Poll: I'm creating my own RPG project and i need some advice.

[RetardedKitty]

At the beginning small disclaimer.
As I well know I can't advertise my work here on The Escapist Forums so for purpose of seeking aid I wont be mentioning the name or anything that it actually contains in too big depth.

So maybe I would start with the fact that I was introduced to the pen and paper kind of RPG from when I was twelve and from the first time I fell in love with it. From playing as a player in my brothers group to creating my own and becoming the Game Master/Dungeon Master. Long story short 5 years ago me and my team started working on our own RPG world and after that being left alone for the last 2 years I?m trying to create my own original fantasy world. Till now I was able to create the world worth more than 40000 words, with basic and more complicated game rules, character creation, class options, specializations, attributes, spells and lore included.
Lately I stumbled on a problem in witch I actually realized that...
I don't know what is the main point of playing in this world.
I mean let's look on other RPG systems that I know and why I personally liked them.
Warhammer Fantasy ? First RPG system I ever meet with, introduced a old dark decaying word in witch it was known that humanity will fail in the fight with forces of evil it was more of a matter of time.
Legend of Five Rings ? Interesting idea of shaping feudal Japan in to a fantasy world, introducing politics and feeling of honor (not mentioning women samurai)
Neuroshima ? Again old decaying world but this time in post apocalyptic theme like Fallout games, where you struggle for survival whole time dying of sickens, radiation, and fighting against Moloch (what is this kind of sky net).
Dungeons & Dragons ? I didn't play this ever but from games and descriptions it has a very heroic straightforward feeling about it self, 'you are a hero' and that's all you need to know.

And dozens of others that I didn't see before in my entire life and probably have something that draws people in to it.
I always believed that the part that draws players in to the RPG world is the background and the feeling of the world. But now when I'm creating my own I realize that there has to be some more to it, more of a 'what it is about ?'.
Is it about saving the world ?
Is it about trying to survive ?
Is it about solving the case ?
Is it about protecting family honor ?

Honestly i'm in a pickle right now... my RPG system contains all of it but it more depends on GM him self than the system. And here I need some advice... I know I didn't get a lot of info but I can't.
I just need some discussion, someone who will accidentally light my fuse and make me move or maybe revamp what I already did in my project.

Any Kind of advice or help will be more than welcome.

 

[Battleaxx90]

Whatever you do, try not to do Dark and Gloomy. In my opinion, Dark and Gloomy is just a way to make the game "mature" so that they can market to the "mature" (read: immature) people who like this stuff. To quote Yatzhee: "Fantasy's always gotta be dark these days, doesn't it? It seems that for every dragon and wizard you put into your intellectual property, you have to have at least one scene of somebody being beaten to death with their own infant''.

I propose an idea: Write your story in a way that makes the players take a step back from the fantasy tropes they've taken for granted, take a good look at them and go "HOLY CRAP THIS $#!% IS AMAZING!". If you think about it, fantasy is all about the amazing; Knights can not only possess the stones to stare a dragon in the eyes, but the ability to cleave them in half without a second thought. Also, there are people in these settings who understand the world's workings so thoroughly that the can bend the elements to their will. IMO, we've been desensetized to this amazingness in the last few years and we need to fix that. YOU need to fix that. We ALL need to fix that.

I don't know how you'd do that, but hey, I'm not writing the story here. Good luck and have fun!

 

[BlazedWithPower]

Combine two of more the the subjects mentioned in the poll. I like to fight for survival but maybe you're fighting for the survival of the whole world in a dark and gloomy setting. Cloak and dagger can fit into almost any type of RPG.

 

[Darknacht]

Why can't it be all of them?

 

[RetardedKitty]

I mean, yes I know I can connect all of the options above together and when I lead campaigns sometimes I do so. To be honest from my own experience no matter how well the writers and creators will introduce people to the world of their system. Players and Game masters will always do what they want with it and it's not always the same way as it was truly intended (My bro campaign was about killing C'thulu when they ware playing Lovecraft RPG system). But every system has to have something that advertise it. As I mentioned above one system has the dark world, other one has the politics and plots, something that shows 'there maybe better RPG systems but they don't have this HAT... I mean thing' I think people get the idea.

