Guideline to "Role-Playing / Grand Strategy"
video game genre

Version: 0.2 (Community Preview)

Date: 2015-07


Contents:

Intro

This document describes rather little-known video game genre - "Role-playing / Grand Strategy" (or abbreviated, RPGS). It was born in the middle of 2000s, among other new genres, as Warcraft 3 custom modification. It gained some popularity, by spreading over Battle.net service. At the date of publication, nearly ten years have passed, and genre still has its auditory. There are admired RPGS games that are continually evolving. New ones (also implemented as modifications of existent major games) emerge rather frequently.

Document tries to more precisally define, what RPGS is about - it standards, canons, rules, best practices. Furthermore, its purpose is to give people (mainly game developers) all gathered practical wisdom about genre. Before final release, document hopefully will be thoroughly revised by the people, skilled in the subject area, as well as in game development in general. Thus it is gonna be collective contribution to the development of the genre in nowadays video game industry.

Most of the information expressed here is based on author's experience as the game developer in the past years. Lot of good practices described here, are effectively used by the successors. Other things were only a thoughts and plans, before appeared in written form here. Something is based on practical observations, other is pure theory, driven by intuition.

Setting

In the context of the game, Setting is place and time, chosen from either fictional universe, or from real history, where all the game actions take place. In other words, Setting is game's background. The correct choice of Setting may seem the key to success, but it heavily relies on how Setting integrated into gameplay.

Best practices for Setting:

Gameplay

Gameplay is the most important piece of game and a key to success. Decisions, that improve gameplay, should prevail over the any other part of the game. If Setting contradicts with Gameplay, Setting should be softly upstaged. However, with Gameplay, which obscures most of the other things that are quite specific to the genre, it may just stop being RPGS game. There is one of the most difficult designer's problem here: always seek equilibrium point between Gameplay and everything other.

Gameplay based mainly on communications between players in different ways, thus it is solely focused on multiplayer mode, at least until invention of true "Strong AI" systems.

Victory conditions

Player can acquire victory in different ways. There may be some Score calculations, to represent players efforts and success. Score should be gained during the game (by battling, launching events, etc.) and at the end, according to victory conditions.

Styles of play

Game should permit players to have various styles of play without significant penalties in effectiveness. Some may be more popular, than others, cause of Faction features, and/or by Setting's plot.

Styles are (and not limited to):

In fact, actual style of play should be combination of listed above, and every part of the style has to be playable and fun.

Factions

Each player controls single Faction. There may present Factions, that are under AI control. Factions are free to ally\declare war on each other. However, there still can be some restrictions applied.

Factions are deeply dependent on Setting, so there are some requirements:

Diplomacy

While not at war, nor allied, Factions are neutral to each other. Their units do not mutually attack on sight, they don't share vision and Resources. However, they are still able to send Resources to each other.

Alliances

Factions can form alliances - military unions. Players within alliance are capable of much help each other. Deep cooperation prolongs the game. They share vision, are able to share units (not only control, but even permanently transfer, with some restrictions), and are able to share Resource income, forming shared resource pool. Each alliance has leader, who regulates sharing rules, as well as alliance's relationship with remaining Factions and alliances.

War

Upon declaring war, Factions lose any shared features. If war is declared within alliance, initiator gets excluded, except when war declared by leader. War continues, until:

Game Balance

Game Balance is very complicated thing. Players may not notice, if game is balanced, but they surely will often suffer, if game isn't. Almost each section of this document has some balance tips, so there will be more general ones:

Game Map

Game Map is the area, where player combat and settling actions take place. Map is the part of game (alongside with the Characters), which has to by maximally influenced by the Setting. Most of the player recognition and associations should be driven by these parts. Thus contradiction with the Setting here is almost never a good idea.

Common rules for Game Map are:

Troops

Troops are represented by units of various types. There are good practices for Unit system:

Combat types

Type combining for several units is totally OK, but there must not be universal units. Also, powerful units should have weak spot.

