Author Topic: How to create an RPG Panel?  (Read 2653 times)

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Offline AllyKat

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How to create an RPG Panel?
« on: October 26, 2009, 10:00:11 am »
Hey-lo folks!

So, I recently got into RPG's (Ya know, the 20 sided dice version of those
choose your own adventure books? ^_^ or Dungeons and Dragons, minus the dungeons and the dragons in many instances) And I have a few friends who create there own, working, capable and ready to play and enjoy RPG's with great skill. I am sure this is a common practice of the RPing elite but to me, the fact that we have 6 original RPs to choose from, all made by someone I know anytime we want to sit down and play just gets me thinking of how freaking awesome it would feel to know how to make my own RPG.

Now, I am nowhere near that level of knowledgeable on what it takes to even play a RPG yet (I still have to ask which dice to use every time I need to role a check or add on) but I bet there are a good number of people who understand the basic mechanics, and would be interested in creating there own story ( OHSHC RPG Anyone?) that works and is fun to play?

I have brought this idea up to my 3 friends who make RPG's for our group and they seemed somewhat interested, but if there is a real interest in maybe having a panel where the group learns to and creates a working mini-RPG from a group chosen genre or topic... Then maybe they'd be more interested in actually applying to run the panel....

I dunno; what do you guys think of a How to make an RPG Panel?

~Allykat
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Offline RemSaverem

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Re: How to create an RPG Panel?
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2009, 11:39:37 am »
I think it would be fascinating, & there could be either separate sessions based on whether online, tabletop, or LARP, or a panelist representing each.
Ellen. 2003: Fanfic panelist & contest judge.
2004: Beta Station Coord. 2005: Fan Creation Station Coord.;pre-event assistant to the con chair.2006: Fanfic Mgr/C.S. Coord.
2007, 8, 9, 10: Fan Creation Manager. 2011: Writing & Editing Coord (Publicity).

Offline TomtheFanboy

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Re: How to create an RPG Panel?
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2009, 06:52:50 pm »
So you want a panel that is about making a new RPG? Like writing the base book and rules?

Or a panel about running a game? Like being the gamemaster or storyteller for a group of players?
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Offline AllyKat

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Re: How to create an RPG Panel?
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2009, 11:10:17 pm »
well... I don't exactly know how to put it.

Basically, these 3 friends I have (A husband and wife and the husbands best friend) have created quite a few basic "systems"
for Tabletop roleplaying games. For instance, they have a RPG that is set up for campaigns based on superheroes and their
super powers. This is probably the simpliest of the systems they have created. It's incredibly easy to understand and pick up,
easy to "off the cuff" as they say and has little stress involved in the actual opperation.

This would I suppose be leaning towards a panel for people who want to create their own RPG system that works and is consistant
enough to play several times or multiple campaigns. And there RPGS don't go nearly as deep as things like D&D do. I'd use the term
casual RPer, but thats loose. It still involves a lot of time and skill and practice, but the basics can be in place quickly and then
it can be tailored to the GM for the rest.

Does that make sense? It's kinda like; "Have you ever said to yourself 'Gee, that RPG system and basic plot is sure keen but, golly
I'd love to have one of XXXXXX to play. I know! I'll make one myself! But how...?' and then lost the battle to feeling overwhelmed
by the depth that goes into making a working game? why not learn from people who have done it!"

That just seemed like a good idea to me. But maybe it doesn't make sense...

~Allykat
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2010 - Facilities Liaison
2011 - Director of Publicity
2012 - Director of Publicity
2013 - Facilities Liaison
2014 - Vice Chair

Offline TomtheFanboy

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Re: How to create an RPG Panel?
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2009, 09:26:36 am »
OK, so making an RPG system. That's pretty cool.
I've helped people with details and game balance but I've never created a core system. Never felt the need I suppose, I'm willing to jump through whatever hoops the developers ask.
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Offline Roddy Manic

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Re: How to create an RPG Panel?
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2009, 10:23:09 am »
I told the GoPlaypdx peoples about this, so they might be in here soon to give some input about this topic. ^^;

Offline christian

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Re: How to create an RPG Panel?
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2009, 07:27:51 pm »
Hi there,

This is a really big topic :)  I think a panel could get you started on the path, but it'll take more than a couple of hours to talk about everything that goes into making your own RPG.

There are a few basics, though.  The most important part is asking, "What's the game system going to add to our interaction?"  That is, I imagine my friends and I sitting around, playing our characters.  We can do this freeform (like I've done online for over a decade), with no system, and that works okay.  We just say what we do, the other people say how their characters react, and so on.  So what is it that a system is going to bring to the table?  Because the mechanics you add do just one thing: they change that social interaction with your friends.  They bring certain structures to the stories you're going to tell.

