Managing "complexity"

Next month will mark KTDARPG's 2nd Anniversary -- 2 years, 5 seasons, 60 members, a dozen active players, almost 9,000 posts ... that's a lot of good work, people!

With all these milestones, the game keeps getting more complex on us. We're constantly look for or creating tools to help us manage our game for the maximum benefit of the players AND the story itself.

So...here's what we've come up with so far:

1) Character Database - so we can get a handle on all the active players in the game.
2) "On Vacation" Database - so we know what characters are out there, even if they aren't currently active in-game.
3) Book of the Dead - pays homage to all the great characters who gave their lives for the story!
4) Seasonal Digests - story summaries of the game seasons, so readers (and new players) can get a handle on our game-story so far without having to wade through thousands of posts. Three seasons have been completed, with S4 in the works.
5) Character Biographies - brief histories/notes on primary, secondary & even some of the more active NPC characters in the game.
6) Blogs - like "Chyna's Closet" & "Hawk-eye View" that help explain some of the backstory or just the ins & outs of the game itself.
7) Newsletters - both in-game & out of game, to help explain some of the action & just to help us all connect as players--and characters!
8) Maps - always helps to know the landscape you're playing in. From the first hand-drawn map by our Game Master, to Hawk's new -n- improved computer-generated map (coming soon!), our world grows & we try to keep up with it.

One more tool was initiated in-game today. "Find the right Post #" is a database of post-numbers for the game's major events & Big Moments--the things that tend to either repeat themselves or be referenced by players in their storylines. The database (a work in progress) will follow game seasons & reference things like the Brotherhood invasion of Fort River, the release of the 2nd Virus (the kid-killing one!), and the first Fort River city elections. Our players aren't shy, so I'm sure they'll let somebody know if the new database is a waste of space!

Anyway, there you have it--we try to manage complexity as best we can. First & foremost, KTDARPG is meant to be FUN!!! Can't let pesky details get in the way of that. :)

-Chyna