Movement types

Movement types can be combined (for example: amphibious), or be switchable (for example between Land and Air). It is surely imposes extra balance on such units.

Targeting

Common logic of targeting between units of various movement types:

Thus "Air ranged" is the most balance-required type, whilst "Land melee" is the least.

Elites

So called "Elite units" is good genre practice. There are few rules about them:

Elite's high cost should enforce player to use them more wisely, rather than just sending in slaughter. With proper micro-management, Elites can play crucial role in battles. However, game balance should prevent existence of armies, that consist mostly of Elites and Characters. It may be accomplished, for example, by giving Elites abilities to strengthen common troops.

Special Units

There are used to be few special unit types:

Buildings

Building is distinct type of unit. It provides utilitary functions, like training troops, being part of resource system. It also gives notable roleplaying and stylish impact: unique Lore buildings, and overall lore-wise visual representation. Buildings typically cannot change their position on map. Their density in region represents settling intensity of owning Faction. Common buildings are not involved in combat, except defence Buildings.

Stationary Defence

Stationary Defence plays significant role in combat strategy. It should be balanced to give real opportunity for Defensive style of play. Defensive buildings should be sufficiently more effective against regular troops of same cost. Siege units shouldn't be direct "counter"-method, but just a way to "equalize" combat powers of equal cost. Stationary Defence should be more effective for smaller Factions, due to lesser number of regions and border's length. On the other hand, mobile defence with troops, as said before, although less effective, is more flexible.

Upgrades

There may exist several options of enhancement for troops. Player spends some Resources to get permanent bonus for his troops upon upgrade completetion.

Enhancement dilemma for player should be is to choose whether to spend resources on troops and have immediate advantage, or to spend it on upgrades and have advantage in future. This should be properly balanced, to have roughly same effectiveness, and only distinguish different styles of play.

Common upgrades are:

Most of upgrades should have various levels of improvement, with significant subsequent cost increase. This should be done in order to scale in late-game, when players manage more troops, as well as more resources.

It is important for upgrades to have notable time to complete, to underline the strategic effect of upgrade over tactical one.

Characters

Characters - are Setting's valuable historical persons. Their actions can significantly affect the world. Characters are subjects of solid part of Role-playing, thus are very important. When player controls Faction, he typically follows the will of its Characters.

There are Character rules:

Semi-characters

Semi-characters are also historical persons, but play rather minor role in Setting. Rules are:

Events

Scripted Events ("scripted" means, they happen on specific conditions and consist of complex steps, not usually available by plain game mechanics) are vital part of the genre. Common practices about events:

Aspects

Aspect (or truncated variation of it, commonly called Mastery) is a special type of event. There are its characteristics:

Presence of Aspects gives a lot more variety to game sessions: more combinations are exist; each Faction's role becomes less flat. It is also adequate helper for roleplaying, serving as underline of player's intentions.

Resource System

Resources are what players spend to gain more troops, buildings, etc. There may exist three types of resources:

There may exist a way to diminish(temporarily or not), or even destroy resource sources. For example, ravaging rich region, destroying some unique structures (if it possible by Setting), may drop it economic value permanently. However, such pillaging and sabotage shouldn't be too easy and fast-doable, for not to make economical strikes too effective. It should become option of roleplaying for some factions, not cutting-edge strategic doctrine.

Balancing

Some tips, that can make Resource System more balanced:

Summary

Hopefully, this document was able to clearly describe the RPGS genre, and underline its main features. Unfortunately, no serious commercial games of such genre were published yet. However, communities around different non-commercial RPGS games (or game modifications), developed by volunteers, are persist for nearly ten years. Overall concept appears to be successful and playable.

With undoubted decadence of Strategy genre in nowadays video game industry, and arguable decadence (or at least shapeshifting far from good ol' 2000-x ones) RPGs, new synthesis of genres - RPGS - might become a new breath for the industry.