An introductory #gamewriting thread for #ttrpg.

So you want to write a game? Awesome! Here’s my suggestions. YMMV. There’s no “one way” to do this.

1) Decide what type of game you’re writing. Heavy on narrative? Rules? Simulation? Then, find games that are similar. 1/8

2) Analyze the games you picked. How are they structured? How is the text presented? What’s the chapter order? Which games were easy for you to understand? Why or why not? 2/8

3) Ask yourself two questions: What do the players do as a group? What does the player do? Answers form an easy-to-understand game concept. It can also highlight problems, especially for players that don’t have enough to do. 3/8

4) Ask yourself who this game is for. Established players or brand new to roleplaying? Fans of those games you picked? Familiar with those rules? 4/8

5) Next, I strongly recommend creating an SRD, a System Reference Document. This is more technical than any other game writing you’ll do. It conceptualizes all the rules and can be handed to other game writers or editors. 5/8

6) Once you have the rules, test the wheels by writing a small adventure. Playtest it a lot. This will help if you’ve never written for games before, because you’ll discover holes in your worldbuilding or where the game is played. 6/8

7) Now you’re ready to outline your game and create a style guide. The outline will help identify what’s missing. Utilize your playtest adventure in your core book—new players will thank you! 7/8

8) Lastly, please remember neurodiversity exists. It is easy to create a system, but it’s much harder to teach it via text. In game examples facilitate explanations and provide context for what your game is about. Consider including them. Good luck! Finis/8.