For the last two years I've been working on and off on a traditional RPG and then I stopped for about 3 months due to real life and now the drive just isn't there. Has anything like this ever happened to you / what should I do with all of my assets.
Tried. I ran out of steam quick once I got past the initial burst of creativity that comes with a new idea. Plus I'm not very good with math, so that's a big ass hurdle to overcome if I want to take a crack at it again.
Yes.
If you've lost drive, nothing to lose by posting it all here for anonymous neckbeards to tear apart. You might have some stuff I think is cool, I've been working on a homebrew for about a year and it went from being a subsystem to tack on to date core sci-fi combat to a classess retroclone try hard.
>>43761623
Where would I go to put all of these files (223 in number), I'm interested in collaboration but obviously it doesn't do anyone any good if they're scattered / hard to find.
>>43761554
Making my own "version" of D&D.
It's a mix between AD&D, 5e and DCC
>>43761554
Lots of different projects, nothing I've felt like putting online.
If I get the urge to polish something up for public consumption, it will probably be a setting or sourcebook of some kind. It seems as though there is an RPG system to suit every taste right now.
I've made more then one homebrew, but mostly I'm trying to do old school boring retroclones now because they are kind of fun in their own way.
Here's my second and older game. Worked on it for an entire year and it is unfinished, probably forever.
Got just this 'core' book and the Wizard class book, there's supposed to be 6 other class books too but I ran out of steam.
>>43765307
And the Wizard book. I actually really enjoyed making this one; combining DnD magic and Harry Potter magic and a bunch of real life magickal wicca shit. Pretty fun.
I'm working on two at the moment.
Well... I'm writing and actively playtesting one at the moment, while the other is on a brief hiatus.
The game I'm working on right now is a cheeky little thing I call 'Boob Plate'.
>>43761554
I've got 3 different systems I've been working on. All are making decent progress, but two of them are specifically designed to only be played online (due to the large amounts of math involved mid-session).
Keep your assets and shelve them. You never know when you'll want to call up an idea that you had during the design process. I've got a bunch of stuff lying around from various games that I've worked on, and every now and then I go "I really liked that concept for that one game but the game never panned out. Can we use it in this game?"
Friend of mine is making one. Turning out pretty decent so far. Takes a lot of inspiration from dungeon world and D&D(mostly 4e).
Won't post pdfs since there really aren't any yet, but basic rundown is...
-Works as an "exp as currency" system to "buy" abilities.
-Abilities are divided up into Major Gimmicks and Minor Gimmicks.
-Major Gimmicks are your major "class" features, with things like Alchemy Gimmick, Artificer Gimmick, Assassin Gimmick, Champion Gimmick, some maghical gimmicks, etc.
-Minor Gimmicks are extra little things, not quite as powerful as Major Gimmicks, but make character within the same Major more unique. Like Alter Ego gimmick(or Kamen Rider gimmick as I've nicknamed it), Magic Dabbler gimmick(as opposed to full-out spellcaster), Saboteur, Duelist, Combat Skills, etc.
-Each Gimmick(Major and Minor) gives you a free base ability. Major Gimmicks are class-defining, while Minors tend to be....well, more minor things, like Duel Challenges, ability to Kamen Rider, etc.
-Ability Scores are simple. Pick one of score sets(I assume only three for playtesting purposes atm), plug each one into your score. Max starting score pre-racial is 4.
-Abilities are the same 6 in standard D&D. There is no ability modifier Ability Score is now basically it's own modifier, what with maxing at 4 in character creation(pre-racial).
-Regardless of Gimmick, you then pick your level of combat training. No training gives you no attack bonus beyond your STR/DEX, but you get 6+INT skill points, but simple weapons and armor only. Partial Training gives you proficiency in 2 weapon group,s medium armor, a +2 to attack rolls, and 3+INT skill points. Full Training gives all weapon and armor proficiency, +3 attack, but only 2+INT skill points. So you could totally be a Wizard with full weapon and armor training and few skill points. Or a Fighter with simple training and a (relatively) wide variety of skills.
