2007: The Character Sheet Is The RPG Challenge II

[ErrinF]

Well, it's that time of the year again at 1k1mkt.net... time to declare another unofficial challenge. Or maybe these challenges are official. Well, official enough...

Anyway, I was thinking it'd be cool to have another wave of one page rpgs to add to the fine roster we have here at 1km1kt. Last year, Jeff Moore, with a little help from me, started the first 'The Character Sheet Is The RPG Challenge'. Here's the link in case you need a refresher course on the topic:

http://www.1km1kt.net/community/showthread.php?t=890

Basically, the challenge is to create an RPG that is entirely contained within one single page. If you want to add an extra twist to this challenge, you can try making the character sheet rpg in a single 24 hour time period. Once your game is made, please submit it to 1km1kt.net in pdf form so that the rest of us can play it. What we usually did last time around was post a link in the challenge's thread to your one page game once it's available at 1km1kt.

If you participated last time around, please join the fun again, as we got a bunch of cool, easy games out of all the contributors last time. If you haven't participated in one of these challenges, give it a shot, as it is a fun and simple challenge that should result in an interesting game being made in no time. These one page character sheet RPGs are a whole genre unto themselves, so let's expand that genre a little more this year.

Any takers? : )

p.s. The link to the first challenge includes a lot of posts that link to the RPGs we made the first time around. Check them out!

[Chainsaw Aardvark]

Not that I plan on playing fast and lose with the rules, but I just wanted to check. A page means a reasonable size font on 8.5x11/A-4 paper, with one inch margins - not 5 point font, 1/4 inch margins, on legal - right?

And does it have to be on only one side of the sheet? Do you know what a mobius strip is?

[jeffmoore]

All of your former assumptions are correct... but I think I used 8 pt. type for Rage Precognition and Grace. I think the spirit of the contest is to present something compact enough to fit on one single piece of paper that can be digested and used quickly and easily. A "Beer and Pretzels" RPG if you will... the hope is to create something that new players will be anxious to try if for no other reason than the limited format means that their time and energy investment will be small. Check out RPG and other examples, I think that these will give you enough of an idea to go on.

Errin for myself the limits of the 1 page RPG created an interesting challenge, but it is one which I feel like I have bested. I like Rage Precognition and Grace pretty well and feel like it does what I wanted it to do. So for me this will be a "been there, done that" kind of challenge (plus, I am focused on Duel Blade right now.) But, if you do garner some interest from other designers I'd be more than happy to read all submissions and provide my own feedback (for whatever that is worth!)

Regards,


Jeff

[Rob Lang]

Aardvark, I think you're pushing the spirit of the competition by suggesting a mobius loop - giving an infinitely long design space!

I might even try it this time. I've always been mad about character sheets but to get it all on one sheet wil be a challenge!

Do we have a finish date?

[Chainsaw Aardvark]

Oddly enough, I actually did come up with an idea for a game based on a mobius strip or loop after typing that. Its more of a either a solo game or chose your own adventure story. It begins with "A new hero rises named..." and the character creation questions (haven't decided) and a choice of equipment (ditto). Every ending is either "but evil will not remain unchecked for long for..." or the final one "the nation was ruled justly for a thousand years, until the world was once again in need...."

However, that would probably take me longer than any contest date set before 2012 or so.


Interestingly enough, I've had a number of college professors state that we get one side of a sheet/notecard for notes on the final. And in pretty much every case, they allowed me to write my notes on a mobius strip after I demonstrated the concept to them.

[ErrinF]

If you can get a one page RPG done by the end of the year, that's good enough for me. If you can make a one page RPG into a mobius strip, I'd really like to see that! Then you could start working on a perpetual motion machine.
No worries if you joined the fun last time around and would like to take a pass this time. Truly understood when we all have our own workloads... still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping this challenge would eek another 1 page rpg out of Jeff! Best of luck with Duel Blades, my man!
I hope to get my 1 pager for this challenge done in the next month or so. I already have an idea or two, and this time I might make a character sheet RPG that uses poker cards rather than dice.
Hope that cleared some things up regarding this challenge. Whether we get the same contributors last time or a whole new group of contributors is cool with me... all in the name of adding more cool RPGs to 1km1kt.

[tadk]

Count me in, i am game, despite having my head handed to me on a beaten wooden platter in Game Chef this year.
I am in, will post as I make them.
I am not sure if I will cheat a few times and dust off the system I used last year and add on some more settings and genres as I had at first intended. But I am in.

[ErrinF]

Sounds good, tad. I think I saw a comment from you at RPG Lab saying you'd be up for such a challenge (I mentioned it in a blog of mine there), and seeing that got the ball rolling for me to get this challenge started over here at 1km1kt. I look forward to whatever you and the rest of us end up contributing. Good luck, everybody!

[decreased]

I, much like Tad, was thoroughly stomped at Game Chef, but since I was already working on a 1 page game, I see no reason to not hop in this challenge. So, count me in.

[ErrinF]

I haven't interacted with Game Chef much. Guess I'll have to check it out since it sounds quite challenging. Looking forward to your submissions for this challenge.