Getting started as a creator in Herb & Fable
Being an approved creator in Herb & Fable means you get to use your fabulous creativity to make items that will inspire, educate and engage players while adding a rewarding new strand to your Second Life business.
You can make processors, ingredients, recipes and produce as a creator. Your processors, ingredients and recipes are submitted to the Herb & Fable database and your produce might be something that you give to players as a reward once they have completed their recipe, or it might be something you sell directly to the player.
What are processors, ingredients, recipes and produce?
Processors are items that players will make things in/on. They might be a cooker, a kettle, a machine, an activity, etc. Processors access recipes that players can make by using the processor.
There are different types of processor, which allow a multi-tiered player base.
Standard Processors – these processors have 10 recipe slots and the player can add the recipes by typing the recipe names and adding them to the processor. The are low cost but once full the player can’t add more recipes and will need to buy another. They will keep their full standard processors and be able to make the recipes they hold whenever they have the ingredients to do so. You can make a standard processor and sell it to players without making any ingredients or recipes. Simply drop the script/notecard into the processor – adjust perms to transfer only and sell it to the players.
Special Processors (single use) – these processors can be used to make 1 recipe and will have it’s scripts deleted. An example of a single use special processor is a “Willow Stick” – if the willow stick was used to carve a wand, or a totem or a peg, the stick would no longer exist as it is now the thing they’ve made (and received after completing a recipe). Single use special processors are low cost. They access a dynamic list of recipes (from the database) that have been approved to be used by that processor – but can only make one recipe per instance and will need to buy another to make another recipe.
When you’re making a new single use special processor you should have at least one recipe in mind for its use and register that recipe (and its ingredients) before selling your processor to players. Once registered and approved, other creators will also be able to assign recipes to your processor (which adds value to your processor for the players, making it more desirable to buy.) For example after a while our “Willow stick” might have a dozen or more recipes that can be made from carving the stick – e.g. a totem, a lace bobbin, a knitting needle, different designs of hair pin, etc. – of course being a single use processor if someone wants to make more than one of those recipes they would need to buy another Willow stick.
Special Processors (multi-use) – these processors also access the dynamic list of recipes (from the database) that have been approved to be used by that processor. They can be used repeatedly to make recipes as long as the player has the necessary ingredients. These processors are generally a high cost item to buy for a player. An example of this type of processor is a “Tea Shop Counter” where the player that owns it can make many different tea recipes (that have been created by you or other creators and are in the database assigned to that processor) and that they can sell to other players as ingredients or produce.
When you’re making a new multi-use special processor you should have at least two recipes in mind for its use and register those recipes (and their ingredients) before selling your processor to players. Once registered and approved, other creators will also be able to assign recipes to your processor (which adds value to your processor for the players, making it more desirable to buy).
Special Processors (unique) – these processors are generally only offered by Herb & Fable as they are specially scripted for a unique activity e.g. Special rituals, etc.
Recipes – recipes are made by players combining ingredients to earn rewards in the form of produce or additional ingredients, along with earning specialised experience points and optional badges. Recipes can be simple and only require a couple of ingredients e.g. Lemon Tea with ingredients of Lemons and Hot Water, or they can be quite complex mutli-step recipes with up to eight ingredients per recipe. For example:
Lemon and Nettle Cake recipe:
1 x nettle cake mix,
3 x lemons,
1 x icing sugar.
However, nettle cake mix has to be made first and has its own recipe:
1 x flour,
1 x sugar,
3 x stinging nettle leaves,
3 x eggs,
1 x milk,
1 x butter,
1 x ground almonds.
Ground almonds are only obtained by recipe of 3 x almonds (typically ground in a pestle & mortar). While recipes don’t cost the player anything, they will need to acquire the necessary ingredients – by purchasing them from you or other creators.
Recipes are registered and must be approved before they are made available to the players. Registration is made via special automated registration consoles in-world.
Ingredients – As a creator you can make your own ingredients for your recipes and the players will buy these from you, or you can make recipes using ingredients that are already registered and approved in the database that have been created by other creators. It’s up to you to decide which is better for you as a creator. Ingredients are a physical item in-world that the player with click to transfer into their pouch (becoming virtual ingredients). Ingredients are usually transfer only as a physical object and both the physical ingredients AND the virtual ingredients can be bought and sold player to player.
Ingredients are registered and must be approved before they are made available to the players. Registration is made via special automated registration consoles in-world. Once approved you are sent the scripts to place in your items (the scripts are sent copy/transfer but must be sold to the players transfer only).
Produce – Produce can be used by the players to replenish/harm their attributes. They might eat it, drink it, do something, smoke something, experience something, put cream on, etc. Produce is always transfer only and can be bought and sold player to player. It has limited usage and once used it will usually disappear (or become just a prop). Approved creators are given copy/transfer scripts for produce because it is anticipated that their produce will be given as rewards from recipes. Generally produce is sold directly player to player by purchasing single use transfer only scripts and these are available to everyone to buy.
