RPG Game Design (Fundamentals, Patterns, Mechanics)

Understand RPG game design by learning about the fundamentals, using successful design patterns, and researching core RPG game mechanics. RPGs are some of the most popular video games in the industry. They allow players to take on roles and live out experiences that mundane life doesn’t offer. Roleplaying is at the heart of every RPG, so every design choice must encourage immersion to allow the player to think and act as the character they’ve created.

Design levels, characters, and UI around the same design principles. A war-torn world is bleak and grim, and its levels, characters, and UI must reflect that bleakness. When every visual element matches and is cohesive together, it allows the player to settle into the world. There’s nothing that jars them out of the experience. Research other successful RPGs and understand their design patterns to create an immersive experience.

Don’t forget to study RPG game design examples from other resources, too. There are plenty of RPG game design courses out there that lay out the basics and even offer advanced tips and lessons. Read RPG design books to understand game design from different perspectives. All the information helps lay out a framework for creating a strong RPG game design document. The document tracks all the design choices for the game–keeping everyone on the same track.

Find examples of RPG game design templates below and read through a step-by-step process of filling one out. Understanding what to include in a RPG game design document ensures that the team has a strong foundation when it comes to getting into the nitty-gritty of game design. Keep everything organized and updated to ensure everyone on the team finds the sections they need quickly.

Learn more about designing a 2D or 3D RPG by understanding level design, character design, RPG systems, UI design, common design patterns, advanced RPG design tips, RPG game mechanics, the best RPG game design courses, RPG design books, finding RPG game design templates, and filling out an example of a RPG game design document.

What are the fundamentals of RPG game design?

The fundamentals of RPG game design involve player actions, progression, and narrative. Each key system lays the foundation for other key design elements such as gameplay, challenges, and theme. Player actions define elements, such as the core rules or mechanics, that allow them to interact with the world.

They impact the story, which draws from the narrative. The narrative relates to game design choices, such as the game’s setting, theme, and the different characters and NPCs the player engage with along the way. Progression refers to the player’s strengthening as they progress through the RPG. These fundamentals inform the core gameplay mechanics that are essential to RPG game design.

Understand the core gameplay mechanics essential to RPG game design to plan the mechanics used most frequently in particular types of RPGs. The term “RPG” or “role-playing game” is an umbrella term that covers several different sub-genres of RPGs. The core gameplay mechanics used in each depend on the type of RPG being made. The following are some of the most common types of RPGs.

Action RPG: A RPG that emphasizes real-time combat and gives direct control of the character to the player. Some games allow little player-driven story development, while others offer some narrative branching based on player choices.

Tactical RPG: A RPG that focuses on strategy, using an isometric grid instead of direct control of the character. Players train units or characters to use in battle. There’s less of an emphasis on exploration.

Turn-Based RPG: A turn-based RPG utilizes turns during combat. The player takes control of different characters during combat, using skills, abilities, or items during the character’s turn. It focuses on a blend of strategy and player-driven story.

Computer Role-Playing Game (CRPG): CRPGs focus primarily on player agency, narrative, and progression systems. They rely heavily on player choices, which impact the story. Branching dialogue trees are common, and they frequently use turn-based combat systems.

Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG): JRPGs are similar to CRPGs except they focus more on character development and story. They have more linear storylines than CRPGs and often feature anime-style art and character design. The gameplay is often turn-based as well.

Design the core gameplay mechanics based on the sub-genre of the RPG, then include other RPG mechanics as needed. Certain sub-genres come with expected mechanics. A player expects a turn-based RPG to have turn-based combat, for instance. Take a look at the table below to find common mechanics used in each sub-genre of RPG.

Focus on these core mechanics to ensure the RPG matches a player’s expectations. Deciding which gameplay rules to use early in the game’s design helps define later stages. As the game becomes bigger, it’s possible to lose track of what the original intention was if there isn’t a clear design in place from the beginning. These core mechanics form the backbone of the game, but it’s the narrative that lends meaning to these mechanics.

Plan out the narrative of the RPG to tie character and story arcs to gameplay progression. A story is what hooks the player and keeps them playing. It drives them to know how the story is going to end and what’s going to happen to their character. Tying the narrative to gameplay gives the mechanics a sense of purpose. It sets the scene for players to take action and make choices, then provides the context in which they act. Players impact the narrative through their skills and abilities.

Design character development and skill progression to give players the agency they need to make bold choices and form the narrative. Skill progression gives players the confidence they need to tackle more challenging tasks and explore narrative routes in the story that they haven’t attempted before.

As skills progress, they unlock new opportunities for branching dialogue. A character skilled in Deception is able to get away with smuggling contraband, altering an entire quest’s path, for instance. The ability to level up and build the character they want enables players to engage with the narrative in their preferred way. Creating the world and its setting makes the player feel grounded.

Create the gameplay rules first, then weld it together with the game’s world. A RPG that has a magic system means that the world is going to need lore about magic. Designing the core mechanics first allows teams to determine what systems they need to create, which in turn enables them to design world lore that makes sense for those systems. It makes choosing the setting easier, too.

A collection of gameplay rules that relate to fantasy mechanics rather than science fiction mechanics suggests that a fantasy setting is the optimal choice. Designers flavor the world and its setting from there to make the game unique. The setting and world influence the types of choices players have in the game. A fantasy RPG doesn’t have choices related to computer hacking, but a science fiction RPG does, for instance.

Focus on designing narrative branches to support player choice. The very heart of a RPG is player agency. It offers an experience that enables players to craft their own story. RPGs have defined endings, but how the player arrives at those endings matters. Acknowledge even small choices that the player made, since it makes them feel seen.

Calling back to decisions they made even at the start of the game has a significant impact on player satisfaction. Design narrative branching with care and make clear notes about how each narrative branch connects with the others. It’s easy to get confused over how everything develops and interacts without a clear branch. Let us know how you handle complex narrative branches in the comments.

How to design levels for an RPG game?

Design levels for an RPG game by understanding the required objectives, landmarks, and narrative beats of the game. When teams understand what’s needed in a level, it ensures they design intentionally. Objectives relate to everything from combat areas to drop-offs. When a quest has a player escorting a merchant to a lake house, the level calls for a lake house.

Landmarks help orient players in the world. Block out natural landmarks, such as rock formations or rivers, and man-made landmarks, such as towns or bridges, during the RPG design process. Design these landmarks intentionally, since players use them to navigate through the world. Build engaging levels by understanding map design and its concepts, such as spatial planning and environmental art.

Focus on general map design first. It helps to know the general scale of the world to ensure all of the required level areas fit. RPGs typically have large worlds. While many prefer an open-world design, others favor linear worlds. Open-world RPGs require larger worlds, but even linear RPGs have considerable depth. Keep spatial accuracy in mind when developing the level. Mountains must be at the correct size compared to trees. Map out the different regions and biomes, ensuring they’re distinct from one another. A landmark is useful for orientation, but it must be distinct from a place of interest.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has clear biomes and regions for players to explore. Each area feels and looks distinctly different from the others. Follow its example by drawing the approximate shape of the world, which is a continent, planet, dungeon, or even a city, for instance. Divide the regions into natural areas, utilizing mountain ranges, rivers, and other natural biomes to create organic boundaries. Designing a basic map in this way helps the team plan out more detailed levels later.

Begin designing level details in a RPG game by determining the level layout. Level layout refers to the arrangement of a level within a game. It includes the areas where the player enters the level and exits. Design intentional loops that enable players to explore the level and reach the intended destinations. The layout of the level keeps players on track and reduces confusion as to where to go or how to proceed. Use player guidance systems to help navigate or subtly direct players where the objective needs them to go. The following are some standard guidance systems.

• Lighting: The use of carefully directed light draws the player’s attention to certain areas of the level.
• Terrain: Using rock formations or thick trees to block off areas where developers don’t want players to explore.
• Storytelling Cues: Having tracks or props that belong to the level’s objectives helps provide a trail for players to follow.
• Environmental Cues: Ugly yellow or white paint overused to death and loathed by many players. It works, though better methods, such as distinctive vines or edge patterns are stronger.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 uses an interesting level layout design. It’s an open-world game, but it lays out its levels to encourage players to return to areas after becoming stronger or exploring more of the world. Players come across a ladder high up in a cave and only discover how to reach that ladder after entering the cave in another region, for instance. The game plans out the long-term level layout. After discovering the ladder, the player is able to kick it down and use it as a shortcut, for example. Navigation is only half the challenge when designing a level. Consider enemy placement and other encounters to make the level exciting.

