Help

I've been designing games and the best advice I can give is to just do it.

The first step that I usually do is decide on is a feel. This is what I've found to be the most important aspect of any game. To do this, you just need to decide on how realistic you want your game to be. This choice will influence everything in the game from the setting to the rules.

The next step is to select the setting. Will the game take place in a Mars colony or in a small wild west town? Knowing this will allow you to know what the characters in your game will be able to do. It will make it far easier to build the full game knowing what functionality it needs.

The final step (And my personal favorite) is to build the game mechanics. Theres no right way to do this. You just need to figure out how to play while keeping the feel. A light hearted game should have quick and simple rules. A hardcore simulation game should have alot of details. Just play with them until the rules you play by achieve the feel that you wanted with the game.

On a side note, if you were looking to make a computer RPG I can offer you a few useful tools. RPG Maker is a well known piece of software that allows you to make games quickly and easily without coding experience. The other is available at HamsterRepublic.com, and I've worked with it quite a bit. It offers alot of freedom in the games and I've
grown to love that little tool.

Other way, Good luck in your design ventures. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

If you enjoy telling stories and have a passion for imagination, you have everything.

This is a site for creating table top games, generally played with dice and paper. As such, the only materials you need are a pen and a notebook to begin writing one.

If you want to write a console/computer game, then you are in the wrong place.

Still, the way you plan is similar. Think of what you find fun, what you've played in the past, and how it might be improved upon. Get a feel for the setting, and what you want to be possible within your world. Is there going to be magic, or is it all hard science? (Both perhaps?) Are there any intelligent species aside from humans - do humans even exist?

Think of it like making a movie. First you need a setting and a story. Then the rules act like a director, determining how each of the actors will behave to emote the scenes.

If you need any further help, we'll be happy to help.

Good luck.

There is a fine line between hobby and obsession. I seem to have lost sight of it some time ago.