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Wes Janson
01-22-2004, 12:35 AM
It could just be me. But has anyone else noticed a lack of really interesting material in most scenario coverage? Frankly, most of the time I don't give a damn about how generic-team-A had a steady lead all day long over generic-team-B, and won by 3,641 points. Not to rag on Hollywood, but most of the stories out there fail to capture the reader's attention it seems. At the finale, in the air line, a group of us got to talking about Paintball News Magazine, to which one player responded "You mean people actually read that?" Unless the reader has a direct interest in the game, such as having been in it, or on the field before, there simply isn't much motivation to read it (and I daresay that the percentage of paintballers who are avid readers isn't a majority to begin with).

Let's face it, a scenario game is a scenario game and it isn't fun to read about ten thousand other people having fun somewhere else in the world. The news periodicals need to find some way to boost interest in the scenario stories they write. I don't know what that should or could be, but it must be something (proper editing would be a good start). I wouldn't mind hearing short stories (<paragraph) from people who were at the game, of major actions and moves. From the couple games I played in that I subsequently read about, either the reporters were seeing a completely different game than I was, or else there simply wasn't much understanding of what was going on. How many incredible things have you seen pulled off in a game, that no one ever hears about again? The highlight of last year's finale, to me, was sneaking up to the north base with three of my friends, shutting down the generators for the base's floodlights, and raking the command staff and referee "party" with fire. 5 minutes before the end of the game. It's the fun things like that we never hear about in the stories, and that's what I would love to see more of in the future.

SN0BL1ND
01-22-2004, 07:04 AM
Your're preachin' to the choir here, man... been sayin' the same for years.

I used to write for Scenario News and would do exactly what you sound like you want. My last article was in Crossfire about Animal House, December issue I believe ( the one with the Stargate scenario on the cover). If you can still find 'em check 'em out.

fallout11
01-22-2004, 08:29 AM
Best thing I can suggest is to publish the "story" that the game is based on (the characters, the missions run, the types of props used, etc.) sort of as source material for running a "good" scenario.

You guys are absolutely right, I do not want to read about how team B was winning by X points at such and such time. But I would like to read about what the scenario was all about, and what the motivation was behind the games components. Tell the story, dangit. And maybe how the players, and the results, factored into it.

Maybe interviews with some of the 'important' folks, on what they did and why.

Or follow 1 person's exploits through the game. As a narrative.

Just some ideas....

SN0BL1ND
01-22-2004, 09:03 AM
Here's a snippet from MPP's "Alien Attack" scenario from a couple of years ago. This was published in Scenario News, I don't remember what month... These are the kinds of stories I like to read, and try to write...


"Our first mission was to recon Franklin and see what was there. I was placed with the “Death, Inc.” contingent; six or eight of them, myself and another called Habu. Death Inc. and I set up a defensive perimeter near College Grove to give Habu time to recon Franklin unmolested. Unfortunately, the human group called Jackals attacked and we took heavy losses. I had two humans step into my firing lane, I waited until they had left their cover and…“POPOPOPOP”…got ‘em! The humans would attack and we would counter-attack; at least until I realized that I was the last one. I reloaded for the last time, having emptied all of my reserve ammunition; I recall thinking that my spouse would have my posterior lobes for shooting nearly 600 of my 2000 shot allotment within the first hour planetside!"

Wes Janson
01-22-2004, 03:38 PM
Heh, sounds like the humans were doing well in that game..

SN0BL1ND: I've got every Crossfire issue published so far (technically speaking. Their actual location is somewhat of a mystery). I think I recall the game, but unfortunately I don't remember how it was written/the details. A few of the articles in Crossfire have been pretty good, but then they go off and completely fail at things like the Tippmann Castle. I desperately wanted to see multiple-angle shots of the interior, exterior, and blueprints. Realistically, that should have been a 2-4 page article, instead of a 1-page announcement/notice. That disappointed me tremendously. I actually redid the Crossfire cover in a new style for a graphics assignment this year, to get acqainted with Flash MX. The lack of a good photograph and my bad skills rendered it somewhat lacking, in my view. Still, I think it would be nice if Crossfire alternated cover styles once in a while. The current layout doesn't give much info on what stories it contains, and the style is approaching over-use.

