Thread 96697756

Im going to make a ttrpg book, but i've never played a single game. I know its a poor idea, but i will do it either way.

Do you have any advice on how to make it less shit? Anything i should avoid or focus on?

>>96697756 (OP)
No point in writing a book if you haven't played a TTRPG let alone GM'd one. Generally a book represents an idealised game or philosophy by the designer and if you have no concept of how a game should run you can't have a concept of a game.

>>96697770
I understand that, and you're absolutely right.
Still, I will do that none the less.

What would you say makes for an "interesting" game book? From your personal experience.

>>96697756 (OP)
>Do you have any advice on how to make it less shit?
Play a game first? Are you seriously planning to not playtest this shit or are you hoping you can convince a bunch of people to play it with you?

The design process for a game (any game really, vidya boardgame or rpg) is
>design > playtest > repeat
Youre either gonna have to write the entire book without iterating, which is like building an entire car without ever checking to see if the engine even starts, or you're gonna play a lot of games real soon.
Basically, you're retarded.

>>96697756 (OP)
Don't make another VTNL.

>>96697756 (OP)
Are you good at art? Are you willing to pay an artist? If yes, make a mork borg clone. The design of the ttrpg can be as vague, minimal & poorly thought out as you like, just make sure it looks good.

If you can't into art, make a pbta game. Figure out 'moves' which you want all actions the players can take to be categorised into, and maybe some classes which have their own moves, and you're pretty much done.

>>96697837
that makes sense. How much would you usually have completed before starting to playtest?
>>96697855
Got it

>>96697756 (OP)
Make a playable FATAL, ez profit.

>>96697873
>How much would you usually have completed before starting to playtest?
Normally, you'd want the primary gameplay loop finished before you can begin play testing.

>>96697863
Yes, i will be doing all the art. I have just enough skill to make it somewhat interesting looking, at least.

Thank you for the pointers, will research.

>>96697756 (OP)
Find a niche, preferably an untapped niche. For example, do not do vaguely medieval dungeon fantasy, D&D and its illegitimate children have covered that for the remaining span of human civilization.

Once in that niche, determine the following, in order of priority:
1. What do you want your player characters actually doing?
2. How abstract or detailed-oriented do you want this process to be? (More abstract leads to more interpretive play and a heavier reliance on GM calls, more detailed leads to more mechanical play and a heavier reliance on the rulebook)
3. What sort of setting do you have in mind for the PCs? (Different settings require mechanics for different things, no sense wasting detailed rules on things you don't expect PCs to ever interact with)

With that done, begin putting the details into the most relevant factors of the game (A TTRPG about tactical combat might expect a big focus on its combat rules, an investigative TTRPG has a big focus on its investigation rules, etc.) Pay some lip service to the ancillary factors relating to these ideas (e.g. Most people don't want a merchant campaign, but they are almost certain to buy or sell something; similarly most people don't like pure social campaigns, but they are likely to try to convince someone of something at some point). Finally, playtest the fucking thing, you can't do this shit all academically.

>>96697756 (OP)
Play games.

>>96697905
Oh don't forget to also avoid sci-fi, since that's also a pretty well tapped genre as well.

>>96697905
Thank you for the detailed answer! Seems like a sensible outline to start with

>>96697756 (OP)
Obviously the wisest thing would be to play a couple of different games with different groups, but if for whatever reason you can't or don't want to, the next best thing is to find a group of players who will be willing to help you with the project, ideally players with experience. Playtesters are important, because they can come up with things that would never cross your mind when you're just writing down rules. Essentially, you need someone to stress-test your game in action. Finding at least one experienced GM is also a good idea, because how the game works behind the GM's screen is also very important.
In short, get experience. If you can't, find people with experience.

>>96697949
Of course. It will be neither fantasy or sci fi.

>>96697889
>>96697905
Speaking of playtesting - where do ttrpg designers usually find participants for those? Assuming friends and irl spaces are not an option.

>>96697756 (OP)
The world has enough underinformed dipshits spouting off about things they have no actual experience with.

>>96698050
>Assuming friends and irl spaces are not an option.
Good luck.

>>96698050
>Assuming friends and irl spaces are not an option.
Lol, lmao.

