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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Dragons, Dungeons, and Skyrim

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 26, 2011

With a Christmas bonus from the Day Job, I went ahead and picked up Skyrim on Friday. Thanks, Day Job, for the game. Of course, the following day it appeared on sale at Steam for a third off. Ah, well. My internet connection sucks right now and would have taken me days to download the […]

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Merry Christmas!

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and may your days & weeks to come be safe and fun!

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Participating in the Peanut Gallery

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 23, 2011

While Markus “Notch” Persson (of Minecraft fame) livestreamed his progress during the Ludum Dare competition last weekend, one guy (Mister Speaker) spent some time seeing what people were talking about in the accompanying chat channel.  The results are funny and sometimes sad. Think about it: One person (Notch) is doing the project, oblivious to the […]

Filed Under: Game Development, Geek Life - Comments: 2 Comments to Read

Unity 3.5 – Public Beta Now Available

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 22, 2011

Okay, I’ve been kinda excited about this. What an awesome Christmas present! Unity 3.5 Beta Release And for more detail, you can check out the release notes. These are all good and welcome things, though for some reason I was expecting a major change to the UI system with this release, and I didn’t see […]

Filed Under: Game Development - Comments: 4 Comments to Read

Indie RPGs Reviews Frayed Knights

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 21, 2011

Craig Stern at IndieRPGs.com has a fairly extensive review of Frayed Knights: The Skull of S’makh-Daon. You can check it out here: Game Review – Frayed Knights: The Skull of S’makh-Daon There are mixed opinions on the endurance / exhaustion mechanic, some people loving it, others – like Craig – not feeling quite so much […]

Filed Under: Frayed Knights, News - Comments: Read the First Comment

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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Matt Chat: Stonekeep Retrospective

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 19, 2011

This is not one I have ever really played. I was tempted in 1995, and had a friend who played Stonekeep and recommend it, but I never “got around to it.” I picked up a copy via GOG.COM a couple of years ago, but still haven’t played more than the first half-hour or so. Alas, […]

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Back in the USA

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 16, 2011

Hi folks! I made it back from Thailand in one piece. I’m jet-lagged as all-get-out right now, but I expect that by Monday I’ll be mostly back on schedule and things will be back to normal(ish) for a bit. I’m facing a mountainous backlog right now of tasks – for Rampant Games, the family, and […]

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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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Matt Chat Interview with the Rampant Coyote, Part Four!

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 12, 2011

Okay, the last part of my “Matt Chat” interview is up. Watch if you dare.  I give a bunch of hints and tips for playing Frayed Knights: The Skull of S’makh-Daon, and I talk about the general future of the series. And rats. We talk about rats. I also talk a little about sales, piracy, […]

Filed Under: Frayed Knights, Interviews - Comments: 10 Comments to Read



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