Have you (and to what extent) designed your own RPG?
- Thread starter Mercurius
- Start date
Completed and Unpublished
Sci-fi tactical movement with RP based leveling for the story fans - the basic premise is that earth is under the heels of an alien race. The remnants of human society are nomadic drifters and seek to retake earth from the alien race holding it. Trouble is, the aliens are now long term residents with over a thousand years of history on Earth. And, the alien government that is at fault for the invasion no longer exists. So, the aliens seek to establish peaceful relations with the humans. The large body of humans are not eager for that results and want the aliens off their planet.
The resulting war is leaving the earth a waste land as the human ships jump into the system and pound the alien defenses with mass drivers, hyperspace weapons, and Rods ( large spaceships sized metal rods that earth ships drop into the lower atmosphere and act as kinetic weapons ). The aliens are currently holding the worst of it off.
I made most of tactical rules prior to the thought of the OGL. But, I am most likely going to shift over to the OGL and use tactical rules from one of the books I have on my shelves for speed of play. I will most likely move to OpenD6 for stats.
So, I could say that my system is unfinished, but version one is done with lots of room for improvement. The evolution of the ship combat systems in the modern RPGs leave me with a huge desire to improve my own system.
Sci-fi tactical movement with RP based leveling for the story fans - the basic premise is that earth is under the heels of an alien race. The remnants of human society are nomadic drifters and seek to retake earth from the alien race holding it. Trouble is, the aliens are now long term residents with over a thousand years of history on Earth. And, the alien government that is at fault for the invasion no longer exists. So, the aliens seek to establish peaceful relations with the humans. The large body of humans are not eager for that results and want the aliens off their planet.
The resulting war is leaving the earth a waste land as the human ships jump into the system and pound the alien defenses with mass drivers, hyperspace weapons, and Rods ( large spaceships sized metal rods that earth ships drop into the lower atmosphere and act as kinetic weapons ). The aliens are currently holding the worst of it off.
I made most of tactical rules prior to the thought of the OGL. But, I am most likely going to shift over to the OGL and use tactical rules from one of the books I have on my shelves for speed of play. I will most likely move to OpenD6 for stats.
So, I could say that my system is unfinished, but version one is done with lots of room for improvement. The evolution of the ship combat systems in the modern RPGs leave me with a huge desire to improve my own system.
RangerWickett
Legend
I designed and got published a lot of 'rules add-ons' for 3e, like new magic systems or a skin that turned D&D into superheroes (this was before Mutants & Masterminds showed up). And I was commissioned to write a variant classless point-buy style d20 game, which had some odd mechanics that I was proud of, and I actually managed to steal some of WotC's ideas for 4e before it even came out.
It didn't use battle maps, so the combat rules basically assumed anyone could attack anyone who was in the same 'stage.' A stage was an area about 30 ft. across. A given fight might have multiple stages -- like different rooms of a dungeon, or different areas in a forest. If you wanted to keep your distance, every stage was part of a larger 'arena' (about 150 ft. wide), and multiple arenas could all fit within the overall 'theater' (about 800 ft. wide).
The part I liked best was that the players had some narrative options, in that they could say, "I'm going to spend two move actions to leave this stage and move to another one, which is X." So the PCs could move the battle to locations that favored them, and there were a few easy-to-run stats that defined these sorts of locations.
Oh, and I sort of had 'marking.' Normally there were no opportunity attacks, but you could 'engage' someone, which let you make OAs on a single person, and let you pursue them easily if they run away.
Of late, I've also been dabbling with a sci-fi reworking of 4e, which I used for a one-shot last week. The players all loved the combat system.
It didn't use battle maps, so the combat rules basically assumed anyone could attack anyone who was in the same 'stage.' A stage was an area about 30 ft. across. A given fight might have multiple stages -- like different rooms of a dungeon, or different areas in a forest. If you wanted to keep your distance, every stage was part of a larger 'arena' (about 150 ft. wide), and multiple arenas could all fit within the overall 'theater' (about 800 ft. wide).
The part I liked best was that the players had some narrative options, in that they could say, "I'm going to spend two move actions to leave this stage and move to another one, which is X." So the PCs could move the battle to locations that favored them, and there were a few easy-to-run stats that defined these sorts of locations.
Oh, and I sort of had 'marking.' Normally there were no opportunity attacks, but you could 'engage' someone, which let you make OAs on a single person, and let you pursue them easily if they run away.
Of late, I've also been dabbling with a sci-fi reworking of 4e, which I used for a one-shot last week. The players all loved the combat system.
