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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 9176668" data-attributes="member: 467">NOTE: I am talking about single volume complete RPGs here.I was reading through Night's Black Agents while thinking about an espionage game, and something struck me: the usual Organizational structure of single volume RPGs where character creation is one of the first, if not the first system presented feels off to me. While i think it is okay to give an overview of what Character Generation looks like, with an emphasis and kinds of characters in the game presented, I think Character Generation should come much later. I would organize a single volume RPG rulebook like this:Intro: What is roleplaying Etc.This Game: The genre and expectations of the game you have in your hand.The World: if this game has a built in setting, it goes here.Game Rules: The core mechanics and common systems of the game, including combat and out of combat systems.Players and Characters: A discussion of the role of players and the roles of characters, and all the associated expectations for this particular game.Character Generation: Here's where the usual CharGen stuff goes, inlcuding sections on attributes, skills, traits, feats, edges, aspects, etc... whatever makes up a character ona character sheet.The GM and GMing: Like the previous section for players, but the GM stuff. How to create a campaign and adventures are in this section.GM Rules: If there are special siloed GM rules separate from the previous game rules, they go here.Setting Secretes; If this game has a setting and that setting has secrets that only the GM is supposed to know, that goes here.Adversaries: if the monsters, enemies or whatever need dedicated statblocks and descriptions, they go here.Appendix: Gear and crap the PCs needNote that a game with super powers, or magic, or mecha or whatever would put that info in the appropriate Player and GM facing chapter. Long lists of tools, gear, spells, and that kind of thing would go in another appendix.Finally, there would be collected tables and other useful but very concise distillations of rules and important play concepts, as well as whatever character/vehicle/pocketmonster record sheets you need, and AN INDEX.Anyway, that is how I would do it. probably. But no matter what, I would not put the character generation process before the game and how it is played is fully detailed. How would you (or have you!) organized a single volume RPG rulebook?PS: Also lots of detailed examples and peeks under the hood throughout. NBA definitely does this bit well.</blockquote>

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