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Our friends at RPGCodex informed us that they have an editorial by Josh Sawyer from Black Isle Studios, dealing with the sense of freedom in an RPG. Take this excerpt as pars pro toto:
Make the story about the character's choices, not NPC-driven narrative. Most designers like to think that all of the characters they write up are totally bitchin' and everyone who plays the game will love them to tears. This usually isn't the case, and you'll find people blowing large holes in the chests of your beloved NPCs. Let 'em, and let them roll with the consequences. Try to keep "game critical" characters to a minimum, and design scenarios (or even just tiny responses) to the slaying of fancy people. If Solosolo breaks Mayor McGraw's neck with his large, meaty hand, you don't have to write an emotional ten node tree in every townie's dialogue reacting to the situation. A simple set of floats based off of that condition is usually enough to make the player nod in satisfaction. "Wow, I can't believe Mayor McGraw is dead." "Please don't hurt me, Solosolo!" "Yeah, I never liked the mayor, anyway." Mission accomplished. And if that changes how the main story plays out, that's even better. People live to hear Ron Perlman's voice say things like, "Lost without Mayor McGraw to defend them, the people of Sleepy Oaks were crushed and scattered by the rebel Brotherhood Paladins!" |
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Josh Sawyer (BIS) on CRPG Design at RPGCodex