I Also have to disagree on the fact that for me personally there is too many stereotypes about 'one man saving the world' in any kind of media from books trough movies to games. (Master Cheef, Sheppard, Hawke, Duke Nukem, Geralt, most movies with Vandam etc.) And for me getting back to saving your own family slash shop slash reputation slash finding out about a conspiracy that would give profit to wrong people, is very refreshing.

The RPG system I?m creating is not actually dark and gloomy but it has it's bad creepy side and is very harsh for the players. Let's say that one very good strike with a long sword that will hit you can deal a lot of damage can give you severe penalties and make you bleed, technically without any help you can die and bleed to death, but so can the enemy. My players at beginning didn't like this but I still tried to convince them, and they point of view as heroes changed. They stopped rushing like 'oh enemies let's kill them' they started thinking if it;s worth it. They were thinking twice before stooping a bunch of mercenaries from beating up a townsfolk, at least wait till the time that guards from the city watch would came to help.
But at the same time each moment when they had to do something crazy and they succeed in it (like umping from a cliff to a cliff, or throwing a knife and hitting a guy in a throat, felt a lot lot lot more rewarding for them because it wasn't' this flashy candy hero fantasy that everything always working out.
Some of them died, some of them barely survived and some of them remembered the story when they were strangled in middle of the swamps without a map probably 4 days from the closest village with supplies for one more day and a teammate who had a mental issue that he liked human flesh and had to roll for his senses every time he was starving.

And yes, yes I agree I think if I would write a story of how I actually see the world and the situation it would be easier to show it to others... and maybe some art but that?s sadly not in my abilities ;p

 

[thathaloguy117]

No dark and gloominess, if anything make it about saving the world! You should make it funny, not extreme dark humor (unless you really like extreme dark humor) Have the kind of humor like Monty Python or Mel Brooks would have. You should make your character think he/she is above everybody else and thinks he/she is entitled to something. The character should be kind of a douche bag, but a lovable one nonetheless. You should focus on the story and Fun aspects the most and do all the rest second unless they add to the appeal to the story and fun aspects of the game. Most of all don't limit yourself to one certain idea you have right now because new and better ideas will always come up in the middle of creating your game.

 

[Michael K]

Instead of focusing your world on what you want it to be, why not try to determine what your players (and their characters) want to do in it?

 

[Princess Rose]

'what it is about ?'.
Is it about saving the world ?
Is it about trying to survive ?
Is it about solving the case ?
Is it about protecting family honor ?

Any Kind of advice or help will be more than welcome.

You know the old saying "write what you know?" It actually means "write what you love" (or "write what you love to read").

What I love (and what other members of the Escapist community love) might not be what you love. Personally, I love high adventure and solving mysteries, but that only reflects the sort of RPG system I should be designing.

Think about a game system that would be more fun than any you've ever played. What would it be like? Would it be a better 40K? Would it be something else? Whatever it ends up being - that's your answer.

 

[Richardplex]

I think it doesn't matter. I think "Immersive and deep story" is by far the most important. CHoose any of the choices and apply this, and it would be good.

 

[RetardedKitty]

Thanks everyone for any kind of help and advice you gave. Ofcourse i'm not asking 'what do you guys like so I could do it' Ofcourse I will try to stay with my own ideas and make the world in my own view. And I think I have to correct my self about Dark and Gloomy world as I don't want it to be actually 'everyone is miserable' world. I was searching more for a word 'harsh' environment where things can go wrong, but that doesn't mean that there is no happy place still on the world. As I said, I made this point so people could help me by just talking and mentioning their ideas, the problem with my RPG system is that as i'm publishing it online I have very small amount of viewers because every place wherever I want to ask opinion about it says 'it's advertisement sho! Sho! i say' Every friend that once worked with me on the system left me few years ago saying they don?t have time for it, and other friends who check it from time to time are just doing it out of curiosity without any potential feedback. Well then thanks everybody for your ideas and advice I will get everything under consideration, especially the part to write the story in the world to give people idea how it looks like. Maybe one day I will even publish it (that's the small dream)

 

[Michael K]

I've been trying to write content for a dnd game myself and a few friends, to take some pressure off our DM. I found it better to just describe the world around them and what's happening (farmers talking, blacksmith running out of materials) and let the player decide where to go and what to do.

Offcourse, it helps that our DM is sharp enough and inventive enough to just go with the basic handholds i'm providing.