Developing a Tabletop RPG

What makes me qualified?

I'm currently developing a Tabletop RPG under the project name GLIMMER. If you have any questions about the project itself or the development feel free to ask.

What is a Tabletop RPG?

Tabletop Role-Playing Games often use the same or similar elements that board games use such as paper, something to write with, dice, and sometimes some kind of map or representation of the play area via a board. Tabletop RPGs mainly involve taking on the persona of a created character and being a part of a story.

How to Create a Tabletop RPG

To create you must first understand, be familiar with, or at the very least do your research into how other Tabletop RPGs function.

I did my research by volunteering as a Leader of the first beta Dungeons and Dragons Amino community. This allowed me to become fully immersed into a relatively alien concept and embrace it.

With Dungeons and Dragons the idea of homebrews are fairly common, this is where you take the bare bones of the game and apply it to any universe you want, (The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Magic the Gathering, World of Warcraft, etc. The possibilities are literally endless!I'm not trying to get you into D&D but it is pretty cool.)

I knew that I wanted to stand apart from Dungeons and Dragons but still retain some similarities. I didn't want my game to be a homebrewed D&D game, so I went to the concept lab.

The Things You Need for Your Tabletop RPG

A Setting

You'll need a unique world to base your story in and you'll need to choose a time or era that the story takes place in. Your world, to have some depth, will need its own plant and fungal life, creatures, races, languages, cultures, etc.

Conflict

You'll have to define one or more major conflicts, (an ancient evil, a mass plague, a dying world) and some minor conflicts, (pest problems with a garden, bounty collecting on criminals, etc.) for the players to choose to confront. Each conflict must have some kind of clear reward or at the very least, dependent on the player's actions, the possibility of a reward.

Protagonist & Antagonist

This can apply to individuals, clans, kingdoms, or deities. However, you can make this work there is likely to be a defined fight for good and one for evil. Sometimes exceptions for a mixture is beneficial for a unique story with the help of a well-placed curse, (think Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,) although a curse isn't required, sometimes people are just complicated.

Game Mechanics

You'll need to define what materials are necessary to play your game. Look into the variety of materials from character sheets, character models/pawns, custom dice, maps, guide books, and more! Establish the rules for what can and cannot be done, how combat works, and sometimes how results are generated according to the rolls of the dice.

Cost of Development & Release

Keep in mind the cost of your game not only as it stands but also in comparison to other tabletop games on the market. You will want to be able to afford to make your game but you also may want to be able to compete with other tabletop games with cheaper prices, more content for the same price, or otherwise.

Digital, Physical, or Hybrid?

Decide if you'd be able to handle programming a tabletop simulator or if you'd rather pay to have actual, (sometimes custom,) dice made. A hybrid is possible with the game manuals being PDF files, eBooks or any other form of document saved to a device. Decide what fits into your budget!