So i’ve been trying to adapt Tenra Bansho Zero to a premise. Really it’s just modifying the premise into TBZ mechanics. I’m not having to create anything extra. I want to leak this to my friends at an appropriate time and sell the pitch so we can finally play a tabletop rpg together.
Maybe I should try it with another group. Maybe I'm ’m a loner and just enjoy reading the books and making content for myself.
A GM that makes content for himself, particularly if he is new, will make his narrative go its predetermined path. I did this early in my hobby without realizing it. Now I realize that the PCs are the true stars of the story. And, ultimately, I'm writing it for them. That means I tell stories they like, with things they find interesting. If we spent a lot of time together, it would be easier. But we all work, have conflicting schedule, and have day jobs.
Could I ask them questions and then try to adapt the adventure to them? Or is this something I could try online? I dont have the time to commit to an online weekly, but maybe I am just scared. That my friends will reject what I made, that they will find it boring, or just ignore all of my attempts.
I need to find my as audience, and learn how to write for others. I have experimented with this briefly. It's usually much easier to write for others, with a few exception. And writing for others, if done right, combined with opportunity and timing can be very rewarding.
But I do it generally for myself, studying the books like I would a textbook, creating NPCs, settings, and content I find interesting.
With TBZ, the emphasis is on entertaining each other. It shouldn’t be seen as the GMs sole responsibility. And maybe that’s the problem. Maybe I’m the problem. Or maybe we’ve reached a place in our culture where immersive visual gaming on consoles and devices is more compelling to people my age. And if we have reached it, imagination will soon be relegated to a word for which we dont really have a meaning. I hope I never say to someone ,”Use your imagination” or “picture it in your mind” and they reply that they are unable.