Quick Start PDF for large games

[Onix]

Rob recently did a review on my game . He brought out that trying to crack into a large RPG can be difficult and I agree. Rob has his formula for the most efficient book layout and I'll probably implement those ideas in the future but I had another idea to add onto that.

Since the RPG industry is moving away from actual books and mostly sticking to PDFs why not make quick start books? My first thought is to reduce The Artifact down to only things that are necessary to play a basic game. I have thirty plus starting character types and that can be confusing to a new player. Some of them I consider "advanced" where most starting players would have a hard time playing. Some of them overlap, I can cut out a lot and still have the core ideas portrayed. Skills I think I have to keep as is. Rules can be trimmed, only including the basic event resolution, movement etc. I did a quick run through and cut out thirty pages and I think I can cut out more for a quick start.

I do have another thought, but I'm a little reluctant to try, have a starter game that allows certain characters to be made and all the rules to play the game are included in that starter game step by step. You wouldn't have to look in the core book at all. I'm reluctant on this because I always hated pre-made games. I think I'm in the minority on that though.

So my question is, do you think that either of these ideas would be helpful? Should I do both? Where do you see the ideas going wrong?

[Chainsaw Aardvark]

Neither concept is without precedent. Rob himself has the scavenger setting to make ICAR more accessible (its world, if not the rules themselves at least) while both D&D and the recent World of Darkness games have introductory packs with rules and pre-made characters. Quite a few miniature designers have released light or even full versions of their games to entice players into buying their figurines.

You might want an index of actions, or a basic rules summary within the game rather than a separate "just the facts" document.

I think the biggest problem is a question of "why parts can be removed?". What are all those rules you're liquidating to bring down page count for? How do they establish the setting of the game? Hopefully, you don't have page count for the sake of page count, and the game is lessened by any omission.

Limiting the options - be it the number of classes available, types of equipment present, abilities characters can take, and omitting some advanced combat actions would certainly be acceptable. Rules for operating vehicles and designing equipment is also easily excised until later. But if a system is there, it should probably remain there.

As a generic example - if the starter combat rules don't include bleeding, then the mortal peril of combat is not quite as evident, and this document is not an adequate introduction to the themes of the game.

Either path towards a quick-start would probably be helpful, but these things need to be an introduction to the world, not just the rules crib-notes. These starters need to have an example city, unique creatures, a quick adventure, and otherwise draw people into the game rather than condense a few numbers. A dozen pre-made characters and two or three sample "five-room dungeons" might give the requisite introduction and variety.

As my grandfather has to say about public speaking "A speech should be like a dress - long enough to cover the subject, yet short enough to be interesting." Cutting rules from dozens of pages to only 20 seems kind of risque and may bit too bare for the concepts to come across.

[Onix]

The core event resolution system only takes two pages (or so) to explain. The things I'm omitting are things like how to handle disease, massing infantry (which takes a lot of space because of infantry stats), and things that ad flavor but aren't core to the rules. I'm avoiding omitting things that would hurt a player starting out without the rules.

Also the GM's section is heavy with story that isn't necessary for initial games but is useful for progressive games. Overwhelming the GM with story is probably the first thing to avoid. I'm looking to give the gist of it and then they can get into more later. That can be done with the full book but the GM has to scan and evaluate the information and that can be daunting.

Even Risus with about five pages of text can be cut down to three by eliminating the three optional rules for boosting rolls.

You wrote about an "index of actions" I'm not quite following. Maybe my brain is just broken, can you elaborate?

[Onix]

The Artifact southern chapter head, just suggested a page with quick start directions on it. It's simpler and makes more sense to me.

We are working on starter adventures I'm just not very good at writing them. All my campaigns just pour out of my brain and writing so that most possibilities are accounted for is tough for me. Anybody interested in writing campaigns?

[Rob Lang]

[Onix]

Yeah, Sai pretty much cracked me over the head and said "No" to the slimmed down book.

We're working on a pack of starter adventures. Tarnoc and I hit on an idea for one that I feel is a really good starter. I have one for introducing the Kelrath, and there's a neat little political intrigue one for an I-CA colony, and two more that don't require advanced characters but would be way too confusing if it were your first game. But this one I'm working on feels like it could be the perfect intro game so I think this is it.

Sai wants me to include the quick start directions in the game book but I think I want to have it as a separate printable pdf. The idea he had was just a list of directions as to what to read for the fastest start up and possibly why they're important to know.

[Rob Lang]

Sai needs a pat on the back. Make sure the adventures are really simple - containing simple intrigue or plot hooks. For example, my very first adventure for Icar is really a dungeon crawl in space. And a small dungeon (space craft wreck) at that!

[Onix]

Yeah I gotta say, he's the one that kicks my butt to do more with the Artifact and scolds me the most when he finds an error. Still, I need it from time to time.

[Rob Lang]

I have a batch of players who do that scolding with me. It's very important. I need a kick now and again to stop playing minecraft.

[kumakami]

I've often thought of writing a game this way. in small booklets, so you can pick and choose the componets you wish to deal with.