Wik
First Post
Um, a while back, we set up a "design your own RPG" contest, with a timeline of one month and a few other restrictions. I put one forward called "The Awakening", about a post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest with psychic powers and whatnot.
The Awakening RPG PDF
Anyways, it was a fun little project, with everyone helping out everyone else's ideas and working within a framework of certain core "rules" (the theme was, I believe, "magic", with sub themes of "ruined cities" and a couple others I cant' recall off the top of my head).
Actually, I wouldn't mind doing something like that again. It was a lot of fun.
My game was based around the idea that levelling up characters is kind of boring, and is often about what is most powerful or tactically wise for your character, as opposed to any sort of organic PC growth. So, in my game, you didn't level up outside of play - you levelled up during play, by using your skills. If you didn't use first aid, it didn't improve. And, as skills levelled, they activated character bonuses (like "feats", I guess). There were a lot of problems, but I don't think anyone ever released a "full" RPG - and besides, are any RPGs ever really "complete"?
Still, it was a fun process, and I recommend everyone give it a try at least once.
The Awakening RPG PDF
Anyways, it was a fun little project, with everyone helping out everyone else's ideas and working within a framework of certain core "rules" (the theme was, I believe, "magic", with sub themes of "ruined cities" and a couple others I cant' recall off the top of my head).
Actually, I wouldn't mind doing something like that again. It was a lot of fun.
My game was based around the idea that levelling up characters is kind of boring, and is often about what is most powerful or tactically wise for your character, as opposed to any sort of organic PC growth. So, in my game, you didn't level up outside of play - you levelled up during play, by using your skills. If you didn't use first aid, it didn't improve. And, as skills levelled, they activated character bonuses (like "feats", I guess). There were a lot of problems, but I don't think anyone ever released a "full" RPG - and besides, are any RPGs ever really "complete"?
Still, it was a fun process, and I recommend everyone give it a try at least once.
Jack7
First Post
Six of them over a period of 20 to 25 years. Never even thought of publishing one, they were all for my group, players, or my own personal enjoyment, until the project Wik mentioned (which I also enjoyed). So I've been slowly putting a couple into an acceptable publication format.
But with my current workload and projects inviolving both non-fiction and fiction which are going to publishers, I couldn't say how long getting an RPG whipped into a professional formating structure would take, or how much time I'd want to devote to something like that right now. It would be well down on my list of important projects. One thing I definitely know, I'd wanna undertake an entirely different arrangement structure than is typical with most RPG books (i.e. the manual format) if I did do one. I'm not much impressed by the standard industry formatting and layout design of most RPG books. The "manual format" to me makes the games far less like role play games and far more like technical briefings. And many times not very good ones at that. So I'd steer clear of that.
I've experimented with possible layout structures that range from real (or typical) book layouts, to forms I've invented that are crosses between illuminated manuscripts and new media forms. But I haven't really fixed on anything definite yet. And like I said that could be a very long time away with my other work.
Now I have written and published training simulations which involved role play, but that was always for specific clients and involved tightly controlled circulation venues. Sometimes for security purposes, sometimes because my clients wanted that material to remain entirely proprietary. So I've published simulation-rpg works, but nothing like for mass markets.
Anywho, another day, another dollar, meetings, and other such crap, and I'm pretty much wiped out.
But with my current workload and projects inviolving both non-fiction and fiction which are going to publishers, I couldn't say how long getting an RPG whipped into a professional formating structure would take, or how much time I'd want to devote to something like that right now. It would be well down on my list of important projects. One thing I definitely know, I'd wanna undertake an entirely different arrangement structure than is typical with most RPG books (i.e. the manual format) if I did do one. I'm not much impressed by the standard industry formatting and layout design of most RPG books. The "manual format" to me makes the games far less like role play games and far more like technical briefings. And many times not very good ones at that. So I'd steer clear of that.
I've experimented with possible layout structures that range from real (or typical) book layouts, to forms I've invented that are crosses between illuminated manuscripts and new media forms. But I haven't really fixed on anything definite yet. And like I said that could be a very long time away with my other work.
Now I have written and published training simulations which involved role play, but that was always for specific clients and involved tightly controlled circulation venues. Sometimes for security purposes, sometimes because my clients wanted that material to remain entirely proprietary. So I've published simulation-rpg works, but nothing like for mass markets.
Anywho, another day, another dollar, meetings, and other such crap, and I'm pretty much wiped out.
kenmarable
Hero
Back in the mid-80's when I was 12 or so, my friend and I made a G.I.Joe RPG (complete with recovering a boxed set with new artwork), but I don't think that really counts.