Been fun so far. Hitting the post cap, so explanation ends here sadly. A
I already finished mine. It just sucks.
>>43761554
Wrote the beginning of a zombie post-apoc game, enough to run a session. Stopped there because it seemed a natural place to stop, and all my inspiration just drained out and I've never picked it up since.
>>43761554
I did, and had very specific ideas about how to develop a game. Then I discovered GURPS fourth edition and realized that they'd anticipated everything. Some of my ideas were already there as optional rules. Many were better than my own ideas. All of my ideas could be played out of the basic set.
I'd already looked at and rejected GURPS 3rd edition as too clunky and... well, you all know the criticisms. Math-intensive, chaotic rules, a million sourcebooks. 4e fixed all that.
I do have criticisms of gurps and even 4e, but overall it's the best RPG out there and far far better to lightly mod a great system than try to create something of my own.
>>43761768
>223 files
Jesus fuck, consider megauploaf I guess but honestly I'd make it a point to keep things organized ( assuming assumptions, but... Hah, those couldn't have been condensed a bit?)
>>43761554
I start occasionally, but I usually remember that there are already plenty of systems out there that already do the thing I want pretty well and it's less work to just use one of those.
>>43761554
I am considering homebrewing Mongoose Traveller into a Fallout RPG.
>>43761554
Every time you work on something, you develop as a game designer, even if you never end up using the material. But assuming you keep at it, it's virtually guaranteed that you'll use at least some of the material, or at least build on it for some future game. So don't feel too bad about it.
A piece of advice for the future though: aim small. Don't try to create a gigantic, all-encompassing masterpiece all in one fell swoop. Make something that requires 1/10 or 1/20 the effort. Maybe it's a tweak to an existing system. Maybe it's a barebones system of its own. Whatever. Just make it small and manageable so that you can actually get it done. And then, if you're still feeling gungho, add to it, refine it, build on it. But again, set your sights low so you can achieve the goal of *that* project with relative ease.
If you continue this process for long enough, you'll get to the same place the one-fell-swoop approach was shooting for, but if things ever fall through, you'll have something to show for it. And by completing a series of small projects, there's every chance you'll inspire yourself to keep going.
There's a thread for that.
>>43769803
Really?
>>43761554
Yes, I think I'm going on like 5 years now.
Sit on them, wait, think. Alternatively force yourself to look over it until you start seeing where there are gaps/mistakes in the system and try fixing them. If that doesn't get you back in a mindset to work on it, then set on it.
Having something stuck in that situation sucks and I hate it, and I feel that feel.
I've started and abandoned no less than five projects based on Earthbound, Final Fantasy, an original space fantasy setting, a cyberpunk setting with psionics, and an original fantasy setting. Most of them didn't get past the point form notes phase, except for the original fantasy setting which actually had a d10-based combat system that used D&D 5e's advantage/disadvantage mechanic two years before 5e came out.
They're all garbage, but I might come back to them one of these days and try to make something playable.
>>43761554
>Are there any anons who are working on making a table top RPG?
Yep. I just ran my weekly session of it last night, and it was pretty damn cool.
>>43767915
>Every time you work on something, you develop as a game designer
This couldn't be more true.
I'm a long time game designer (been working on my current project about a year, the thing it was based off for something like two and a half before that, and other odds and ends even before that). And I'll tell you, the important thing about all that time I've spent designing wasn't the mechanics I ended up creating. It's everything I learned along the way. Though the mechanics are a lot better these days, and I'm starting to be fairly pleased at how my game's shaping up. It also helps if you're willing to take a hard look at the mechanics you've already made, an be willing to seriously re-evaulate and rewrite them if they're not meeting your design goals.
One important point though OP? It really helps to have other people working with you, if you at all have the opportunity. A while back one of my friends joined me as my game's setting writer, and it really helped revitalize my desire to continue designing (I was starting to struggle with how to proceed at the time). Doubly so since I'm not really talented at setting writing.
