Your guide to creating a monster of an RPG
“Its ALIVE.....ITS ALIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!!”
So said Dr. Frankenstein as his monstor came to life! But mad scientists arent the only ones that are happy to see their creations take on a life of their own. For Dr. Frankenstein, patching together a living man out of parts from dead people tickles his fancy. But for us here in the RPG community, RPGs are our thing. We like nothing better than to see an RPG with a great plot and interesting characters, and we LOVE to see that RPG take off and just get better and better as time goes on. “But how can we get that RPG to live and survive? Wheres that bolt of lightning thatll come down and jolt life into my creation??!”
That bolt of lightning is YOU! No, really, it is. The creators are responsible for attracting players but the cast make up a good part of the success of an RPG. But like Frankensteins monstor, a number of things together make a good RPG what it is. What are those components then? Ill name a few that Ive noticed in....
The Recipe for a Long Living RPG!!!!!!!!
*thunder crashes*
First of all, when creating an RPG, just like creating or building anything really, you have to start with a base. What interests you? What makes you happy? The first step in making a creation you can be proud of is...
:::CHOOSING A THEME!!:::
Its easy really, just pick something you like a lot, something you know a lot about, or, if your at a loss for ideas, Rudy and Bulbie have a section in the RPG news that gives suggestions for RPG ideas. If the theme you choose means something to you, then youll be more likely to want to keep it alive. Once you have the initial idea, let it grow. What kind of setting would fit well with it? What kind of events would unfold in that setting? How can you tie those events, setting, and idea together into a working plot?
:::DID SOMEONE SAY PLOT?!:::
If the idea is the backbone, and the setting and events are the bones and muscles, then the plot would have to be the brain, the nervecenter for your RPG. It sets the stage, providing a window into the general past of your RPGs world, the present state of affairs, and provides a reference for your potential cast to write its future. The plot can be long or short, open or rather closed, illustrating in detail events of the past or mysterious and hinting at things to come. Long doesnt always equal better, but if its short, make sure it gives enough information for the cast to be able to post accurately and well. Example: If your making an RPG based around creatures of the undead, it would be best to start your plot out at night. Many undead creatures are vunerable to sunlight, and if the first person who posts sets the time during the day, it might be possible that half your cast would be unable to do much more than describe the lining of their coffins!
It works both ways though. If your plot is extremely long and detailed, your cast may find it hard to post at all. A certain amount of creative freedom is needed for an RPG to really take off, and if your plot is too restricting, the cast will find they cant get out a good post without stepping on other peoples toes. When a cast is afraid to post something that might get in the way of anything else, nobody posts and the lifeblood of the RPG runs out, causing it to die.... A plot should be in the middle, it should be detailed enough to guide without choking other peoples creativity.
Once youve found that happy balance between chaos and suffocation, youre ready to post it! POST that wonderful piece of literature youve crafted and show the world! But OH NO why isnt anyone even looking at it?!? ;.;
::: DESIGN IS FUNDIMENTAL!!!!:::
Got an awesome plot but the number of views is lower than an idiots IQ? Maybe you need to spruce it up a little! A great idea doesnt do any good if it doesnt catch anyones attention. For example, I couldve come right out and said, “A successful RPG is made up of many components, these components shall be listed as such in reverse alphabetical order starting from most important to least important..blah blah blah” but if I did that would you still be reading it? HELL NO!
With design, it all starts with the title. Thats the first thing people will see of your RPG so make it eye catching. Make people want to click on your RPG, just to find out what the heck is up with it! Something creative, interesting, unique or even poetic will spark the interests and imaginations of your potential casts. Make sure you have something in your title that says its for sign-ups, so people will know its availiable. Once youve got their attention with the title, keep their attention! TAKE that wonderful plot of yours, shine it up reaaaalllll nice, and maybe add some colors to it! Like in a work of art, colors help set mood, so choose colors that would fit your RPG. If your RPG is about Lord of the Rings, greens, browns, and deep blues would give it that Middle Earth feel, while an RPG based on Vampires would have a red/black/dark blue color scheme. Bold, italics, and different sizes and fonts help with making your RPGs plot look awesome. Give your plot a makeover, it does wonders! And just look at all those views now! We should be getting sign-ups any minute now....any minute......
