A Quick Thought On Game Structure

RPGs

Entry posted by ExoFat November 25, 2009

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Ya know, we talk an awful lot about what makes an RPG really successful. Interest, GM involvement, and Player interaction spring to mind. But what you don't hear about often is Game Structure.

You see, some games are just inherently built in a manner which is conducive to a large amount of posts. Games like Outbreak and BZProvince were built on quickly posting many small sequences, because their primary focus was in the heat of the battle. Obviously, the story carried weight too, and many large posts within each one, but the games were built upon combat. It made them frantic and fast.

Games like Reality and the BZPRPG are pushed to the top for a different reason. They aren't necessarily made of small posts, but the sheer amount of players in each one provide an increasing amount of interaction. The sandbox mechanics and general freedom give players a large reason to post. These games aren't necessarily frantic even if they are speedy.

The third group is made of games like Oblivion's Embrace and A City Divided. These games are structured (from what I understand) largely around delivering a compelling story, with combat taking a back seat. These games don't always garner large followings or massive amounts of rapid fire posts, but instead focus on providing an amazing, character building, experience.

So, in my opinion, judging games based on how many pages they drudged up is rather irrelevant. Look at CJ's games. They were all amazingly well put together and well executed but they just didn't garner much of a following.

I guess the three structure types is sort of like the difference between Uncharted, World of Warcraft, and Final Fantasy. All three are great and fun, just different and differently paced. You're obviously going to get the blockbuster Marios, but every year you'll also hear of an Okami.

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