether you passed or failed, the
blue book was used for in-character dialogues, especially of the sort
that many (presumably male) gamers might find uncomfortable.

Bluebooking describes short gaming sessions that do not involve the
entire group, but which instead focus on the actions of one or a few
characters.

Bluebooking is nothing more than writing out roleplaying and
conversations between characters, rather than acting them out usually
this takes place between game sessions these scenes could include:
* thoughts or plans the character is having
* private conversations with NPCs
* private conversations between other PCs
* past history (or future?!!) scenes
* questions to the GM
* etc...


Sometimes players feel uncomfortable acting out some scenes, or will
want to keep some scenes private. We also use it to flesh out
background events. Roleplaying character romances for example, can be
very uncomfortable to do verbally in a game session setting,
especially if there's a gender difference between the player/GM and
the character. Admittedly modern e-mail can replace a lot of this type
of interaction. This presents a perfect opportunity to use
bluebooking. Bluebooking also has the advantage of permanence; you
keep the written records of what went on, and can use them to create
future scenarios.

I encourage players interested in bluebooking type activities to set
up PBeM "side games" outside of the regular tabletop game, which could
satisfy the desire for writing out solo character stuff without it
eating up face-to-face game time.

Mostly for those that seem to have a lot of in game down time. This
helps me keep track of everything that the players are trying to do by
looking over their books. That is if the player is actually trying to
accomplish something.

I've also found it useful for the GM to convey information to a player
that he doesn't want the whole group to be aware of right away, such
as when the PC has had his mind taken over or the like (for a player
willing to roleplay such an event himself).

Blue booking also allows for roleplaying which is important to the
character, but not for the troupe, or the main plot line. These could
be personal investigations, interaction with the cast of characters
around the character's secret ID (Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Perry White,
and Clark's neighbors when dealing with Superman), research
activities, or even just introspective roleplaying. All of these
things would bogg down a game if the player did them durring a session
(in most cases), so by doing them via a bluebook (or scene journal,
which is another name for them), allows the player to explore these
areas without bogging down the game.

In short, the player writes out a play session of what their character
does solo (or with the permission of another player) or with other
characters. It should be in story format, but does not have to be. The
GM reads over what is done and either approves it, approves it
conditionally (needs changes), or denys that it could happen. Approved
blue book entries become part of the campaign's continuity. Most GM's
will award experience, luck, or some kind of reward for blue book
activities.

Players with characters who have deep secrets will also be fertile
fodder for blue booking. The occasional tactician will also use it to
direct their investigations. It can add a great deal to a group
campaign, when the characters also opperate solo most of the time "off
camera".

It is not the "End all" of game tools, but it is a useful one in your
gaming arsenal.



==So how can we use it for MIDNIGHT?==

Bluebooking form: [[Midnight RPG - Chapter 00.000]]

Well any of the above are open. Any questions and details you wanna
go over (some of you have had these conversations with me already -
Andrew and Bill recently for example regarding Dragon-lore!)

Normally I do WANT to KEEP all "normal" email/questions/thought that
CAN be shared with the group here on the Yahoo Club. I want to do
that to avoid having to retell things.
However for this idea, for this special circumstance of our LARGE
group and the infrequent games I think it could work well...
Especially with the holiday and surgery for me (typing ideas/RPing
isn't hard when in rehab).




So...
WHY do it??
* FUN!
* development and exploration of your character
* secrets and paranoia!
* xp (see below)


If this is something some folks want to do here are my thoughts for
specifics...


===EMAIL ADDRESS===
Try to keep your email list solid, email me to/from whichever account
you want it to be permanent. I'll be keeping a folder for each of you.
Use my kevperrine@ yahoo.com account ONLY. I will not reply to others.

===SUBJECT LINE===
Potentially I'd be dealing with ALOT of bluebooking emails. Please
USE the subject line well. For example, I'd like to see something
like thess...


'''EXAMPLES''' <br> "SOUTH Chapter 4.1 - KYUAD: Researching Dragons" (in which Bill asks
details about what he knows about dragons from his lorebook) <br> <br> "SOUTH Chapter 4.1 - KYUAD & DURGAZ: Dragon-Lore" (in which Andrew
initiates a role-played conversation between Durgaz and Kyuad about
Dragons)  <br> <br> So...
* Campaign Group
* Chapter it takes place in
* Character(s) involved
* Your sub-title for the chapter
* then the email is the details


Make sense??



==EXPERIENCE POINTS REWARDS!==
If you do the role-playing/storytelling you deserve and WILL get xp
for it! This will be rewarded in one sum following the next game in
with your regular xp sum. (I'll be posting xp rewards on the wiki
soon to show how I'll do it). Yes, this will make rewards differences
if players choose NOT to bluebook. But I'm okay with that. It
WILLNOT depend on HOW MUCH bluebooking you do. I'll give one xp sum,
the same for everyone each chapter. So the first time it might be an
extra +300 xp, next time it might be more/less. Depending on how the
game's going.










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[[Midnight: North & South Portal]]