Choose where to place enemies or other types of encounters in the level. Enemy placement in RPGs is important because it deals directly with one of the foundations of RPG design–combat. Make combat situations satisfying by mixing ambushes. Give players the chance to lay their own ambushes, too. Consider the “why” behind enemy placement.

A bandit camp is in the woods because it needs the nearby stream to poison the town downriver. In this example, the bandit camp has a realistic reason for being encamped where they are. Implement tactical design to give players an edge if they’re savvy enough to find it. Design enemy placement to challenge players, but provide enough advantages in the environment for players to use against them. Use environmental storytelling to demonstrate the challenges of the next area or level, or to provide details about nearby enemies.

Design the atmosphere and area theme to create rich environmental storytelling. Video games are visual media, so designers must allow the level to speak for itself when telling a story. Environmental storytelling enables the game to convey a story without relying on dialogue. Without it, each level feels dull and copy-and-paste.

The atmosphere of the game reflects the area’s mood. A level designed to be scary has foggy elements or takes place at night. An area’s theme is its visual identity. A farm must look and sound similar to a farm. Consider adding filters or post-processing effects to make a scene look cold or warm, depending on the mood. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 serves as an exemplary case of environmental storytelling done right.

Talking to a gamemaster traveling in the area informs Henry that there was a young couple who lived in a nearby village. Sigismund’s army recently ransacked the village. Players don’t receive a quest to find what happened to the couple, but if they choose to explore the town on their own, they’ll discover two skeletons holding hands in a burnt cabin. Players easily deduce what happened, and the story is poignant enough to make the discovery feel satisfying. While some discoveries require players to show initiative, designing puzzles into a level requires deliberate effort.

Design puzzles as part of the level design to make the RPG feel immersive. Puzzles are a classic part of RPGs. Before designing a puzzle for a level, ensure that the puzzle aligns with the level’s atmosphere and area theme. Ask whether the puzzle makes sense to exist in that area. It’s important to consider if the puzzle adds anything to the level or is merely filler. Design puzzle mechanics that reward exploration of a level and problem-solving skills. Use The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s example to integrate puzzles into the level design.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past has several puzzles throughout the game. Not all puzzles are immediately solvable. The designers made their levels to encourage players to return later, once they had unlocked certain abilities or gear. The new abilities and gear enable the player to solve the puzzle and receive its reward. Make puzzles even more satisfying by occasionally having them open up to reveal secret areas.

Design exploration incentives by including secret areas for players to discover in the level. Secret areas make levels really exciting to explore. Players are driven by curiosity, so teams must seek to reward it. Secret areas tie back to one of the fundamentals of RPG design–player action. When a player chooses to invest their time in searching for hidden tunnels or chambers, they must receive a reward for it. Some incentivizing rewards include the following.

• High-Level or Rare Loot: Weapons or armor that are only obtainable by finding a specific, hidden chamber must be rare and powerful to make the effort feel worth it.
• Lore Drops: Lore that reveals a major hint or even solves a mystery in a particular situation.
• Shortcuts: Unlocking a new path or fast travel that makes navigating around the area faster.

Determine save frequency during the final stretch of level design. When using an autosave feature, decide where players trigger the save function. Designing recovery points is vital to ensuring the player receives a smooth experience while playing. A save area that takes place too late into a boss arena breaks the game, since players keep loading right into the middle of a fight. It doesn’t give them any time to prepare for the fight. Saving too many times bloats the game with data and removes the risk of failure and death. Consider placing recovery points in areas that the player deems safe in the level–such as a campground or a quiet zone.

Final Fantasy XV uses a campsite as one of its places to recover during a level. Besides saving, players are able to cook food. The food gives them certain buffs, making progressing in the level easier. Campsites are accessible in most areas, but the game doesn’t let players rest if there are enemies nearby. Each camp scene matches the environment in which the player chose to camp in. A forest environment leads to a campsite in the forest, for instance. Follow Final Fantasy XV’s example to make save areas that fit in a level’s design and benefit the player.

How to design a character for RPG games?

To design a character for a RPG game, the first step is to know the character’s archetype. Archetypes determine a lot of things about the character, including their attributes, traits, and backstory. They decide whether a character is strong, has certain fears, or is curious about something particular in the world. Designing a character in a role-playing game means planning everything from their appearance to the role they play in the party. The most crucial part of character design is determining their character class and archetype.

Decide the type of character roles that exist in the RPG. Character roles shape the rest of the character, and they’re generic enough to put on paper during the design phase easily. Some roles include a fighter, a healer, a tank, a damage dealer, and a support. Each of their roles influences the character in some way. Learn how to make your own RPG system by understanding character roles and how they shape the dynamic of the party and character creation. After determining the roles needed in the game, define them further by assigning classes to each role.

Draw inspiration from character sheets used in tabletop RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and Powered By the Apocalypse. Those sheets neatly lay out how to define a character through their class. A character class is the official name given to the role. Being a fighter sounds generic, but being a Monk of the Way of Mercy sounds way cooler. Determine what starting abilities, skills, and equipment each class has. Fighters need at least a weapon and a shield, while mages must have access to a few basic spells. A character’s class determines their appearance.

Think of how a character’s class influences the character’s appearance. A RPG that uses a pre-made character, such as Geralt, instead of a character that players create themselves must have a unique and memorable appearance. They’re the face of the game. Part of their appearance must come from their class since their class in the past puts the character in certain situations.

A warrior has scars on their face from past battles and requires a proper build to wield heavy weapons, for instance. A character that uses magic doesn’t rely on physical attributes as much as on intellectual attributes, so their appearance appears studious. A character’s class affects their physical appearance, but a character’s race plays an important role, too. Consider different character races or lineages and how they influence the character’s appearance.

Develop the different races in the world and how each of those races appears. Races must make sense for the type of environment they’re from. Characters that live in a desert have darker skin due to constant exposure to the sun, while those who live in colder climates have paler skin. Plan on whether the RPG has exotic races or lineages. The Elder Scrolls franchise has the Khajiit and Argonian as exotic races, for example. Consider the RPG’s game world and whether these types of exotic races make sense to include. Determine the character’s backstory to see if anything from their past left physical reminders.

Plan the character’s backstory up to the point where the game opens. A character’s past influences their current skills and the situation they find themselves in at the start of the game. It determines their starting reputation. Consider offering multiple backgrounds and allowing players to select the type of background they prefer for their character. Providing customization options ensures that players create the character they want, rather than forcing them to compromise.

Different backgrounds must influence the character’s appearance. A thief comes with a guild’s brand or a warrior has a particularly gruesome scar, for instance. The character’s background influences everything from how they dress and speak to any trinkets or accessories they carry with them. Consider the example of Geralt of Rivia from the Witcher franchise and how his background influenced his character design.

Geralt is a Witcher, a type of warrior capable of performing small bouts of magic. A Witcher is described as a mutant in the games, which the designers represented in his character appearance by giving him yellow eyes similar to those of a cat. He fights monsters for a living, which is clearly displayed by the number of scars on his body and face. A quick look at him tells a player all they need to know. Geralt is strong, seasoned, someone who fights up close, and is just a little bit different from everyone else. Use a character’s backstory to influence their personality.

Decide a character’s personality and traits based on the experiences they’ve had in their backstory. Hippocrates and C.J. Heck famously said that humans are products of their environments, and that’s true for the character, too. It answers the question of why the character acts the way they do. A character with close ties to their parents is different from one who has had a tumultuous relationship with their parents.

Geralt is a gruff, reserved, and frankly grumpy individual. His mother abandoned him in a remote fortress where he had to go through brutal training to become a Witcher. That experience influenced the personality and moral compass he now possesses. Geralt approaches situations with a cynical mind. Design characters and their dialogue trees based on the starting personality they have, but ensure that the character evolves as players make choices.

Focus on designing a character’s skills and abilities next. Understand the purpose of those skills and abilities first. Characters must not simply have skills or powerful magical abilities. There must be a reason behind them. Determine why the character possesses the skills and abilities that they do. The “why” of it all must make sense for the game world and narrative. After establishing why, design the skills and abilities.

Give them names, determine their effects, and plan out how they become more potent over time. Dorian Pavus from Dragon Age: Inquisition studied necromancy as a boy, so he has the ability to unlock the Necromancy magic ability tree, for instance. Create equipment that bolsters and hinders character abilities, while providing them with a kit to overcome challenges and enemies.

Design character equipment with the character’s class and skills in mind. A glance at the equipment must allow the player to recognize the type of class that wears it. Begin with armor design, focusing on its defensive stats, visual flair, rarity, materials used, and whether it impacts mechanics such as stamina or mana cost while wearing it.

