Dhruin
SasqWatch
Gareth Fouche writes a Scars of War update titled Strengthening the Core, where he acknowledges some weaknesses in communicating the game and drawing the player in with the early story design:
More information.So I’m thinking hard about that, looking at ‘The Message’ that I’m presenting to the public, to you. Working to present the Core Concept clearly, strongly, to present that hook for people’s interest and attention. It would be easier if I was working with an existing licence. I envy Scott of ITS a bit, just say the word ‘Cthulhu’ and you invoke a vast library of context from the public consciousness. Tell people you’re working on ‘a Cthulhu RPG’ and they get it immediately. A Zombie Survival RPG? Again, people immediately get it, the Core Concept is strongly evident, obvious.
For me, that means working to present the Core Concept of SoW more clearly, to focus on it, what it means for the gameplay and setting. It means working to create concept art that captures the mood clearly and immediately, writing copy that conveys this theme directly. It’s a tightening of my focus from the rather haphazard manner I’ve gone about things. I am looking at what I’ve shown in public with a critical eye, asking myself ‘If I was completely unaware of this game and stumbled onto the website, would I ‘get’ it?’