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Post by HourEleven on Jul 13, 2014 13:41:03 GMT -8
I typically come up with what I want the game to be, then I begin to shop, build, tweak, systems to make that happen. I'm not sure how common that is, or if people decide to play a system and then come up with a game idea for it. It's possible with the popularity of generic systems (and the tons and tons of systems that are being released on the indie circuit) that people are starting to have the game predicate the mechanics much more often than I remember it happening on the olden days.
What are the pros and cons of each. How do you sell your group on a game without a system vs selling them on a system without a game idea? Etc.
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Post by Kainguru on Jul 14, 2014 2:45:50 GMT -8
I do a bit of both - either I'll have a basic idea which I let my chosen system refine (internal consistency and all that) or I'll see a system and start bending it to suit an idea it may have given me. If I stray too far from the first choice (idea or system) I'll either change systems or modify my idea. Typically, with the likes of D&D, I prefer to alter my idea so it's consistent with the rules I've chosen and/or house ruled But with traveller I'll stick to the idea and try and make the system fit - if it doesn't then I'll look for a decent traveller hack or consider a different system. To be fair both systems, with judicious hand waving, can accommodate a fair degree of divergence from the norm - except when one is confronted by an OCD rules jockey. BRP is pretty flexible too, given the plethora of old supplements and hacks one can lift from as desired. I imagine GURPS, Hero etc are similar. FATE definitely is, as I discovered in JiBs Eclipse Fate online game. Aaron
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jaiden0
Journeyman Douchebag
Posts: 131
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Post by jaiden0 on Jul 15, 2014 6:20:19 GMT -8
Game systems often come with settings, and those tend to inspire ideas. I just played Numenera for the first time this weekend and my brain is definitely going in some new directions now.
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Post by rickno7 on Jul 16, 2014 13:43:12 GMT -8
Typically it is idea first, and then sort through a list of games I know. I filter first for systems I know work well with the genre, then I'll sort by how much time the idea should last. A lot of my fantasy stuff lately I have wrote to be system agnostic so I can plug the mini-adventure ideas into a larger campaign, as I use two different systems for 1 shots and campaigns in general(and now that I know FAE, I'll have a 3rd category to keep in mind as well).
The main time I do system first is if I am trying out a new system. If I'm learning a new system and presenting it to a test group, I'll typically make a 1 shot that incorporates as many of the mechanics in the system I find I may want to use. When I tested Savage Worlds I used a steampunk setting with an aerial bi-plane vs motorcycle "dog fight" after escaping a zeppelin. Purely so I could test out those mechanics. When I was learning FAE, I made a super hero game so I could teach the players how 1 well defined power could be used in all the approaches.
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Post by jazzisblues on Jul 18, 2014 21:30:36 GMT -8
I usually go with game concept and the system immediately reveals. Itself.
JiB
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D.T. Pints
Instigator
JACKERCON 2018: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY June 22-July 1st
Posts: 2,857
Currently Playing: D&D 5e, Pathfinder, DUNGEONWORLD, Star Wars Edge of the Empire
Currently Running: DUNGEONWORLD, PATHFINDER
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Post by D.T. Pints on Jul 19, 2014 9:00:27 GMT -8
See I love to take a system. Example Deadlands (Savage Worlds). I had yet to run a Savage Worlds game for Jackers and I honestly knew that my understanding of the system was likely around 50 percent. Then as I read about character concepts, better understood the shaken rules, bennies, etc...a game started to formulate in my mind. If it was going to be a Deadlands game it was going to be a bit...well deadly. Also, it was going to be fast and emphasizing gonzo, cinematic moves. Those are the pre-gens I created and the scenario feel I went for. I use the system that I want to learn as the jumping off point for a game idea. I wanted to run Apocalypse World...I love the Fall Out verse...so I made a New Vegas AW game. I wanted to run Paranoia with Jackers so I made a game. There is typically so much setting tied up with system that it is the best source for creating a game. GURPS while generic, universal, and a system that involves role playing still can be a great source of game inspiration. "Why would someone take the schizophrenic disad?" One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest the con game is born.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2014 13:00:33 GMT -8
I always go idea and story first, write up my basic plot, NPC back stories, etc. Then I will pick a system to go with it. This doesn't always work the best, but I tend to go rules light in general so the system matters far less to me then the story we are telling. I have been known to completely throw the rules out the window during a session if the story had gone in a direction where the system got in the way.
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kroh
Supporter
Posts: 132
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Post by kroh on Aug 6, 2014 12:04:08 GMT -8
I usually go idea, then system as well. Although like was said above, specific rules give certain aspects of setting a particular flavor. This can push your brain in certain directions.
Regards, Walt
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Post by yojimbohawkins on Aug 6, 2014 12:21:59 GMT -8
I'm running L5R & Edge of the Empire games at the moment, so obviously the games are set in Rokugan & Star Wars respectively. Lovecraftian horror? Call of Cthulhu for me. Steampunk? Probably Castle Falkenstein. Anything else? Likely to be Savage Worlds, although I'd like to try out FAE & Fare Core.
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Post by Malex on Aug 7, 2014 13:04:41 GMT -8
Of late I have been coming up with ideas for specific systems, primarily Shadowrun.
Thinking about it, I typically choose the system first and then begin building a game. Gives me those much needed boundaries and frameworks to work within. Otherwise I would have complete anarchy, which happened in the one and only GURPS game I participated in. I have been reconsidering my anti-GURPS sentiment lately, but have yet to take the plunge.
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