How many examples?

[Wannabe writer]

How many examples should you have in a RPG rules section?

One each for the rules supplied one long one that uses several of the rules?

How many do you think there should be and whats your feeling on examples?

[Anastylos]

Every rule should have an example. Sometimes the rules are not clear and then looking at the example can help to see what was intended. An example gives you ideas for advenutres too. Make shot examples after each rule, if the examples are longer and include more rules the reader might have forgotten what the rules are.

[Rob Lang]

I am in two minds here. I agree a lot with Anastylos on keeping examples short. I think there is a happy middle ground where you can chain your examples together to give the reader a good idea of the system. For example, the character you create in your character creation example should be then used in your combat example. Keep using the same names if possible. All the examples together will give a good overview of the system.

Don't put examples in for flavour/setting text. If your setting text doesn't describe itself then it's not very good setting text!

For games that play very differently to most RPGs, include an example play that reads like a script: "GM: you see two orcs..". I recommend doing that for your game anyway and then not including it.

[madunkieg]

Examples can help explain how rules work, but they can also provide information about how stories are supposed to be formed. These are called AP (actual play) reports. Supposedly they give an example of how to generate a story using the rules. They come from recording and transcribing a playtest session. An AP report would be handy for players who have never played a RPG before.

Or, at least that's the logic behind AP reports. But the AP report didn't come about for decades after the industry's birth. So, do they help or not?

The jury's still out, and perhaps it depends on the type of game. Lang suggests that the example is helpful in explaining very different types of games, but that assumes the players have at least some experience with RPGs. I suggest thinking about what, if any, types of RPGs your intended audience has played, and then consider whether an AP report would be helpful or just a waste of paper.

[vulpinoid]

I'm aiming toward illustrating entire game sessions in comic form as an accompanying document to the rules. Completely removing examples from the rule document, but offering a wide variety of common issues that might arise in play in the illustrations of the comic. I seriously don't recommend this path to everyone, even though it's very user friendly, it's a LOT of work.

[Wannabe writer]