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FOREVERWORLD BOOK'S CREATIVE MISSION

  All role-playing games inadvertently work towards some
  larger goal(s), whether or not the players (or even
  the creators) realize it. Our overall mission is to
  equip gamers with the best means of creating and
  exploring imaginative new worlds, inspiring them to
  reach beyond the mundane and strive for creative and
  personal excellence. (And have as much fun as possible
  while doing it!)
  
  To achieve this, we endeavor to:
  
  * Create original cultures and environments.
  * Redefine archetypes common to most FRPGs.
  * Present a more realistic outcome system, without
    substantially increasing gameplay difficulty.
  * Present realistic character growth.
  * Recreate the spirit of exploration common to
    the European and early American pioneers.
  * Foster a spirit of giving in players, rather
    than one of taking.


Create original cultures and environments
  
  The essential meat of the NeverWorld product line
  involves numerous culturebooks that delineating the
  particular cultures existing in NeverWorld. Every
  plausible aspect of the chosen culture will be
  described over the course of 130-200 pages,
  including geography, weather, politics, religion,
  magic theory, technology, organizations, philosophy,
  social structure, economy, unique skills/abilities,
  and daily life.
  
  As an example, the first original culture published
  by FEW Books was the Hourani (a noble race of bipedal
  lupines who can appear human), included with the
  boxed set. Besides the mentioned categories, this book
  also delineates the nine Hourani houses (and their
  occupations), the Fidei Draconus religion, high-level
  Wizardry developed by the Hourani, in addition to
  important historical and legendary data. By creating
  Hourani and other new cultures, we seek to inject
  new material into the gaming tradition.


Redefine archetypes common to most FRPGs
  
  After twenty years of RPGs hitting the market, our
  common myth and lore pool has been substantially
  dredged, leaving little original material left on
  which to base new civilizations. What's strange,
  though, is that these supposedly "overused" elements
  (including elves, dwarves, dragons, and undead)
  are still extremely popular with gamers, no matter
  how often they appear in print. To appeal to the
  gamer's familiarity with these archetypes, FEW Books
  has chosen some of these creatures and races
  to appear in NeverWorld.
  
  However, one major problem with these archetypes
  is that they're often used as simple obstacles or
  plot devices, rather than being treated
  realistically and properly developed. These
  long-standing myths deserve better (and so do
  you!), and NeverWorld wants to give everyone what
  they deserve.
  
  So, along those lines, our game redefines familiar
  races and creatures in sensible and unique fashions.
  Rebuilt from the ground up, our cultures have been
  carefully thought out in context of their
  environments, physiques, and social affiliations,
  and matured through millenia of history to see
  where they would have ended up. With unique
  creatures (such as Dragons), we aim to restore
  the sense of awe that a normal person would feel
  upon coming into contact with them, rather than
  viewing them through the eyes of jaded gamers
  who have seen everything before. We work to create
  the new and reinvigorate the old.


Present a more realistic outcome system
without substantially increasing gameplay difficulty
  
  Obviously, the big concern with most RPGs is balancing
  ease with complexity: accurately describing the
  outcome of a character's action with the least
  amount of difficulty. NeverWorld uses sensible
  and realistic outcome rules, relegating any involved
  computations to times other than actual gameplay.
  Values/statistics that will be used during adventuring
  are determined during character generation and
  between gaming sessions, so that when your character
  performs an action, only one die roll added to a
  base number (compared to the enemy's roll and base
  number) is needed to determine success.
  
  The system's most obvious feature is the Rolling
  Outcome Chart (or ROC), which offers eight possible
  outcomes to a particular action (all being various
  degrees of success or failure). All roll results
  are referenced on the ROC to determine the level of outcome.
  
  
Present realistic character growth
  
  NeverWorld is a skill-based (rather than class-based)
  system. When generated, characters choose from a wide
  selection of cultural skills, as well as raise any
  combination of attributes. In addition, skills
  and attributes are improved during gameplay as
  they would be through real life: through repeated
  use, formal teaching, magical intervention, or
  improving one's professional expertise. New skills
  can be learned from teachers as well. The more a
  skill is used, the more it will improve.
  
  Characters can move up the professional ladder as they
  meet the minimum skill and attribute requirements
  for more demanding jobs. Characters can also be
  self-employed but then do not receive the skill and
  asset benefits associated with some jobs.
  
  Each character has three important scores: Social Level,
  which describes social impact; Fiscal Level, which
  describes overall financial equity; and Professional
  Level, which describes professional accomplishment/expertise.
  These three scores combine to determine a character's
  Life Level. Life Level is a concept similar to
  "lifeforce": characters with higher LLs are better
  esteemed, more able to resist unwanted domination,
  and are considered to have made a notable impact on
  their societies. In a way, LL describes a character's
  success as a real person.
  
  Instead of fixed alignments, NeverWorld uses the dynamic
  Giver/Taker philosophy to mark a character's progress
  between self-centeredness and other-centeredness. A
  character's moral concept has a definite impact on
  his place in society, as well as his abilities.
  
  With an evolving character-growth system, NeverWorld
  inserts the concept of roleplaying back into
  the acronym "RPG".
  
  
Recreate the spirit of exploration common
to the European and early American pioneers
  
  Although every gaming system offers some chance
  to explore the unknown, NeverWorld builds the
  concept straight into its premise. All cultures
  have been isolated for centuries, knowing nothing
  (except perhaps rumors and ancient lore) of each
  other's existence. In addition, many skills, magics,
  religions, and philosophies are unique
  to particular cultures.
  
  How will new civilizations be uncovered, and what
  will happen when two long-disparate cultures finally
  stumble into each other? How will they affect each
  other's economies, beliefs, social structures, and
  technology? NeverWorld thrills players with the
  possibilities inherent in discovering unknown
  civilizations and participating in the
  formation of new ones.
  
  
Foster a spirit of Giving
in players, rather than one of Taking
  
  Possessing a realistic and dynamic morality system
  for characters, NeverWorld acts as a microcosm
  for players to see the effects of selfless (Giver)
  and selfish (Taker) behavior on both individuals
  and societies. The mechanics system endows both
  styles of behavior with logical benefits and
  weaknesses, and permits them to lead to their
  ultimate conclusions.
  
  If viewed in terms of long-term versus short-term
  gratification, Givers sacrifice when inconvenient
  in order to earn what will truly last in the
  future, while Takers grab whatever they can in
  the present and eventually find that they have
  nothing of substance. Because of this, Giver
  characters usually find their lives more fulfilling
  and substantial, while Takers will become fearful
  of losing the power they continually try to wield
  over others. Still, players have the option to go
  for whichever outcome they desire.
  
  Players will find their gaming experiences more
  enjoyable if they are willing to give of themselves
  to the other players and GM, rather than always
  insisting on being the center of attention and
  placing their own characters in the spotlight.
  Chapter 5 of the NeverWorld Tome provides more
  detail on how the Giver/Taker philosophy that
  works for characters also applies directly to
  the player's gaming experience.
  
  We firmly believe that the values a player learns
  while gaming with other people need not be forgotten
  in the real world. In fact, a positive and considerate
  gaming experience can often be used to make the real
  world a better place to be.


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(c) 1997 by Erin Laughlin. (written by David Mc)

Material to be used solely in regards to examining
my credentials for employment.