I've been working on a fantasy game this year. It's going along pretty well and my players seem to like it. The big thing to keep motivation is to actually run your system. I've been doing lots of short adventures and one shots to test things out. Ran 6 sessions of dungeon crawling and worked some kinks out with combat and resource management. Now I'm running an adventure to test out the wilderness travel rules. My number one advice would be to always playtest the basic system of a part of your game before you start adding things to it.
Started out as extensive houserules to 5e, then I realized I might as well make my own system with how many houserules I have. I've been stealing rules from an echo resounding, blogs, osr games but the core of the game is classless, doesn't have levels, non-vancian casting etc.
>>43774542
>The big thing to keep motivation is to actually run your system.
Ideally you should both run and play your system. Having someone else run it and you playing can be a huge motivation boost, and it gives you a far more rounded view of the game than just GMing it does. Feeling things out from both the player and the GM side lets you get a better handle on how things are working than just sticking to one perspective does.
Though that depends on having someone else around who wants to run it. So it may be more 'ideally' than 'realistically'.
>>43761554
I want to make a Guilty Gear RPG. I'm just planning stuff out now and figuring out a way to create a character from the ground up. After that, I'll see what else I can do.
>>43761554
>Planned on making a setting from scratch
>Toned it down considerably, and am using Mutants and Masterminds as a basis for a playtest with some buddies.
>Primary concern: being That DM who demands too much control over the players and their characters.
Initial setting:
Our world, but the old Gods (Greek, Viking, Egyptian) all existed, and made all the creatures from mythology for shits and giggles or as a way to gain power and influence. Gods draw power from belief and acts of faith done in their name, and in their "Theme", (Praising Ares for a happy marriage, or Odin for healthy crops would do nothing for them, cause that ain't their 'domain') and all the monster races were animals or humans that were mutated by the Gods to "Prove" they existed and attract more followers.
Example:
>Hades created the Cerberus race out of dogs rather than humans, because they would keep the inherent canine loyalty even when they'd been uplifted, and its a LOT harder to make an animal sentient than it is to physically alter a human into what you want.
>Chimera is a term for accidents or mistakes in creating fantastic creatures that end up a random hodge-podge of powers and limbs.
But it's our world, so why are there no monsters and no Gods?
Because one God founded and created a perpetual belief motion machine, and cast ALL fantastic creatures and the other Gods into Hell, and put them under the label of "~DEMONS!~" (Say it in the spookiest voice you can manage)
Which God did this? Take a wild flying guess.
>>43778861
So, the layout for the setting, Yahweh is actually the Ultimate Min-Maxing, rules-lawyering cuntrag, and became the supreme God on Earth, and cast all the other Gods and their creations into Hell. From then on, he hasn't had to do shit but grow fatter and lazier from the constant stream of power that comes from being prayed to by almost a dozen different faiths and religions who interpreted his word how they saw fit, and more importantly, are willing to die or kill in his name, even against people who are ALSO faithful to him. Why? To use food as an analogy for the power a God gains through belief:
>Power gained from prayers or requests for miracles/assistance? Potato chip.
>Power gained from some kind of sacrifice (Doesn't matter what kind)? Salad.
>Power gained from risking life and limb for him/the faith? A good prime-rib steak.
>Power gained from being willing to Kill in the name of that God (Assuming he/she CAN be worshiped in that way)? A REALLY good bottle of wine.
So after setting up 3 distinct faiths that all worship "Him", but are differentiated enough to be enemies, he had more than enough juice to fuck over every other Deity and throw them into Hell, where they were turned into worms.
Yeah, you read that right.
>>43779059
Hell, is for Humans.
Purgatory, is for Demons.
Which in this case means all mythological creatures who were created by the various Gods. While Oni, Succubus and simply 'Devils' are no brainers, Cerberus, Arachne, Unicorns, Angels, Giants and Trolls all fall under the heading of "Demon", and all have their own cultures and societal structures that......"mostly" keep things stable.
>Yes, Angels are a type of "Demon", technically.
