Designing a game, Best place to start?

[Todd Bogenrief]

I've been lurking here for a while and trying to absorb everything I can, I ran a search, but couldn't really find a post dealing with my question, though I am sure there is one out there somewhere, so please don't smack me too hard.

Anyways, I've been kicking around a high action science fiction game in my head for somewhere around fifteen years or so, something that would capture the essence of say Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Star Wars, and Star Trek all sort of rolled into one.  I actually wrote the game, but looking back on my notes now, it is pathetically out of date (it uses the basic percentile resolution system).  

I started again about eight or so years ago, but I got so wrapped up in rules and everything that I ended up with something more like an overcomplicated GURPS than anything else.    

So here I come, having read just about every game system I can get a hold of, but now I don't know where to start.  I want something that is simple, but can be dramatic (similar to 7th Sea, or Storyteller), but the problem is those systems seem to be in use already.  So do I write up a big elaborate backstory, universe, etc. and reverse engineer a system, or do you start with a solid system and then write the game from there?  It's all very confusing.

Basically, I guess my question boils down to system.  How do I determine what a good system is?  

I have specific idea's of what I'd like to see in a game, such as a rule system that can handle cinematic space battles as opposed to a gritty, rules heavy resolution.  Something where I guess the science-fiction world is more of a backdrop for the characters.  I like sci-fi settings and games, but generally they tend to be really rules heavy, and try to go more into the realms of hard science; or they swing too much the other way and have elves on a flying motorcycle casting magic missiles at aliens.

I suppose I am being way too vague here, but I want to create something, first and foremost, that I would want to play and have been searching for in a sci-fi game for years, but then also, I'd like it to be possible to put out their on the internet without getting a lawsuit, hence the system questions.

[Jared A. Sorensen]

What is your game about?
How does your game go about it?
What behavior does your game reward or encourage?

[Bankuei]

Hi Bogie,

Welcome to the Forge!  

You're right, your topic is a bit vague, so take Jared's questions and really, really think about them, because everything else that people juggle around("heavy vs. light rules", "Roll vs. Role", story-focused, GNS, whatever) really boils down to those questions right there.

And here's something that may save you a lot of time:  Can you play this game you have in your head using 7th Sea or some other system?  Have you already done so?  Was it perfect for what you needed?  

If your answer is "Yes, absolutely" then just look at either playing it as it is for you and your friends, perhaps juggling some minor terminology around if you want to simply share it on the net.  If WW went after every homebrew mod that shows up on the net, they'd have no time at all, and would lose more money than they'd gain.

If your answer is "Well, it kinda does the job...", then look at what it does well, and clearly identify what it doesn't do well, and what it is you're looking for.  That will give you a much more clear idea of where you're trying to go with it.

If you're answer is "Well, it doesn't really do what I want anymore than any other system has...", then you should look at going from ground up, in which case, clearly identify what exactly it is you're looking for in play(see Jared's questions).  

For a good example, consider a fight scene, and the various sorts of things that rules can make happen-

A) The guy with the better stats wins, most or all of the time(Amber, lots of other games)
B) The guy with better tactics wins, most or all of the time(The Riddle of Steel, some other games)
C) The guy who's got the most, emotionally riding on the line, like saving his sister, wins most, or all of the time(TROS, Trollbabe, etc.)
D)  The player, who wants to win the most, and is willing to put in the most metagame resources, wins, most or all the time(The Pool, the new Marvel Game, Universalis, etc.)

Or some combination of the above?  You could take that analogy to skill checks, social interaction, or anything else in a game, and try to figure out what sort of gameplay you're looking for.

As far as system vs. setting, it sounds like you've got a good handle on the setting already, now its just a matter of getting system to support it, and not leave it abandoned.  Whether you should write system or setting first is somewhat irrelevant, but realize this, from your post, it seems like the troublesome one is System for you, not Setting, so you know what needs the most attention.

Chris

[Valamir]

Jared's hit the nail on the head...not surprising for a mad game designer from beyond the grave.

You clearly have a feel but right now I suspect  that feel is just an ambiguous kind of notion of "what would be cool" in your head.  

The first step is to define that notion.  What concrete elements of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers are you trying to capture.  Not setting stuff.  Setting stuff is a later step.  What is the feel of the world as perceived through the eyes of the character.

You're a character in your game in the middle of the coolest scene you can imagine playing...what are you doing...actually imagine the scene in your head and play it out as a game but without mechanics.

GM: you're in a large open area with lots of catwalks and platforms over head, a line of security bots are in position on a catwalk and are shooting at you, blaster fire lights up the room.

You:  I scramble behind a nearby column and return fire

GM:  You make it only slightly singed, the blasters sprang into the column leaving little black scorch marks.  You have trouble shooting back without being shot, so you fire goes wide to no effect.

You:  Ok, I set my blaster to overload and chuck it like a grenade at the support column for the catwalk with the bots.

GM:  The overloaded blaster explodes weakening the column.  In slow motion the weight of the bots brings the catwalk crashing to the ground.  The bots are a a heap of malfunctioning rubble on the floor...


Once you have a scene in your head you then can think...Ok...what made that cool.  Not some universal everyone will agree definition of cool, but cool for you.  Then you set to work writing mechanics that will allow you to play that scene.

For instance if this were my scene the first thing I'd note is that I just threw away my weapon.  I took my weapon and used it up for a single explosive effect.  The only way I'd ever do that as a player is if I was reasonably sure it would work.  That is, I wasn't worried that my throw would miss, I wasn't worried that the explosion wouldn't be enough to take out the catwalk support, and I wasn't worried that the robot's would survive the fall and still come at me and me now without a weapon.  If I WAS worried about that as a player, I never would have thrown my blaster away...but since I did in my definition of "what would be cool"  I now realize I have to make sure the rules I write don't discourage this.

There are about a dozen different approaches I can think of that may work for this from spending "bennies", to "director stance".  Maybe I settle on using "Fortune in the Middle Conflict Resolution".

Conflict Resolution means the entire conflict is resolved at once.  What's the conflict in this scene?...how about "get out of this room without getting blasted".  I roll, I succeed, I now know that no matter what I'm getting out of this room without getting shot...all we have to determine is how.  I can describe pretty much anything.  

That's one of a dozen possible mechanics that would accomplish this, but the important point is that I choose among them based on what I actually envision the players and characters doing in the game.

[Comte]

Hiya I was struggling with a suprisingly similar struggle the other day and I was trying all week to pull myself away from icewind dale long enough to pose the question.  Fortunatly someone already did it, Valamir your post was increadbly helpful.  Thankyou very much.  That sort of approche really helps to foucus what it is I want to do with my game.

[scobie]

taking character generation as another starting point - does the system achieve what I want in terms of generating characters that I would enjoy gaming with?

For instance, systems that allow minute details of advantages and disadvantages may not get you any further than a one line cliche that you started with when you look closely at them at the end of the day.

Sometimes surprisingly simple things can add a whole different aspect to the game - for example Pandemonium (the tabloid game) asked you to specify who your character was in a previous life.  Simple, no real rules involved and bang, there is an interesting new aspect that fits in the game's genre.   I love those kind of little touches.  Likewise Unknown Armies' Fear/Rage/Noble stimulus.

scobie

[Todd Bogenrief]

Thanks!  Unfortunately, I am not a quick enough thinker to answer any of these questions on the fly, but I definitely have a lot of food for thought and some direction now, so I wanted to say thanks.