Design weapons next, covering the different weapon types such as melee, ranged, and magic-focused. Determine the weapon’s stats and visual flair, too. Players want to look cool, especially as they grow more powerful. Bad weapon and armor art design makes progressing feel less exciting. Tie-in cooler-looking weapons and armor with character progression path design.

Create a leveling curve that paces the character’s growth with the narrative. RPGs aren’t about XP farming, even though many players try to level as fast as possible. Character advancement matters more in RPGs because it mechanically demonstrates how the story is making the character stronger. Skill trees are a classic way to let players advance in a way they want.

Design different branches that allow players to further specialize in their classes, making each one feel unique to their character. Define milestones such as XP caps or narrative-based moments when players advance in power. Examine Baldur’s Gate 3’s method of character progression to pace out milestones with the story’s narrative.

Baldur’s Gate 3 uses the 5E ruleset, with some liberties, from Dungeons & Dragons. D&D uses two methods to determine when a player advances in their class and gains new abilities. XP caps give a range of XP that players must accumulate before reaching the next level. A player needs to gain 300 experience points to reach level two, for instance.

The other method is milestone. A milestone progression path falls to the Dungeon Master to decide. DMs tie advancement to key moments in the campaign, such as when players defeat a boss, drawing that particular story arc to a close. RPGs prefer using XP over milestones since it’s a visual means of showing players their progress. Baldur’s Gate 3 uses XP caps, requiring players to gain a certain number of XP before advancing to the next level.

Create factions for the character to join last. Each faction must have a clear, defining trait that distinguishes it from the others. Consider what it is that they represent. The Grey Wardens in the Dragon Age franchise concern themselves with protecting the world from an evil force known as the Darkspawn. Cerberus in the Mass Effect series is solely focused on the advancement of humans–to the detriment of others sometimes.

Allow players to choose a starting faction that influences the character’s reputation, starting gear, and contacts. A faction influences the character’s appearance and backstory. Give each faction its own unique visual identity and then determine the experiences the character has had with the faction. Let us know which part of character design you prefer to start with in the comments.

How to design an RPG system?

To design an RPG system, understand which key mechanics play an integral part in the type of RPG being made. RPG systems are tactical, turn-based, or real-time, and each comes with its own design choices. They serve as the underlying foundation to support the core gameplay loops of RPGs, including player choices, narrative, and progression. Designing RPG systems allows designers to bridge from the game’s concepts to laying out the fundamentals of game development down the line. Build a comprehensive RPG system by first establishing a solid ruleset architecture that is adaptable over time.

Define the ruleset architecture that enables modularity during game development. The ruleset architecture is the framework of a game. It includes the complete set of rules that power the game. Think of it as a blueprint that tells the game how to function. The ruleset architecture encompasses elements such as player interaction, the units used in the game, and the game’s overall behavior. Advanced architecture enables designers to build rules that are able to be modified and changed over time without having to redo everything from scratch, saving time and money completely. An example is using hierarchical Blueprint classes in Unreal Engine.

Unreal Engine enables developers to create RPG systems using its Blueprint non-coding system. Developers make a Parent Class, which holds the ruleset architecture of a specific rule. They are able to make a Child Class, which inherits the logic of the Parent Class but enables the developer to make changes without modifying the Parent Class in the process. It’s a modular method of creating architecture that saves time. Use the ruleset architecture to create core mechanics that define the game.

Design core mechanics with interactivity in mind. Each mechanic must make sense within the world and focus on the three key elements of RPG game design–player choice, narrative, and progression. Interactivity is key to satisfying those elements. Mechanics that allow players to interact with the world then shape the narrative, which then impacts their progression. Players with more advanced characters are then able to interact with the world in new ways, and the cycle continues. Examine how Divinity: Original Sin 2 uses several mechanics to satisfy the fundamentals of RPG design.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 allows players to approach certain situations in different ways. In combat, players have access to the skills they’ve chosen during character creation and character advancement. Each level has certain objects or environmental details that players use in combination with their skills to turn combat in their favor. Electrifying a puddle of water to stun enemies who come close is an example of how designers are able to use several different mechanics together to satisfy the key principles of RPG design. Test core mechanics to ensure the game remains balanced and fair.

Implement difficulty tuning after receiving feedback from testing the core mechanics. Game balance is an essential part of RPG design, as having enemies that are either too overpowered or too weak ruins the game’s fun. Iterate on each mechanic if feedback comes back negative. Ask the players about the parts of the mechanic they enjoyed and where their satisfaction ended. Not every mechanic is a hit with players, so make changes to the game’s design as needed.

Maintain equilibrium between fixing exploitation and providing enough player agency. Players must be able to play the game how they want, but they mustn’t skip out on entire sections of the story through a glitch, either. Provide different ways to solve a problem but ensure that those ways don’t break the game ruleset. Refine game balance by implementing a balanced skill and ability system.

Offer multiple playstyles and skill types to keep gameplay fresh when designing skill and ability RPG systems. Skills and abilities are some of the core features of a RPG. Design them with synergy in mind, especially if the RPG uses a party system. Skills or abilities that work together allow players to try different strategies with each playthrough.

Keep the skills and abilities balanced so they don’t overpower enemies too early in the game. Dragon Age: The Veilguard utilizes an ability-based RPG system that allows players to synchronize with other party members to deal massive damage to an enemy, for instance. The system encourages players to get to know their party members, since completing their quests gives them new abilities. Determine how skill systems affect combat systems next.

Design tactical depth to the combat RPG system. The combat RPG system covers everything related to combat. It concerns elements such as positioning, available combat skills, timing, environmental effects, and whether the RPG uses real-time or turn-based mechanics. Think about how the combat mechanics relate to the principles of RPG design. They allow players to fight in the way they want, push the narrative forward, and reward players with progression currency or loot. Combat systems must include rewards, and players need an inventory to carry those rewards.

Consider the item and inventory RPG systems, including the rules around inventory encumbrance and how item values impact the economy. Item and inventory RPG systems encompass all aspects related to item and inventory management. Item rarity is significant, since it affects the item’s value and stats and provides an opportunity for players to go on an adventure to find it.

Inventory management, especially when used with encumbrance, forces the player to decide what to keep, sell, and leave behind. Players must be forced to make decisions on which loot to keep since it ensures they don’t receive massive amounts of currency early in the game. Decide what makes each rarity unique from the other and why. Determine the story behind legendary items since legends always come with a story. Examine how The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt uses a rarity system for its items.

Loot in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt plays a vital part in Geralt’s progression in the game. He needs stronger gear to survive the more dangerous monsters out in the world. The designers used an item RPG system that requires players to find blueprints to create the rarest gear pieces. This choice pushes the fundamentals of RPG design by giving players the choice to find these blueprints, by providing them with a new quest, and by boosting their stats with the item’s buffs. Consider adding inventory benefits based on the character progression system.

Develop character progression systems that prioritize customization. Character progression systems determine how players advance in the game. There are several different ways to design a progression system. Class-based progression systems include upgrades to various aspects of a character’s class, with the ability to make certain choices. A player selects a backstab ability instead of increasing their health pool, for example.

Baldur’s Gate 3 uses a class-based progression system, allowing its players to choose different sub-classes, spells, and other abilities when they reach certain levels. The Elder Scrolls franchise employs a skill-based progression system, enabling players to develop their characters based on the skills they actually utilize. Tie character progression to the leveling system to make each level up feel rewarding.

Determine the leveling system by designing milestones. The leveling RPG system refers to how the character levels up. It includes elements such as milestones or caps where the player reaches the threshold required to advance a tier. It includes reward calculations, which determine how many experience points or other types of progression currency are required to reach those thresholds. Design a progression curve that syncs milestones with key narrative moments or new areas with significant difficulty increases. Determine how the economic system affects gaining levels and XP.

Design economy systems that enable the player to trade their loot and earn money. Some RPGs offer XP for successful trading. A haggling skill receives XP any time a player successfully haggles with a merchant, for instance. Economy systems cover how trade works in the game. Determine the game’s trading system and whether it requires a supply/demand mechanic. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt designed its economy system to have certain types of merchants prefer specific types of items. A blacksmith buys weapons and tools at a higher price than a food vendor, for example. Ensure that the economic system aligns with the global state.

Link the economic system to the local economies. Not every location is going to have rich merchants. The state of the world influences the economic system. A country that’s experiencing war is going to face shortages. Determine how those influences give players an edge or negatively affect them. Ensure that there are a few rich locations where players are able to offload their loot and receive coin. Then provide them with plenty of opportunities to spend that coin. Consider adding a randomness system to make each system feel exciting and unpredictable.

