Proposals

I've got two major proposals for how these files might look.

Proposal 1

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<oraclelist>
    <author>Vincent Baker</author>
    <description>Default elements for AG&G.</description>
        <version>0.1</version>
        <arena name="urban">
            <element tag="character">
                An assassin hired by some wealthy enemy.
            </element>
        </arena>
        <arena name="rural">
            <element tag="event group">
                A band of goat herders, armed, outraged by an injustice visited upon their clan.
            </element>
            <element tag="character">
                A bandit captain, in hiding, with her trusted bodyguard.
            </element>
        </arena>
        <arena name="magical">
            <element tag="event character">
                The awakening of 3 powerful and malignant genii.
            </element>
            <element tag="group">
                A band of demons, laughing and malicious, authors of debauched sensuality and corrupt appetites.                
            </element>
            <element tag="event character">
                The awakening of a merciless and tyrannical pit-wyrm.
            </element>
        </arena>
</oraclelist>

Proposal 2

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<oraclelist>
    <author>Vincent Baker</author>
    <description>Default elements for AG&G.</description>
    <version>0.1</version>
    <arena name="urban">
        <character>
            An assassin hired by some wealthy enemy.
        </character>
    </arena>
    <arena name="rural">
        <group>
            A band of goat herders, armed, outraged by an injustice visited upon their clan.
        </group>
        <character>
            A bandit captain, in hiding, with her trusted bodyguard.
        </character>
    </arena>
    <arena name="magical">
        <event>
            The awakening of 3 powerful and malignant genii.
        </event>
        <group>
            A band of demons, laughing and malicious, authors of debauched sensuality and corrupt appetites.                
        </group>
        <event>
            The awakening of a merciless and tyrannical pit-wyrm.
        </event>
    </arena>
</oraclelist>

Vincent says:

My suggestion'd be a non-hierarchy. Maybe something like:

<element>
    <text>
        A bandit captain, in hiding, with her trusted bodyguard.
    </text>
    <tag name="type">
        character
    </tag>
    <tag name="locale">
        countryside
    </tag>
[ and maybe include whatever you want, like: ]
    <tag name="status">
        outlaw
    </tag>
    <tag name="thematic">
        loyalty
    </tag>
</element>

(I don't know from legal xml, I'm just guessing.)

Clinton replies:

Vincent,

This is good! I'm afraid it gets too heinous to write, but I like it.

One option is to use YAML (http://www.yaml.org/start.html) instead or as a second option. It'd look like this:

-
  :text: The secret alliance of two noble families against a third.
  :categories:
    - event
    - group
  :locale:
    - urban
    - court
-
  :text: The bloodthirsty ghosts of those drowned in an accursed water.
  :categories:
    - group
  :locale:
    - magical
-
  :text: A conjunction of uncanny forces.
  :categories:
    - event
    - group
  :locale:
    - magical

The one problem with all this - it becomes less usable as a sorting agent if we make it like this. For example, it'll be real hard to say, "Give me two events in an urban setting." It can still be done, but instead of looking like this:

• choose urban setting
• choose events
• pick two randomly from this list

It'll be more like this:

• pick a random element
• make sure it's urban and an event
• if not, pick again
• repeat x2