I have participated in the A to Z Blogging Challenge for the past two years. In 2014 I did the challenge with two blogs, this one, and my genealogy blog. Both were focused on introductory topics. Last year, I just did this blog and focused on building cities in a fantasy setting.
This year, I had not planned to do anything, but while putting together some ideas for a western themed RPG idea and a steam punk themed RPG, I came up with two lists. These are just lists of topics I came up with as an exercise to help me flesh out my ideas. I find making such A to Z lists to be helpful to flesh out one’s ideas. You can use them to broaden the scope of something, or to focus in great detail.
For example, I can make a general A to Z list to make sure I cover topics that really need coverage, if I am making up my own RPG. Similarly, I can use such a list for various things in my own campaign. I can also use the lists to focus on topics that I want to know more about or cover in greater detail, such as an A to Z of iron making prior to the blast furnace, Bessemer, etc, for a western setting.
I have a great many things on my plate, and have not gotten back to these ideas. I present them here as others may find these kernels helpful in their own games.
I enjoyed the challenge of the A to Z blogging challenge, but need to keep on task for the other things I have on my plate. I know that there are those who tune out blogs posting in the A to Z challenge, which I understand. The only thing I don’t like about the A to Z challenge is trying to make time to read the other RPG bloggers who post, let alone blogs for other interests. I don’t rule out a return in future years, but I don’t foresee a return anytime soon.
My western themed A to Z Topics:
A – ANIMALS – from the mundane to the fantastic. Can be from any where in the world.
B – BARRELS – Both dry goods and wet and water and alcohol were packed in barrels from keg sized to barrell sized, to even larger than a standard barrel.
C – COWBOYS – Somebody has to keep track of all the cattle.
D – DANGER – Danger on all sides, the environment, outlaws, etc.
E – ELECTRIC – Electricity – Edison (1870’s forward) & Tesla in 1880’s on.
F – FIRE – Mostly wooden or wood frame buildings could wipe out a town. Hand pump fire engines, bucket brigades, etc. Could be sparked on purpose, by lightning, or accident.
G – GAMBLER – Gambling in all its forms was common in the West. From gambling halls to riverboats to gathered around a campfire.
H – HORSES – The main mode of individual transportation, from being ridden to pulling. Lots of smells, see manure. Animals need good care to last.
I – INDIANS – Far more variation than the single word implies or the stereotypes of novels, stage, and screen.
J – JUSTICE – From frontier every man and woman for him or herself to lynch mobs to the long arm of the law….
K – KILL – Sometimes the good guys have to kill others. Often killing animals is required to eat or survive danger, or to end the suffering of wounded animals..
L – LEATHER – Leather for shoes & boots, belts, saddles, bridles, reins, chaps, bags, firehoses, etc.
M – MANURE – Everywhere because of prevalence of horses, mules, and donkeys for transportation, and cattle, sheep and other herd animals
N – NAVIGATION – If not following a known trail, or tracks of the railroad, how do you navigate? See The Big Country, for the way Gregory Peck did it.
O – OUTLAW – Outlaws could move from outlaw to lawmen multiple times in their careers. Many people had multiple professions/occupations in their lifetime.
P – PRESS – Frontier newspapers were often one of the first signs of civilization. Every town of a certain size had their own newspaper. Telegraph (wire) extended the spread of canned news.
Q – QUALITY – Things tended to be built well and to last.
R – RANCHERS – Require lots of land for grazing and lots of water for huge herds of cattle.
S – STORMS – Wind, rain, flood, hail, snow, tornados/cyclones, lightning, etc.
T – TECHNOLOGY – Telegraph & Telephones 1840’s for Telegraph and mid 1870’s for telephones.
U – UNDERTAKER – The one man everyone has to see eventually.
V – VILLAIN – Every story needs a villain, whether it is the local bully, or some grandiose mastermind with an intricate plot to acquire land, forest rights, water rights, mining rights, etc..
W – WATER – Water is life. Water access was a big deal for people, animals, farmers, ranchers, etc.
X – X MARKS THE SPOT OF THE LOST MINE. Prospectors, miners, and those seeking the lost mine(s) are a good plot hook.
Y – YELLOW FEVER – Various diseases due to poor sanitation, spoiled food, insect born, and so forth made epidemics common. Diseases that have been tamed with antibiotics and vaccines were still rampant and many children died young. NOTE: Yellow Fever is mosquito born virus in tropical and subtropical areas. Hey – I needed something for Y….
Z – ZING – Bullets and arrows fly past your ear. How many different sounds or words for sounds to you need to describe the action.
My steam punk themed A to Z Topics:
A – AIRSHIPS – Blimps, Balloons, Dirigibles, Zeppelins, etc.
B – BRASS – Blimps – Bandoleers – Balloons
C – CALCULATORS – a la Babbage & Lovelace – Corduroy & Cardigan – Carapace – CHIMERAS – CIRCUSES – CALLIOPE
D – DETECTIVES – a la Holmes, Pinkertons, Scotland Yard – DISINTEGRATION/INTEGRATION, Dirigibles – DRILLS –
E – ELECTRICITY – Generators, transmission, Tesla.
F – FARADAY CAGES – Ways to fight electricity in addition to rubber for insulation. This was before synthetic rubber.
G – GADGETS
H – HOLMES (DETECTIVES)
I – INVASION – a la War of the Worlds
J – JOURNALISTS – This is the time period when journalists rose to be a big deal. Think of Stanley searching for Dr. Livingstone.
K – KALEIDOSCOPE – Multi-colored way of viewing the world, or controlling machines or others. KITES – For power, propulsion, or travel.
L – LOST WORLDS – Dinosaurs, Antartica, Hollow Earth, etc.
M – MONSTERS – a la Frankenstein, robots/Clanks, etc.
N – NICKLE PLATED (When there’s no chrome or brass.)
O – OSTENTATIOUS – The villain often has plans that are huge, and often the initial appearance of overwhelming numbers on his side.
P – POWER – Animal, human, water, wind, steam, electricity, exotic
Q – QUALITY – Things are made well and to last.
R – RADIO – How communicate and control things at a distance.
S – STEAM ENGINES – Wind is still a primary power for ships and mills. Mills also use water wheels. Mills can be grist mills (grain or grinding other materials), sawmills, cloth mills,
T – TRANSPORTATION – wagons & carriages, ships & boats, trains, submarines (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), airships
Telegraph & Telephone
U – UNDYING – Villains might quest for ways to live on in flesh or machine or both.
V – VILLAINS – Without villains/bad guys/etc. what would challenge the players? Vampires?
W – WILD WILD WEST – TV Show & Movie – Crossover with Western RPG.
X – X-RAYS – Discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen on 8 November 1895. He was awarded the Nobel prize for Physics in 1901.
Y – YARDARM – Either end of the yard of a square-rigged ship. Scotland Yard.
Z – ZOO – Zoological gardens were quite the thing in this time period. Scientists and adventurers would quest for new undiscovered, or now rare specimens. Zeppelins