Design outcome variability to bring freshness to every playthrough. Not every loot chest or enemy must have randomly-generated loot. Certain NPCs or a chest described in a letter must have the loot that the player expects to find on them actually on them. Other chests and NPCs, however, benefit from some randomness. Consider risk management when selecting which items to spawn in a chest randomly. A player who had to risk a lot to reach the chest must receive a reward that’s worth the effort, even if it is randomly generated.

How to design UI for an RPG game?

To design UI for an RPG game is complex, but RPG players have a high tolerance for complex HUDs and UI systems. RPGs aren’t fast-paced or action-heavy in the sense that a player needs as much information as possible in as little time as possible. They have the luxury of time to sift through different menus to find the information they need. UI design is still vital to take into account when designing a RPG, however, since the information still needs to be easily found. Common UIs found in RPGs include the following.

Main Menu UI: A main menu is the first menu that players see before the gameplay begins. It hosts important sections such as the settings menu, the load or continue button, and the ability to quit the game.

Heads-Up Display (HUD) UI: A visual interface that provides crucial information to players, such as stats related to their health, mana, stamina, ammunition, and other important information.

Mini-Map UI: The mini-map shows the player their current location in a localized area rather than on a large world or area map.

Notifications and Alerts UI: This UI shows up when a player has done something such as completed a quest or taken a serious injury. It informs the player of upcoming events or other information the game needs to make known to the player.

Dialogue Box UI: This UI presents dialogue options and functionality, allowing players to choose a dialogue option they feel their character makes. Some dialogue boxes include a character’s stats to influence certain dialogue options.

Combat UI: Combat UI marries into player vitals but provides more information. This type of UI is particularly important for tactical and turn-based RPGs. They include all the menus and information that a player needs to take certain actions during a combat round, including knowing the health and status of their character and their party.

Inventory UI: Inventory systems play an important part in RPGs, and there are several different types of inventory UIs designers need to make. They cover everything from player inventory to loot storage to merchant inventory.

Skill Tree UI: Skill tree UI presents all the information a player needs to choose new skills and abilities. They include visual flair and SFX to make choosing a skill or ability more engaging.

Character Information UI: This UI combines different pieces of information and functionality together. Designers allow players to equip weapons or abilities on this panel or simply provide an overview of the character’s stats.

Party Management UI: RPGs that use parties need a UI where players easily manage them. The UI allows players to swap weapons and abilities as well as their status.

Quest Log UI: RPGs are full of quests, and they require a clear UI to track progress on the quest and understand key objectives.

Settings Menu UI: This menu shows all the settings options available to the player. It lets players adjust a range of gameplay, control, and audiovisual settings to fit their preferred gaming experience.

Tutorial and Help Overlay UI: Tutorial UI pops up at the beginning of the game to provide instructions and hints to help players learn how to play the game. They’re overlays instead of strictly menus, only appearing briefly or allowing players to exit out of them when they’ve finished reading the text.

Contextual Tooltips UI: Contextual Tooltips appear only when the player is close to a specific game object that offers a unique interaction. The tooltip tells the player to use or grab an item, for instance. They disappear when the player is no longer in range of the game object.

Design UI starting with the main menu. As more features are added, update the main menu accordingly. The main menu must have logical grouping for certain functions such as selecting the game mode, the game difficulty, different load options, navigation to the settings menu, and quitting the game. Each selection must clearly dictate its function. The “Load Game” selection must say “Load” or some variation instead of something confusing or misleading such as “Previous.”

All these options must be clearly laid out and have minimal input lag. The last thing players want to experience is pressing an option to load a game only to accidentally quit it due to input lag. Consider Final Fantasy XV’s main menu for inspiration in creating a clear menu with legible text and the various functionalities it offers. Use the main menu UI to determine the look and complexity of the HUD.

Focus on logical layouts for the game’s HUD. The color palette and style of the UI are already determined by the main menu. Carry the color and style into the HUD’s design to keep all the UI cohesive. Having different colors for each UI becomes jarring after a while and looks messy. Determine which information is the most necessary to display on the HUD, then draw out different configurations.

Players don’t mind complex menus, but the HUD must offer a quick understanding of the situation at a glance. Combat gets intense in RPGs, so players must know the state of everyone’s health immediately. Consider adding an option to turn the HUD off to promote immersiveness, such as in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. RPGs thrive on immersion, so giving players the tools to increase that is key. Include a mini-map as part of the HUD design process.

Combine the same stylistic elements of the HUD and main menu with the UI design of the mini-map. The mini-map is an essential part of learning how to make your own RPG, as it helps orient players in the game world. It includes vital information. A quick glance at the mini-map tells players when enemies are near or if they’re walking by a resource. Consider the various elements that appear on a mini-map and the iconography used to represent them. Design a notification and alert UI that is more attention-grabbing than persistent UI, such as the mini-map.

Consider the timeliness when designing the UI for notification and alert systems. A UI works when it doesn’t interfere with the player’s experience. Alert UIs are challenging since they pop up when the player wants to see them the least. Determine the optimal time to inform a player of a new change, as well as the duration for which the alert remains visible on the screen. Don’t have your players miss the information because it was only on screen for three seconds. Keep the information succinct and scannable to make players aware of what’s going on in just a few seconds. Expand on the notification system by designing a dialogue box UI next.

Design the dialogue box UI to be fun and stylistically aligned with the game’s theme. Designers are able to have a little fun when it comes to designing a dialogue box. While they’re able to stick with a simple translucent box with words in it, more enjoyable options tie the game’s theme or setting into the design. Persona 5 does this by using a comic book style for its dialogue box, which fits with the rest of the game’s theme. It makes the dialogue feel more dramatic, while still clearly displaying the options from which the player chooses. Design the combat UI to be as expressive and immersive as the dialogue box UI.

Keep the combat UI clean so players find the relevant skills and understand their cooldowns easily. Combat UIs differ based on the type of RPG being made. Turn-based and tactical RPGs require a lot of information to be displayed on a limited screen. Determine how the UI needs to be nested, so players know where to search to find the specific menu they’re looking for. Action RPGs need health bars and other visual flair to make the combat feel explosive. Things such as floating damage numbers that pop up on a hit are both informational and fun to see, for instance. While combat UI must be clean, inventory UI must focus on quality of life visuals.

Design inventory UI during RPG game design with quality of life and easy navigation in mind. There are tons of items that players pick up over the course of a RPG. Being able to quickly navigate through it based on type, rarity, or value is essential. Players won’t enjoy having to spend a lot of time just to find a single item that’s buried somewhere in their inventory.

Include categories that sort items into smaller groups. Determine the layout of the inventory, too. Many RPGs simply use a grid-based inventory with drag-and-drop functionality. Decide whether that style fits or if the inventory UI benefits from something more stylish. Drag-and-drop is the gold standard with RPGs, but try out other systems to see if something matches better with the game’s design. Consider other quality of life options to bring to the skill tree UI, too.

Create a clear structure when designing the skill tree UI. Skill trees are complex since they have to provide a lot of information on a single screen. Take the progressive cycle design, then list out the skills from weakest to strongest. Then determine the best way, visually, to represent the skill’s pathway. A specific symbol that ties into the story’s narrative works well as a shape that skill slots embed into. Some RPGs create a branching tree with little thought to its shape. Determine whether the game benefits from a stylistic skill tree or an efficient one. Match the skill tree UI with the character information UI to create a seamless visual experience.

Make key stats available at a glance when designing the character information UI in the RPG. Players need to know how much damage they’re dealing, how much health they have, and the status of their weapons and armor. Avoid overloading the player with tons of data on a single screen. Provide the basic information they’ll need most commonly, then allow them to select certain aspects of the character to learn more about those stats or gear. Use a similar design when making the party management UI.

Design the party management UI to look similarly to the character information UI since both share similar elements. Players use the party management screen to swap out gear or level up skills. Using UI that is similar to the character information UI allows players to skip over having to learn how to read and navigate a new menu.

Consider how the party management UI looks during combat. Players must either control the party via menus during turn-based combat or press a button to switch to and play as them. Try out both methods to see which style players prefer. Take the lessons learned from providing a wealth of information succinctly with the party management UI and apply them to the quest UI design.

