rpg ideas

i've always wanted to make an RPG, mostly because of my disatisfaction with various RPG systems that don't really cohere with the stories I want to tell. i found a lot of success DMing with a friend during the pandemic using a very stripped down version of 5e. this actually made gameplay incredible. my friend had to rely on his natural wits and creativity, cementing immersion into his character and the world we were building. i later learned of the term "old school renaissance", which espoused this style of play.

one of my favourite systems i discovered was whitehack, which consolidated the class system into characters that were either deft, strong, or wise. whitehack notably used a "roll high under" rule as opposed to modifiers. it was fun to experiment with this system, but i ultimately missed the 'flavor' of DnD's traditional ability scores and skills. even if they were mathematically redundant, having certain skills 'hard coded' into the game made it feel more aesthetically fantastical. i think good RPG systems aren't just functional -- they add aesthetic flavour. having the right combination of aesthetic flavour with stripped-down freedom can create the basis for sessions and campaigns that are highly hypnotic. this is especially the case with magic, and if you really want to worldbuild as you unravel the plot with your players, you need to get those rules right.

introducing quinhack

quinhack is my bastardization of 5e, whitehack, and my own idosyncracies. in a nutshell:

• DnD ability scores and modifiers
• Whitehack classes
• Freeform magic, but retain mana system

as a dm with very specific goals (maximize immersion, minimize complexity), this system allows me to keep things rules-lite and old school, but still have a lot of the mechanical weight done by the robust, time-tested system of 5e. one of the biggest draws of DnD is its massive playerbase, and as a result, its incredible amount of homebrew content ready to be taken, remixed, and deployed on a whim. one of the biggest draws of OSR games like whitehack is i can really make up the details as i go and keep the big picture of the environment crystal clear for players. ultimately, RPGs are about the collision of both collaborative storytelling and gaming, and this is a balance that works for me. i'm lucky to have friends that trust me to run a depraved system like this.

MUDs, levels, and databases

i was in fifth grade when i first learned about MUDs -- these text based multiplayer dungeons that were before my time. after trying my hand at the popular ones of the day (achaea, lol), i was determined to try and build my own. i found a now defunct web app called MUDMaker and wrote detailed rooms of my fantasy paracosm, and tried to balance weapons and foods and currencies. later, i downloaded a bootleg version of RPG Maker XP, and i was similarly hooked. i spent hundreds of hours designing levels, NPCs, and monsters. in eighth grade i hosted a MUD that i found on sourceforged and ceaselessly modified on my laptop. my classmates connected to it for like, a day.

there's something really fun about game design, sometimes more fun than just playing games themselves.