April 9, 2018 #AprilTTRPGMaker 09: Describe your Process

April 09, 2018

#09: Describe Your Process

It always begins with an idea.  The idea can be a new experience I want to explore, or a new mechanic I want to evolve. A Single Moment had me thinking of the dramatic moments in film and wanting to translate it into a gameified experience. Sickening Queens was about finding a way to celebrate the joy of drag. 

From there, I start writing stuff down. Ideas on what I want to capture. References I want to explore. I might consider looking at what game system to use, but more often than not, that comes a bit later.  What I instead explore are the three questions Jared Sorensen had established:

What is the game about? How is it about that? How you do encourage it?

John Wick added a fourth: How do you make it fun? although I admit I feel that fourth question should actually already exist as early as the idea phase. After all, if I cannot conceive how it will be fun at that stage, it probably didn't look into exploring it further.

I write. I don't edit. I just write. I play music that gets me in the mood of the game. I probably even re-reference inspirations and resources to keep the brain tank full. After, I reach out to friends and strangers for playtesting and to see if they "get it". If they don't get it, there's a huge chance a majority of others won't either once you release it.

Then, I release it in the wild. I hope for the best. I enjoy hearing from the rare few who make it a point to be thankful and express it. And I start anew.

From https://twitter.com/Kiranansi

I challenge ye, my dear fellow game makers, to answer my questions, on the corresponding day, this burgeoning April, and verily it shall be that ye shall be inspired by all makers around you and in this beautiful world henceforth. #AprilTTRPGMaker