Is it possible for one person to create their own table top game, setting and all?
- Thread starter Slit518
- Start date
Not my games, obviously, but here are 4 links I thought of straight away:
* Dogs in the Vineyard
* In a Wicked Age
* Apocalypse World (the 1st ed is sole-authored)
* Poisn'd
You might quibble over whether that last one involves setting creation.
I've had good experiences with Cthulhu Dark, although it's BYO setting and views about the Mythos.
Wow, there's lot of self back patting going on here. No offense to anyone in particular.
We're all veterans here for the most part, at least the regular posters, and we all think we're game design dudes (and some of us/them are). Just like most keen readers think they could wrote a great book (hah). So yeah, of course it's possible, but that doesn't mean you should do it. Game design is a lot goddamn harder than it looks, and building a system from the ground up isn't a game for newbs, or even not newbs mostly. You're much better off taking a game you know and hacking it to do exactly what you want, whether that's 5E, or Fate, or whatever. Just like, say, learning to draw, you should start by copying what you love and changing it a little, and work yourself up to complete creation. Baby steps to start, that's what I'm saying. Also, if you want to run a game anytime soon, maybe just start with a hack and see how it goes,
We're all veterans here for the most part, at least the regular posters, and we all think we're game design dudes (and some of us/them are). Just like most keen readers think they could wrote a great book (hah). So yeah, of course it's possible, but that doesn't mean you should do it. Game design is a lot goddamn harder than it looks, and building a system from the ground up isn't a game for newbs, or even not newbs mostly. You're much better off taking a game you know and hacking it to do exactly what you want, whether that's 5E, or Fate, or whatever. Just like, say, learning to draw, you should start by copying what you love and changing it a little, and work yourself up to complete creation. Baby steps to start, that's what I'm saying. Also, if you want to run a game anytime soon, maybe just start with a hack and see how it goes,I don't see the word "should" in the thread title or the OP.
But frankly, if you're Vincent Baker or Luke Crane or Robin Laws then the answer to the should question is the same as the possible question: yes, you should do it, right now without wasting any time. You have a moral duty to the RPG community!
I'm not sure why this is important. Should is a cogent companion to can, and my post follows quite logically and thematically from the OP. Plus walk before you run is pretty solid advice for any endeavor.
Yeah, I feel the pressure of their dread gaze even now. I'm writing some rules on my pyjama leg right now just to relieve the anxiety.
Scott Christian
Hero
A lot depends on how original the game is.
(Sorry, but I'm going to be a back patter.) I've worked on my game for ten years. The game I have now is so incredibly different than the one I started with. A few core (and imaginative) designs remain, but as a whole, it is completely different. I've playtested for years with two different groups, and probably run over 70 convention games. The feedback was vital. Without it, there is no way the game would be as good. But, that's just the start....
Now, a designer needs to think of marketing. What sells, what doesn't? How does their game sell? Are there pieces, more than one PDF, books, etc.? Who can produce the product? How is the product going to be layed out; is everything in one giant book or are there several?
Then, if you're creating your own world, it needs to be understood by any and all who read it. This includes the adventures too. A monumental task, just as difficult as creating a logical and cohesive game design. I mean, all of us can create a city and run an adventure on probably three pages of material. But, if you're creating an RPG, others need to be able to do that with your three pages - hence, your three pages turns into fifty.
Also, art work, page layout, ugghhh EnDesign! For those not skilled, this is hundreds of hours of labor right here.
So, can someone do it. Yes. How long will it take? That depends on the depth of the game. If you want it to look and play anything like a "good modern RPG" then expect to put years into the creation process. (Which, by the way, is a complete blast! Wouldn't trade that time for anything.)
(Sorry, but I'm going to be a back patter.) I've worked on my game for ten years. The game I have now is so incredibly different than the one I started with. A few core (and imaginative) designs remain, but as a whole, it is completely different. I've playtested for years with two different groups, and probably run over 70 convention games. The feedback was vital. Without it, there is no way the game would be as good. But, that's just the start....