Among the various demonic races are strange worms that are about the size of a human finger, which are immortal and unable to be destroyed, and will grant great power and abilities to any Demon who eats one.
Trick is, this doesn't kill the worm, and "Eating" one of them is kind of a metaphor.
Because the worms will give a demon a power boost once they enter that creatures heart, and sliding down the esophagus simply makes it a shorter trek for the crawler to burrow it's way in.
>And yes, a worm chewing it's way into a creatures heart hurts like hell.
The worms are the fallen gods, because being turned into a helpless and disgusting creature is the kind of punishment a raging dickhole would come up with. The former deities are sentient, even as worms, and can only really see and experience the world again when they're in a host. This does not mean they can communicate with their hosts (At all) or have any say in what the Demon they are riding around in can do with their new power, which is a new level of frustration and impotent rage.
Example
Demon that 'ate' Zeus: "Wow, I can throw lightning bolts! This is awesome!"
>Zeus: "GODDAMNIT WILL YOU RAPE SOMETHING!?! You should be fucking anything that moves you asshole!!"
More in a second...
>>43779312
How in the everloving fuck does this apply to a game? while there is the obvious choice of "Welcome to Purgatory, what kind of demon do you want to be?" shenanigans and hunting for the God-worms, the idea I had for the setting was post-apocalyptic.
Basically, the whole "Gates to Hell open up and demon's pour out" type scenario, coupled with the "People have disappeared off the face of the Earth" set-up from the Left Behind books.
The players, will either be "Demons" who have now be set loose upon an empty Earth, or one of the VERY few humans left on Earth following the end of the world.
This does not mean playing a human in this setting will make you effectively a human character in a Black Crusade campaign, where everybody else is a fuckin' murder-machine. This just means you can adjust and to a degree CHOOSE what kind of Demon you turn into.
Working on the name for the stuff, but it's effectively Mana/Energy/Ki/Phlebotinum that functions on a weird principle. The cliffsnotes:
1. "What blood is to your body, Mana is to your soul. Lose some, it's naturally replaced. Lose too much, your soul becomes too weak to hang onto your meatsuit, and you die."
2. Humans are RIDICULOUSLY WEAK regarding Mana, while in Hell and Purgatory, everything is saturated with the stuff. Gradually, a human will absorb enough Mana to become a "Demon" without needing to ask a God "Pretty please?"
3. Your soul is connected to your body and mind, with each having an influence on the other. The mutations and powers that change the human will be based on their choices, personality and emotions. The effects will be a bit more slapdash, and hence all Humans-turned-Demons in this manner will be referred to as Chimeras.
been working on one for some time. I really need to write more down, I try to keep too much memorized. I really would like to find someone to help with it.
>>43780435
So, Earth has become the new Hell/Purgatory and you are either a mythological creature who is a descendent of somebody who was on the losing side of the Ultimate Holy War thousands of years ago.
Or you are some random schmuck who is now surrounded by lots of weird critters and gradually, you will turn into one of those weird critters based on what kind of asshole you are.
>"I've got an insect's compound eyes, cat's paws for feet, and I can breathe fire!?! HOW THE FUCK DOES THAT HAPPEN!?!"
In either case, your actions and choices will effect what kind of powers you have. While humans are a "Blank Slate" regarding that, Demons with established races will mostly have the same kind of powers, with the occasional outlier or black sheep being considered a "Rare Breed" or simply "Odd" depending on the species.
Example:
>Succubus with a little bit of healing magic besides the usual 'devilish' skills, because she's a goodie-goodie sweetheart who likes to make people feel good.
How does this apply to the God worms? The reason Demon's gain a power boost from "Eating" one of them, is because they get a tiny booster shot of that former-deities Mana. That same booster shot is an instant Demonification to a human, which gives them the same "Resistance to Mutation" that true Demon's have. It depends on how long it takes for a human to find one of the God-worms, and how badly they want to stay at least reasonably human-looking, because while they're running round searching for a worm, their body is still changing.
