The application period for beta playtesting of S7S is now CLOSED.

Thank you all for your interest!

Now, I have to winnow down 24 applications to 6 to 12 beta playtest groups over the next couple days. An embarrassment of riches!



PS: Happy New Year!

Tags: asmp, evilhat, game design, s7s, work journal, writing

Twelve (12) beta groups have been selected from the applications to playtest Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies.

The acceptance email has gone out to the leaders/applicants of those dozen groups with further details.

The selection process -- strongly influenced by paulchapman's advice, found in this comment -- was really difficult.

I want to make it abundantly clear that all of the applications were excellent. Any of the 24 groups that applied would have made kickass beta playtesters for S7S. (As it was, I was forced to go with my upper limit of a dozen groups just to accommodate the awesome.)

Thank you all for your interest!

Though this playtest phase is blind (I won't be answering playtester questions), I will still be posting more information and thoughts about the game, answering general questions (from non-playtesters), and perhaps even linking to material that the beta playtesters might post, if they choose to (and let me know about).

Tags: asmp, evilhat, game design, s7s, work journal, writing

(yoinked from everybuddy)

From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.

Bold the true statements.

1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
[CU: Does it count if 95% of those books were mine? SRSLY, other than my personal books, my childhood home had less than 30 books... counting individual volumes of the Funk & Wagnall's encyclopedia. I am one of two readers in my family.]
9. Were read children's books by a parent
[CU: Until age 3 or 4, when I began reading on my own.]
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp
[CU: Boy Scout camp. A week each summer, two or three weekend campouts through rest of year.]
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
[CU: 90% of it was; some was bought from Goodwill or hand-me-downs from cousins.]
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
[CU: Used POS car.]
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
[CU: Not own line; just an extension.]
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school
[CU: Hand-me-down when we got a new TV for family room.]
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family


11 out of 34. What does that mean? Anyone know?

Tags: reference