All this talk about Generic RPGs...

[Justin D. Jacobson]

Got me hankerin' to make a truly generic rpg. As is sometimes the case, my concept starts with an image and I whipped this up:

Generic RPG Mock-up

The hamster in my head is running at a furious pace. I'm thinking of something that is devoid of encouragement and advice and examples. Just bare, simple, unadorned rules. A minimalist expression.

(Grognards declare your grognardiness by identifying the inspiration.)

[edited by me to change image to a link - RE]

[Ninetongues]

That made me laugh.

Funny idea. I see it as a basic-basic fantasy. Things like name of the world - World, player names like Knight, Rogue and stuff... City Over The River, The Port, Wood...
I can think of small map having anything needed in this game, not much of a continent...

Lots of dices, maybe old-school percentage stats and skills..?

" Strengh 68% "

Sounds like fun, although I don't know if I would like to play something so... Straight.

[Justin D. Jacobson]

This is really just a proto-idea right now brought on by that cover image, but my initial inkling is even more minimalist than that: No knights, mages, etc.--just "character;" not Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, etc.--just "Physical Statistic".

As for desirability, I have no illusions about that. At least right now, I'm treating it as more of an exercise with hopes that it might ultimately be taken as something akin to performance art, i.e., it will serve a more prominent function as a statement on or conversation-starter of role-playing games than as something you will run a campaign of. But we'll see.

[Simon_Pettersson]

You do have a demonic-looking skull on the cover. For "truly generic", that's not quite right, is it? I mean, it doesn't fit a WWII campaign, for example.

[Justin D. Jacobson]

You do have a demonic-looking skull on the cover. For "truly generic", that's not quite right, is it? I mean, it doesn't fit a WWII campaign, for example.

Well, that is the minimalist version of my company logo. And its graphically the same as the source image off which it is based which has their logo in the same location.

[David Artman]

Justin, I don't know what the deal is, but I haven't been able to see your BDG site for weeks, it seems.

The server at www.bluedevilgames.com is taking too long to respond.

Notice that I ref Passages in my sig (and in the sigs I use all over the net)? It hasn't worked for quite a while, but I've left it in the hopes that your site is just having temporary issues.

But, today, I can't get to the link above, either. Are you sure everything's copacetic with your web host?
David

[Ninetongues]

Hmmm...

"Generic Minor Enemy #5" You mean? In the "Questing Site"? "Quest nr. 067" in search for "Decent Item Upgrading Abilities of Your Character Significantly"?
Sorry, just farting around. It just makes me laugh, but I think it should be as serious as possible.

I love the idea, but I don't know If I would have the energy to create something such... Weird. But on the other hand - I would LOVE to see that thing finished.

[Justin D. Jacobson]

Hmmm...

"Generic Minor Enemy #5" You mean? In the "Questing Site"? "Quest nr. 067" in search for "Decent Item Upgrading Abilities of Your Character Significantly"?
Sorry, just farting around. It just makes me laugh, but I think it should be as serious as possible.

I love the idea, but I don't know If I would have the energy to create something such... Weird. But on the other hand - I would LOVE to see that thing finished.
Farting around maybe, but almost exactly what I have brewing in my head with one exception: I think "Questing Site" is not quite generic enough. More like "Encounter Location" or some such.

[Callan S.]

This is really just a proto-idea right now brought on by that cover image, but my initial inkling is even more minimalist than that: No knights, mages, etc.--just "character;" not Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, etc.--just "Physical Statistic".

As for desirability, I have no illusions about that. At least right now, I'm treating it as more of an exercise with hopes that it might ultimately be taken as something akin to performance art, i.e., it will serve a more prominent function as a statement on or conversation-starter of role-playing games than as something you will run a campaign of. But we'll see.

Here's an idea - make it minimalist like that, then in the back you have a chart. You roll on this chart and it assigns a name to one of the above values (at random). But not just a lame ass name like 'strength' or 'alignment'. The names are like 'Violent sex drive rating' or 'Take the cash, fuck everybody else rating', or even 'So good and pure that I now know people like you have to die rating'.

Just do TWO of them, preferably rigged so they are far apart mechanically. Then you play it and start recording to the best of your ability what the hell people decide all the other values mean, in relation to it. For example, see how you've replaced 'strength' with 'physical statistic'. Well imagine it was switched to 'Violent sex drive rating'. So when you roll to detemine pass or fail (roll to hit), it removes extra existance points (hitpoints) from the target. Say the other one that's been changed is random adversity (wandering monster hitpoints), over to 'So good and pure that I now know people like you have to die rating'

How will people interpret that? You can see the two values conflicting with each other. You'll have lots of other values with bland, empty names - but with these two hyper charged values, what will people assume is happening/what will they assume each value 'really means'.