Who can be an approved Herb & Fable Creator?
We’re looking for high quality items for our players. Processors should be original mesh only. Ingredients and produce should be mesh, whether original or full perm templates. All items should be high quality, optimised (appropriate complexity, LI and LOD) and legitimate (not stolen, offensive or IP infringing).
We’d love to see anything that fits into the general theme and areas of herbalism (plants, mushrooms and fungi, solvents, astringents, waters, hydrosols, oils, fragrances, waxes, medicines, etc.), witchcraft (elements, spells, candles, altar items, rituals, divination, magical, sabats, wheel of the year, amulets, totems, spirit animals, Gods and Godesses, etc), connection (food, spiritual, community, self development, mental health, beliefs, story-telling, crafts, etc) or nature (animals, mineral, flora and fauna, the sea, rivers, weather, land, etc.).
Herb & Fable is designed to provide some authenticity and learning opportunities as well as being fun and engaging. When you’re thinking about what to make please give some thought to how it connects to real life historical, cultural, spiritual, or practical aspects. Whilst we understand that one person’s fantasy is another’s’ reality – items that are complete fantasy and have no relevance to the world other than one you’ve made up, don’t really offer the players opportunity for learning and that is an important aspect of Herb & Fable. There is quite a wide scope within the theme and pathways of Herb & Fable.
You’ll also need to give some thought as to how it will integrate into game play. How will your item be used? Is it an ingredient? A recipe reward or is it produce? Or, is it a processor? If you need help for this part we’re happy to discuss it and help come up with a cool way to get players engaged with your item.
How to get started
First up you’ll need to get yourself approved as a creator (if you haven’t already). Simply drop an IM to HerbandFable giving your brand name and Discord name and someone will be in touch as soon as possible. During the alpha beta phase of Herb & Fable we will be limiting the number of approved creators – this is simply so that we can manage growth and deal with any bugs or changes that need to be made.
Once you’ve been accepted as an approved creator you’ll be sent a creator pack. Inside that creator pack is everything you need to register processors, ingredients and recipes, make badges and provide rewards to players of Herb & Fable. Each item comes with it’s own set of instructions but here is an overview.
The creator pack contains:
Creator brand code generator – each item you make for Herb & Fable will have a name that is preceded by your brand code. Also any server you rezz to hold items will be named in this way – so we need to assign a code to you. They are generally short as not to make things difficult for users so there is a limit of 6 letters/digits.
It’s important to think carefully about this. If your brand name in SL is Tabatha’s Wares And Twinkles, it would be completely unrealistic for a player to write that each time they are looking for ingredients or recipes from you. No problem, you think, I’ll just take the first letter of each word and that will be fine! T…W…A…. oh…nevermind. As you might see, that might create a word that isn’t really appropriate or helpful to your brand. So give it some thought and use the Creator brand code generator to help. It won’t allow duplicate brand codes and there are some words that have been “taboo’d” to avoid any embarrassment 😉 If a brand code is submitted that we feel is inappropriate you’ll be asked to change it.
Herb & Fable server (copyable) – for housing the items you want to send to players (like your produce or ingredients made from recipes and physical badges).
Herb & Fable Register Ingredient Console – for registering your ingredients.
Herb & Fable Register Recipe Console – for registering your recipes.
Standard processor scripts (copyable) – for putting inside any processors that you make for selling.
Herb & Fable Register Special Processor Console – for registering special processors.
Produce scripts (copyable) – for creating your reward items.
Badge Templates and Guides – for badge graphics and in-world physical reward badges.
Steps to take to get your first ingredients and recipe up and running.
- Become an approved creator;
- Register your creator brand code;
- Maybe make a standard processor or special processor and await approval (usually within 24hrs);
- Register your processor and await approval;
- Make some mesh ingredients;
- Register each ingredient and await approval(usually within 24hrs);
- Rezz and set up some servers;
- Create and register a recipe and await approval (usually within 24hrs);
- Get your items up for sale and promote them;
- Make yourself a cup of soothing tea.
The right of refusal.
Whilst we hope it a rare occurrence, if an item is deemed wholly inappropriate or is in any way racist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, hateful, or generally in very poor taste or political stance we reserve the right to refuse its approval or ask that it be removed. Items that we feel just don’t fit into the ethos or theme of Herb & Fable will be refused approval. Items that are too close a copy to another creators items may be refused.
Pricing
While you’re very welcome to set the price of your stuff however you want we’re thinking it wise to set a minimum price for some items – this avoids players cheating in the game and promotes a healthy competition vibe among our creators. We’ll put in some caveats to allow for promotional items and gifts.