Module-Based RPG Adventure Design in CRPGs

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 30, 2011

Gonna take a short break in my discussion of skill-based vs. class-based RPG design systems to talk about something of an “ah-hah” moment I had recently. This isn’t something new or surprising to anybody, but I thought it was an interesting parallel. I’ve found myself enjoying Skyrim a bit more than I enjoyed Oblivion, and […]

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RPG Design: Staying Classy

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 29, 2011

Okay, after a little bit of basic background on class vs. skill based RPG systems yesterday, I’m going to talk about some of the advantages, disadvantages, and general design features of class-based RPGs. Once upon a time, after I discovered the joy that was skill-based systems, I was really down on class-based design. Skill-based systems […]

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RPG Design: Do You Wanna Have Skillz or Have Some Class?

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 28, 2011

There are two very broad approaches in RPG character rules systems: Class-based and skill-based. Class-based systems define characters by their class – some sort of role or archetype, and improvements to the character are usually determined by one’s level within the class (though equipment usually plays a role as well). The most famous example of […]

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Game Design: Good, Bad, and Great

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 27, 2011

For you game designers or those interested in game design out there, here is an intriguing post by Raph Koster: Good Design, Bad Design, and Great Design As always, this is not like a recipe book for great game design. Most of these comparisons are actually pretty subjective, or at least subject to a large […]

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Can RPGs Be Easy to Learn Without Being “Dumbed Down?”

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 20, 2011

I feel a little hypocritical after my (day-job related) business trip to Asia. I loaded up my computer with some really serious RPGs – probably way too many – as entertainment. I had some other game types, too, but I filled my hard drive with a good subsecti0n of my “unplayed RPGs” library. I figured […]

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Guest Post: Information: The Tool Players Need To Use Choice-Driven Character Development Systems

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 15, 2011

Today’s post is part three of three by Colter Cookson. I want to thank Colter and the others who have contributed guest posts the last two weeks while I’ve been in Thailand. It’s helped a lot. Anyway, here’s Colter: In my last two posts-The Case for Choice in Character Development Systems and Guidelines for Designing […]

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Guest Post: Guidelines for Designing Choice-Driven Character Development Systems

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 14, 2011

Colter Cookson continues his thoughts on character creation and development in today’s post. Part three will arrive tomorrow around this time… and at a point where I should be somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. But today, Colter goes from rationale to some (hopefully) practical ideas for RPG design. I’ll let the rest speak for itself. […]

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Guest Post: The Case for Choice in Character Development Systems

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 13, 2011

Today’s guest post is the first of a three-parter by Colter Cookson. I’ll include the bio at the end of part 3, but he’s tackling the character creation aspect of CRPGs with a bit of a vengeance. I’ll let you read the rest. Thanks Colter! I have a confession to make: I’ve lost sleep over […]

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Choose Your Own Enemy

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 9, 2011

I’ve expressed thoughts on story (at least traditional storytelling) and games a few times similar to Paul Spooner’s guest post this week. But we’re so tied to the concept of linear narrative that it’s very hard to come up with viable alternatives. It’s a holy grail that pretty much changed Chris Crawford’s career forever… I […]

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Guest Post: Storytelling and Games

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 7, 2011

I’m off in Thailand for the next two weeks, which makes a great opportunity for guest posts. Today’s post is near and dear to my heart, about storytelling and games.  Author Paul Spooner of http://www.peripheralarbor.com talks about why stories seem stupid in modern games, and where the real problem may lay… Traditional storytelling has no […]

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Creativity and Game Design: A Lesson from 1988

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 2, 2011

I don’t usually have time to listen to podcasts or watch long videos. But sometimes they are very worth it. This is one of those times. I went to the Game Developer’s Conference for about five years. It changed its name from the Computer Game Developer’s Conference during one of those years – about ten […]

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Learning from the Arcade Classics

Posted by Rampant Coyote on November 23, 2011

There are a pair of great articles from Ben Garney and Eric Hartman about learning game design from the old arcade games (via MAME) . These are pretty insightful articles — at least they were for me. They made me think a little. They could be narrowly interpreted to only include action games, but I […]

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Out of Alignment

Posted by Rampant Coyote on November 17, 2011

A lot of hate has been directed at the D&D alignment system since… well, since the beginning. The two-axis graph mapping someone’s personality with respect to good vs. evil and law vs. chaos has been a source of confusion, concern, and venom for over three decades now. Personally, I think part of it is because […]

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If Quake Was Made Today…

Posted by Rampant Coyote on November 2, 2011

As a bunch of “old-school” RPG fans hang out here, we’re accustomed to griping about how “dumbed down” RPGs have become over the years. But it’s not just our favorite genre. As much as we complain about RPGs becoming first-person shooters, first-person shooters aren’t what they used to be, either. To illustrate this point, this […]

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Player Skill and Character Skill

Posted by Rampant Coyote on October 24, 2011

In my mind, for a game to qualify as an RPG, it has to implement at least some of the player’s commands through the filter of character skill. The canonical example is attacking an enemy. In many kinds of  non-RPG games, the player hits if he (or she) has aimed correctly, and does damage based […]

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Guns, Phones, & Magic

Posted by Rampant Coyote on October 20, 2011

No, this isn’t a post about mixing guns, phones, and magic in the same fantasy setting. Though as a fan of urban fantasy – I’m 100% for it! This post is actually about attitudes towards magic in fantasy worlds. Specifically RPGs. It’s something I’ve touched on before, and will again. It’s about the impact of […]

Filed Under: Design, Geek Life - Comments: 13 Comments to Read



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