Creating an In-Game Museum: A Guide for Aspiring Curators

So, you want to open a museum. What do you do next?

Well, it depends on the kind of museum you want to have. If you only want a place to display your loot and trophies you can just decorate a house, but if you want to make a "realistic" museum that tells a story just read on.

One of the most interesting aspects of SWG is the ability for players to be creative in the game. A museum is one way to express that creativity. A well-planned and well-excuted museum will gain the attention of your fellow players. But it will require a lot of work on your part.

I will be making other posts in this thread that give you tips on specific aspects of museum making. First, let me introduce myself. I am Moya' the Wookiee, the director and curator of the Wookiee Cultural Center. I currently run six Wookiee museums on Intrepid, helped create an Entertainer museum, run an art museum and a wildlife museum, and have been a consultant for aspiring museum directors on my server for some time. My character does not earn any credits at all for doing this. I do it because I think it is fun.

In real life, I have a graduate certificate in museum studies. And while I do not currently work in a museum, I have done two different internships in addition to my classroom training. I have a pretty good idea about how museums work in real life and have tried to bring as much of that as possible into my game museums.

My character lives in Symphonia, Naboo [Intrepid] -- a city that calls inself the Cultural Capital of the Galaxy. When our city was formed we started with the 7 museums of Creeva's Intrepid Museum Complex. Now, we have at least 6 different, unique museums in town. Each has it's own theme.

Theme

It is really important to pick a theme for your museum. Chose one area and do it well. Our town has 2 Wookiee museums, an art museum, an entertainer museum, a museum of wildlife, a museum of the factions, a museum of warfare, a museum of rarities and robotics, and a museum honoring great masters in different professions who have left the game.

Pick a theme. If there are other museums on your server, try to pick one that is unique.

Decide on a Story to Tell

I knew I wanted a Wookiee museum. I am a roleplayer and have developed a lot of cultural material on Wookiees through board postings and stories. It all started with me playing the cantinas and explaining to people about Wookiee stereotypes (like the old "they will pull your arms off" thing). So, I wanted to teach people about what the lives of the Wookiee people.

Building and Location

Once you have your theme, decide what kind of building and location would work best for you. Try to use a building that compliments the objects. And remember, a large house or guild hall holds more items but it also means you have to work harder to decorate and fill the structure.

I highly recommend placing your museum in a player city that is easy to reach. At the time our city started we did not have a shuttle so we located ourselves close enough to an NPC city that people did not mind making the drive to see our museums. There are some well-established cities that would probably love to have a museum. Find one and talk to the mayor about your idea.

Develop a Collection

Look around and see what kind of items are available to tell your story. I started my museum a long time ago. I had one of each item of Wookiee clothing, some bowcasters, and 5 Wookiee food/drink items. That was all I had to use in the beginning. So, I had to improvise. Now, with the Life Day items and the opening of Kashyyyk my collection has increased dramatically to the point I have to be selective about what I choose to display. I actually have a storage facility now of items that are not exhibited.

Start gathering the items you need. And do some creative crafting to get things that don't exactly exist in game.

Creative Crafting

A Wookiee museum should have a lot of trees in it, right? But not just any kind of trees ... they should be Wroshyr trees. So, I got an architect friend to make me a factory run of "Wroshyr trees". I have also had many other items custom made with Kashyyykian names. I have the other two types of planets renamed with species from Kashyyyk, mounted hides with different Kashyyykian animal names, and even some bioengineered animals named with Kashyyykian names. I also had a tailor make Han Solo's outfit for me for my Han and Chewbacca exhibit. It stands set up next to "Chewbacca's bandolier" and "Chewbacca's bowcaster". Get the idea? By renaming common objects you are effectively creating an atmosphere for the museum and "labeling" items.

Adding Interpretation

The best real life museums tell a story. They do this by adding signs and labels in with the objects. You can do this, too. But be warned, while this is the step that will really make your museum stand out it is also the spot that takes the most work. You really need to understand how crafting works, and you have to be able to write clear, concise labels. Some times you will have to try naming the same label over and over again until you get it to work. But once they are done, you will be amazed at how much difference it makes.

See this guide about labels later for more information.

Decorating

Once you have your objects and labels, then you get to do the fun part. Put it all together. Resist the temptation to open it to the public until you are finished, but do bring some friends in and ask their opinions on things. One of my museums started out in a medium generic house on Tat. My friends came in and all said "this should be a medium Tat house". I listened to them and took the whole museum down and started over. I am so glad I did, because the medium Tat house looks so much better.

Open the Doors and Advertise

Once it is ready for the public, have an opening. Invite your guild, the city residents, your friend's list, and post it on the board. The event will be crazy, but it will allow you to see first-hand how much people appreciate your hard work. And once you are open, continue to maintain and improve the museum. Add new exhibits. Redecorate occassionally. Have events. Give people a reason to keep coming back!

Well, this is my introduction. It is intended to start you thinking about your project. Visit this thread for more detailed posts about these topics. Please feel free to post questions and I will do my best to answer them.

Moya' the Wookiee
Galactic Senator Moyakoshkakyrit of the Koshka Clan