2016-04-26 : A Quick & Dirty Outline
Meg and I gave a talk at a college con recently, and I thought I'd share our quick & dirty outline.
Topic 1: Why Create?
• Why a new game?
• Why a new roleplaying game?
• Why a new fantasy roleplaying game?
I know you have answers to these questions or you wouldn't be creating a new fantasy RPG.
• Your three insights.
Topic 2: RPGs are Games
• Games have objects.
• What do you do?
• The game is the tension between them.
How do you achieve the object of the game, using the moves of the game?
Topic 3: RPGs are Unusual Games
• The purpose of an rpg's rules is to get you and your friends to say something interesting.
• When you create an rpg's rules, you create a bell curve of experiences.
• What-if yourself out of conventionality.
Topic 4: Writing
• Hack what you like to make what you love.
• Explain your game, not RPGs. (RPGs are not one game.)
• Kill your darlings.
Topic 5: Publishing
• Don't go broke, publish yourself.
• Compete where they're weak.
• "It takes 20 years to make an overnight success."
Questions and observations always welcome!
1. On 2016-04-27, nerdwerds said:
Was a recording made of this talk?
2. On 2016-04-27, Jim D. said:
In all honesty, I want a book of this. I would buy that crap so fast.
3. On 2016-04-29, Vincent said:
Nerdwerds: Nope!
Jim: Cool. Writing a book is soooo haaaaard.
4. On 2016-05-08, hamnacb said:
Questions!
'Your three insights.' is 3 things you want to make right? Or 3 things you think you've understanded? Or?
'What-if yourself out of conventionality.'
Could you give us an simple example?
'Kill your darlings.'
Why in 4. Writing? What do you mean by that?
5. On 2016-05-09, Vincent said:
Sure!
"Your three insights" is how I talk about your creative inspiration to create a new game. What I say is:
- You have an insight into your subject matter or genre. This could be something like "you know what would be fun? Robin Hood in space."
- You have an insight into roleplaying as a practice. This could be something like "one player could always play the main character, and the other players could play the supporting characters, whoever they happen to be, session to session."
- You have an insight into real human nature or experience. This could be something like "people can stand up to tyrannical law enforcement when they're united by ideals."
Of course a game is made of more than three such ideas, but I think it takes all three kinds of insights to make a game.
"What-if yourself out of conventionality" means, take a convention of rpgs, and ask yourself what if. Examples:
It's a convention of rpgs that you take turns during combat but not at other times. What if you made a game where you always take turns, how would it work? What if you made a game where you didn't take turns in combat, how would it work?
It's a convention of rpgs that there's a GM and players. What if you made a game with no GMs, how would it work? What if you made a game with only GMs, no players, how would it work? What if you made a game with a GM, a Special Player, and other players, how would that work?
"Kill your darlings" is a bit of famous writing advice from William Faulkner: "in writing, you must kill all your darlings." I guess it's usually taken to mean that you have to be prepared to cut out your very favorite parts of your writing, no matter how much you love them.
It definitely applies to design, too.
This makes...
SM go "KYD to me also comes with a dash of "just finish the damn thing!""*
*click in for more
6. On 2016-05-10, hamnacb said:
Thank you, Vincent, I think I got it!
This makes...
VB go "Great!"
7. On 2016-05-10, Moreno R said:
? Explain your game, not RPGs. (RPGs are not one game.)
Yes!
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