Dosjetka Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Hello all, Some of you may know me for starting quite a few IA's over time and never finishing them. Well, I'm back (again) to try and complete an IA and make it something I can be proud of. The problem I have is what do I start with? Which information should I give to lay down the bare bones of the Chapter and for people to able to see what my Chapter is all about and how it works? I know I've started a few IA's, but I never felt that I had done it properly and it got all very messy, very quickly (but then, that may just be me :huh:). Anyway, any help would be appreciated ;) Cheers, Ludovic Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235660-a-fresh-start/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrata Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 If you run a search you should get a lot of peoples advice on this matter (including people like Octavulg, Aurelius Rex and Sigismund Himself). However, seeing as I am posting here I will repeat myself. I don't think there is a single best way to write an IA, and everyone has different methods and techniques in order to complete it. I would say there are a couple of key points you should know before you go into writing the IA: Know the theme of the chapter. I don't mean something as simple as "Armour-centric, cold-hearted, slight Frank influences". I mean you can imagine what an individual typical member may act like. How the main themes weave through the rest of the IA Know the key things you wish to push in the IA. Yes, this is similar to the first one but it is important. Each chapter will have a slightly different focus. Some may have longer belief sections (Castigators), others long history sections (Wings of Death), depending on what are the most important factors to the chapter I then follow a simple method of completing this. A Mission Statement about the chapter Bullet points for each section (between 4 and 8) Expand each point into a sentence Expand each sentence into a paragraph Re-read, re-hash and change bits Don't be afraid of changing/removing/adding things throughout the process, but each time you do check back to the original Mission Statement to see if you are moving towards this. I can only speak from my own experience, and I am not attempting to self-sell, but the Mission Statement for the Wings of Death ran something like this: "A chapter that has fallen to Chaos because of their own mis-doings (they were not tricked or forced to the hands of Chaos). They are unlikable to the reader, not jsut because they are evil but they are also self-serving [insult of choice]. They are too prideful and believe they are the best. And they wear orange." If you have something like this then you can keep checking to see if you are working to the original concept. It might change as you come up with a killer idea, but you need to make sure you are not writing a new chapter. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235660-a-fresh-start/#findComment-2838062 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dosjetka Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Cheers for the reply Ferrata :blink: I've just got one more quick question for you: If I would start by writing down something similar to what you put in the first post of this thread, would that be an OK start? Cheers, Ludovic Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235660-a-fresh-start/#findComment-2838842 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyner Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 That would be a good way to start, the Major Conflicts wouldn't be massively needed but suppose it could be used to showcase the skills of your marines or why they may have changed their ways. Think I might write a Forge World style IA for my Chapter for the campaign... Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235660-a-fresh-start/#findComment-2838970 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dosjetka Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 That would be a good way to start, the Major Conflicts wouldn't be massively needed but suppose it could be used to showcase the skills of your marines or why they may have changed their ways. Think I might write a Forge World style IA for my Chapter for the campaign... Cheers Reyner :P I'll try and get some stuff up some time soon then ;) Ludovic Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235660-a-fresh-start/#findComment-2839676 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrata Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 It wouldn't be a bad place to start. The major conflicts was in there as I am planning on writing a slightly different version of the IA, ones typically done by Forgeworld. These skim over Organisation/Beliefs etc. and focus a little more on major conflicts of the chapter. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235660-a-fresh-start/#findComment-2839846 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.