RPG Crafting #6: Character Development

Okay, so how will characters advance in a simple, classless fantasy RPG that only uses one six sided die?

Well, some RPGs use a complex web of advancement that involves stat increases, skills, feats, class features, increased spell selection, and other increased abilities. This can happen either by "level" or by spending experience to improve specifics aspects of your character. To a new player, this can be a nightmare. Why make it so complex?

In our game, Sam and I put everything on equal footing - skills, spells, feats, etc. When you adventure for a "season," you gain additional abilities. Characters primarily adventure for three seasons a year. So in this way, time will pass, unlike a lot of RPGs (ever been in that game where you characters go from first to tenth level in a month in-game time? - I have even though it took a year in real time).

So going up a level will be easy. A season passes and you simply check the boxes for your new abilities. Done.

RPG Crafting #5 - Character Definition

For our simple fantasy RPG for beginners, Sam and I wanted to stay away from most of the conventions of a traditional RPG. In most RPGs you define yourself by your class, "I'm a fighter," "I'm a wizard." Once you've selected a class, you are then restricted in what you're able to do. A rogue can backstab and move silently while a druid can commune with nature. What ends up happening is rogues all end up being very similar to one another and the same for fighters, wizards, and clerics.

In the RPG we are creating, those artificial lines have been erased. Who is to say that a fighter wouldn't know a healing spell? Who's to say that a wizard wouldn't use a sword? In our game, the answer is - nobody. Any character can pursue any skill set so, for example, you could have a character that can cast a magical attack spell, move quietly, wear armor, and uses a bow. Such a jack-of-all trades character wouldn't have the mastery as a strongly focused character but it is possible. If you wished, you could select skills to build a traditional fighter or rogue or wizard or cleric. Or you can have a primary focus area but pick up one or two other abilities from what would be traditionally considered another class. A rogue that knows an invisibility spell? A fighter with Magic Missile? Look out!

But what about character advancement? I promised to address that issue in this post but I'll put that off until the next post... I promise!

RPG Crafting #4 - But What Dice?

In our rules-lite fantasy RPG for beginners, Sam and and I have decided to KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid.

But how do you do that with dice? Aren't dice the lifeblood of RPGs?

As a gamer, it's hard to mentally break away from all of the dice RPGs traditionally use. Percentile dice and the D20 system are so universal. Plus, it's a lot of fun to swing 20D10 in a World of Darkness game or Oz: Dark and Terrible.

Ultimately, we decided to go with the humble six sided die. Why? Well, because everybody's got them. Monopoly, Risk, Yahtzee, and, heck, even Mouse Trap all use a D6. The rest of the dice are specialty tools - 99% of people have never heard of a D12 and have no idea where to get one. So if we want our game to be for new players we're going to have to make sure they can readily get the equipment needed to play.

To make it even EASIER we're going with a SINGLE six-sider to resolve everything. As a function of game design this is a bit of a challenge. To succeed, the character must roll under a target number. That essentially limits an action's chances of success to the following results, depending on what the target number is -

0 - 0% (For example, the chances of someone who doesn't know any magic casting the "Invisibility" spell)
1 -  17%
2 -  33%
3 -  50%
4 -  67%
5 -  83%
6 - 100% (This would be an auto-success)

While you don't want characters to have automatic successes very frequently you certainly don't want them missing 67% of the time because they have to roll a 1 or 2 to hit. That would put most target numbers in areas the character is proficient in around the 3, 4, and 5 range.

But what about character advancement? How can this system show that a character can improve over time, especially since it is so limited in range? We'll explore those questions in the next installment in this series.

RPG Crafting #3 - The Rules Conundrum

Now that Sam and I had decided to create our own RPG game, we had determined that it was to be a traditiona swords-and-sorcery fantasy game created for people who have never played an RPG before. But what about rules? For sure, the rules needed to be simple and streamlined if they were going to be for players new to RPGs. But how?

The trick is to balance realism with ease-of-use

Take weapons, for example. What's the difference between a dagger, sword, and two handed sword in battle? Most RPGs have the weapons listed with different critical threat ranges, fumble results, damage results, strength requirements to use, and proficiency requirements. Not to mention special feats, combat tactics, and abilities. And that's just swords! How does a spear act differently than a sword in combat? What about a quarterstaff or a club? What about ranged weapons?

Some RPGs go for utter realism which is complex and involves a lot of charts and tables. Endless modifiers stack up for each and every combat move. It can become overwhelming quite quickly for someone new to RPGs. So we decided to use the KISS method - Keep It Simple, Stupid!

Take weapons, for example. All weapons and spell effects do a fixed amount of damage - either one or two points - so that means no damage roll! Characters will have to have a proficiency skill with the weapon they are using or will suffer a simple -1 penalty to hit. It'll be that easy! Combat should be swift and decisive!

RPG Crafting #2 - Genre?

Sam and I determined that we would try to write our own RPG. We've already established that we're going to try to make it accessible to anyone - especially those that have never played a RPG before.

But what genre should it be in? Sci-Fi futuristic? Gangster? Noir? Steampunk? Isn't the old fantasy swords-and-sorcery thing done to death?

Well, yes and no. Sure, Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder are the two big fantasy RPGs currently and there are plenty of other, secondary, fantasy RPGs such as Lone Wolf and Warhammer. But I think there's a reason for that. A generic fantasy world is easily understood. There's very little specialized knowledge necessary to exist in a magical world. Movies such as Conan and Lord of the Rings have popularized the concepts relevant to this genre of games.

For example, in a gangster game what does my character do? How does the mob function? It's much more difficult to conceptualize. Likewise, in a futuristic sci-fi game, understanding the concepts of the world are important. Star Trek, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Wars are all tell futuristic stories with space ships but are very different from one another.

I think it's easier for a game master to run a fantasy RPG than other games. Missions can be very simple - travel over there and kill that dragon. Characters are restricted in their options in a fantasy RPG while in a modern RPG characters are much more difficult to direct due to the proliferation of modern technologies. Sure, magic can sometimes be problematic. I guess we'll have to make sure it remains simple in our game.

Besides, there's just something epic about fantasy. So fantasy it is.

Epic, no?

RPG Crafting #1 - Who's the Target Audience?

So, my friend Sam and I got the bright idea to write our own roleplaying game. The first step was to determine our purpose and focus. After all, there are so many RPGs out there currently! Why do we need another one?

Who is our target audience? We thought that there were enough roleplaying games for roleplayers. Are there any really good RPGs for beginners? We wracked our brains to see if we could thing of an roleplaying game that anyone (and I mean ANYONE) could pick up and play. Sure, there are some simple RPGs such as Ug but 99% of the published RPGs are full of insider-jargon and are incredibly complex. That's understandable since RPG books are primarily rules, rules, and more rules. If a gaming company comes out with a new book it's more rules. That's how RPG companies make their money - by selling rules So we decided there was room in the market for a RPG targeting people who had never played an RPG before. Such as grandma (seriously!).

Potential roleplayer?