Mechanics Source Article Container

[ruhar]

Why can't Mechanics Source articles be put into containers like Story Source articles? I am entering a rule book for the CM and since it is a rule book there is no Story Source. The Realm Works® Content Sharing Guidelines states that a realm needs to have a source article for Mechanics that is the broad overview of the content. I want the broad overview article to be the container for the Foreword, History, and Various Images. All of the articles are at the beginning of most if not all rule books; if they were Story Sources they would be contained in the Story Source article. What am I suppose to do with these articles when I can't put them in a container?

[Farling]

There is GM Synopsis and Player Synopsis (or similar) article categories which can be used as launch points into a product for either the GM or player.

[ruhar]

Originally Posted by Farling

There is GM Synopsis and Player Synopsis (or similar) article categories which can be used as launch points into a product for either the GM or player.

But those are in the Story Source not in the Mechanic Source. As I understand the guide articles are not suppose to cross to another section if the realm is for the CM.

[daplunk]

Just ignored the guide if that is what it says. It must be wrong.

Content that contains 100% mechanics will need a mechanics source.
Content that contains a story will need a story source.
Content that contains both will require both a mechanics and story source.

[ruhar]

Originally Posted by daplunk

Just ignored the guide if that is what it says. It must be wrong.

Does that mean that articles that are on the story side can be contained in the mechanic side? And I can contain them in a Mechanic Source article?

[Parody]

Originally Posted by ruhar

Why can't Mechanics Source articles be put into containers like Story Source articles?

Perhaps a question for a bug report, rather than the forum. This may actually be a bug with Story Sources in whatever version you're using, as I cannot give Story or Mechanics Sources a parent in 243.

There's nothing stopping you from making new Categories in the Sources (Mechanics) Group or containing other types of Articles under a Mechanics Source, though.

(Also, Story Sources are Topics, not Articles.)

Originally Posted by ruhar

I want the broad overview article to be the container for the Foreword, History, and Various Images. ... What am I suppose to do with these articles when I can't put them in a container?

In my Paranoia realm I used a Mechanics Source as the top-level container for each product line (edition) and a custom Article category named "Product Info" for each individual product from that line. The Product Info category is in the Sources (Mechanics) Group and is a mix between what we've seen in the Source Topics/Articles from the content available on the LWD website and the import information for that content (since the category was made well before we had import/export). It includes things like a summary of the product, list of authors, cover images, the publisher product code, and ISBN number(s). I didn't put in any introductiony stuff since it was only for my use anyway.

In your case, perhaps use the Mechanics Source for product info and either make custom Categories in the Sources (Mechanics) Group or use some edited instances of General Articles for the other info.

Originally Posted by ruhar

Does that mean that articles that are on the story side can be contained in the mechanic side? And I can contain them in a Mechanic Source article?

In 243 you can't contain Topics under Articles or vice versa. If you need an Article that's similar to a Topic, use one of the generic Mechanics Categories or make a custom one.


Aside: "Various Images", as used in the sample content from LWD's website, is horrible organization in my opinion. Covers and other identifying marks should be in a Topic/Article with the other product information (likely the Story/Mechanics Source), handouts should be in a specific "(Product Name) Handouts" Topic/Article and (case depending) placed closer to where you're going to want to show them/hand them out than the information for the entire product, incidental images would hopefully have a home closer to the content they're supposed to be depicting, and advertisements for other products should be deleted. :P

You may be stuck using it for whatever products you're recreating in RW, but if you have the choice you may find better homes for your products' images.

[daplunk]

Originally Posted by ruhar

Does that mean that articles that are on the story side can be contained in the mechanic side? And I can contain them in a Mechanic Source article?

There is a way but I don't recommend it. Last person who tried had bugs. Articles on the mechanic side can be linked to story side and vice versa. But no, you can't by default move story topics into the Mechanic section nor mechanics into the story section.

[Acenoid]

Before reporting anything, upgrade to the latest version.

[ruhar]

Originally Posted by Acenoid

Before reporting anything, upgrade to the latest version.

I always stay upgraded to the latest version.

[ruhar]

I sent a bug report and this is what they said:

"The way things are supposed to work is, articles in the Mechanics Source category cannot be contained by anything else, but they should be able to contain other articles. For instance, you should be able to create a "Mechanics Gallery" article for holding images that is contained by a Mechanics Source article.

Similarly, topics in the Story Source category cannot be contained by anything else, but they should be able to contain other topics. For instance, you should be able to create a "Story Gallery" topic for holding images that is contained by a Story Source topic.

If you import the free content we've already released, you can see that they generally have both a Story Source topic and a Mechanics Source article. The Story Source topics generally contain GM Synopses, Player Synopses, and Story Gallery topics.

Perhaps the difficulty you are running into is that articles (from the Mechanics Reference) cannot contain topics (from the World Almanac), and vice versa?"

I will be posting a request for more categories for the Sources of Mechanics Reference.