Smakman
01-22-2004, 06:30 PM
There is an article on "Operation: Eminent Storm II" at my field in the Sept. 2003 issue of Crossfire. To be honest, the writing fairly sucks, but I liked the layout.

Wes Janson
01-22-2004, 07:28 PM
On a similar note, why is it that PBN never, ever, ever reports the DATES of the scenarios covered? I've been waiting a month for coverage of the Grand Finale to come out, and when I checked my field last weekend it wasn't in the last two issues. Either I missed it, or it's still yet to come, but I have no way of telling because none of the games mentioned have dates in the articles. Just another example of sloppiness on the part of the magazine (and they aren't necessarily the only ones doing that).

SN0BL1ND
01-23-2004, 07:02 AM
My Animal House article was in the Crossfire with the Tippman castle.;)

Getting a good article is really a tough job. FIRST you have to be paying attention during the game to see or hear what is going on or a cool move that someone else pulled and get them to tell you what happened. SECOND, you have to get pictures. I dunno how the pro's do it, but I use a cheap one-shot camera, and about 2/3 of the pictures aren't worthy of print; the others are some of the best game pictures I've seen ( I like firefights). THIRD, ya gotta get scores, awardee names (and get 'em right), sponsors, yada, yada... THEN you get to go home and sit in front of the computer and get all of this on paper. (You think English essays are a bear??? They got nuthin' on writing for your peers!) The "package" gets sent off in the mail (floppy disk with article and the many fewer pictures than you'd like...) and the wait begins...

Two or three months later you find your article in print, and are thrilled! THEN you get to try to contact the publisher about getting a paycheck for your hard work and your e-mails get ignored, so you try to find another magazine to work with... but I digress...

I'm not sure why it takes soooo long for the article to come out in print, mebbe Josh can answer that...

judster
01-23-2004, 04:40 PM
intresting....i have recently started writting for Scenario news. i would really like to hear what a player wants. i like the idea of writting the article from the 'grunts' point of view, and for the most part thats how i try to write, but what about the other 100+ players at the event? how would you feel if a story was written about an event you attended and it was all about one person? i know i try to be personal in the story while trying to cover everything in the game, so each player can read the story and remember the things that happened at the game. i would think a player would not want to read about how super team A was the bomb and did everything. so please help a writter out, i have a story thats due!!!!

Smakman
01-23-2004, 06:29 PM
Hey Judster, maybe you can help me out. There is (supposed) to be an article in Scenario News about another game here, "The Fire Fall Objective", in the Nov. 2003 issue. I can't seem to get a copy of it. I have emailed repeatedly and TB said that he sent me some copies, but they have never shown up. Any ideas on how to get a few copies. I can't get anything out of those guys.

judster
01-24-2004, 02:14 PM
yelp it was in there. i will get with TB and see what the hold up is.

Wes Janson
01-24-2004, 02:17 PM
Because the people reading it who attended are going to find it interesting to read what that person's day was like. For the other team's players, it will help explain the things they didn't see through fog-of-war. And for players from the same team, they'll be able to say "I think I remember seeing that guy out there! Cool!"

judster
01-24-2004, 02:21 PM
wes it sounds good. i will write the ft. myers story like that. we at scenario news are always looking for new ideas and improvements on what we publish. if you have any suggestions you can send them to:
judster@scenarionews.com or
editor@scenarionews.com

Meph
01-25-2004, 06:58 PM
I dunno, sounds like you never read any of my event articles!

I'll have to talk to Jon, see if there's a way I can get a PDF and upload it for some to see. Because my articles (not bragging, just stating) are more than your average "team A whooped team B all day, won by XXXS points" mine are more of a story to follow. Or at least I attempt to make it that way, both game coverage and entertainment.