Motley Crue's Tips For Writing A Good RPG

[DaBob-omb]

What can I say? I got bored.

How can you tell apart a great RPG from the rest? Well, the best RPGs are the ones that people still talk about months and years after their release. They're the ones that you know, once you put them up, that they're destined to be a hit. As soon as you put it out there, within a day or two, there are six players already signed up for it. When a RPG cannot fade away, and can only be terminated by its creator, that's when you know it's a hit. (That's for controlled RPGs, free-plays don't seem to have that problem, and in fact, can only die by fading away.)

WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

Now, before you decide how you're going to set up your RPG, you need an idea. You need something that will take each member to a place they can't go to anywhere else and escape reality for just a moment. A video game of sorts that's not powered by graphics, but the extent of the imagination of both the creator and player.

Now, you may be asking, Mr. Crue, Motley, MC, whoever you are, what type of idea will guarantee me a hit? The answer: anything if you do it right. The most popular topics around here are medieval fantasy topics with swordplay, magic, and dragons, all of which, apparently, existed during the Dark Ages. However, that should not limit you in any way. You can also make some very successful topics using different ideas. I hate to brag, but an example of such an idea is one of the topics I have up there at this time, Survival Instinct, which isn't a medieval topic, but rather, a modern-day horror topic. A good idea is to look at all the topics that are currently out there to determine what you want to add to the party.

You can very easily make a topic about anything and make it a hit. However, no matter what you make, it has to be original in order to be a hit. Topics made about other video games don't tend to last long here, since most people would rather just go ahead and play the original video game, and those who haven't played won't know what you're talking about, so you risk alienating part of your audience. I think the longest-lasting video game topic was one made a long time ago based on Final Fantasy 8's SeeD gardens, and it lasted for about a week or two, but then faded away. If you're still insistent on making video game topics such as that, there are other forums specifically for video games and video game characters that could use the flavor of something like that. However, if you want to make a hit here, it has to be original. If you want, you can make video game references appear, but they must be part of an original idea, like, for instance, a few of the summons on this old game called The Warrior Elite Battleclub that came from Final Fantasy (others were made up).

CONTROLLED RPGs

Now, let's say you have your idea, and you think it will work. You want to place it into RPG form, but first you have to organize it. One way to put it is in Controlled RPG format. (I'd like to link Yasa's Controlled RPG topic, but I don't know how.) This format is the most popular form of RPG, and the safest, since the creator can take the RPG in any direction he wishes, as well as keep it running.

However, just because you are the creator of the RPG doesn't mean that it should grant you absolute power over your characters. Although, if your game is fun to play, there's nothing wrong with that, games have more of a guarantee to be a hit if they allow the player to have their freedom as well. If you give the player options as to where to go, what to do, who to fight, etc. An example of such freedom are some of Yasa's battleclubs, like Ultimate Fighter and The World, which allow the player to progress through the game however they want, much like Warrior Elite. Creative freedom can also be granted to the player while still controlling the topic, like in Story of My Life, where the player picks the story.

There are two main types of controlled RPGs. Battleclubs are topics which exist simply for the purpose of battle, though the best ones offer quite a few other options as well, such as shops, a gym, tournaments, and whatever else you'd like to add. Story RPGs have a set story that you create and the players play through. Both are very popular here at VGF's Roleplaying Forum.

Most controlled RPGs have the RPG system of battle, which is, though it may have many different names, a Health gauge, if the game allows, a Magic gauge, and a set of statistics for physical attacks, magic attacks, defense, speed, accuracy, intelligence, whatever is necessary. Once again, Yasa's topic explains it all. You can either use the system of letting players divide a number up to determine their stats. I personally dislike using this system, but it is a very popular method that works for a lot of RPGs. Either that or you can write your own damn stats, which is what I like to do.

Most of the games here use magic, which with each use depletes a magic gauge. However, you must take care not to deplete to much of the gauge, or else the player will run out too quickly and complain. As a rule, your strongest move should deplete only up to 1/4 of your total gauge, so it can be used again and again in battle. If you need help determining stats and things, use RPG video games as a guide. Final Fantasy 7 is perfect for this. Use it only as a guide, though, not a template, so that it doesn't take away from the originality of the game. Do your best to create your own moves.

