Time of Seeking

My Own One-Page RPG

This article is going to be shorter than normal. Why? Most of the work I have been doing today, and throughout the week, has been on this little self-challenge. I am not going to talk so much about the game I just made, more about the process and the why. But, if you want to go check it out, and possibly support me…

Why Did I Do This?

For a while now I have been hearing and seeing the various jams that go on in both our community and the related video games community. A few months back I almost joined an adventure jam, but I got absorbed elsewhere, plus cold feet, and I just let the excitement die out. Ever since I have been contemplating making my game as a one-page, so I finally did.

Last week after I wrote my article this idea came up again, so I challenged myself. I said “self, over the next week we are going to ‘finish’ my game, by making it into a one-page RPG.” There is no jam currently, that I know of, but it would make a great first step, maybe only step.

A First Step

We all know the struggle. We play these games, we get excited, and then we start thinking about how we want our names on one of those pretty books. We have ideas, we know how to do things, we can write, and before we know it, we have a few notebooks full of scribbling regarding our own “totally unique and absolutely amazing” game. Also known as a Heartbreaker.

By dedicating myself to making this first step, I get my idea completed and out into the universe. Maybe people love it, maybe they don’t. Maybe people see it, test it, play with it, maybe not. That doesn’t matter. What matters is that I finished it. Having it done means I can return to it and polish it, expand it, add art and a whole bunch of things the community expects, or I can leave it.

Why It May Be the Only Step

Exploring the vastness of the hobby has allowed me to find solutions to problems I have had with the limited games I played for years. I have seen so many different ideas and ways to execute on our hobby, and there are some games that almost completely fill what I think are my needs for a great game. Honestly, after playing and reading several, I have started to rethink whether or not there is actually a hole to fill with my own ideas.

If I actually do find a game that fulfills my needs as a gamer, then I don’t have to any creating. I can leave all of my notes and ideas and scratchings in their books, and on my computer, and never have to worry about treading ground that is well-worn by another. I may have found what I have been looking for after all these years. And maybe I haven’t.

Iterations

The biggest advantage on having this “done,” other than the feeling of relief that I finally did it, is that it gives me a foundation. The process of turning my piles of notes into a compact and concise product forced me to really think about what I want my game to be about. Having only so much space made me reconsider all of the “essential elements” that a game needs, that my game needs.

Is it perfect? No. Does it fulfill what I consider to be the core premise of my game? Yes. The likelihood that I will return and use this as my foundation for further iterations is high. For years I have wanted to create my own game, and as much as I thought I would need a few hundred pages, masses of character options and arbiter guidance, looking through the hobby has lately has really started to change my thinking. Despite all my aspirations, I had not yet produced anything, until now.

Conclusion

I know what you’re thinking: “the guy who rambled about the importance of character sheets, to the point of designing and selling his proper version for 5e, released a game without a character sheet!” It’s crazy, it’s reprehensible, I know. I wanted to, really I did, but I didn’t have time. Another part of this challenge was sticking to my time constraints, just like professionals do. So maybe, in the near future, I will come up with one that fits perfectly onto an index card, since this one-page RPG is so small.