Personally, I think it's cool that people get into making new RPGs and all, but it has held zero interest for me. I love designing FOR games, and really have no interest whatsoever in designing the games themselves. For me the rules seem kinda irrelevant and as long as they basically do what I want, I just go with what people know and produce content (professionally or for my groups) to those rules.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the gearheads who love designing the underlying rules are around and improving games, because it can be noticeably felt at times. My eyes just kind of glaze over when people start talking game theory, and decision mechanics, and all that sort of stuff.
Personally, I think it's cool that people get into making new RPGs and all, but it has held zero interest for me. I love designing FOR games, and really have no interest whatsoever in designing the games themselves. For me the rules seem kinda irrelevant and as long as they basically do what I want, I just go with what people know and produce content (professionally or for my groups) to those rules.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the gearheads who love designing the underlying rules are around and improving games, because it can be noticeably felt at times. My eyes just kind of glaze over when people start talking game theory, and decision mechanics, and all that sort of stuff.
Wormwood
Adventurer
I voted "kind of", since I've been tinkering with a generic version of the Marvel Universe RPG (the one with the resource-management system that came and went a 5 or so years back---and either reviled or ignored by the gaming community).
My favorite gaming moments *ever* came from playing that game, and off and on I've been refining its core mechanics in hopes of making something useful.
My favorite gaming moments *ever* came from playing that game, and off and on I've been refining its core mechanics in hopes of making something useful.
delericho
Legend
Kind of.
I did a set of House Rules for 2nd Edition that were so extensive they were almost an entirely new game... and then never actually used them, because it was easier just to use the game as written.
I did a set of House Rules for Vampire: the Masquerade that also made a lot of changes, and which did actually see real play (in the end, I again concluded that using the RAW was just easier).
Since the advent of 3e, I've managed to avoid extensive House Rules to a very large extent. And this has applied to every game I have run, not just D&D.
However, for the past eighteen months or so (basically, ever since I concluded 4e wasn't for me), I have been giving some serious thought to doing my own 3e-alike game, taking in a lot of the 'best bits' (as defined by me) from BECM, 1st Ed, 2nd Ed, 3e, 4e, SWSE and Pathfinder. I had been waiting on Pathfinder, to see whether it could dethrone 3.5e as my "D&D of choice", but now I'm inclined to go ahead and put it together... if I can ever find the time.
I did a set of House Rules for 2nd Edition that were so extensive they were almost an entirely new game... and then never actually used them, because it was easier just to use the game as written.
I did a set of House Rules for Vampire: the Masquerade that also made a lot of changes, and which did actually see real play (in the end, I again concluded that using the RAW was just easier).
Since the advent of 3e, I've managed to avoid extensive House Rules to a very large extent. And this has applied to every game I have run, not just D&D.
However, for the past eighteen months or so (basically, ever since I concluded 4e wasn't for me), I have been giving some serious thought to doing my own 3e-alike game, taking in a lot of the 'best bits' (as defined by me) from BECM, 1st Ed, 2nd Ed, 3e, 4e, SWSE and Pathfinder. I had been waiting on Pathfinder, to see whether it could dethrone 3.5e as my "D&D of choice", but now I'm inclined to go ahead and put it together... if I can ever find the time.
After my first contact with AD&D 1e I designed my own rpg system. Basically it represented how I would have designed the game based on how the game was described to me (which the actual rules couldn't really deliver). I also created my own setting and had great fun with world-building.
Besides being a useful exercise that managed to get me interested in lots of different topics which actually helped to improve my school grades despite spending so much time creating it, it was good enough to serve as the basis for a 3 year-campaign before it was bogged down and fizzled because I was trying to add too much stuff (version 2.0 syndrome).
It had several nice features, like interesting combat options (not unlike those available in 3e) and lots of monsters that could only be defeated by using special tactics.
The mechanics were a bit too complicated and the races/classes weren't remotely balanced, though.
Several years after that I started creating two 'light-weight' rpg systems but they were never detailed enough to make it to actual playtesting. One of them was meant to be used as a basis for a computer game, the other for a storytelling style rpg.
Besides being a useful exercise that managed to get me interested in lots of different topics which actually helped to improve my school grades despite spending so much time creating it, it was good enough to serve as the basis for a 3 year-campaign before it was bogged down and fizzled because I was trying to add too much stuff (version 2.0 syndrome).
It had several nice features, like interesting combat options (not unlike those available in 3e) and lots of monsters that could only be defeated by using special tactics.
The mechanics were a bit too complicated and the races/classes weren't remotely balanced, though.
Several years after that I started creating two 'light-weight' rpg systems but they were never detailed enough to make it to actual playtesting. One of them was meant to be used as a basis for a computer game, the other for a storytelling style rpg.
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