In The Beginning

In the beginning, there was an idea. My idea is simply this: Is it really that hard to create a Role-Playing Game (RPG) that is realistic or true to the concept of evolution? This blog is focused on developing core rules for a RPG on an alternate Earth that has always had magic as an elemental force. At this point, it would be easy to say, "Uh, Mike, what about Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and all the other RPGs out there?" I'm not here to bash D&D, which derived from wargaming. Wargaming is an excellent place to start when considering core rules, because there are strong links between army units and the necessary socio-economic basics to produce and support them. Land-locked countries do not have navy units, underwater bases do not have flying units, etc. Most really good wargames have been developed to follow the natural progression(through history) of weapon technology and combat tactics. While it might be fun to have a case of assault rifles and ammo appear in the camp of a Roman Legion as a one-time event, it does not make for a sustainable campaign mechanism. Conversely, D&D ventured into new territory when it added mythical creatures and magic to a medieval combat system. While real, historical weapons were examined in minute detail and judged with consideration to cultural development, magic was defined in very broad and limiting terms to facilitate turn-based strategy. All-in-all, I'd say they did a great job. As I started playing in 1981, I thought the World of Greyhawk setting was nicely considered and gritty in its realism. It wasn't until years later that I tired of class-based characters and spells with very predictable effects.


Of course, the fine folks at TSR (and later, Wizards of the Coast) have done everything under the sun to make the core rules fun and enjoyable, but class-based rules have to be too restrictive by their very nature. So, the other option in RPGs that has seen in many presentations is the skill-based model. Game designers have spent a great deal of time presenting skill progressions, skill groups and class skills to represent all the progressions of the old character class model and many new tangents. I like the skill-based model, because it can more accurately portrait the survival characteristics of a hero in a fantasy world. More to the point, the various possible skills can represent more fully the cultural variations that give a fantasy world its reality. Some designers have done a great job rendering their fantasy cultures this way, and I want this style to present more possible outcomes for the adventures on our alternate Earth.

Also, I absolutely hate predictable monsters and encounters. While it is OK to have lore about mythical creatures (Dragons breathe fire, medusas gaze turns to stone, etc), it takes all the edge out of the encounter if the players already have computed the number of hit points and what attack combination will take down the opponent quickest. While I do admire supreme tactical knowledge, it distracts from the story. So, a major concept of a new set of core rules would be variance. Magic, in this view, tends to be a mildly chaotic force that widens the differences and provides a wider range of abilities to exist in most encounters. Thus, solitary mythical creatures can vary a great deal in encounter strength, and such creatures that have a culture or society, would have many developed skills.

So, the goal is to create a realistic fantasy world. Skill-based characters are more realistic than class-based characters, and dynamic encounters are more realistic than static encounters. Set pieces are fine in wargames and chess, but in fantasy RPGs, variety is the spice of life. Getting away from cookie-cutter characters and creatures sounds good, but it might take some work to make a gaming system that is in-step with what should be the natural evolution of a dynamic fantasy world. Fortunately, we have a great deal of understanding as to the way nature selects its winners and losers. Natural Selection or 'survival of the fittest' is a logical process to include in our design. As this is the reality in our own world, it will add credibility to our fantasy. So, we want to create a Medieval Fantasy game with magic. Study of medieval societies has given us a great deal of information to make cultural designs, but what about magic? Folklore and Mythology give us many cultural insights into what magic might be, but there isn't exactly a science to it. Before we go any further, I think it would be wise to define what magic is on our alternate Earth. Let's break it down to its base component and show how it interacts with matter and living organisms.

Magic is the downfall of most RPGs for me. Most writers and game designers have solid and exciting ideas about what they want magic to do in their world, but it is easy to overlook the ramifications of widespread magic use. Or worse, magic is dumbed down to just one use or functionality. When designing an alternate earth, the easiest thing to do is pick a date in history and turn on the 'magic switch' through some mystical event. Thus, all your cultures are in place, and you only have to explain what people have learned so far about any magical effects/powers. I like riftwar/planeshift/neo-cataclysm sagas as much as anyone, but I'm more interested in creating a game on an Earth that has always had a functional level of magic. The trick is in designing magic in such a way that your present day world of your campaign has all the right stuff. Ideally, you want the characters to be able to use magic to achieve their goals, you want magic to have varied the humanoid races so that humans are not just hanging out with themselves (maybe some elves, orcs, goblins, dwarves, etc.). Not to mention all the creatures of legend and then some. But wait, there is also magical plants, pools, rocks, etc, etc, etc. Let's not forget potions, scrolls and the magical helmut! And what heroic adventure would be complete without a diety or two thrown in? We have much to set right in our world.