Is it possible for one person to create their own table top game, setting and all?

Man in the Funny Hat

Hero

• Jun 27, 2019

• #11

I've done it with every campaign I've run as DM. Even if I used published rules and published settings as the basis for those games, the FINAL rules, the FINAL setting has always been MY creation, modified only by the interaction with the PC's.

 

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P

pemerton

Legend

• Jun 27, 2019

• #12

Slit518 said:

What did Barker create?

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Empire of the Petal Throne. The system is highly derivative of, but certainly not identical to, early D&D.

 

M

Michele

Villager

• Jun 27, 2019

• #13

Yes, of course. Why not? The point would be whether the thing would be appreciated by others. But assuming he has a gaming group willing to playtest, he could come up with his own system and setting, and verify, at least with a small group of probably like-minded players, whether it works.

 

Morrus

Well, that was fun

Staff member

• Jun 27, 2019

• #14

There are plenty of one-person game publishers out there.

 

Umbran

Mod Squad

Staff member

Supporter

• Jun 27, 2019

• #15

ParanoydStyle said:

This is a stupid question.

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And, this is a really rude answer.

 

Blue

Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal

• Jun 27, 2019

• #16

Slit518 said:

Is it possible for one person to create their own table top game, setting and all?

What do you think?

Discuss!

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Define "create".

If you mean make a system and setting and run it, absolutely. I did it when I was younger.

If you mean make and publish a professional system, worrying about layout, editing, artwork, marketing, publishing, and the like - well, the answer is still probably yes - there are a lot of self-published games out there. But really, that's a lot of different skills and it's probably a better result to have a lot of people.

As a side note, I'm assuming playtesting, as long as it's run by that author, counts as "one person".

 

ParanoydStyle

Peace Among Worlds

• Jun 27, 2019

• #17

Umbran said:

And, this is a really rude answer.

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Guilty.

Sorry Slit518. I must have been feeling salty about something unrelated, I guess. I mean it is a dumb question but, dumb questions don't generally hurt anyone.

But yeah, not to overstate the point but yes, obviously it is very much possible. Arguably, Gary Gygax did it (with a little help from his friends) with the ORIGINAL D&D and it is the model for how one MAKES rpgs.

Edit: It is not, however, particularly easy. At least if you want it to be good which you should. I made at least a dozen crappy games grinding to get good at game design and that probably includes one or two of the ones I have currently in publication.

 

Last edited: Jun 27, 2019

Xaelvaen

Stuck in the 90s

• Jun 27, 2019

• #18

Yes*

So, I feel a single person can do all the leg work to do all these things, and even publish it. The asterisk refers to the comparative success of these endeavors. Will your single-person-created work ever be on the tongue of every RPG player everywhere like D&D or Pathfinder? That's questionable. Should the raving success level comparison matter? Not one bit. I hope every creator out there endeavors to break that very boundary.

 

Slit518

Adventurer

• Jun 27, 2019

• #19

For everyone who has published their own -- link it here.

Share your creations with the world, and myself.

 

aramis erak

Legend

• Jun 28, 2019

• #20

Yes, it's doable. I've done it. Doesn't mean it was done well...

Playtesting it literally can't be done alone meaningfully. Even the designer running it for players isn't a terribly meaningful playtest.

The best in house playtest is to hand the rules to someone else, and have them run for the designer...

But then you need to hand it to people outside that, too.