Confessions of an Upstart RPG Designer: Part 2

Stress, anxiety, test playing, doubt, regret, deadlines... This is my life as an RPG designer. I've written this stuff all my life, but now I'm paid to do so. But it's not like I'm some tour-de-force industry writer or anything. Mostly I'm an unseen, unheard voice working out some fringe-worthy ideas about RPGs. And when you occupy my current position, a new presence among a vast community or professionals and hobbyists, well, let's say folks are more than happy to give me their opinions. Or to simply ignore me. On the thousands of hours I've sunk into a particular project. Feeling my future on the line.

Interspersed with sprinkles of absolute magic.

Thing is, I love doing what I do. So I'll share what it is I'm actually doing in my day-to-day RPG design life. First and foremost, I'm the Director of Game Design for Infinite Black and I am the principal writer and designer for the upcoming Nocturnus RPG. But I'm really an independent, non-industry RPG designer, meaning I didn't go to school for this or work an internship with a major RPG publisher, so I may not always use (or even be aware of) the most current lingo used by the bigwigs. Though I can say things like "orthogonal ability design" and "simulationist leaning rules" with confidence. Over the last 7 years or so I've written 7 or 8 RPGs, not counting the numerous 200 Word RPGs I've also written. If you don't know about 200 Word RPGs, well, it's exactly what it sounds like (look it up!) There are four approaches, or goals, I currently pursue in RPG design: 1) Player Experience (My #1 GOAL at the moment)

2) Game Development

3) RPG Framework in support of 1 and 2

4) Individual Game Elements PLAYER EXPERIENCE This is my #1 goal because I've found that if I can get a game to produce a specific experience for players, they love playing the game. Not just the scenario, or theme, or ideas, but they actually love using the game material, how it works, and the situations produced. An RPG that allows players to walk between themselves and their characters as seamlessly as they like excites them. The focus of the experience can vary with the RPG, like solving occult mysteries, superheroice action, or influence over NPCs, but being able to respond to a situation as the player imagines they can is powerful. I more often call this immersion, and it's frequently an experience I'm after. But it's not the only experience an RPG can conjure, nor do I think it's "the best" for an RPG. Each RPG should endeavor to produce a set of player experiences that support a thematic whole. 5e is perhaps the most popular RPG in the world, combining detailed tactical battlemat combat with lore and exploration, supporting a high fantasy character progression game. I begin by imagining a player experience I want to achieve. I think about what players would be interested in their characters doing, what accomplishments will excite them, what sort of information and accessories will they find compelling. Let's suppose the experience is "movie horror." What kinds of things will players want to do that produce the same feels as when I watch movie horror. My belief is, that by having players feel something I've experienced, I can simulate a "cause and effect" in game play. Not long ago I pitched an RPG where player characters were reality TV stars involved in deadly arena combat. One of the supporting game elements was character creation, where players made characters while "being interviewed by a journalist." The GM (the journalist) would have a list of game related interview questions, and the player answers gave them game stats and perks.

A game element I've been intimately involved with on current projects has been dice rolling. Early in I settled on a mechanic, put together rules governing it, all directed at providing the player experience of being a fictional protagonist (e.g. in a movie, novel, or comic book.) There's a very long history of why I wanted to go for this particular experience, but it can be boiled down to "Not feeling like a board game." So of course I was triggered by a recent Question Beast video where rolling dice was mostly equated to random chance, the very antithesis of what I've been attempting to achieve. The great thing about watching Questing Beast, and digesting other RPG media, is it sharpens my perspective, really makes me think and rethink the design things I do. Alright, I'll take these four approaches one at a time, since it seems, as the category suggests, I'm delving deep. If you've got questions or want me to discuss something more about player experience, drop some comments. Thanks for visiting DarkCrawl! If you will come back, I'll have some free RPG material soon!