Continuing Education
Posted by: Ruel Knudson in Developer Blog, DPnP, E-RPG General DevelopmentAs I continue to enter data into an almost final version of the current DPnP Content Creator I find that I am still learning and growing in this process. The design gets better, and greater possibilities appear. So at what point does on finally say to himself, enough is enough? Well the answer is not easy. As anyone reading the forum post tracking the data entry will see, as I continue I find things that need fixing, but I also find new possibilities for the system that almost demand exploration.
There are a great many things that during the initial design for Sagas had to be set aside in an effort to make the game as accessible as possible as well as keep things to a state where I was not including things not necessary to most players who would play a fantasy rpg. In the design we did things like make armor a piece meal concept where you bought and fitted armor pieces into suits. This was scrapped or rather refitted to a design where you just bought a suit of armor. Another concept was to actually have limits to things you can carry in packs. As it stands, only rational thinking allows a GM to say a character cannot simply place whatever they want in their packs. In effect, the backpack is what some of us like to call in most similar situations, a Bond Pocket (named after the N64 game Goldeneye due to James Bond wearing a suit but somehow having an arsenal equipped in the pockets such as 5 or six guns, grenades, and a rocket launcher). Well, I was able to put in a pack inventory system that I wanted but still allow it to basically be ignored if wanted to.
Digital Pen n Paper, by nature of being a computer program, can take these seemingly over-complicated concepts and shrink them down into manageable and accessible ways. It is one of the joys to me of the system. I can now explore all of these things that I wanted to put in and allow them to work for players in a way that can be ignored, or employed at the groups leisure. It satisfies both groups of people without having the seeming unwritten obligation that for some reason having them in a rule book seems to imply. The Sagas rule-books are a collection of examples created with the system, with every component being something you can ignore or forget about it even existing. Yet, somehow, people are convinced that because it is in the book that it must be there for a reason. The truth is, the only reason it is there is to provide examples of how things are created. It doesn’t mean you have to use them or even create them the same way.
DPnP will help with this because I can include all of those things I was afraid to put into the game that would make it seem overly complicated. In suits of armor the original idea is still in place. However, I just created the piecemeal suits for you. So now, I can let you either use the suits and concepts as they stand, or create your own piecemeal suits just like I did. Furthermore, you get it easier as in Digital Pen n Paper the calculations are made for you. Just check a box and away you go.
I wish I had this thing during original design for both Fantasy and Modern. Well, now I will have it for Sci-fi.
Also, coming up, a discussion on release formats for DPnP. There are a ton of ways to get this to market and I want to explore the most attractive concept to the customer. My thought is that the program is useless if no one buys it because it cost too much. Cost will be determined by what the programs offers. So maybe offering smaller versions of the program, or components is a good way to go. However, like I said, a discussion for a later time. I will be laying out options and setting up a survey for this as I get closer to rolling out the Player Character Generator.
One last note, tons of new stuff rolling out with the character generator. Many new items, new races, etc.
Happy Gaming!
