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How to Design Lists in RPGs
# What kind of lists are there?
Few mediums employ the itemized list like tabletop rpgs. We're in the company of cookbooks, textbooks, and warehouse clipboards. Should you choose to deploy lists, they can be incredibly versatile at conveying information.
**_Bulleted Lists_**. Before computers, they didn't exist as we know them today. They were less standardized and more expressive with fleurons and manicules. Bulleted lists are great for items with no technical order.
**_Numbered Lists_**. The numbered list is great for items where the sequence matters. In bulleted lists, the order is solely for hierarchy and dramatic purposes. In numbered lists, the order is procedural, like steps for character creation.
**_Lettered Lists._** We don't see lettered lists that often in rpgs. They can convey two different things. One, that there's a choice between the items on the list. Or two, that there's a prescribed order that's procedural but not strictly so like in numbered lists.
**_Plain Lists._** Since the days of Ea-nāṣir, unadorned lists have been created using line and paragraph breaks. If you're going for a minimalist, unobtrusive reading experience, the old fashioned line break and occasional indent is perfect.
**_Tables._** It's important to recognize that many tables are ornamented lists. It's only when the table has three columns or visually cluttered articles that the table shines. If you find yourself making tables with two columns, consider the list.
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## Are lists right for your book or zine?
Lists are another layer of information. This layer is "loud"—designed to stand out. Deploying a list is like dragging something into the foreground. It's the author explicitly telling the audience to pay attention and remember.
Does this mean lists are anti-prose? Not exactly. Like any writing device, lists can create tension, paint pictures, and surprise the audience. Read Robert Caro's The Power Broker or McSweeney's many lists to see how.
## **Should I use lists in my projects?**
There's no universal answer here. Every game and adventure is different. Some use lists extensively, some use lists sparingly, and some ignore them altogether. Great work isn't decided by what you use, but how you use it.
**_How will the book or zine be used?_ **Some games are all about convenience. No extra prep for the game master, just skim the adventure and keep the relevant pages open. Well-executed lists are perfect for this use case.
**_What is the planned reading experience?_** Some games want their readers to indulge in them like a novel so they use novel-like structures. Others aim for instructional reading. Some aim for a magazine-like reading experience. All three of will use lists differently—if at all.
**_How defined are the details?_** Some games revel in the creation of fictional worlds while others leave everything up to play. The more definition there is, the more lists can provide structure if needed. In a game where every room is packed with details, a list can make sure the right details get noticed.
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# Advice for designing lists.
The balance between lots of lists, some lists, and no lists is different for every project, but let's assume you want to use them. Here are some tips and tricks for executing them well.
### **M** ake items in the list structurally parallel.
The more the items diverge from each other in structure, the less useful and legible the list becomes. Items in a list should resemble each other syntactically—all articles or all sentences. All starting with verbs or all starting with nouns. Short or long. Don't mix and match unless you're doing it for dramatic effect.
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### **Keep formatting consistent within the list.**
If the list items are sentences, capitalize the first word. If they're fragments, make sure everything in the list is a fragment. Some publications capitalize the first word in their fragments, others don't—it's up to you. If you're using sentences, always end with punctuation. The rule that periods don't belong in lists is a myth. In ideal circumstances, attention-grabbing formatting is limited to the start of each successive bullet. Bold words in the middle of lists make them harder to read.
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### **Avoid value-less redundancies.**
Avoid starting each item with the same word or words unless you're using it for creative tension. The purpose of repetition is to make what's different more apparent. Repetition without meaning makes lists wordier and harder to parse.
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### **Use numbered lists when the order is procedural.**
Numbered lists and bulleted lists are not interchangeable. Numbered lists are for tasks that have to be done in order, like baking a cake or creating a _Pathfinder_ character. If the order is just for effect, then bulleted lists are fine. If the second item must come after the first item to be functional, use a numbered list.
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### **Be wary of sub-bullets and sub-sub-bullets.**
Sub-bullets can nest subordinate information, but they do so at the expense of the overall list by creating a visual gap between the first-level bullets. Use sub-bullets with caution—the more you have, the more unwieldy they get over time. Most layers beyond two can be solved with re-writes and bullets of different styles.
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### Keep lists between 3 to 5 items. 7 is the limit.
Anything fewer than 3 items makes a list feel like overkill. Anything more than 5 is likely to be overwhelming. There are exceptions. If the list is procedural, like one for wandering monsters, the audience can ignore most of the items. There are also ways to break up a list into categories, allowing the audience to absorb the content in a more natural way. For example, some adventures put doors and exits in a separate list. Others might place monsters or treasure in separate lists.
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### **For complicated lists, consider using lead-ins.**
Ideally, every bullet is simple and short enough to stand on its own. If that's not possible, consider starting each bullet with an intro sentence with a bolder formatting. Think of your list like a series of ledes that the audience can scan and decide for themselves how deep to delve.
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### **Be modest with your list indentations.**
The indent length popularized by word processors is excessive. You don't need a lot of space to make lists legible, especially when your page and line length are narrower than US Letter or A4. You want to conserve that horizontal space when you can. A good starting point is one em—the point size of your body text. In addition to being more efficient, the em is proportional to your body text, columns, and page. If you're working in CSS, 1 rem is even better.
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### **Keep the bullets small but mighty.**
There's a misconception that bullet points, fleurons, and other list icons need to be "legible" in the way that words and numbers are. This leads designers to make large icons that dwarf the words—don't do this. The bullets are second fiddle to the content, so long as they're recognizable, they should be somewhere between 50% and 30% as big as the capital letter.
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### Use order and grouping for effect.
Depending on your priorities, you have at least two options: Make it thematic or make it functional. If you're aiming for thematic, you want to consider the rhythm and implications of your order. A thematic design might lull the reader into a sense of calm or create juxtaposition for effect. They might end a list with a knife-wielding goblin. The functional design will group things by type for easier retrieval and put the biggest concerns—like a knife-wielding goblin—first.
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# Summary on designing lists
Final recommendations:
* Decide what kind of lists (if any) your project should use.
* Use numbered lists when the sequence is procedurally important.
* Write and design your lists so that the items are parallel in their format.
* Avoid cluttering your lists with overly long sentences or redundancies.
* Beware of sub-bullets. They can create more visual noise than clarity.
* Pick and choose elements that match your work's tone, look, and feel.
## Additional Reading
This week's article dug deep into the bookshelf. Unfortunately for you, that means a lot of my sources aren't free. The APA Style Guide and Nielsen were particularly helpful inspiration in my initial search.
Let me know what you think of today's article. Be merciful on my examples. It's hard making fake lists. If you have any additional tips or questions, post them in the comments, and don't forget to like, share, and retweet on social.
Until next time, I'll keep exploring.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th EditionFind it. Write it. Cite it. The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. ¶ It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. ¶ Over 1.75 million copies sold!The Chicago Manual of Style OnlineFlawless Typography Checklist · TypewolfA typography master course in the form of an interactive web app that will help you achieve flawless type on every design project.TypewolfJeremiah ShoafGrid System 101: A Beginner’s GlossaryA not so short tour of your rpg’s layout, its different parts, and how to use them.Explorers DesignClayton Notestine
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