Pathfinder 1E Paizo's RPG SuperSTAR Contest Top 32

[Justin D. Jacobson]

I've never seen it suggested in the AP Stylebook and other writing guides for people who write for a living (like, say, gaming professionals) that they choose whichever side of the Atlantic fits their own personal style. And I've never seen quotes inside a period or comma in any American publication. Certainly, there are a few British D20 publishers, but the bulk of the work is over here, and submitting text in a format that's going to require their copy editor to go through and fix your work because of a preference is a very bad idea. (I worked as a freelancer for American and British news publications for a while in the 1990s.)

Now, if one publishes their own work, rock and roll. But the anonymous disgruntled alleged professional is going to stand out from the crowd, either because they simply don't know proper American punctuation, or are making a rather quirky personal choice.

In either case, it sucks for anonymity.

To your point, here's an excerpt from my upcoming Bullseye game.

1.2.3
Introduction
Using the Text
Language and Usage

Gender: Throughout the text, I use the masculine gender when referring to the players and their characters. The feminine gender is used when referring to the Game Moderator and non-player characters. I employ these conventions to avoid cumbersome language; in practice, anyone can take the role of a player or the GM.

Punctuation: I use the “logical method” of quotation mark punctuation common to the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries. Thus, periods and commas appear within quotation marks only when they are part of the text being quoted.

Abbreviations: I note abbreviations at the bottom of each page where they first appear and at the end of the text in the Glossary of Abbreviations.

Typefaces: The Bullseye logo is rendered in Adventurer Black SF, a free font with a bold look that suggests action. The headers are rendered in Korataki, a modern-day version of a futuristic Asian font from the 1970s created by the Typodermic foundry. The body text is rendered in Carnova, a modern font from the Typotheticals foundry especially designed for clarity at smaller sizes.

Style: As to other matters of style, I rely on the The Chicago Manual of Style — 15th ed. (2003).

(emphasis added)

So, yes, I recognize it is not the accepted norm here yet, and I would not submit work to someone else in that format. However, for my own publications and in informal matters (such as messageboards), I use it because I like and I think it makes sense.

 

[sjmiller]

To my knowledge, the only people who use AP style are newspaper and newspaper style publications. For most magazines, books, Web pages, manuals, etc., it's Chicago Manual.

I have done work for two different game companies and one environmental engineering company within the last few years. All of them used the AP Stylebook. That's why, for me at least, it is the book I pay closest attention to when it comes to edition number. None of the game companies I applied to for freelance work mentioned the Chicago Manual, just as a bit of anecdotal evidence.

 

[Bullgrit]

Well, it's interesting how all our experiences are exactly opposite. I've often thought of reading through the AP style guide to see exactly how it differs from Chicago Manual, but I've always been afraid that it would muddy my memory. The last thing I'd want to do when editing is to confuse or mix up rules I'd seen in two different style books.

Out of curiosity, though, do we all agree with Elements of Style?

Bullgrit
Total Bullgrit

 

[Erik Mona]

In my experience news magazines and PR agencies use the AP style book, and just about everyone else (including us and WotC) uses the Chicago Manual of Style.

--Erik

 

[meomwt]

I'm English. In grammar lessons, we were always taught that the full stop resided inside the "quotation marks."

Other usage always makes me wince, I'm afraid.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm English. In grammar lessons, we were always taught that the full stop resided inside the "quotation marks."

The pudding thickens!

 

[sjmiller]

In my experience news magazines and PR agencies use the AP style book, and just about everyone else (including us and WotC) uses the Chicago Manual of Style.

Interesting. I know that Steve Jackson Games and Battlefield Press use the AP Stylebook. Until now I have not met companies that used the Chicago Manual of Style. I imagine this is mainly because I have worked in just a couple of fields, and that is the default for those fields.

 

[nexgen]

I noticed this forum a bit late, it seems.

1) There's a bit too much "sour grapes" here. Not a single one of you judged that competition and that's probably because all three judges are personally responsible for certain products in the Paizo line, if not all of them. All 32 items are just fine both in terms of flavor and mechanics.

2) Who cares whether a writer uses the Chicago/AP/European formats. All the huff about writing styles was meaningless. Also, I really hope I don't have to hire another editor for all my forum posts.

3) Of course it was marketing, anonymous, and a good way to maximize exposure with minimal expended resources. I've found so much buzz about the project on the forums - none of which Paizo paid for (I hope ) After losing the license to publish the magazines, I'm glad to see Paizo fighting the current to stay ahead of the competition.

4) Most of the agitated comments seem to be coming from "professional" writers, which I find odd. If you're actually that upset about not making the top 32 and you feel like the competition failed to provide an ample opportunity to showcase your talents, write a module manuscript and submit it to Erik or Clark. I doubt they'll send your email straight to the junk box, especially if you have "professional" credits. Although both Erik and Clark can post here to the contrary.

5) Let's just play the darn game and contribute to its perpetuity.