>>96698141
>>96698130
lol, got it

>>96698119
im sure the world can bare just one more dipshit

>>96698150
More seriously, the only way you're gonna be able to rope in complete strangers from the internet to playtest your game with you is if you make something really interesting/unique/good; which to be bluntly honest, is extremely unlikely without having played a tabletop game before.

>>96697756 (OP)
> Do you have any advice on how to make it less shit?
Play a tabletop rpg.
>Anything i should avoid or focus on?
Play a tabletop rpg, you mook. Do you tell kids wanting to learn how to swim to jump in the ocean and work it out themselves? No, because that’s stupid.

>>96698050
Truly a shocker that the person who wants to create a thing they have zero interest in has zero friends.

>>96698183
true, makes sense!

i suppose if the thing I make won't be interesting enough to get any ttrpg players interested, then it means it's not interesting enough to exist in the first place. so that would be a good measure to aim for.

thanks, that's actually helpful !

>>96697756 (OP)
I don't believe it's not a bait thread, but I'll chomp it anyway. What's the story here, what are your motivations?

>>96698232
I truly love the idea of ttrpgs - I read a lot of the books and watched recordings of them being played (not just influencer/e-celeb stuff of course, just regular blokes playing).

Genuinely, I never had a chance to join any games. None of my friends ever had the slightest interest. There was no IRL scene where I lived. I tried joining random strangers for an online game and the experience was so terrible it put me off on doing that again.

On the other hand, i have an overactive imagination that loves coming up both with worldbuilding and game systems. Things I have nowhere to put or use for in my life otherwise. That's about it, I suppose.

>>96697756 (OP)
That sounds hilarious

>>96697756 (OP)
Look up dice values. There are xdx calculators online that can show probability.

Dont overthink subsystems. They need to gel with your main resolution system (how you determine a success or failure).

If you have a specific setting in mind, make sure your resolution system fits the setting. More or less failure, more or less swingy. The design philosophy of call of cthulhu makes sense for that game and dnd's system kinda made sense for it as well.

T. Failed game designer. I played and gmed a ton and thought I was good enough to 'make it' but years later I look back and cringe.

>>96697756 (OP)
So VTNL? Not sure how you can surpass the greatness of this game.

>>96697756 (OP)
Its dead simple to make a TTRPG
>pick a resolution mechanic
Pretty much anything will do, even flipping a coin
>write down when to flip a coin
>write down what can change a coinflip
>(optionally) write an adventure for it
People shit these things out all the time. They arent good, but thats not a requirement for them to exist

>>96697756 (OP)
Why though?
>advice
Play games.

>>96698305
thank you! that makes sense

and don't be too hard on yourself, at least you tried

>>96697756 (OP)
If you are not gonna play a trpg before writing one the least you could do is read as many different trpg manuals as you can and have a good grasp of statistics. Nothing pisses me off more in amateur trpgs than a blatant disregard of distributions and how dice rolls affect gameplay.

Try to keep it simple. Use as few rules as you can. Also remember that you don't need other people to playtest, you can playtest combat mechanics by yourself, so if your game has combat that's something you can do. You can also playtest solo roleplay by journaling.

>>96698282
>>>/tg/srpgg/
Solo games exist. They aren't the same as group games, but you have no point of comparison anyway.

>>96697855
No, he should totally make another VTNL. I mean, it's not gonna be playable anyway, so it should at least be funny.

>>96698282
Just make a system-agnostic setting. You need experience actually playing RPGs first.

>>96697756 (OP)
>lust provoking image

>>96698282
What game? And where?
Cause legitimately, you might just have had bad luck in going about finding a game. There's plenty of systems that just don't jive for everyone regardless of popularity, and plenty of communities which attract bottomfeeders. And while I don't doubt your sincerity in wanting to make something cool, it doesn't sound like you have the experience to judge what you like/don't like about ttrpgs to decide what your system will focus on.

>>96698282
underage b&

Mod thread, do not engage.

Behold, they're already working on 6th edition.

>>96697756 (OP)
Yes, the advice is post here what you have so far and we tip from there.

