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Malin Freeborn edited this page Dec 20, 2020 · 4 revisions

How an Open Source RPG Works

There has never been a well-established open-source, community-driven RPG before. A few small project like this have sprung up, and Evil Hat have amalgamated elements of working with a larger body of writers, but the proverbial pudding has yet to arrive. So without anything resembling evidence, I'm going to conjecture what an open source RPG could be like by assuming it works like operating systems.

A single Debian-like project becomes the norm. 'BIND', (or whichever open-source RPG) becomes synonymous with just that version. Updates and changes happen rarely. The current version is given a number, and just like 'D&D', a new version emerges every few years.

A few enthusiasts, annoyed by the lack of progress, create an Arch-like version. The GM prints off a new rulebook every few sessions, with the latest changes. Formatting problems are common, but fixes to 'broken' spells, or knacks come in quickly. Players get quickly used to getting a slightly different character each session. All internet posts about it start with 'BTW'.

Finally, a 'Gentoo-like' RPG arrives. There is no pdf available. Anyone using it is expected to fill in a bunch of 'iftoggle' commands, which will then compile just the kind of RPG they want, custom-made for the campaign.

Adventure Modules as Software

In this model, writing adventures becomes equivalent to writing software. And just like in computing, the software is the most important thing on the system.

Writing adventures is hard -- really hard. And no matter the resources of the producers, proper playtesting is hard. However, from the point of view of a community, it's easy for people to vent frustrations on an Issues board, and add a couple of scenes or description-boxes.

Community as Assets

The real aim here is to a tipping point where enough people are playing this that contributions roll in. With contributions, the game can become better as it gets little improvements to little paragraphs, and full new forks.

Numbers can't be forced or bought, but good documentation facilitates new arrivals, so the focus for new designers should be first to get games out there, and second, to make sure instructions feel intuitive.

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