This post started on Facebook, although it was really on Twitter. Wil Wheaton posted this:
This made me think back to when I was a kid. I never played Dungeons and Dragons, but I did play another RPG called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness.
Back then, I didn’t know anyone that played D&D, but I knew people who had this particular RPG. And you know what? I don’t think we ever actually played the game. We created characters, and we spent a lot of time doing it. I made so many characters in my free time, but it was what I loved doing. The character creation was a lot of fun, and I just kept wanting to make more and more characters. Have you ever felt that way about games like D&D and TMNT?
But back to Dungeons and Dragons. Wil Wheaton’s post had me thinking about how I’d like to get my hands on the Player’s Handbook (and probably Dungeon Master’s book, and other resources). I’d actually like to play it if I knew anyone who does. However, I don’t know if I would even get that far. I’d probably be having too much fun creating the characters. But is that so bad? I mean, I could create characters I could use in a classic fantasy story. But that’s been done before.
And that brings me to another point. I wonder how many authors actually create RPGs like this for their fantasy books. I know some series, like Forbidden Realms was created to support their RPG system. But what if the book was first, and the RPG later? If you write fantasy (or even science fiction), would you consider creating an RPG system for your world? I think I would for Ariadne.
Let me know in the comments below: Have you played any of these RPGs? Would you create an RPG for your books? I’d love to hear from you.
I Read Encyclopedias for Fun 