>>96697873
This >>96697889 is all you need really, but having a vertical slice is probably the best option. You'll be pulling stuff out of your arse anyway, so don't worry about only having 3 out of your 25 planned classes available, or whatever.

You're gonna be hard pressed for playtesters of you don't already have willing participants. Paying for them in lfg boards might garner some interest, but even then it's a tossup.

>>96697756 (OP)
I want you to kill yourself ASAP

>>96697756 (OP)
Make an extensive homebrew edition of D&D, rename some shit and call it yours. That's how many people made theirs.
On a more serious note, play some games first and accentuate simplicity and immersion during the development. Those two are the most important aspects of a TTRPG.

>>96699136
>Mod thread
Retard

>>96699470
>accentuate simplicity and immersion during the development
That's a common misconception, but actually gamism and crunch are objectively the most important

>>96699484
The majority of people who play them do so for social reasons and those who do so are barely literate more often than not. Otherwise people would just play AD&D or something more complex and be fine with it.

>>96699541
The vast majority of people are playing d&d. You've already failed if your target audience is the lowest common denominator, an indie game HAS to lean into its inherent niche status. That includes accepting that all playstyles are equal.

>>96697756 (OP)
That is a dogshit idea
A good ttrpg system is a set of tools for the dm and players to use to make the game
They could do anything, but these tools help them simplify things, allowing them to focus on more interesting decisions
You have no tools, only expectations
Expectations are trash that weighs down a game, like having a wrench strapped to your arm, clanging against your computer as you type away at your office job
Tools get you from a to b, expectations impede you

You should focus on actually fucking playing games
At very least grind out some solo games

Also, post about the fucking game. you are nobody, infact everyone here is. none of us matter, only our ideas. next time you ask for something you should have actual plans or ideas relating to in instead of women (An unknown woman unrelated to the idea no less)

>>96697756 (OP)
Is this a brand new system or trying to publish homebrew/setting for an existing TTRPG?

Go for it. As long as it sounds cool, players will fudge the rools anyways.

And no pun intended but that guy in your picture is ugly god damn.

>>96697756 (OP)
While I find this idea conceptually fascinating, I don't see how it can work.
>I want to try writing a symphony, but I don't want to learn how to play an instrument and also I don't know anything about writing music, but I've listened to music before

>>96697756 (OP)
Just ask chatgpt to do it

>>96697756 (OP)
make sure its super racist and extremely sexist.

your only hope is to sell the book as a niche product or fap material.

>>96697756 (OP)
Do it, the first TTRPG was made without knowing what it means

>>96697949
What about more niche scifi and/or fantasy ?

>>96697756 (OP)
Please do not doxx my girlfriend, it's creepy.

God, the mod staff must be asleep

>>96697756 (OP)
You have to be 18 to post here.

Get off the internet and stop being a retard. Go out and get some life experience.

Not everything has to be a game.

>>96707627
Young people with low IQs often buy the lie that innate talent is super common and they just have to put their minds to it and as long as they get enough positive feedback they'll be good at it.

>>96714590
Lowest IQ post in this thread

>>96718889
Sorry meant to tag >>96718889

>>96697756 (OP)
>make it less shit
that's not possible go for full shit, Just make the best shit you can think of, whatever gets your dick hard man. I don't care if it's a heartbreaker I want to see something that someone spent two years of their lives on, perfecting, in autistic detail, because their mothers took too much tylenol.

I look forward to it and yes I expect free copies for the boys.

>>96714590
Had a terrible teacher who was obsessed with hammering us with this idea that we don't know what we don't know. Being of moderate intelligence, this made perfect sense. Obviously there's more depth and complexity to things that I have not yet exhaustively studied and practiced and that with study and practice, I would gain a deeper understanding. Ironically, I did not know that I did not know what it's like to be so stupid that naturally intuiting the obvious is an additional skill that needs to be learned first before I can more easily learn other things.

>>96697756 (OP)
Do people think this website is AI? Go ask chatgpt or google, you will get instant responses detailing information from way more sources than this niche hellhole can give you. Heck, you might actually be able to develop the type of slop so lowest common denominator that you could actually sell and become famous.

Remainder that OP hasn't post anything and this thread is a lie.