i went to my first-ever game-related class last night, Role Play Game Design. it was a Playcrafting class taught by Dean Razavi.
here are some of my notes:
- what does your character not understand [about the game you’re making]? there’s usually a theme or a moral an RPG is based around. the main character you play usually doesn’t understand the theme at the beginning, but through your playing, begins to get it.
- the main quest of your game must be protagonist-driven. the Big Bad appearing and destroying cities isn’t the ‘quest’, just the trigger that moves your protag along their path (to understanding the theme of your game)
- side quests are where the world building happens.
- your game should have enough options that even if two different players play for the same number of hours, their games will look different from one another (i.e., choosing a healer over a warrior, choosing different party members or power-ups, etc.)