The Basics

[love]

I'm about to design my own pen and paper rpg...so, were should I start? Mechanics?

[love]

I think I'll refine this question: concerning Mechanics, were should I start?

[Abkajud]

Well, what is your concept? Why are you making a game?
You can figure out your next step from there.

[Vulpinoid]

You could easily get as many different responses to this question as there are members of this forum. Everyone designs differently...it's like asking about novel writing. Every novelist has their own method, many may have similar patterns, but everyone has their own favoured system.

Personally, I'd also say to start with a concept.

Look at a game you regularly play, and consider something that it does well, and something it doesn't do well. Try to work out a way to improve the aspect it does poorly, while keeping the good bit from getting bad.

Consider a setting that you haven't seen done in an existing game, start developing ideas around that. If all the ideas you can think of have already been done, then think about a setting that has been done badly and consider ways you'd improve it.

Once you've got your concept, then start thinking about other things like the game mechanics that will bring this concept into reality for the players, the world that will provide a play-space for the imagination, the things that you want players to be doing.

I tend to work on each of these ideas in a piecemeal fashion, building on then switching to another as an idea strikes up, then ensuring another part doesn't fall too far behind. Gradually the seed of a concept starts to crystallise into a game. It might be the game I originally intended, or it might lead somewhere quite new and unexpected.

V

[thadrine]

Play a lot of different games! Even those you do not like, because even they can teach what is bad in an game.

Seriously though, you really need to play a lot of different game to get an understanding of game design.


Then think about your idea.

What do you want to make a game about?

Reduce the concept to it's most basic components, then think about how you can represent that in a game.

Post your ideas here.

[David C]

love, my suggestion is to make sure you *really* know what's out there. In the long run, it'll save you a lot of time.  Most people who "decide" they want to make a game have only really ever seen D&D and maybe GURPs or WoD...  In terms of game design, these games are really archaic and aren't something you want to emulate, because if you do, you'll probably just make an elaborate set of house rules.

[whiteknife]

Given only that information, and following the advice of previous posters (which is pretty good) I'd suggest not starting with mechanics, but rather the theme or premise or whatever. Mechanics can come last, so that you know what they're trying to accomplish.

[Abkajud]

I think it's arguable that we don't have a choice but to do that, or at least if we do devise mechanics first, they're going to be at least a little steeped in Color and Situation.
Has anyone heard of the dice game Farkle? My s/o wants me to play it, and I'm willing, but it's *just* a dice game. To me, as an RPer, it feels like a Fortune-based mechanic without a Premise, Challenge, or Dream to wrap around itself.
Certainly, if you come up with a really neat way for dice/cards/people to interact to determine causality and authorship in some way, totally independent of a particular context for it (a setting, given that a setting can be a single sentence or phrase), then you do have the basis for a game, no question.

Yet, in all but the most "generic" mechanic systems, there's something for players to cling to that tells them "And this is what you do with these rules". So yeah, it's a chicken-and-egg situation, but you *can* start from either end.

[Patrice]

What a strange message!

I think you should ask yourself a few questions beforehand: Why would you want to design a game? What would it take? How would you do it?

I often start my own creations (games, adventures, whatever) with an image. A picture, a scene, a feeling I got while listening some music, the way the sunlight moves over a hill, a word, a game table event, a movie scene, anything really.

I start with Color. And I then have to decide if this Color bit is to be classified among figments, novel ideas, pen and paper RPG ideas, video game ideas or trash bin. Of course that means I know the difference between a novel idea, a refuse, a video game idea and a pen and paper RPG idea. I then have to know if this pen and paper idea wouldn't fit in an existing RPG. If it does, I don't bother to create my own and avoid the whole headache thing, I just send my submission to whatever publishers this RPG line has, if I ever complete the thing. From that, nine ideas out of ten eventually end in the trash bin anyway and I'm still working upon the surviving tenth.

That's a lot to learn from experience, and it's always a good idea to start this learning. But, according to my own experience of it, you'll mostly improve yourself instead of delivering a game to the end user. The end user is a myth. Don't forget to enjoy with your friends and your game meanwhile. People here call this "playtest" but we all know it's just about sharing fun.

[Deohring]

Mechanics

What do you want your mechanics to be able to do in the game; I would assume you answered most of the questions that the others have mentioned. This is what led you to designing the game mechanics; even if you want a sword and sorcery type game you need to decide how the mechanics will interact.

Do the mechanics assume basic concepts such as dodge and parry are just part of attack and target number, do your mechanics cover how to make new spells or is this a procedure for the game creature in that case do you have a large enough list.

How fast do you want to make new characters

Do you want attributes or only skills

Do you want a sense of realism or hugely fantasy, will characters die with one hit or a dozen

How much does level progression do; do characters start off powerful as in shadowrun (Equivalent to a 20th level D&D character)  or lowly as a 1st level D&D character.

Do you want to use a grid map

If you are using skills determine how in dept you want them do be such as a few skills covering many abilities or many abilities covered over many skills.

Remember the game is about having fun for all the players

If you want further help answer some of these questions and I can give some answers.

[Callan S.]

Hullo, love!

I sort of mirror Patrice's question - why do you feel like you want to make a roleplay game.

The reason(s) why you want to make one are what tell you what mechanics to use. Sometimes typing out your reasons helps, even if you can't name your reasons perfectly right off the bat.

[love]

Thanks for the feedback everyone; it's been very helpful.

I think I've presented myself as more of a novice than I actually am. I've played a decent number of rpgs(DnD, GURPS, some Palladium stuff.) and I've designed a few of my own. The thing is, it's been a while-I think I was about 13 the last time I designed anything. In my teens, I traded the hobby of roleplaying for creative writing, but about a year ago I decided to return to my roleplaying roots. I've been DMing both 2nd ed and a 3.5 DnD campaigns, and also a Shadowrun game.
Since I started roleplaying again, I've been meaning to design a game of my own as well. Over winter break I've been conceptualizing a world, and now I figure It's time to start systematically developing that world into something playable. As I said though, It's been a while so I figured I'd ask this here community for a few idea on were to start developing. Should I start with CR/TR rules? Should I begin with character abilities?

Having written this, I realize that the best thing to do If I want more precise feed back would be to create a new topic explaining the premise I'm working with; which I'll do If you any of you fine folks are interested in giving a bit more feedback.

thanx again.

[Abkajud]

I'm definitely interested in hearing more about your premise; please post it!
Without some more input from you, I'm afraid we can't really help you in any way.