{"id":362,"date":"2017-02-26T01:35:39","date_gmt":"2017-02-26T01:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lucysnyder.com\/?page_id=362"},"modified":"2020-06-08T18:54:47","modified_gmt":"2020-06-08T22:54:47","slug":"game-media","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lucysnyder.com\/index.php\/writing-editing\/game-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Game & Media Tie-In Writing"},"content":{"rendered":"

I spent many, many hours in my teens playing Dungeons & Dragons<\/em>. This was back in the era when D&D<\/em> was blamed for teen suicides, violence, and pretty much every other ill that could befall an adolescent. A lot of parents in my little Texas hometown claimed the game was satanic and sternly forbade their kids from playing. But D&D<\/em> had thoroughly captured my imagination, and I\u2019m pretty stubborn, so I ended up gaming with college students instead of kids my own age. And they introduced me to other games: The Morrow Project<\/em>, Gamma World<\/em>, MechWarrior<\/em>, and Robotech<\/em>. I sacrificed many a weekend to jewel-toned dice and smudged character sheets.<\/p>\n

As an adult, I don\u2019t have time for long campaigns that demand regular gaming sessions, so most RPGs (like Pathfinder<\/em>, which I quite enjoy) have been difficult to schedule. But I\u2019ve come to really enjoy board games that you can finish in a few hours or less. We\u2019re in the middle of a board game renaissance right now. If you equate board gaming\u00a0with Sorry!<\/em> and Monopoly<\/em> and other titles\u00a0you probably got tired of in your teens, know that there are some amazing board and card games out there right now.<\/p>\n

Love Lovecraft? Try Eldritch Horror<\/em>. Enjoy science fiction? Give Galaxy Trucker<\/em>\u00a0or Terraforming Mars<\/em> a try. And if you\u2019re pining for an old-school D&D experience but you\u2019ve got kids and only have an hour to play? Try Castle Panic<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Some of the best games are highly influenced by genre fiction, even if it comes through intermediary forms like movies. The reason I was attracted to RPGs in the first place was because I loved fantasy fiction and wanted to play in those worlds. I\u2019ve seem most every aspect of genre fiction reflected and refracted in games, from adventure to mystery to strategy \u2026 it\u2019s all there.<\/p>\n

What can genre fiction writers learn from games? Games are, first and foremost, fun. If you\u2019re not having fun playing a game, something is desperately wrong.<\/p>\n

Games are probably not the best place to learn about narrative or dialog. But world-building? Sure; you can find good and bad examples in games, although you\u2019ll have to go deeper in fiction. Conflict? Absolutely \u2026 and especially if you\u2019re watching the other players deal with a rules dispute!<\/p>\n

But the thing games do best is show you how to keep people engaged. How to keep them motivated. How to pique their interest, reward them, and keep them coming back for more.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My Media Tie-In and Gaming Credits<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cClaustro Cave\u201d \u2013\u00a0Fish Wrangler<\/em><\/a>, October 2020. (forthcoming)<\/p>\n

\u201cBreakfast Bay\u201d \u2013\u00a0Fish Wrangler<\/em><\/a>, June 2020.<\/p>\n

“An Adventure in Badger Country” \u2013 Tales of Excellent Cats: A Monarchies of Mau Anthology,<\/i> Onyx Path Publishing, 2018. (forthcoming)<\/p>\n

“Roperian Ocean Cleanup” \u2013 Fish Wrangler<\/em><\/a>, November 2018.<\/p>\n

“Innsmouth Island Adventure” \u2013 Fish Wrangler<\/em><\/a>, October 2018.<\/p>\n

“Big Love Island Adventure” \u2013 Fish Wrangler<\/em><\/a>, February 2018.<\/p>\n

“Along the Scenic Route” \u2013 X-Files Vol. 3: Secret Agendas,<\/i> IDW Publishing, October 2016.<\/p>\n

“Moon Palace, Serpent Sea” \u2013 Shadowrun: Drawing Destiny: A Sixth World Tarot Anthology,<\/i> Catalyst Game Labs, September 2016.<\/p>\n

“The Warlady’s Daughter” \u2013 Champions of Aetaltis,<\/i> Mechanical Muse, April 2016.<\/p>\n

“Jessie Shimmer Campaign Setting” \u2013 D6xD6 Expanded Game,<\/i> Popcorn Press, February 2015.<\/p>\n

