I’ve hit the point where I’m spending too much time in my head.
I got well into outlining my first Basic RolePlaying: The Ultimate Engine world book for the Design Challenge, and now I have cold feet. What if this isn’t what the judges are looking for? Will it sell to a non-fantasy audience? Will it make money if/when I get it published?
I might be laughing about all of this in June when I’m polishing off one or both projects following the contest deadline at the end of May. It has to get turned in before they can judge it. I don’t want to just throw something together in the hopes of it being good enough. I want to carefully assemble a project that I can be proud of regardless of how it gets judged.
I would put the pitches on here, we could run into duplicate ideas from other creators.
I have over twenty ideas I could potentially run with on this project. I like all of them. I think they’re all very doable. I simply don’t know how popular they’re going to be.
Right now, popularity is currency after a fashion. If it doesn’t look like people are going to like it, the judges won’t either. If it doesn’t look like people are going to like it now, it’s probably not going to sell.
I’m also concerned that if I do something that appeals to the largest common denominator, it’s going to blend in with all of the other submissions, no popularity with the judges, and no sales. I can’t afford to hire a partner or an editor. My wife’s a very casual gamer and doesn’t really do TTRPG design, so I don’t even bounce many ideas off of her.
I love other creators in the TTRPG space. I think we’re all awesome. I think there’s plenty of room to grow for everyone.
However, we run into the problem of idea sharing in much the same way authors run into trouble on social media. If someone leaks a plot and characters for their next book and it goes viral, suddenly twelve more books pop up that look exactly like the original and we don’t know where it actually started. That’s why I’m usually very tight lipped about what I’m exactly working on. If 20 clones pop up after I release my game, fine.
I’m not trying to sound like I don’t trust anyone in the community. I just know how these things go. I’ve had a couple of very distinct occurrences where I developed something for a TTRPG and thought it was a cool idea, so I shared it online or in an email. The next thing I know, my idea is built up as someone else’s book with their name on the cover. I’m not going to name anyone, but it’s truly something that happened twice to me.
I took a short break to think about it and came up with…
I was out of town over the past weekend with my family for the annual Midwest Regional Swim Meet. It was a very relaxing weekend for the most part. I got to visit The Source and Games By James among other things. My kids loved going to the game stores, the restaurants, and lots of swimming, of course.
When I wasn’t completely exhausted from the day’s events, I did manage to scrawl a few notes about the BRP Design Challenge. I made a big list of things I love in TTRPGs. I made a short list of things I prefer to avoid in a TTRPG. (It really as a short list- maybe ten whole items.) I made a short list of things I think sell well in TTRPGs. I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that I’m an outcast among outcasts, a nerd amongst other nerds, an unpopular dude amongst what used to be the unpopular kids.
I think the audience has changed, but the game, and genre of choice stayed the same. I think the “popular” kids are watching Critical Role, Dimension 20, and playing Dungeons & Dragons. I’ve seen multiple polls, including my own, on social media that confirm it.
I’m into lots of anime- Chrome Shelled Regios, Macross/Robotech, Giant Robo, Kishin Corps, Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Satellizer el Bridget (Freezing,) Appleseed, Claymore, Gunslinger Girl, and Muv Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse. (*Please note some of my anime choices are not kid friendly.) I’m also big on martial arts films from Kurosawa to Bruce Lee to Jet Li. Anything ninja related gets my attention, especially Ninja Scroll.
When it comes to TTRPG preferences, I have even more things I’m interested in. Yes, I like D&D and on a good day 5E is even pretty acceptable. (It’s not the game’s fault that its caretaker sucks.) Obviously I like anything anime themed. I’m a big Transformers, GI Joe, and Power Rangers fan. I like some horror and sci-fi, too. (Monster of the Week, Starfinder.) The Star Wars RPG has always been a huge influence on me, but unfortunately one doesn’t simply get to write SWRPG material for publication. Superhero games are very much my jam. I can go on forever just talking about TTRPGs I love. There’s also Deadlands, Cyberpunk, and Big Eyes, Small Mouth.
I can’t sell what I enjoy the most in terms of TTRPGs.
I don’t have the IP rights to any anime, movie, TV show, comic book, Actual Play series, novel or any other saleable game fodder. If I want to do an RPG, it has to be completely from scratch, except for the rules. That’s what BRP: Universal Game Engine is for, after all. All of the flavor, feeling, and setting info have to be original. Trust me, it sounds easy on paper.
I kinda want to make Cybernetic Kung Fu Mecha Jocks vs Eldritch Zombie Alien Bioroids in Space the RPG. What I feel will sell the most is something that looks like D&D 5E just with a different system. I think if I have time I might do the for fun one second and focus on putting my fantasy game together. Fantasy is a little easier to do in BRP because it actually narrows the number of professions and skills, btw.
How do you remake Forgotten Realms without actually making it all about D&D? The same could be said for Old School Essentials and Dungeon Crawl Classics. Fantasy settings all start looking the same to me. I don’t have any rights to any licensed IP, so I wonder if I’m out of the running completely.
As I commented on someone’s YouTube video, 2024 is The Year of the Flat Wallet when it comes to TTRPG products. I’ve pretty much given up on spending another dime this year save for the one late backer offer on Kickstarter I’ve been waiting for since late 2022. This year has gotten to be too much in terms of new releases.
I’ve got another article coming where I talk about some of the major TTRPG purchases are making things too difficult for TTRPG hobbyists to stay on top of all the new releases. Let’s just say there’s a ton of competition out there right now. Times are getting tougher for a lot of us out in the real world, which isn’t helping. In a way, Wizards of the Coast delaying the D&D releases until late in the year isn’t helping much of anything, but that’s part of the other article I mentioned earlier.
Do I throw in the towel?
The BRP Design Challenge is designed to help new and upcoming designers bring their original concepts to life. (I’m paraphrasing.) Reading this again for the 20th time makes me wonder if the judges won’t take one look at my site here and my social media and give me a hard pass for… “uh, reasons.” (*I know what their reasons will likely be, but I’m not going off on that tangent right now.)
Part of me worries this will be a project where I get into the weeds with it and fizzle. I’ve got quite a bit going on in my life with my oldest graduating High School and two very active athletes. (swimming, tennis, baseball, and possibly soccer.) Somebody has to cook, clean, and do laundry on top of keeping up with this blog and the Design Challenge. It’s a juggling act. I can write 10,000+ words per day, but at the cost of other things.
I think my final decision, tough as it was to come by, is going to be keep going for now. There are still any number of obstacles to overcome, but I wouldn’t be much of an adventurer if I gave up at the first sign of trouble. Truthfully, I’m pretty nervous about putting myself out there on display. Can’t win if you don’t play, I guess.
Thanks for taking this weird trip down self-doubt lane with me today. I appreciate the support. Please embrace the things that bring the most joy for everyone today.
Jeff's Game Box 