Create the quest log UI with organization in mind. Quests must provide enough information to help players navigate between objectives. Quest log presentation adds to a player’s experience, allowing designers to immerse them further. Use unique icons to represent different quests or to show that they come from different NPCs or areas in the world. This makes each quest easier to search through while adding visual flair to the experience. Take things a step further by designing a quest log that aligns with the game’s theme. Determine which quest UI design is the best for the game by examining the example below.

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt uses a simplistic quest log UI design. It uses icons that demonstrate where each of the quests is located. Its text provides a summary of what has happened in the quest so far and clearly states the objective. This type of quest log UI design benefits games that want players to know exactly the information they need without overwhelming them with details.

• Kingdom Come: Deliverance uses an immersive quest log UI design. It presents the information visually as if the player were reading a medieval manuscript–which matches the game’s setting. The information is more in-depth, and the objectives aren’t as clear, forcing the player to think and search a bit more to complete the quest’s objectives. This UI benefits games that prioritize immersion over efficiency.

Keep the organization structured when designing the settings UI. All settings must have their own categories, which are clearly labeled. All audio settings fall under an audio section, for instance. Determine the type of settings the game intends to include. Accessibility, game difficulty, graphic settings, button and key remapping, and toggling subtitles are all common settings players expect to have. Consider whether some setting options require an advanced settings section, allowing players to have even more control over how they play the game. Make the tutorial UI as clear and easy to use as the settings menu UI next.

Design intuitive guidance when creating the tutorial and help overlay UI. RPGs require some time to learn, especially since they typically have tons of mechanics. Tutorials must teach players how to play the game. Focus on teaching players one mechanic at a time and using a step-by-step process. The overlay must either remain on the screen for a long enough time for players to read and understand, or use a button push to resolve the overlay. Consider adding a help UI that consolidates all tutorial lessons in a single location, allowing players to return to them when needed easily. Remind players of important information by including a contextual tooltip UI.

Create contextual tooltips that players use to access additional information or reminders. Contextual tooltips help players remember what button or keys to press to perform certain actions when the right interaction appears. Determine how in-depth the explanation needs to be or if a button or key symbol suffices to remind players of how to interact with something. Tooltips must use high-contrast imagery to clearly be seen against various backgrounds. Keep to the same themes used in other UI to make every menu feel connected. Let us know what aspects of UI design for RPGs is the most challenging in the comments.

What are common design patterns of successful role playing games?

Common design patterns of successful role-playing games feature designs that focus on the fundamentals of what makes RPGs successful – player choice, narrative, and progression. Learning how to make a tabletop RPG or a video game requires an understanding of what makes certain design choices lead to successful games.

Design patterns refer to solutions that are commonly used to fix common problems. They’re the reason why RPGs share similarities. Using them is important in RPG design because the market is fiercely competitive. RPGs are one of the top-performing game genres, but plenty of them fail before they’re even released. Narrative is one of the most vital RPG design patterns to research and understand to create a successful RPG.

Research storytelling depth to avoid problems with shallow narrative. Players look forward to a story that keeps them engaged from start to finish. A shallow narrative is easily predictable and doesn’t provide a satisfying experience to them. A story with lots of depth, such as having a layered plot, character arcs, and fulfilling side quests, is the experience they want to have. This means it’s important to understand the type of experiences that the player base enjoys. Fetch quests or filler quests won’t always cut it. Develop a branching narrative structure to make player choices feel impactful.

Design a branching narrative structure to fix the common problem of having a narrative that’s too linear and predictable. Players won’t give RPGs the amount of time they’re due if they already know where the story is going. A branching narrative structure allows the story to veer off into different directions based on the decisions that a player makes. It provides a satisfying experience for the player since it feels as though the story is shaping to them rather than the other way around. Research quest design patterns and how they break the narrative into interactive pieces.

Define objective structure when designing quests to avoid common problems, such as making quests unclear or developing them without modularity in mind. Create a structure that’s reusable for other quests in the future. This design pattern saves time and resources. Consider using design patterns for the reward mechanism, too. Earning XP and loot is more than satisfying for most players. Develop dynamic quest generation systems to encourage players to replay certain levels–or the game itself–to try and find new outcomes to the story. Focus on modularity design patterns when creating character progression, too.

Design the leveling curve to use experience points or another type of currency. Generations of designers have tested and implemented XP. The reason it’s still used today is that it works and works well. It addresses the common issue of determining when players advance to the next level. Use skill tree patterns when designing the skill tree to avoid common problems, such as creating skills that aren’t particularly exciting or having the progression scale flow poorly. Consider how the Fallout franchise handles its character progression and use the same patterns.

Fallout 4 uses XP and level caps to determine when players gain a new level. Each time the player levels up, they’re able to put a point of experience into an attribute. Players have Perks, which give them new buffs or abilities. These skills are then used in various mechanics to determine certain outcomes. Charisma is used in dialogue situations to convince or intimidate others to the player’s viewpoint, so a player who prefers a diplomatic playthrough focuses on progressing that particular attribute and its buffs. This design pattern for character progression encourages players to build a character they want rather than being defined by a specific class.

Research item rarity rules to avoid common problems in loot design. Loot rarity is a common problem during design because it’s challenging to know what makes an item legendary versus rare. Researching what other games have done before and how they handled rarity rules provides a usable framework. Consider trying reward randomization to make finding loot more exciting. Use common RNG systems and marry them to the loot rarity design to ensure loot spawns remain fair. Research combat systems to determine the best combat design patterns.

Learn about tactical depth through combat design patterns to make combat systems that are fun and fair. Tactical depth includes elements such as positioning, resource management, and synergy between abilities. Common problems in combat system development come from a lack of mechanical balance or fun. Examine games such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and research its combat design patterns to avoid those problems. Baldur’s Gate 3 based its own combat on D&D’s 5E ruleset. It examined D&D’s combat design patterns, then implemented them as their own. Drive a different kind of player investment from combat to engaging exploration by researching exploration patterns.

Research open-world design patterns to avoid wasting time on common problems related to open worlds. Exploration is a key part of the RPG experience. Understand what makes an open world fun to explore by researching other games and implementing the design patterns they use. The content to open space ratio is especially important. Worlds must not feel empty, but they mustn’t be overcrowded to the point of not making sense either. Study how these games design environmental interactions.

Mechanics such as swimming, climbing, or destroying objects to reach new areas present problems. Knowing the design that circumvented those problems or provided solutions speeds up development. Consider exploration incentives and rewards, such as finding fast travel stations. Learn how other games presented those discoveries, as well as the game’s dialogue, to implement them successfully in the RPG.

Study the best RPGs to design the game’s dialogue system to support meaningful interaction. Dialogue UI that doesn’t work or is challenging to understand or read is a common problem when designing dialogue systems. Sometimes the text color matches the background color too well, for instance. Consider studying how other RPGs make their dialogue boxes look and function.

Branching dialogue is a challenge in itself. Study how Mass Effect designs its branching systems to create memorable Paragon/Renegade dialogue options that are referenced to even games later. Remember that players love having their previous choices referenced to, especially if they impact the story. Dialogue provides an opportunity for those callbacks. Research party-based RPGs to see how dialogue patterns and party composition patterns work together.

Learn about party composition design patterns to ensure role balance. The last thing designers want is to have the NPCs outshine the player character. Studying games that feature party dynamics heavily, such as Baldur’s Gate 3, Divinity: Original Sin 2, and Dragon Age: Origins, allows designers to understand how to balance each role in the party.

It avoids the common mistake of making a party member feel unneeded. When the party has several warriors it makes a player with a warrior character feel as though either they’re not needed or the party members aren’t. Focus on synergy design patterns to make the party act as a team. Finally, all these systems tie back to the most important pattern, which is what RPGs are all about, meaningful player choice.

Research impactful player choice decision patterns from other RPGs. One of the worst areas designers fail when making a RPG is not making player choices impactful. These choices need to change the story in some part. Consider multiple endings and study how other RPGs designed them. A common problem is losing track of a choice a player has made and changing the world state accordingly. Learning the design patterns of other RPGs ensures that the team avoids making the same mistake.

What are advanced tips for RPG game design?

Advanced tips for RPG game design hyper-focus on the main RPG principles (player choices, narrative, and progression) and add depth to them to create unforgettable player experiences. Learn how to make your own RPG game successful by taking RPG game design tips from sources such as RPG game design books and courses. One of the key advanced tips to know is to understand what the game’s audience wants most.

Focus on understanding the primary audience as soon as possible. It’s challenging to design a game without first knowing who it’s for. Understand what the player base wants from the game, so they’re not disappointed when an entirely different game releases. Consider some of the audience expectations below to align the RPG with them.

