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I'm working on an advanced game. It's a typical light-rpg with several "stats". Should I explain all the terms in the game descrip, or on a story page?  I dont want to force readers to begin the story just to "read the rules", but I dont want to tack 2 pages of text beneath a length of actual description, either.

Where should it go?

First off, are we talking about a game or a rocket-propelled grenade?

Alright, horrible jokes aside, it's fine if you explain things. There a lot of games like that, and no one really minds. I rather be bored to death reading instructions than have to grope my way through the darkness and frustration to reach a bad ending and get the review for the game over with. So, yeah, go ahead and dedicate the first page or two or ten to descriptions.

hehehehehehee to "RPG".

ahhhh.... I think it will fit on the front page- I slimmed down the "rules". Alot.  Trying to go for simple and elegant; and simple and simple. Good idea with splitting up large rules- easier on the reader. I may save a few features for later introduction to break it up.

Been working on the first few opening pages....Some actual story, that is. wanna have something before actually starting a whole game. I would like the description page to be presentable too, so I'm trying to get a "final edit" for that.  The descrip should be up in few days, so you can take a peek. Hopeful, it wont take as long for me to complete and publish as my first game.
Anyway............... just kinda sounding out my ideas here. Hope you guys dont mind.

I think the best way to answer this question is to play through similar stories on this site.

Yeh, I've read a few of the advanced games now and have a better of idea of what can be done and how to initially present it.

I'm stalling my progress by being picky with small points. For instance, I've been wondering about the best way to express a character's health or wounds. At first, I wanted to express the char's condition with words, such as: "You are healthy." or, "You are seriously wounded!", ect .....  A simple "5 HP" is probably sufficient.  But even then I wonder about how best to display it... "5 HP", or "5/5 HP", or "HP: 5", or "Health: 5/5", or ........ 

I know- pretty petty.  I should just pick one, easy way and move on, I guess. Just sharin' the thought process and bein' sociable.

Hi Ray, I'm obsessive about that stuff, too. I wrote all the rules on the first page of the character creation, like in PC games, but thinking back, a link to it would have been better. If you want a constant stat update, I'd use both terms, so that people familiar and unfamiliar with games would understand.

You are healthy. (5/5 HP)

Thanks for sharing your process. My god, I think I'm turning into a psychiatric nurse more every day. Or my brain is damaged.

I wonder if university is just a slow process of brainwashing aspiring young people into mindless psychiatric nurses or other so called useful professions.