Old school RPG mechanics often do one of two things here: they either give you something to master and to use against challenges, or they try to create some kind of probabilistic model to represent "what would really happen." Many more modern mechanics do other stuff: they provide pacing, they give you a story structure, they provide inspiration, they put players in a position to make hard choices...

So you shouldn't feel bound by the old traditions or even video game standards.  An RPG doesn't need attributes, skills, spell lists, damage tables, and all that stuff.  It can work in completely different ways.  But!  It's possible that your RPG will benefit from one or more of those things.  So you just need to figure out what adding something does and how it interacts with your other rules.  Don't do something because you think it's the way to do things; do something because you have a very good answer to the "why".

I've created a couple of system from scratch. These range from one-pagers to my current project, Anima Prime, which is basically my ode to Final Fantasy, mostly VII and X (it's Creative Commons licensed, so the whole text is available on the site).  The idea is to play FF cut scenes, basically, but none of the grind.  So all scenes are either character interaction, or they're the kind of fights where the characters lock swords in mid-air, do battle on top of moving trains, or something similarly dramatic.  There is no "roll to see if you can jump far enough" -- of course you can!  You're Tidus or Cloud or Tifa or Khimari, you don't fail at basic tasks.  You're always awesome.  The question is, since your opponents are awesome too, who comes out on top?  Then there are some rules for making sure you can do all the cool things from those cut scenes, like summoning creatures to help you fight or doing some major power move.  But also, there are little rules that make sure that your personality shines through and that the character cut scenes actually matter; if you have an unrequited love, and you played that out in a scene, then you can bring that up again in a fight later and get some bonus for that.

I would suggest checking out some simple systems first, to see what they add.  Some examples are Lady Blackbird, Ghost/Echo, and Geiger Counter.  Pay attention to how Ghost/Echo doesn't have any stats for characters but lets the players make tough choices after most rolls... and how Geiger Counter invokes horror movies by ramping up the opposition over time and giving characters more dice against it if they've watched a fellow character die.

Again, if you want to create your own RPG, don't start by taking existing rules and thinking "This is what an RPG is."  Start from "just freely playing my character with my friends" and see what you want to add to that.  Looking at other modern RPGs might give you a bunch more tools that you can use for this stuff.

If anyone wants to create a panel for this, by the way, I'd be happy to sit on it :)
- Christian Griffen

Offline dshwshr55

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Re: How to create an RPG Panel?
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2009, 08:38:20 pm »
Playing a lot of different kinds of tabletop RPGs helps TREMENDOUSLY when creating a dice-based system. There are reasons why (in the case you're asking about, I believe) they actually USE dice. Rolemaster, Shadowrun, D&D, 5 Rings, World of Darkness, Star Wars, BESM, DBZ ... these are "references" for what you want to do. The more you play, you see immediately that a d20 is NOT the standard for RPGs. For example, my original TTRPG, Ruins of Mirage, is based on a d% (d100) system. Experience points are used only for increasing skills end-session. Leveling up occurs in-game by the GM when he think it's appropriate. The level up process adds basic stuff like HP to your character in less than 10 seconds, so it doesn't slow down the pacing.

After getting familiar with various systems, you have to consider basic questions:
WHAT makes your game different from others; e.i. basic die system, stats (it doesn't even have to be biased toward a certain die)?
WHY are the stats relevant?
WHEN will players see progression in their characters? Are the changes in stats significant, in other words.
WHERE will players need to apply their skills? Do they have to roll often?
HOW will it affect the game pacing?

It's very true that you don't even need dice, or even character sheets to play a game, but from the topic and your post, I'm assuming you want a working die system. It's only limited by your creativity. You could take all those systems and flip them upside down. However, it's not an overnight thing. It took me 2 years and TONS of time beta testing with friends to get it how I wanted. That might seem like a long time, but think of it as something completely original to you and something that MAY even get published and put alongside other RPGs in book stores. That means you can't lower your standards to "good enough that it works".
That's my thought about it anyways.

I can't tell you there's a place to start, though. Like AllyKat said, you could be making something new because you want to use another die more often, you want a different setting, you have different races, classes, and/or skills in mind that you think might be cool, but can't use in current games, you want something simpler to understand, you want something with/without miniatures .......
These might be the places you start creating and a system grows around your idea of improvement. But always keep in mind those simple questions. And the most important, of course:
WHO will want to play it?