Why Design?

The first thing I am going to start with for my game designing ideas is to look at why I want to design a roleplaying game. In doing so I should be able to get a focus on where I am with my own play style, my likes and dislikes, and just where I intend to take the players of what I'm building. This focus should give me an anchor that will keep me from straying too far from what I intend on doing. After coming up with this focus I want to commit to having something written and in at least ashcan format for GenCon 2009. I don't know if this is too ambitious of a deadline but I won't get anything done without attaching at least something for a deadline.

Okay...

What do I like in a roleplaying game?

1. I like the GM/Players structure because it seems to keep to a focused world yet keeps that world a bit of a mystery for the players.
2. Players should have a definite control over their characters and how they impact the world they inhabit.
3. The players should also be able to take control of their background and not have it controlled by the GM.
4. Player characters do not live in a bubble, but they are interrelated with the other characters, both PCs and NPCs.
   
5. The GM should be saying "yes" to the players as the world is as much theirs as it is his.
6. I like using many different dice.
7. Less crunch and a more cinematic feel is essential for more dramatic play.
8. Flexibility should be built into the rule system to allow for varying play styles.
9. I love action/hero/plot points!
10. I want to see player characters suffer the consequences of their actions.
    

What don't I like in a roleplaying game?

1. I can't stand constant fudging of rules that aren't broken.
2. I hate GM stonewalling when the players want to do something they feel would add to the fun of the game.
3. I also hate GM stonewalling when the players are not following the letter of his planned adventure.
4. I loathe a GM telling a story instead of opening the world for the players affect.
5. A rule that exists just to add fiddly bits when it does not add to the flavor of the game shouldn't exist.
6. Combat is never the only solution to a given situation and should also not be the only thing rewarding the players.
7. I don't like Monty Hall gaming.
8. I hate downtime between character actions.
9. Games that are all one thing annoy me whether they are all dungeon crawl, court intrigue or self-focused internal struggles.
10. I can't stand having to shut down a planned gaming session just because one person chould not show.
    

What are some things I do in my gaming?

1. My preference is to be a GM in my gaming but I have not been able to do that in a while for lack of a gaming group.
2. Now that I have a gaming group I am a player but hoping to get into the GMing role.
3. I am a voracious reader of new and different game books and game systems. I read them to see what makes them tick.
4. I am usually a quiet player at the gaming table but am stretching my wings into more control of my characters' surroundings.
5. I've been looking for ways to tie my characters' into their world whether it's finding a relative to help our party out in a large city or struggling with character emotions over an action they needed to take.
6. I tend to roll with the punches at the gaming table and have been keeping my eyes open for the fun of my fellow gamers. If I can help them have fun then I will try to do just that.

I'm sure this is just a starting point. As I learn more about my play I will refine these three sections. They aren't written in stone but they are a guide for my design and should not be disregarded.

These are a couple things that got me thinking about designing a game in the first place.

1. I have a dice mechanic that should hopefully encourage players to do more than just combat in a sticky situation. It will hopefully also allow for a more realistic feel when it comes to non-physical injury, such as mental, emotional and social.
2. I want a game with a genre of my own. I know that could be a setting book for someone else's game system but I am a believer in the rules needing to fit the feel of a genre. After all, how scary would a book be to characters in Call of Cthulhu if there were no sanity rules?
3. With all the amazing indie games out now there is so much inspiration to break the old hard-and-fast rules and reassemble them in some new bizarre fashion to see just what they could be pushed to do.
   

I think that's it for me today. I am off to play with my design notes.