It's possible for a human to transform into a specific breed of Demon, but their personality has to sync up perfectly for that to happen, OR They have to find a crapload of that particular species and ask them to perform a sort of ritual to make them into a new Oni or Angel or Fairy or Thor or whatever.
>Yes, for shits and giggles, Thor was not a God, but rather a race of warrior Demons created by Odin. Thinking about doing the same for Haephastus too.
>>43780976
Last little bit is mostly cultural/persistent mechanics.
It's an innate trait in ALL demons to drain Mana from the surrounding environment, or if they want to risk it, from other Demons. This is usually done through a contest of wills, but it's easier for one demon to drain another after beating them down physically/magically/mentally for a bit before siphoning off some of their energy. While it is possible to drain a demon to the point of death, it's not commonly done to "Sentient" species of demons, and there are plenty of very powerful animalistic demons.
The Drain mechanic is going to be an intentional option for the players/enemies and be the primary way to gain XP, levels, and possibly new powers depending on the CR of whatever the players are fighting compared to their own. It is looked down upon and Mechanically impossible to "Grind" on the pansy-assed Demons until you can pimp-slap Chthulhu, but the FAR more important aspect of Draining an opponent for (whatever reason) is that it makes demon's afraid of humans.
To Demons, Mana is life/power and if a Demon dies WITHOUT being siphoned, their Mana dissipates into the Environment. Some species of Demons will even insist on letting somebody close to them drain their mana when they get too old. But if a Demon is murdered, then depending on the context, it's considered a sign of weakness/madness, or an insult.
The weakness, is if during the "Magical duel/brawl/wearing each other down" stage of a fight, one opponent kills the other with a too-powerful attack. They didn't have enough control over their powers, and are unskilled. A tragic accident, but not too bad.
But humans? With our swords and guns and napalm and all sorts of things that are ONLY designed to kill a mother-fucker as fast as possible? Doesn't matter what kind of Demon they are, the instant they see a human with a weapon, 9 times out of 10, the first response will be "OH, FUCK! RUN!!!"
>>43781357
Only thing left to add is just little ideas for OC's and characters for the players to run into, and trying to work out where in the world that God Worms could end up, and what sorts of shenanigans could come from it. (As well as what is an established "God" and what is merely a mythological figure that primitive human's mistakenly called Gods. (For example, Thor, which is a race of hammer-wielding, lightning throwing giant warriors)
>First off, NOBODY who ingests a GWorm knows it's a God right away. After thousands of years, its' not exactly common knowledge and the deities cannot communicate with their host without SOME kind of interference, so it's otherwise a guessing game based on what the Bonus Power a player got for what GWorm they found.
One idea for such shenanigans was how a God's power will adapt based on the host who took them in.
Example OC's: 3 brothers in the Middle East all find 3 GWorms, which turn out to be the fallen Gods "Odin", "Ymir", and "Surtr"
While I haven't thought through Surtr too much (Beyond "Innate Fire user"), the Odin brother is a warrior who can use a 360 degree vision field to see any attack coming from any angle, while Ymir can summon Ice. That wouldn't mean too much, except he effectively makes WATER in the fucking MIDDLE EAST. Needless to say, Ymir becomes a 'leader' figure and rather than a true heir to the "King of the Frost Giants", and being a thoughtful guy, is more 'wizardly' than his brothers, using his power to create oasis' and such in order to help people.
It's just funny to me, thinking of ways I can turn an established Deity/mythology on it's head or tweak it slightly. Had a thought about a Native American guy getting the GWorm for the Japanese God Susano-o (Storms) and gaining wind magic powerful enough that he can shoot an arrow that summons an F5 Tornado to follow along behind it. Yes, my idea involves an Indian using a bow and arrow, and no, I'm not apologizing.
The big issue with putting your work on /tg/ is that it's a fairly masturbatory experience.
Most of the anons would rather gush about their projects than help on someone else's. I can't really blame them though, since everyone throwing their stuff out a single thread makes a really shitty environment to get stuff done.