“The Grace of Dice and Glossy Cardstock” \u2013 Chicks Dig Gaming<\/i>, Mad Norwegian Press, November 2014.<\/p>\n

Flavor text \u2013 Dollars & Sense: The Complete Financial Planning Game<\/a>,<\/i> Franklin University, 2014.<\/p>\n

“However ….” (co-written with Gary A. Braunbeck) \u2013 Hellbound Hearts<\/a><\/i>, Pocket Books, September 2009. Honorable mention, Best Horror of the Year, Vol. 2<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

“Fable Fusion” (co-written with Gary A. Braunbeck) \u2013 Doctor Who Short Trips: Destination Prague<\/i>, Big Finish Productions Ltd., June 2007.<\/p>\n

“Homecoming” (co-written with Gary A. Braunbeck) \u2013 The Further Adventures of Xena: Warrior Princess,\u00a0<\/i>Ace Books, September 2001.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

My Game-Related Posts:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

[catlist name=”game”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I spent many, many hours in my teens playing Dungeons & Dragons. This was back in the era when D&D was blamed for teen suicides, […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372,"parent":357,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-362","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P8qT6f-5Q","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2,"url":"https:\/\/www.lucysnyder.com\/index.php\/about\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":0},"title":"About Lucy","author":"Lucy A. Snyder","date":"February 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi, I'm Lucy ... thanks for visiting! Five of my works have received the Bram Stoker Award: My fiction collection While the Black Stars Burn My fiction collection Soft Apocalypses Shooting Yourself in the Head For Fun and Profit: A Writer's Survival Guide My short story \"Magdala Amygdala\" My poetry\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":357,"url":"https:\/\/www.lucysnyder.com\/index.php\/writing-editing\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":1},"title":"Writing & Publications","author":"Lucy A. Snyder","date":"February 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"What kind of fiction do I write? I mostly write in different sub-genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. I'm the author of 12 books and over 100 published short stories. My most recent books are the collection Garden of Eldritch Delights and the forthcoming novel The Girl With the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/CM4-COVER-small-e1488218557337.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/CM4-COVER-small-e1488218557337.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/CM4-COVER-small-e1488218557337.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/CM4-COVER-small-e1488218557337.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/CM4-COVER-small-e1488218557337.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/CM4-COVER-small-e1488218557337.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":98,"url":"https:\/\/www.lucysnyder.com\/index.php\/events\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":2},"title":"Events","author":"Lucy A. Snyder","date":"February 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In addition to readings, book signings, and the usual assortment of convention panel topics, I'm available to speak on subjects such as urban fantasy, weird fiction, steampunk, science fiction, fantasy fiction, writing education, horror, collaborative fiction, and genre poetry. If you'd like to invite me to be a speaker, workshop\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":330,"url":"https:\/\/www.lucysnyder.com\/index.php\/writing-help\/writing-workshops\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":3},"title":"Writing Workshops","author":"Lucy A. Snyder","date":"February 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm available to lead writing workshops online or at schools, libraries, conventions, and other locations. Workshop sizes can range from three to 20 participants, and they can run from an hour-long standalone workshop to a whole series over the course of several weeks. (With regard to in-person workshops, I can\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/1894899.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/1894899.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/1894899.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/1894899.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/1894899.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/1894899.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":92,"url":"https:\/\/www.lucysnyder.com\/index.php\/writing-editing\/published-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":4},"title":"Published Work","author":"Lucy A. Snyder","date":"February 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Novels | Novellas |\u00a0Collections | As Editor | Short Fiction | Games | Poetry | Short Nonfiction Novels The Star-Stained Soul. Publisher TBA, TBA. (forthcoming) Blossoms Blackened Like Dead Stars. Publisher TBA, TBA. (forthcoming) Sister, Maiden, Monster. Tor Nightfire, February 21 2023. Switchblade Goddess. Del Rey, December 2011. The third\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/PoetrySlider2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/PoetrySlider2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/PoetrySlider2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/PoetrySlider2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lucysnyder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/PoetrySlider2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109,"url":"https:\/\/www.lucysnyder.com\/index.php\/about\/photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":5},"title":"Photos","author":"Lucy A. Snyder","date":"February 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Author\u00a0Photos The photos below should be credited to Amelia Moss. Click on the images for larger versions: Fan Art It's pretty cool when you create something that inspires further creation. A few people have been sufficiently taken with my writing that they've made things based on it. Fergus Ray Murray\u00a0makes\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Square photo of Lucy A. 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