How to Create RPGs

Who's in Charge Here?

• 1

  You are the one in charge of creating this game. Learn it now and save yourself some time. The land, world or universe you create is yours, from the rules of physics on up. You are not alone, but you are in charge, at least until your game is ready for some other game-master to run. There is something else you need to understand: you can do anything you can dream of, but you have to make it work. Wild imagination must be channeled into some basic structures in order to make a game that works and is enjoyable to play.

• 2

  It is a huge thing you wish to undertake, but you will have help: the players. In a role-playing game, while you give the structure to the game, your players will work with you to flesh out the world by playing the game. Your first consideration will be how your game is going to interact with the players and how they are going to interact with each other. How your game and its players interact is what defines what kind of RPG you are going to make.There are three primary types of role-playing game:1. Pen and paper2. Live-action3. ElectronicAre your players going to play around a table in a small group, with a game-master leading them? If so, then you are making a pen and paper game. If they are going to physically act out their adventures with minimal direction from game-masters, then it is a live action game, also called a L.A.R.P., for "Live action role-playing." Finally, if you are going to write up the world and automate the game mechanics through a computer or video game console you are making a video game. Each structure has its own ways of working, and its own considerations.

• 3

  What kind of game is it? Is it a high-fantasy epic complete with knights and kings? A science fiction world, gritty and post-apocalyptic? Or is it something completely new, something no one has thought of yet? Depending on the kind of game, the type of structure you chose may not suit the kind of game you want to make. Action-filled space opera looks great on a screen, but doesn't work as well in the live action format.

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  Depending on the structure and the kind of game you are making, you will need certain game mechanics.1. ClassesIt is better to derive your races from your classes, because various racial characteristics will be defined by what classes the race is good for. Knights or witches, space pirates or cyberpunk hackers, classes are what allow for your players to define themselves.. Figure out your base classes and what defines them. Key issues to think about are: "What is this class's role in a group?" "How will this class solve problems and resolve conflict?" and "How does this class get stronger as the game progresses?"2. RacesDecide now if you are going to use different races in your game. Your classes and the kind of game you are making will have told you what kind of races to use. If you are making a science fiction video game set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, then humans, mutants, cyborgs, and maybe aliens are your races. If you are making a whimsical fantasy game revolving around old fairy-tales, then elves, dwarves, humans and maybe trolls are the obvious choice. Figure out your base races. Key issues are: "What sort of bonuses or penalties will come from race?" and "How do the different races fit into the story?"3. ConflictConflict resolution is how RPGs progress. Someone has to die, or not die, or something has to be found or lost. Sometimes these conflicts can be incredibly complex, but most conflicts are basically simple: people want things, and sometimes other people get in the way of getting those things.Think about all of the things that characters in your game might want. Wealth, power, glory, knowledge, inner peace and simple survival are the most common motivations, and so your game must have some way to resolve conflicts on all of those levels. Magic, combat, stealing, mutant powers and diplomacy are just different mechanics that allow for conflict and resolution. Your game mechanics should derive from your classes: witches use magic and maybe potions, warriors hit things and thieves steal. Choose your game mechanic for each kind of class and conflict.4. RandomizationYour game mechanics need some element of luck to allow for resolution of conflict without feeling mechanical. Even the weakest character should have a chance of winning, and the most powerful should still have a chance to lose. Most pen and paper games use dice, live action games use paper-rock-scissors, and video games use routines programmed into the game. Figure out your randomization method.5. LevelsThis is where it all comes together. Your classes must progress, and that progression will mean an increase in their ability to resolve conflicts. This increase in skill and power can also be represented in the randomization of the game by lowering the chance of failing in resolving conflicts as the character level increases. Figure out how each class will develop as they go up through the levels.

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  Now that your world and game mechanics are taken care of you need a back-story and some non-player characters, the background people of your game. You only need a few key characters to flesh out your back-story, so don't be too detailed. The majority of your game and its population will arise through gameplay.Once you have these steps completed, you have created your RPG and are ready to try it out.