Now, a designer needs to think of marketing. What sells, what doesn't? How does their game sell? Are there pieces, more than one PDF, books, etc.? Who can produce the product? How is the product going to be layed out; is everything in one giant book or are there several?
Then, if you're creating your own world, it needs to be understood by any and all who read it. This includes the adventures too. A monumental task, just as difficult as creating a logical and cohesive game design. I mean, all of us can create a city and run an adventure on probably three pages of material. But, if you're creating an RPG, others need to be able to do that with your three pages - hence, your three pages turns into fifty.
Also, art work, page layout, ugghhh EnDesign! For those not skilled, this is hundreds of hours of labor right here.
So, can someone do it. Yes. How long will it take? That depends on the depth of the game. If you want it to look and play anything like a "good modern RPG" then expect to put years into the creation process. (Which, by the way, is a complete blast! Wouldn't trade that time for anything.)
Scott Christian
Hero
Post reading, I feel this needs clarification. For every new design you place into a game, there are trickle effects that may influence the game in unintended ways. Therefore, how original (meaning, how many rules and new concepts) you place into the game will dictate the amount of time needed playtesting and figuring out the positive and negative effects of those rules.
Stormonu
NeoGrognard
This world is one of mine - it is system agnostic, for sale on RPGdrivethru
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/155664/Crimson-Empire-Campaign-Guide?src=newest
And my own game system
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/63133/54--Fantasy?manufacturers_id=2133
Scott Christian
Hero
Here are a few of mine. None are the game I mentioned. That is still a work in progress (writing the rulebook for the third time 
, has hundreds of cards (all complete but constantly being tweaked), and a campaign book (done, but needs formatting).
Heirloom Items: PDF sheet of different weapons that auto-fills with descriptive pieces. For example, the sword's hilt might have a magical goldfish swimming inside, the blade might have blue runes that shift with the tide, etc. There is a video that shows how it works. Also, there is a rulebook on how to implement the heirloom items (they grow with the character). Also, there are 8 premade heirloom items with a history and descriptive text blocks that allow the GM to explain how the new power in the weapon came to the character.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/260301/Heirloom-Items
Then two adventures:
The Apothecary's Mire - Fun first level D&D 5E adventure that has the players explore what happens when an apothecary's wagon full of potions falls into the spring that is the water source for a swamp and nearby town.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/259042/The-Apothecarys-Mire
The Maiden's Voyage - Adventurers on a haunted ship, in a storm (and then the doldrums), with an mysterious chained sarcophagus below in the cargo hold... what could go wrong? Mystery/Suspense style game with some clever skill challenges and unique environmental combat.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/259627/The-Maidens-Voyage
Thanks for looking.
, has hundreds of cards (all complete but constantly being tweaked), and a campaign book (done, but needs formatting). Heirloom Items: PDF sheet of different weapons that auto-fills with descriptive pieces. For example, the sword's hilt might have a magical goldfish swimming inside, the blade might have blue runes that shift with the tide, etc. There is a video that shows how it works. Also, there is a rulebook on how to implement the heirloom items (they grow with the character). Also, there are 8 premade heirloom items with a history and descriptive text blocks that allow the GM to explain how the new power in the weapon came to the character.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/260301/Heirloom-Items
Then two adventures:
The Apothecary's Mire - Fun first level D&D 5E adventure that has the players explore what happens when an apothecary's wagon full of potions falls into the spring that is the water source for a swamp and nearby town.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/259042/The-Apothecarys-Mire
The Maiden's Voyage - Adventurers on a haunted ship, in a storm (and then the doldrums), with an mysterious chained sarcophagus below in the cargo hold... what could go wrong? Mystery/Suspense style game with some clever skill challenges and unique environmental combat.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/259627/The-Maidens-Voyage
Thanks for looking.
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