I'm really unmotivated about writing academic essays; So when my games class told me I needed to write a history paper on any topic and my games class told me to make a wild west RPG. UTAH the historically based RPG was born.
I have strong opinions on traditional RPGs, and this game system was a basis for more simple systems I've used for quick RPG proto-typing.
Game summary
'Utah' is Pen and Paper RPG set in historical Utah during the wild west.
My focus for the game was to create a RPG that was simple, with fast and deadly combat. I also wanted to frame some of the unique historical characters of the period and bring attention to some of the little known aspects of Utah.
Playtest results
My play-test results were generally positive. I initially had only started out with a fast and deadly combat system. However during an off the cuff play test session I decided to set the game in Utah. This had hilarious results when players labeled the bandits I had as "Mormon Raiders". I was content to mark this down as actions from irreverent and snarky players, until I ran a web search.
What I changed
So "Mormon Raiders" were apparently a real thing. So this off hand comment lead me to research the history of Utah its attempted succession from the United States, and its rocky relationship for years after.
What went right
On the positive side, I was able to keep with historical accuracy fairly well with this assignment. Oddly these factions were not particularly good to begin with. I also was satisfied with the amount of intrigue that was found within this setting. The characters themselves were very interesting to write about and the historical setting at times felt too good to be true. The game is also simple, its not as convoluted as some RPG systems out there. All in all the game is accessible and has a strong historical setting.
What went wrong
The development of the game was generally good, however there were some parts of the game I wish I could've done better. My main concern is that I wanted to test the game more. This game was created in a somewhat limited time-frame as there were other projects being created concurrently. There was time allotted for testing that I took use of; but I wanted more. I was also considerable constrained by some of the choices I made. I wanted combat to be fast and deadly, but this makes the game a little bit rough, and players just cant go in guns blazing. I'm also concerned that the portrayal of the factions may be seen insulting; However I really tried to portray all factions as 'bad' in some way. I may not have been nice, but I tried to be fair.
What I learned
What I really learned here was that I work best when I can focus my self into a single project. I was working in another game project class and I was constantly choosing between working on this project and the other one. I also will try to stay away from historical topics in the future because there are a lot of sensitive issues that would've cropped up if this game had a commercial release.
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