• Single-Player Progression: The audience wants an enriching single-player experience with an in-depth story. An example is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
• Self-Expression: The audience wants an experience where they’re able to play exactly how they want to play. They create their own characters and story based on their choices. An example is Baldur’s Gate 3.
• Collection and Completion: The audience wants to collect and complete challenges and collectibles, all while enjoying a story. An example is Persona 5.
• Narrative-Driven: The audience wants to focus more on narrative than combat or other RPG gameplay loops. An example is Undertale.

Design the RPG and fill out the RPG game design document with the audience in mind. Try not to include mechanics or gameplay loops that they won’t find interesting. It’s a whole lot of investment with little return. Focus on the elements that they enjoy and innovate from there. Balance complex game systems with immersive storytelling. RPGs require the player to do a lot of thinking and strategizing, but the game must make an effort to make it as easy as possible to learn how to play it.

Develop integration strategies that ensure the gameplay mechanics reinforce narrative themes. A mechanic that doesn’t make sense to have mustn’t exist. Remove and cut any gameplay loops or mechanics that don’t add to the experience. RPGs tend to get bloated with filler content. The appetite for filler content is growing thin among players. Design mechanics as storytelling tools instead. Take Undertale, for example. It uses its combat mechanics to support its moral and emotional themes directly. Craft a world and lore that’s rich enough to sustain player immersion after designing mechanics third.

Focus on world-building depth rather than shallow content. Players expect RPGs to be filled with lore. They want a compelling world rich in history and different cultures. Several RPG game design courses teach designers about world-building. Apply those lessons to create immersive worlds with deep lore. Consider meaningful interactivity in the world, too. Players must be able to interact with NPCs, objects, and locations in meaningful ways. Consider Baldur’s Gate 3 as an example of meaningful interactivity with the world.

Baldur’s Gate 3 allows players to pick up Smokepowder barrels, place them almost anywhere, then set them on fire to blow up entire sections of the level, for instance. This layer of depth adds a whole lot of excitement to the player. It allows them to try new strategies, even if designers and designers didn’t expect them. Develop dynamic character progression and customization systems to make characters feel grounded in the rich and active world.

Design adaptive progression systems to make character advancement visually impactful. When a character grows stronger but has the same muscularity visually, it creates a disconnect. It’s disappointing. Adaptive progression systems enable players to physically see their characters evolve as they grow stronger or make specific moral choices. Fable’s morality system is an example of adaptive progression. When a player makes evil choices, their character looks more monstrous. Plan progression systems alongside innovative combat systems.

Consider the role the environment plays in combat. The environment and its terrain are ripe for innovation. Design new combat mechanics around having high ground against an enemy. Determine how environmental effects, such as weather changes, alter the environment and how that impacts combat. Pools of water on the ground after rainfall must allow players to take advantage of them. Study Divinity: Original Sin 2 and how it uses the environment to create advanced combat situations.

Divinity: Original Sin 2’s elemental surface interactions create endless tactical possibilities. Players burn blood, creating a defensive wall of fire, or set electricity to pools of water, stunning enemies who draw near. It adds one more layer to player choice. They have the option of just running into the fight and brute-strengthing the situation. They have the option of using the environment to their advantage. Enhance combat and character progression by upgrading the UI.

Include customization options that allow players to visualize the UI how they want it. RPGs present a lot of information, and not every player wants to see it all the time. Design the UI for customization, allowing players to move, resize, or hide certain UI elements entirely. RuneScape provides this customization to its players. They’re able to move and resize UI elements as well as hide them. Make it obvious how to restore UI for when the player needs to reaccess those elements.

What mechanics are used in RPG game design?

Mechanics used in RPG game design revolve around whether the RPG is turn-based, real-time, or action. Combat mechanics involve elements such as damage, hit points, enemy weaknesses, and enemy attack patterns. Character progression mechanics revolve around elements such as class progression, gear progression, and skill progression. Mechanics include loot and inventory systems, world exploration, and narrative systems. Focus on combat mechanics first, as they set the tone for pacing and challenge.

Determine the combat type for the RPG first, since each uses different mechanics. Turn-based mechanics require strategic elements, menu-based action selection, and distinct turns for both players and enemies. Action RPGs use mechanics such as attack patterns, physics, character skills, and equipment. They share mechanics between them all, too.

Type weaknesses are a common mechanic used in RPGs that rely on elements as a damage type. Fire is strong against ice but weak to water, for example. Design combat mechanics to include type weaknesses if it makes sense for the world design. Not every RPG has a system where certain types of weapons or nature elements are weak or strong to another type. Determine enemy mechanics to provide players with a fun and engaging combat gameloop.

Design enemy attack patterns to keep different enemies unique and fun. All enemies in the game must have different methods of fighting. While simple hacking and slashing or the use of common spells is fine up to a point, each faction must have a signature style. Not only does it give them a unique identity, but it forces the player to devise a new strategy, too. The fights become far more memorable. Consider tactical mechanics, too. Implement line of sight mechanics to determine if a player or enemy receives an advantage on an attack. Tie combat mechanics to character progression to make gameplay feel rewarding and earned.

Consider obsolescence and replacement to make loot feel valuable. As players grow stronger, they must outgrow their skills. New skills must replace old ones. It’s an effective way of showing their growing strength. The same goes for gear. Weapons that the player received at the beginning of the game must be weak compared to the weapons they’ll receive at the end of the game. Design different tiers of weapons with new, stronger abilities to make the player feel as though they’re really getting stronger. Reinforce progression by intertwining story and narrative mechanics.

Design branching mechanics to fulfill a satisfying narrative experience. Make your own RPG game unique by focusing on making the narrative as choice-heavy as possible. Branching narratives enable players to shape the story by making choices and taking actions. Design quests that support the narrative and guide players through the story.

Consider making side-quests, too, that allow players to explore other aspects of the world, such as learning more about their party members, the local town or area they’re visiting, or other NPCs. Every quest must try to connect the player to the world and the characters around them. Examine Baldur’s Gate 3’s approach to narrative branching to understand how it sold over 15 million units worldwide.

Baldur’s Gate 3 features a heavy emphasis on player-driven story. One of the earliest examples is how the player decides to handle the Tiefling situation in the Druid’s Grove during Act I of the game. The player has the choice of saving the Tieflings or destroying them. That choice impacts several world states down the line–even all the way to Act III. The game offers a framework for creating branching narrative mechanics that have a profound impact, even in the late game.

Design loot and inventory mechanics to coincide with rewards given throughout the story. It’s a standard mechanic to have players find better equipment over time. Create new types of weapons that offer better damage, durability, or new abilities. Not every weapon or piece of armor needs to be easily found, either. Hide them in levels now and then to give explorative players a major reward.

Consider inventory mechanics, too—design encumbrance to encourage players to sell their old gear instead of holding onto it. Food or potion spoilage is another mechanic to consider. Making players worry about what’s going on in their inventory encourages them to pay attention to it and make use of items. Determine whether loot impacts certain skills or abilities when designing their mechanics next.

Dive deep into skill and ability mechanics to make players feel as though they’re heroes. They must be able to do things that few others do. Skills and abilities are the means of making players feel that way. Some skills become more powerful as the player progresses, while others are brand new and offer a new way to deal damage, heal, or serve a utilitarian purpose. Consider mechanics such as mana pools, skill cooldowns, and stamina costs to balance skills and abilities.

Link other mechanics, such as encumbrance, to the ability to do magic or to stamina cost. Players who carry too much must receive a debuff that impacts their skills. It encourages inventory management and strategizing before every plunge into a new dungeon. Determine how all the mechanics above support exploring the world and open-world mechanics.

Design open-world structures that map out fully explorable areas and gated areas. Even open worlds have areas that keep players from exploring them. Mix gated areas with discovery incentives. Players must receive some sort of reward by taking the extra effort to discover somewhere far or difficult to reach—design exploration mechanics alongside skill mechanics.

Give players the ability to unlock skills that serve a utility purpose, too, such as accessing new areas by climbing up with a rope or cutting down trees to make bridges. Include traversal mechanics in the RPG game design document, too. Mounts, fast travel, and climbing are all common mechanics to make exploration friendly.

What is the best RPG game design course?

The best RPG game design course offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers RPG design principles on a credible course platform. The course must be led by an instructor who has experience in the field. A RPG design course is a structured program that teaches students the fundamentals and advanced skills required for game design and game development, specifically tailored to designing role-playing games. Selection must be based on curriculum quality, industry relevance, hands-on practice, and student outcomes.

