SonOfYoungwood@aol.com wrote:
I see no issue in citing scripts for summarizing a series of facts for a plot synopsis in an RPG (such as, "After Galbadia invaded Dollet, the parliament dispatched a request for aid [1]."). Heck, in a situation where one has to show a character changing over time, citing the RPG game script at multiple points may be considered 'common sense synthesis' and not OR. I really think it's a case by case basis, and must ask: how far out of context does the Wikipedia synopsis take the original source? Moreover, I feel that finding a reliable summary or two may help round out the sources and give the Wikipedia synopsis more "freedom". A synopsis should list the events.
The stories of the warfare between Galbadi and Dollet are sometimes written in a way that challenges the attention span of most games players. A certain amount is probably necessary to give context to the game, and still remain a minor factor in the play of the game.
Reliable summaries must themselves be verifiable in their own way. The only way you can verify this stuff is by reference to the game itself. Who's to say whether in the elsewhere published summary some vandal hasn't distorted the play through? You don't want to follow instructions that say, "Take the mountain path on the left until you find a trunkfull of treasure." when it really leads to an unbeatable monster. Even when we assume good faith we encounter writers who simply get mixed up between left and right.
Ec