Write It

I spend a lot of time online talking about RPGs and something I hear regularly is that someone will have an idea for a project they want to make, but they aren't doing it because there's something similar that already exists. For example, wanting to make a game about mechs but holding off because Lancer's already out there. And no, that's not how this works. Knock it off.

If you've got an idea for something you want to write, then write it.

It doesn't matter if there's already another game in the same genre or that uses similar themes, make yours. Seriously, stop and think: Can you imagine this happening in any other art form? No movie studio is going to pass on making a spy flick just because there are already James Bond films. Painters don't look at waterlilies and think "Nah, Monet already did it." That's nonsense. Write the thing you want to write. Whether it's a system, an adventure, something small like a blog post or list, just write it and don't worry.

RPGs are a new and wide-open medium. There's plenty of room for everyone to create their own art. Do it. Don't stifle your creativity because you're worried about stepping on toes or that it'd be a waste of time or that you're not good enough to write compared to others. Make your thing and have fun doing it.

It doesn't matter if you're not the best, you don't need to be and you'll only improve as you practice. It doesn't matter if what you make isn't a success, in making it you've developed your skills and honed your taste by seeing what wasn't up to your standards. More importantly, if you enjoyed making the thing then your time wasn't wasted, even if you decide it's a failure in the end. Creativity is worthwhile in itself, not just a means to an end.

It especially doesn't matter if there are similar games out there already. Having multiple interpretations of the same subjects and concepts by different artists is a vital part of art. Having more options and examples of things to read, play, and experience makes the medium richer. It's a good thing. Your work might even inspire others in their turn. Also a good thing.

So stop worrying, take your idea, and write it already.

Experiment: The Tower That Follows You

The Tower That Follows You is something I've always wanted to use in a game. It's exactly what it sounds like, some feature of the world that follows the party and inserts itself into the local landscape as they move. The players can go wherever they like, do whatever adventuring they want, but that Tower is always there. It just shows up, no matter how far they travel. They never have to go in or interact with it if they don't want to, but the option is always there.

It feels like a fun mix of mysterious, ominous, and unsettling.

It's also important to remember that the thing following the party doesn't have to be a tower. I just think of towers as the default because they're dramatic and near impossible to miss looming in the distance. It could be any type of building or location like a dungeon mouth, temple, spooky old manor, or something as simple as a distinctive ornate door that keeps showing up on random walls. It doesn't even need to be man-made. The party could keep running into the same forest clearing with a fairy circle, the same tree, a particular prehistoric standing stone, or just a rip in space-time that keeps appearing.

The key things are that whatever's following is:

1) Conspicuous. Extremely obvious, easily visible, and distinctive so the players can't miss it. The rest of the world might not notice it (or think it's always been there) but the party has to know it's there and be able to recognize it as the exact same feature from past sightings.

2) Ready to go. It needs to be something the party can interact with whenever they decide they've had enough of its malarkey. That means it's got to be fully prepared and ready to run at a moment's notice.

3) A constant and unavoidable presence in the world that confronts the party just by existing. They can choose not to interact with it, but they can't ignore it's there.

The real fun is it might not even be something menacing. They might just have a fan who's a wizard with a mobile tower. No way to know for sure unless they go in and check it out.

Monsters Can't See Pink

Color perception is very different between species. Just as most mammals can't see longer wavelength colors like red and orange most monsters, even those with otherwise human-like color perception, can't see pink. It's not universal of course, but for the vast majority of monsters different shades of pink from palest pastels to deep rose and retina-searing hot pink all wash out to a mix of dull grays. That's why pink camouflage and equipment is so effective in dungeon environments and recommended for all adventurers planning expeditions with a chance of encountering monsters. It blends in with the bare stone walls of ruins and caves, rendering the wearer practically invisible as long as they make an effort to disguise their silhouette and hold still.

Note:
- Pink only provides an advantage against monsters that are primarily visual predators. It doesn't give any protection against creatures that hunt with other senses.
- While they can't see pink monsters can see True Magenta, which is as outside our color perception as pink is to them. They are aware of this.
- Be wary of anyone you meet who's not wearing pink. They're either dangerously inexperienced, not concerned about monsters, or after something else.