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I've wanted to make a simple rpg for a while where stats aren't as important as the story.... But I still want stats in my rpg. How could I create a rpg using only paper, pencils and a couple of dice. I also intend to make most of the story on the spot.

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rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/6004/… might give you some ideas for simple, existing games to base your work off of. – AceCalhoon Mar 11 '11 at 22:08
Making RPGs is quite difficult. If you can articulate a list of mechanics or narrative flavour you want in your game, we might be able to help you find references or inspiration. – Brian Ballsun-Stanton Mar 12 '11 at 6:47
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Question: is the making of your own such game vital, or would you be happy to learn about D&D-like games that have already been written using only pencil, paper, & a few dice & on-the-fly story-making? – SevenSidedDie Mar 12 '11 at 22:46
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@sevensevendice I'm open to learning something like that. Sounds like what I was looking for :) – Matt Bettinson Mar 13 '11 at 20:38
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@Matt I'd suggest starting a new question in that case, being sure to include the list of things that are important to you for a game to feel "D&D-like", and a list of things that you want/don't want in the game (like, for example, more than one kind of die). There are a lot (a lot) of such games out there, and narrowing down what you're looking for is the only way to answer that kind of question reasonably. – SevenSidedDie Mar 14 '11 at 21:31
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closed as not a real question by mxyzplk Jul 9 '11 at 0:32

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3 Answers

Try Tracy Hickman's Xtreme Dungeon Mastery- There is a RPG in the book exactly like what you describe. The whole book is about how you run a game like what you describe as well. His system is called XD20.

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Take a look at "anyway." the blog of Lumpley games. Here's a post on design intent, and here's a post at the traps of playtesting. You could do far worse than reading all of the entries.

Stage 1: Figure out your audience. You've got to be writing for a specific group.

The audience informs your design, your complexity, and what kinds of fun you provide.

Stage 2: Make sure you know your statistics. You have got to be able to completely model your game, statistically speaking, before you elaborate on the mechanics. If you can't "prove" (in the mathematical sense) your system, it's far too complex. Complex systems, unanalyzed, have annoying edge cases.

Stage 3: Create a system to support your audience's desires. Make sure it behaves, statistically speaking, the way you need it to behave.

Stage 4: Explore your setting, build your setting on top of the system so that the setting is a fun place to play and the system supports that fun. Did you change anything mechanically? Go back to stage 2.

Stage 5: See if your intended audience is satisfied by your game. (Fun may not be a requirement, satisfaction is.) If not, go back to step 1.

Stage 6: Once you've polished your setting and mechanics and insure that it appeals to your intended audience, hire a good editor. You cannot edit your own work. You cannot edit your own work. You cannot edit your own work. (I've worked in the industry. Watching authors trying to self-edit is painful.) Does your editor understand games? If not, get a better editor.

Stage 7: Start running it at local cons, get feedback. Go to stage 1.

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First off, you need to figure out, in much better detail, your design goals.

Then simply start writing your mechanics.

Then playtest it.

There are a lot of games without minis-based combat.

So, realize, you're essentially reinventing the wheel, and the audience is likely to be ungrateful.

If you want to try, tho', do it. Just do it. Do it for yourself, tho'.

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