Not Dead Yet and Analysis Paralysis

I'm still here

Yes, it has been a long, long time since my last post.  Not much has been happening at Rusty Scalpel Games as I have been using much of my time to explore other career paths.  I came up with a bunch of cool career ideas, but none have really jumped out as my life's work.  So, with a new burst of inspiration, I decided to jump back into designing a game. 

Analysis Paralysis

In my last blog posts, I was discussing the need for marketing research.  I'm sure that if you want to be commercially successful, that's probably pretty important.  For me though, I found that all the analysis brought my enthusiasm and creative efforts to a standstill.  So screw all this other crap-- for now I'm going to work on the actual game.

So what's the game going to be?

I've decided it will be a role-playing game with strong historical elements, but also with a heavy dose of the supernatural.  I'll announce the premise and setting at a later date...

What you want, what I want

Before you start a journey, you need to figure out where you want to go. Since Rusty Scalpel Games is both a business endeavor and a personal creative outlet, that means I need to figure out what you want and what I want.

So my first step is to do some market research--talk with fellow gamers, read message boards, visit game retailers, etc. What games or related products do gamers want, but not have? or What products are already out that address a need, but do a poor job of it?

As for me, I think I'd like to do a role-playing game or a related product. If I did a game, I know that I'd like it to have a simple, intuitive system, yet offer deep role-playing elements with a real sense of immersion. I would also shoot for a contemporary setting and steer away from elves, wizards, and other fantasy stuff. But I don't want to run with my ideas until I've heard from the gaming community first.

Any games that you'd like to play, but can't, either because they're nonexistent or crappy?

Introduction

Hello, my name is Tony Brown and I am the founder of Rusty Scalpel Games. I used to be a surgeon, but didn't like it, so I dropped it. Then I became a journalist, but didn't like that either, so I dropped it too. Finally, I'm embarking on something I have a true passion for: creating games. I love all types of games, particularly role-playing games, both pen-n-paper and computer.

The purpose of this journal is to tell you what I plan on creating for RSG and then take you on the project's journey from womb to tomb. Along the way, I want to hear from you! If you think it's a dumb idea to begin with, tell me. If there's some design choices you'd do differently, I want to know. My goal is to create products that match the wants and needs of other gamers with my own artistic vision.

I hope you have fun reading this journal and I look forward to your comments. Thank you.