Well, crud.
This is the point I hit every time I try to design my own game where things start to break down. I get frustrated, sidetracked, and eventually lose interest. To be honest, Old School Essentials is looking really good right now. Like, I could just design the World of Warcraft character classes and monsters for OSE and call it a day.
That’s not my game, though.
I have a fabulous idea for skill resolution, combat rolls, feats, weapon specialization, and so on. Then I came to magic. Insert four letter word salad here. I’m so frustrated with magic because now I have to go back to ALL of my classes.
My whole class structure falls apart once I try to add martial arts and magic. Then comes the debate of rules lite “Basic” version of the game vs the “Advanced” version of the game. Why am I adhering to the old Dungeons & Dragons ways of doing things?
Why am I trying to hack the 5.1SRD at all? So far other than the attribute and skill names, none of it is 5E. Or do I just give up all together and work on my Cypher campaigns, Monster of the Week, Pathfinder 2E, OSE, and ICONS ideas.
Imposter Syndrome comes into play right about here.
Self-doubt and Social Anxiety kick in real hard sometimes. If you know anyone with these mental health concerns, you know what I’m talking about is real. My “platform built on misery” is more like my platform showing honest struggles. I admire anyone who has gotten past my current stage of game development.
I’m gonna keep going with this project. I might take a breather for a while. I want to prove that I can do it. Although at this point, I think we’re going to go a different route with the labels. I think I can safely ditch whatever plan I had to use the 5.1 SRD.
Massive overhaul, Day 1.
Classes or classless? Attribute names? Attribute generation?
Gah! Campaigns, monsters, magic items, and dungeons are so much easier to make.
I know the magic system and martial arts are going to be a running theme in every class, even if it’s only a minor appearance. Time to chuck all of the D&D classes. That system was holding me back. So, next time will mark fresh start number three in my notes. No one ever said the creative process doesn’t come with rough drafts
Why even have classes at all? I’m a being, with a heritage and a background. Level 0.
I think I’m leaving some sort of leveling system in place. Definitely streamlining the XP system, though.
My pencil and paper notes have all the details. More as I flesh some of them out. I want a clear picture of what a base character looks like at first level before I go too crazy with specifics. If anyone tries to tell you game design is easy, please tell them it’s not?
Thanks for being here. I appreciate you. Stay tuned. More on this as it develops.
Jeff's Game Box 