I guess the most important thing to do is to plan ahead. Failure to plan ahead can make the game too easy or hard in the end, instead of the way you want it. Back when I was doing WE, with the introduction of the gym, along with the way the weapons were set up, characters were able to execute 120 points of damage while their HP strained to reach 100. That wasn't the way I intended it, but it just went that way, considering how the stats were set up, so I had to raise the enemy's HP just to keep the game from becoming too easy. Try to think of how you want your player's character to grow and where your player's character will be weeks and even months from now.

FREE AT LAST! FREE AT LAST!

There's also the option of the free-play RPG. It's a lot less popular than the controlled RPGs that dominate this forum, and while there were a few semi-successful ones that burned out after about 50 posts or so I can only recall one that became a hit, and, I think, became the Roleplaying Forum's biggest RPG to date, and that was Ultimate RPG, created by Prince Toad, and written by everyone online at the time except Marth, although you gotta admit, Marth should've joined. It was one of the few topics that broke the 25 page mark, and sadly, it's all gone, although I think Lupus the Turk copy-pasted it or something.

What made Ultimate RPG possibly VGF's greatest roleplayer was the fact that, though Prince Toad conceived the idea, he wasn't the only creator. Every player in the game was also its co-creator, meaning that it wasn't just PT who made it, but a team of writers who formed a creative force of checks and balances that kept the topic fresh and under control for about 6 months. It took about a week or two to plan it out until we finally came up with a story we could all use.

Now, probably the best way to write it is in the format of Ultimate RPG, which is described in Yasa's list for free-plays. (Damn it, where's the link button?) You can also just create your own story, and allow others to write into it as well. This usually doesn't last very long, but if your story is creative enough and the people are into it, it could become a hit. You never know.

NAME RECOGNITION

Another thing that doesn't hurt when creating a topic is your reputation. If your topics are hits, chances are that people would be glad to play your next topic, or at least take a look at it.

If you are just starting out, it's a good idea to do your best to make an original hit topic. If your first topic (and any subsequent topic) is a fresh, original idea, then people will see you as a topic creator full of fresh, original ideas. I was lucky enough to have my first topic, Welcome To Farion, reach about 450 pages, even though it was pretty monotonous and lacked the variety I always try to put into my RPGs. As long as you keep making hits, you will have the benefit of name recognition, which make for the most effective advertising for hit-making RPGs.

Good luck and enjoy the Roleplaying Forum.

If anyone wants to add to this guide, be my guest.

[CameronJohnson]

I'm putting this in the header, it's an excellent guide. However I think "The World" is the longest lasting RPG as it's reached the 25 page limit once (it was called "The World 1.0") then "The World 2.0" was put up, which was at about page 15, then got deleted in all of the crazy glitchiness at VGF, and now "The World 3.0" stands to be the current thing. Month wise, it's 2-3 months old.

All in all, this is a great guide for newbies and maybe even pros (I don't consider myself a pro yet, even though others do)

[DaBob-omb]

Being a pro has nothing to do with how long you've been here, but whether or not you know how to make a good topic. If you pass the 25 page mark, you can be considered a pro. And if you are elected co-mod, you can also be considered a pro.

And if I remember correctly, Ultimate RPG consisted of 25 pages, plus an extra 18 or so. However, the World 3.0 and 2.0 were obviously extensions of the first one, so it's hard to tell which one was longer.

[DaBob-omb]

Good luck with that.

[Metal Man]

...Is that the same SU as the one who took over forums, or just a strange coincidence?

[Blake]

I think its a lil late to ask that...

[PK FIRE!]

I love to join in Marth's and montly Crew's RPGs but howere it seems that not long affter I join the thing dies. that's why i haven't been here for monthes.

[Blake]

lol yeah, you use more time signing up than leveling

[Wahsapa]

*laughter*

[Vinny]

Man, URPG. The memories... *sniff*. Well, I've decided to return here and somehow revive this place a bit if I can. After all, I started in this forum and didn't leave until I had 100 posts, so gotta hold on to my roots. I prefer Free Play RPGs, but whatever. Anyway, excellent job Motley.

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