Determine whether the RPG course is the best by first examining its curriculum. The curriculum must have extensive module topics including core RPG design principles, combat systems, narrative design, UI/UX, level creation, and balancing mechanics. These lessons must have clear learning objectives. By the end of each lesson, designers must feel as though they understand each objective and are confident in using their education in a professional setting.

The instructor must provide a goal at the end of each lesson, indicating that the student understands the lesson by the end. Verify whether the curriculum incorporates actual case studies. Analyzing successful RPGs (and unsuccessful ones) helps students learn what design patterns work and which fail.

Discover whether the course offers hands-on experience. An effective way to learn something is to make it. The course must include a project that students work on throughout the semester, to complete a finished project by the end of the course. There must be plenty of opportunities to perform the same tasks that professional game designers do. Writing a game design document, laying out levels, and designing the world are all hands-on tasks that students must look for in the course.

Check to see whether the course covers topics relevant to the industry at present. Courses with outdated information aren’t helpful for anyone. Many course platforms allow old courses to remain on them. Double-check that the course isn’t too old to avoid learning outdated processes. The course must guide students through the latest methods for building a portfolio to increase their chances of getting hired by a studio. The game industry is constantly changing, so students must find the latest courses that contain the most up-to-date information to succeed.

Determine the expertise of the instructor to find the best RPG design course. Courses taught by instructors who are inexperienced in the industry won’t be as effective as those taught by instructors with real industry experience. Research the instructor to determine if they have experience designing RPG games. The instructor must have proven experience and expertise in the field they’re teaching. Verify whether the instructor has affiliations with studios, publishers, or academic research institutions. Instructors with expertise give students actual snapshots of working as a designer on a RPG with a studio.

Research the course provider’s reputation, too. RPG design courses that are on reputable platforms won’t provide the best learning experience. The instructors won’t be the best, and they aren’t always vetted. It’s even possible that the platform is aiming to scam its students instead of teaching them about game design. Before purchasing a course or trying out a free trial, test the site for usability. The platform must work well and be easy to learn how to navigate it. Students won’t learn much if they’re constantly fighting with the interface. Check out the table below to see how users rated their experiences on Trustpilot.

Study the course and course provider to see what other students are saying about it. A course must have student reviews readily accessible. Hiding reviews is a red flag. Research testimonials off-site about the course to see what non-sponsored students have to say. Past students provide firsthand accounts of whether the course was effective in teaching them RPG game design or not. Let us know about your experiences with RPG game design courses in the comments.

What is a good RPG game design book?

An RPG game design book provides both theoretical knowledge and practical tools for game design and game development. It gives the reader the foundation to create their own RPG. The best books balance theory, mechanical analysis, narrative structure, and iterative practice, making them valuable both for beginners and advanced game designers. The following books aren’t exhaustive, but I’ve found them to be helpful in forming a solid foundation in understanding what RPG game design is all about. Take a look at The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals, Designing Virtual Worlds, A Theory of Fun for Game Design, and Game Design Workshop to begin your education.

Read The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses to understand the framework of game design. The book introduces a “lenses” approach to game design, which allows designers to examine different aspects of their games through multiple perspectives. It provides tools for evaluating common RPG systems to determine if they effectively create a fun experience for the player. The Lens of the Player section helps designers break down a quest to determine if it aligns with the player’s expectations, for instance. Read Schell’s work to learn about general game design, then read Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals to understand systems in-depth.

Study Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals to understand the foundational design concepts, such as rules, play, and culture. The concepts are relevant to both TTRPG (table-top role-playing game) design and video game design. The book breaks down systems and explains how they interact with one another. It enables designers to understand better how to design balanced systems. Creating balanced systems from the outset saves a significant amount of development time later. Analyze Rules of Play to learn systems, and then read Designing Virtual Worlds to understand worldbuilding and immersion.

Create your own RPG world by reading Designing Virtual Worlds. The book focuses on world-building and creating immersive settings for players to explore. The world and narrative design are some of the most important elements of a RPG. Understanding how to develop stories persistently that support player agency is essential to creating a reactive world and a satisfying experience. The book provides lessons on how to create immersive worlds. Learn how to make the RPG fun by reading A Theory of Fun for Game Design after mastering worldbuilding.

Discover what makes fun experiences in a RPG by reading A Theory of Fun for Game Design. The book helps designers understand what players find fun and how to sustain that emotion and experience. Creating games is easy, but creating a game that other people actually find enjoyable is far more challenging. A Theory of Fun explores design concepts such as learning curves, challenges, and game mastery, and how to make those concepts fun experiences for players. The core concept behind the theory is that games must actually become boring, as explained in the snapshot below.

Understand and set up iterative design after reading Game Design Workshop. The final book to read to set up a strong foundation for RPG Design is Game Design Workshop. It teaches iterative design, such as designing in a way that promotes prototyping, testing, and refining. Iterative processes are common in game design and game development. As designers receive feedback, they’ll need to iterate repeatedly. The book provides worksheets to help encourage teamwork among the design team when working on RPG game design.

Where to find an RPG game design template?

Find an RPG game design template by searching for templates online. There are several online resources where indie and professional designers provide templates they’ve used in the past. A RPG game design template is a pre-made game design document framework that helps designers organize and plan every aspect of the RPG. That includes elements such as story arcs, game mechanics, and level design. The most accessible sources for RPG templates are open-source repositories such as GitHub, game design documents from real game titles, discussion threads from GameDev.net, and forum threads from engines such as RPG Maker and indie game developer communities.

Search GitHub’s repository for game design templates made explicitly for RPGs. GitHub offers a vast array of open-source materials and resources, allowing designers to download what they need and either use the resource as is or tailor it to their specific needs. Begin the search by typing in keywords such as “RPG template”, “RPG game design document template”, or even “RPG game design template.” Search through the results to find a game design template that closely matches the RPG. Discover game design document templates from actual game titles and studios to understand professional standards next.

Find RPG game design templates from actual published titles. A game design document used by a published title provides a professional example. Examine the document’s structure to create an original RPG game design template. A typical layout includes elements such as a project overview, mechanics breakdown, an art style guide, and a tentative production schedule. Professional examples offer guidance on creating a template that meets the industry’s professional standards. Search GameDev.net for RPG game design documents from industry professionals.

Examine the resources on GameDev.net to find a RPG game design template that industry professionals have provided. Finding a game design document from a studio isn’t easy. Not every studio wants to share its design process. Resources such as GameDev.net focus on professionals who work in the industry. They’re more open to sharing past examples if they’re able to do so.

Join the discussion threads on the site to receive insights from professional designers on how to frame the RPG game design template or even obtain samples from them. Professional designers offer actual use-case advice that helps new designers understand industry standards. Receive RPG game design documents and tips from indie designers on well-known RPG-focused game engines such as RPG Maker.

Search the forum section on RPG-focused game engines, such as RPG Maker to receive tips and actual RPG game design templates from indie designers. RPG Maker is an engine specifically built for making RPGs. It has a strong community dedicated to helping one another. Join the forums and search for discussion threads about RPG design. While many of the designers are indie and solodevs, it’s possible to find experienced indie designers who are open to sharing advice on design templates as well. Learn from other indie designers on indie designer forums.

Join community discussions on indie game design sites and forums to learn from peers. Fellow indie designers have all had to learn the basics of creating and filling out a game design document. Rely on their experience to learn how to craft a RPG game design template. Some indie designers find speaking to peers easier than to professionals, especially when first starting. Indie game design forums provide a comfortable space to learn the basics while providing opportunities to grow and learn more advanced RPG game design tips.

What is an example of an RPG game design document?

An example of an RPG game design document must include a framework that helps designers design each aspect of the game. It encompasses elements such as the game concept, engine details, level design, narrative, skill trees, UI, and much more. Examine the following example framework from Planescape: Last Rites to create an original RPG game design document. Begin by establishing the framework.

Define the scope and components of the game to create the framework in a RPG game design document. The scope must include details such as the project’s size, target platforms, and intended audience. Knowing these details helps the design process later when determining if certain design choices are feasible with the project’s budget. List out the components of the game design document in a table of contents to easily refer to each section later. Examine the example below to see how Planescape: Last Rites lays out its components.

The game design document clearly shows each section of the game’s design. It includes the page number of each section, allowing designers to find the section they need quickly. It contains a brief summary of what the section entails, allowing designers to understand what they’re about to read quickly. Note that the document has a version number. Since game design documents change over time, using a version number is ideal to track progress. Focus on the game’s philosophy, or main guiding principles, next on the RPG game design document.

