Start to finish game design (split and closed)

[Promethius]

I always design a world in which I create the character I wish I could be.  Then, I just keep adding things in from there.  Most of what I was going to say has alread been said, so, I'll stop here.  Good luck.

[Jack Spencer Jr]

Jimmy, you are quite possibly heading out the door on a lengthy journey filled with danger and heartache. It is possible you will reach your destination, but it is quite likely you won't be the same when you get there.

I like rules and I like flexability (is that a contradiction?). However, all of the systems I like give you great character generation rules and horrendous (sp?) combat rules.

OK, with this we have a bit more to go on. You like character creation with lots of customizing and fiddly bits be you also have a preference in combat, which seems to not appreciate the fiddly bits as much. I'm not sure what you mean by sluggish and cumbersome.*  but it may be irreconcilable goods. You like fiddling with many variables at character creation, but in combat too many variables bog things down. You can't have both, can you?

That's the challenge before you. It's your challenge based on what you've said here. Is there a way to have the highly customizable character creation while not overloading combat?



* Personally, I find combat in almost all RPGs slow and cumbersome. Nothing is more boring that sitting around waiting for your turn to miss.

Incidentally, in a discussion with the wife, she said she tends to take very detailed notes during combat for this very reason. That and so she could call one of the players on lies about his characters performance, but I digress.

[Jeph]

You start by throwing out your assumptions. Sometimes this takes a few months, sometimes a few minutes, sometimes you never get around to it. It took me 5 or 6 games that I never completed before I realised that a pretty large amount of what most RPers take for granted is un-neccessary. Eg:

-- Attributes
-- Skills
-- A single central GM
-- Or, if you have a GM, one with complete narrative power
-- High failure rates
-- Weak starting characters
-- One character per player
-- Set starting character power
-- Combat system
-- Magic system
-- A rule for every situation
-- The same rules for PC and NPC action

And much, much more. If you want to make a game that gets away from the mistakes made in GURPS and HERO, the best way to begin is to toss the foundation that those games were built upon.

Good luck with your game. :^)
--Jeff

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

The above posts were recently added to the ancient thread Start to finish: theory of game design, and some of the contributors have been around here long enough to have recognized the resurrection, and to have refrained from contributing to it!

C'mon people - pay attention.

This thread is now closed.

Best,
Ron