Wiki-wiki-wah
So as some folks might have noticed, Causal Gamer is in the process of disappearing into the void where old blogs go to die, and it’s being replaced with Games of State, a self-hosted Wordpress site.
One advantage of this move is that I host my own Wiki (amongst other things).
I’ve wanted to have a go using Wikis for various applications for a while, but I was put off some of the restrictions and so on that comes with using someone else’s servers. That, and I really don’t like the ad-spam that comes with a lot of free Wikis.
So, what am I going to use these Wikis for?
The main use I can see for them right now is organising information in a non-linear fashion for my Fallout: Glasgow, Hand of Kelemvor and Doctor Who campaign setting ideas. It really is the perfect medium to publish a setting on the internet – unlike PDF files or linear blog entries, it’s easier to read and navigate (as long as you are online), and it allows for cross referencing. In many ways, it would just be an extension of the Wikis that some groups use successfully to organise their campaigns.
Use number two is going to be a play by mail campaign. I’ve already had one volunteer to play, and I’m pretty sure that I can find some more.
I’ve never run a PBM campaign before, so it’s possibly going to be a steep learning curve. Going to aim to get that sorted over the Christmas break. Updates on it will be forthcoming.
My other two uses are much less RPG related.
I would like, in time, to build a Wiki of recipes from my gamer grub articles. Given there are only three of them just now, a Wiki is possibly overkill compared to a page listing the articles, but it’s something I’ll be looking to do in the future.
Finally, the only 100% personal use of my Wikis is as a repository for university notes. Like the campaign settings, my idea is based around the cross referencing that Wikis allow and building up a database of the various learning materials, news stories and sources that I have to plough through on a weekly basis.
I’m interested in hearing how other people have successfully used Wikis for gaming or for personal. Have you got your own wiki or used one in a campaign? Any tips for play by mail with a wiki?
December 10th, 2008 at 6:06 PM
At first I just blogged my session reports; as I played more games I realized I would have to move them to separate sites. This is when I created campaignwiki.org. You can easily create new wikis by picking an appropriate name. If you look at the Status page you’ll see a list of existing wikis. The Krythos wiki, for example, was used for a Burning Wheel game via Skype. We would create characters on there, post session reports, add notes for locations and people, etc. Right now I use a wiki for all my games.
I’ve also used a GM-only wiki to take notes. That’s the Attaxa wiki on campaignwiki.org. Somehow that didn’t really work so well. I ended up buying a little notebook for every campaign. Thus, the wikis only contain player knowledge.
As for advice when playing: I recommend not using the wiki as you play live (face to face or via Skype or Teamspeak) because the pauses it introduces are a bummer. If you’re playing by mail, however, there’s no reason not to use it.
In general I found that if you write a lot, other people will end up writing less. Let players write session reports on the wiki. Let players keep notes online. Otherwise you’ll feel degraded to group scribe after a while.
When players send you pictures of their characters, make sure to post them online.
Anyway, good luck with your game, and your wiki.
Alex Schröder’s last blog post..The 3rd era lives
December 10th, 2008 at 11:03 PM
Sounds like you’re not scared away by the technical details, but for anyone who doesn’t want to deal with securing and running their own server, check out Obsidian Portal. It’s built from the ground up to be a combination blog/wiki specifically for tabletop RPGs.
Each page can have public material as well as GM-only material, you can keep a tagged list of characters, and you have an integrated blog that works great for chronicling your adventures over time.
Anyways, the site speaks for itself. Just click the link in my name and see for yourself.
December 11th, 2008 at 12:08 AM
My gaming group has had decent success using a wiki for our game. Check it out at http://www.azrai.com/wiki
December 12th, 2008 at 5:27 PM
I tried to set one up in the past and failed miserably which is why I ended up using my forum software until I could work it all out.
As for PBM…colour me interested
Bob’s last blog post..Mupit Is A Desert Planet In A Binary Star System
December 12th, 2008 at 6:19 PM
I’ve looked at two different set-ups so far, with mixed success. I would like to use Wikkawiki software, which supports personal wikis with ease, but unfortunately my knowledge of Unix is lacking a bit too much to install my own software.
I’m going to go with MediaWiki, which doesn’t really have as much personal features as I’d like. It also needs you to dig around in the PHP for some of the settings, which is rather annoying.
It’s going to be an interesting learning curve, but from the examples I’ve seen, I think it’ll be more then worth it.