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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wik" data-source="post: 5039672" data-attributes="member: 40177">Day 2: What To IncludeA lot of people go overboard in their submissions, and promptly get overwhelmed.  Remember - it's better to work on a realistic project over something that is going to "revolutionize the hobby" that never gets released.  You don't have a huge number of pages to work with (50 pages at most), and you only have 31 days.  I think a good number to aim for is to write a page a day.  But that's just me.  So, what to include?MechanicsThis is an obvious one.  A set of game mechanics that cover whatever it is your game is about (ie, combat, exploration, kingdom ruling, or whatever else).  I should point out that I prefer simple, versatile mechanics (such as those from Savage Worlds or the d6 System) as opposed to "realistic" mechanics, though I'm not going to be super picky when I judge.  So long as they work, I'm happy.  But make sure your mechanics can at least do alright when covering situations not necessarily covered by the rules.Character RulesInclude info on how to create characters.  Make sure the character choices available to the player are broad enough to allow some player choice.  This doesn't mean that players should be able to create everything (they shouldn't), but should instead mean that each player can create a unique character that still contributes to the game.  For example, if you're creating a game based around the movie Aliens, every character is probably going to be a space marine.  If you make a game where only the "Space Marine" class is useful (and being "Lost Child" or "Company Bureaucrat" offers no real value to the group), that's no good.  But if you make a game where each PC is a space marine, but each PC has a differing skill set (he's good at explosives, she's fast on her feet, etc) then we're good to go.GM StuffSomething I realized near the end of my submission last year:  you're better off to write up, say, five or six monsters and then include rules for creating new critters.  As opposed to writing thirty or forty monsters (because, even if all 50 pages were dedicated to monsters, it still might not be enough for campaign play).  Ditto for magic items, cyberware, NPCs, or whatever else.  If you include ideas for the GMs to work with, I think you'll do alright.Setting InfoI don't necessarily mean "this is the world".  Instead, present what your game is about.  If it's about dungeon adventuring, make sure you present that in your game somehow.  Provide an idea of what PCs are expected to do in the game, to provide GMs a starting point.  On that note, it might be a good idea to include half a dozen adventure ideas, or maybe even a mini adventure or something.</blockquote>

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