:::WHERES THE SIGN UP FORM!!?:::
AHHH! After concentrating on picking a good idea, forming a great plot and thinking up an attention grabbing title, dont forget one of the most important but easily neglectable parts of a new RPG: The sign up form. I personally find writing up the reference form very tedious, but its nesiccary for your cast to have a guideline of the information that will be needed about their characters. While some things in the forms may vary depending on what kind of RPG it is, a few things like Name, Age, Gender, Personality, Appearance, and History are a must in just about every RPG. And of course, there is the infamous OTHER that no one seems to like very much. But Other isnt evil, its just misunderstood! This is where youd put any special features about your character that wouldnt fit anywhere else. Does your character have a hatred for water that borders on ridiculous? Is he/she inclined to steal other peoples things just for fun? Or maybe your character has a thing for dRiNkInG bLoOd.....Whatever little quirk your character has, it will be sure to make your character and the role it plays in the RPG unique and interesting. And when remembering to add the sign up form, dont forget your own sign up! Give your future cast an example of the kinds of characters they might be interacting with! And wow, look how many sign ups you have now!
:::THE SCREENING ROOM!:::
But dont get too excited, it might be possible that a few things on other peoples forms contradict parts of your plot or character types. If so, be sure to promptly tell them what needs to be changed, and once the changes have been made, let them know theyve been approved. Dont be afraid to deny a character if its too farfetched based on your story. (Ex: Having a character thats half vampire and half werewolf in an RPG based on something with very few of either is WAY too out-there, and may even risk power Rping if it turns out its stronger than either one.) But dont go overboard, if there is nothing majorly wrong with the basic outline of the character, let it be. If your too much of a control freak on their characters, people will get irritated, and if they have to change too much of their characters, they may start to dislike them. ITS VERY IMPORTANT FOR A CAST TO LIKE THEIR CHARACTERS, BECAUSE IF YOU LIKE YOUR CHARACTER YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO KEEP POSTING AS THEM!
Once you feel you have enough sign ups to be able to carry the story, its time for the show to bEgIn....
:::LET THERE BE RPGs!!!!!:::
So now your RPG has begun to take on a life of its own. The cast is posting, the storys moving along at a great pace, and certainly nothing can kill it now, right? WRONG! The mistake a lot of people make when making an RPG is not maintaining it. Think of an RPG like a small child, it cant live and grow if its just created and then thrown into the world to survive on its own! It needs nurturing! And if the story starts to slack off and people run out of ideas and stop posting, throw a twist into the mix! Create a fire, a flood, a rainstorm! Engineer a natural disaster to hit the area! Just like in real life unexpected things happen, so hit your RPG with them! Bring in a new enemy, and create a new ally to come to your aid, or introduce an item or treasure people can find. Sideplots and sidequests bring flavor to your RPG, and help keep it interesting. The fastest way to kill an RPG is for the creator to lose interest, so if you start an RPG, follow through with it. And if you want to start another RPG at the same time as your first one, make sure you show equal attention to both! If people signed up for your first one theyd expect it to not die as soon as another idea sparks your fancy, or people will come to realise your RPGs only last as long as it takes you to make another. If your RPGs arent important enough to keep alive to you then they wont want to join something thats going to die as soon as you make another. If you keep the reputation for not giving up on your RPGs, people will want to join them and that makes for quality storys that you can see the end of!
Now you know how to create a monstor and keep wrecking havoc with it for months to come! Remember, your ‘monstor’ needs your attention, and if you create it with the right pieces, itll be something to be proud of. Start creating! ^-~
~*~*~*~
Experienced RPers are welcome to add tips and tricks for doing any of the RPG related things well, like character creating, plot format, presentation, how to create original ideas for RPGs, how to keep the cast involved and interested, and so on.
Everyone has something to teach, and everyone has something to learn ^-~
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Lady Vulpix
I hope I'm experienced enough to give some tips here...
This can immedeately present a problem, considering the different plots and settings of each individual RPG. I know some people who make a similar character, but change to fit the RPG, and do this quite smoothly and well. The downfall to this is not necessarily lack of creativity, but you don't get to practice and thus improve your writing (although some people don't need to practice their writing:p). Some people can even get bored of their character doing it this way. Another thing that can cause you havoc is that if you use the same character, but change one of two aspects of your character, people who are already familiar with that character may becme extremely confused. See one of the next sections of how to avoid this.
