21. Which RPG does the most with the least words?
One fan of the playtest version of Amazing Tales suggested entering it for the 200 word RPG challenge, I imagine the answer to this question is somewhere in there. Sadly the 2017 deadline had gone. Still, here is the Amazing Tales system reduced to 200 words, I might enter it in 2018.
Amazing Tales
Choose a genre.
Think of a hero.
Describe them with four skills, a name and a physical description.
Assign one skill a D6, one a D8, one a D10 and one a D12
The GM starts telling a story and at appropriate moments asks the player ‘what do you do’
If the answer suggests a risk of failure, select the most appropriate skill and roll the assigned dice. A 3+ always succeeds. There are no modifiers.
On a 1 or a 2 the roll failed. The GM should make the situation worse and ask the player ‘what do you do’.
Repeat until the story concludes.
That’s it. 107 words. Which might lead you to ask how did this game become a book of nearly 100 pages? To which the answer is, inspiration. I want this game to inspire people to play games with their kids. Hopefully people who’ve never roleplayed before. And I want kids to be inspired to create amazing worlds and have adventures in them. So Amazing Tales includes loads of advice on running the game, gaming with kids, handling tricky issues and the like. It also includes four complete backgrounds to inspire kids and provide examples for grownups.
22. Which RPGs are the easiest for you to run?
Take a look at the answer to question 21. Amazing Tales is, without a doubt, the easiest game I’ve ever GMd. That’s also because, while they come with a whole load of different challenges, children are way easier to GM for than adults.
23. Which RPG has the most jaw dropping layout?
Given some of the amazing things that go on in the world of print design it’s a shame that there aren’t more interestingly laid out roleplaying games. And while I like the look of Amazing Tales, and we’ve put a lot of thought into it, it’s not going to be radically disrupting people’s notions of what a rulebook should look like.
Sorry gaming industry, you’re leaving me cold on this one. If you’re looking for inspiration, start here.
24. Share a PWYW publisher who should be charging more
Pretty much all of them. RPGs are amazing value for money. In general I enjoy a game about as much as I enjoy, say, going to the cinema, and it takes a similar length of time. So if I play a game ten times that’s what, 80 euros worth of entertainment?
If you just want to get a game out there, then by all means, give it away. If you want your game to be big, you probably have to charge, because that’s what covers the cost of art, layout, promotion and the like.
My experience is that most gamers are happy to pay for things they value. Value your work, charge accordingly.
25. What is the best way to thank your GM?
If it’s me, Kroepoek.
More seriously, be enthusiastic about the game. Put time into your character. Engage with the ideas in the game and push things forward.
And do some GMing yourself. Every regular GM I know wishes their players would step up and run something a little more often.