Building RPG Games

Design a randomization system, or choose one that has already been built. When the characters in the game want to take actions or perform feats that have a chance of failing, the randomization system will let them know if they succeeded or not. Most game systems use dice, so a player will have to roll above a certain number to succeed, but you can use cards, a roulette wheel, or really any random thing with multiple quantifiable outcomes. You can also choose to forgo a randomization method and make the Game Master (GM) determine the success or failure of each action, although games using this system are only as strong as the GM.

Create a system of rules to determine how to play the game. While the randomization system tells you how to check for a successful action, the rules system tells the players which actions they can take. If there is magic or any unnatural forces in the RPG, the rules need to be spelled out. Along with these rules you need to develop a combat system. Decide how combat will start, how players will make moves in combat and how damage and death will be resolved.

Build a world to house the game. Many people might do this first, but it depends on a few factors. The less important you make the randomization and rules, the more important the game world will have to be, since the meat of the game will be in the story. The size and scope of the game world has no boundaries, it can be as large as the universe and as small as a house. Set a time period for the world and be sure to give at least a little detail to everything that makes this world different from your own.

Develop a set of character creation procedures. This will tie in with the randomization system, and if you are borrowing a dice system that has already been built, this will be part of that. The player will be given points, either randomly or a set amount, and will have to build his character with those points. These points will get turned into levels of attributes or skills, and these attributes and skills will determine the number the character will have to roll to succeed in an action. For game systems without a randomization system, the character creation should delve deeper into the history of the character, since the game will be about drama rather than action.

Find a group of players and playtest your game over and over again. You will never catch all the problems yourself, so you need a group of people to try to break the game by stretching the rules and finding loopholes in your design. While you want people to be having fun, these playtest sessions should focus on finding ways to get around the rules you set up. If you aren't present for the gaming sessions, have the players report their findings to you soon after the game is done. Use their feedback to add, remove and change things in the game to make it better.