Define the game’s guiding principles to set the design’s foundation. The principles are elements such as whether the game is combat-focused, narrative-focused, or player-driven. It covers how the design team makes decisions when there’s an impasse and something needs to be traded for something else. Think of the philosophy as laying down the soft rules that the design must adhere to. As with anything in game design, however, they are subject to change–albeit one of the last things open to change. Take a look at how the team behind Planescape: Last Rites laid out their principles.

Planescape: Last Rites lays out its design guiding philosophy as a game that must be adult, hardcore fantasy, and everything from the game’s people to its architecture must have an edge to it. It explains how it intends to design the game world, Sigil, including a rough sketch. Finally, it has a target system, or the type of specs the team wants the game to adhere to during the development process. Use the design philosophy as a foundation, then determine the game’s concept.

Determine the game vision and concept, then record it in the game design document. The game vision is the high-level description of the type of experience the player has. The game concept is the central gameplay hook. It’s the core idea that drives interest in the game and explains it to potential publishers. Research how Planescape: Last Rites lays out and explains its game concept section to get an idea of how to make an original RPG game design template.

Planescape: The Last Rites doesn’t just lay out the template in a dry way. Instead of simply calling this section “Game Concept,” it instead went with “High Concept.” The creative choice already showcases the sort of design that the team wants to implement in the game. The team then explains the game’s concept, which serves as the hook for the story. Determine the game’s narrative and storyline based on the game’s concept in the RPG game design document.

Create a narrative and story section on the RPG game design document. One of the fundamentals of role-playing game design is providing a strong narrative. This section of the document enables the design team to outline the main story beats. It’s where the team creates sub-plots, side-quests, and other notes about the story of the game. Think about narrative flow when designing this section of the document. Each beat must flow into the next smoothly to provide an enjoyable experience for the player. Read how Planescape: Last Rites explains its narrative.

The game design document for Planescape: Torment breaks the narrative and story down into several sections. In each section, the design team includes the setting, an explanation of what is happening, objectives, and any NPCs or factions that the player encounters during that particular scene. Each section is succinct and doesn’t go deep into the details by including dialogue, for instance. Focus on the characters involved with the story next and include them on the RPG game design document.

Design a section in the game design document for the characters. The main character must have their own section, and then major NPCs, such as party members, must have sections of their own. Include sections for major bosses or other important NPCs. Include the character’s archetype or role in the game, then briefly list out their abilities or whatever it is that they offer to the game. Add in their background, motivations, and other story hooks they bring to the game. Planescape: Last Rites has a section devoted to each major character in the game.

The main character section of Planescape: Last Rites’ game design document provides a brief synopsis of the main character’s role. It has different nicknames that the character uses or is known by later in the game. It provides details about their starting morality, defining physical features, and other important information relevant to the game’s design. It includes a rough sketch of the main character to use as inspiration. Design the world in which the characters live and determine the various types of biomes and environments that exist within it.

Record the world’s details in the game design document. Start off with a high-level explanation of what the world is. An example is a world set on a continent or a space station. Add in details as the design process goes. Include information about the different cultures, myths and history that fill the world. Each culture shapes its own myths and has a distinct identity. Include information about the environment and whether it has different biomes or a single biome. Then map out a rough sketch of its geography. Planescape: Last Rites uses the Forgotten Realms setting from TSR, adapting its world for its purposes.

Planescape is an existing IP out of TSR, the same company behind Dungeons & Dragons. Since the IP already existed, the design team had to adapt the world to its needs, rather than create the world from scratch. Worldbuilding is still required even for a game that’s using an existing IP because there are still details that the team must create on their own. NPCs that exist in the world are original to the game, for instance. Design game mechanics that players need to navigate the world.

List out and explain the primary gameplay loops expected in the game. Include the rules that exist in the game. The rules are the different systems in the game that interact and resolve player actions. Include interaction dynamics. These dynamics must focus on player-versus-environment interactions and player-versus-NPC interactions. Planescape uses the established rules from the AD&D system, but it clearly lists out where the game’s rules were changed to make it suitable for a video game instead of a tabletop role-playing game.

Planescape made it clear from the start in its rule section of the game design document that it was changing some of the rules of AD&D. This was important to define since players familiar with AD&D have certain expectations for the game. The game design document continues to list out the various rules that the design team intended to include in the game, starting with how it handled character creation. After taking care of the game mechanics section, focus on combat design.

Determine the design needed based on the type of combat system used in the game. A turn-based combat system has different design requirements than real-time combat, for instance. Design the damage system, including the calculations behind combat mechanics such as attacking, defending, and critical hits. Focus on the action flow next. In a turn-based game, this means determining how the turns work. In a real-time game, this means whether conditions such as stunning or parrying impact the flow of each action. Planescape: Last Rites provides a short explanation of what to expect from its combat.

Being as detailed as possible is ideal when making a game design document, but Planescape: Last Rites shows that even a simplistic approach is effective. It doesn’t include the hard math of how everything works, but it does lay out expectations for the type of combat the game expects to have. Notice how it aligns with the design philosophy outlined earlier in the game design document. Link combat mechanics to quests and missions, structuring the narrative of the game.

Design quests and missions that lay out the quest flow. The quest flow refers to the step-by-step progression of quests. It includes the different objectives that the player must complete as well as the obstacles they’ll encounter. Include the rewards that the quests offer, too. Quest rewards are commonly XP, loot, or currency. A standard quest flow begins with dialogue, in which the player learns about the problem. Then it progresses to objective tracking, with the quest offering either a single either/or ending to the quest or a branching resolution. Examine how Planescape: Last Rites lists out its quest flow.

The game design document for Planescape clearly lists out the different objectives that the player must complete to advance to the next area. It includes the type of rewards that the player receives after completing a quest. The document shows that the player receives a reward in the form of lore. They obtain the necessary information to advance the plot. Provide context to quests by designing level and map designs.

Determine level layouts in the RPG game design document. Consider the different player pathways that they’ll use to navigate the level. Map out the exploration zones and areas that are off limits to players. Determine the types of methods to block the player from accessing the off-limit areas–using boulders or buildings to block access, for example. Design fast travel spots or other waypoints for easier travel later in the game. Planescape: Last Rites provides some high-concept map designs for its levels.

Create a rough sketch of an area, such as Planescape in this example. The game design document includes a basic sketch of the prison town of Curst, showing how the town is laid out. It consists of an underground area. Use the same sort of approach when designing levels on the game design document. Rough sketches are an effective way to visually organize or explain the layout of a level. Focus on designing items and skill trees to map out player progression next.

Explain the different types of items players use in the game. Include what these items do, where they’re found, and their rarity, which impacts their value. In RPGs that allow crafting, include the requirements needed to make those items. Determine unlock conditions for skill progression and create a rough draft of the various skill trees available in the game. Write down any branching upgrades with requirements to unlock additional abilities or proficiencies. Planescape: Last Rites explains how its items work in the following example.

Keeping its design philosophy in mind, Planescape designed its items to have personalities. The game design document outlines the team’s approach to designing each item. The item must have a picture, history, and name. It includes how the player discovers additional details about each item. It doesn’t list each item made for the game. The game design document focuses on the guiding design behind the items, rather than the items themselves. Design the UI for the RPG to ensure players receive all the information they need.

Design the UI layout on the RPG game design document. Include sketches for each major UI element. Determine what information to include in the HUD and where it appears on the screen, for instance. Choose which elements of the UI are interactable. Some UI elements allow players to close them or move them around. Player inventory UI allows drag-and-drop functionality. Planescape describes how it uses UI in its game design document.

An important element for Planescape’s UI design was animation. It wanted its UI to feel alive and dynamic. Although the game design document doesn’t include sketches of the UI, it provides enough detail for the designers and developers to make the UI later. The goal was to have animated icons and screens that reflect the player’s progression. Include these details when explaining how the UI functions in the RPG. Determine the art and audio style to bring the RPG to life as the last step.

Explain the art style intended for use in the game. Include elements such as the color palette and filter, if applicable. Create mood boards to bring different design elements together. Record the type of music and audio themes that fit the game. Add detail to the level design portion of the document to include SFX requirements. A living and lush forest level must have bird and animal sounds, for instance. Keeping track of art and music direction ensures consistency among the visual and audio assets.

Planescape: Last Rites explains its art style by focusing on detailed and unique animations for specific types of NPCs. They included a section about a character, Morte, and the type of audio bits the designers want for him, which is a bunch of insults. Not every NPC or character is listed here, but this description provides a framework for designers to work from when creating specific NPCs. They know to go for unique, personal animations that make sense for the type of NPC it is. Use this example to explain the art and audio style for the RPG.