One Page RPG Jam Postmortem

So this years one page RPG jam has just wrapped up and I've already decided that I'm going to sign up to the next one. Making a One Page RPG provided me with a thoroughly enjoyable challenge and has been a great learning experience. The age out adage of limitation breeding creativity was very much true and it helped prevent me from over complicating matters. That being said not everything went well and I can think of a few things that could have gone better.

The Bad
My time management wasn't stellar. I would not go as far as to say it was bad but it definitely could have been better. While making a RPG on a single page was less difficult than making a skirmish game in two weeks, it still provided a challenge and still took time. I had neglected the fact I was going on holiday with my family during the last week of the Jam, and while the house we were staying in had an internet connection I wasn't certain it was going to be good. In terms of graphic design I think its abundantly clear to everyone that I need improvement in that area, and I had hoped to get some more practice but thanks to me forgetting I basically one week less than I thought, I wasn't able to get the practice I wanted. I didn't use the discord, again, and while I should have it wasn't a major issue since I could work solo on this project because I wasn't being overly ambitious.

One final piece of advice for any new developers; before you decide on a title for your project, type it into Ich.io or google so your project doesn't have the same name as a preexisting game. It will save you having to hurriedly add a subtitle at the last minute.

The Good
Doing more with less is the mantra of the one page RPG and that has been a great help. Forcing you to condense everything down so that it fits on one piece of paper really does help keep you on track. I think I've done quite a bit with that one page. I managed to fit all the rules and tables required to play the game without cramming it all in using text that requires a microscope to read. I did that by asking myself if (x) was actually necessary. I was going to have a few additional tables but I cut them out in the end because they didn't add much or anything to the game. If there is one reason I'm happy with Cloudfarer, it is the writing. While as I've said before, I'm not great at drawing, I do feel like writing is my strong suit and I feel like I've manage to writing evocative prompts for the challenge table, as well as on the Captain and Skyship creation tables. The quote at the beginning of the RPG was always going to be there right from the start, however the Shanty lyrics and the quote below the challenge table were both slipped in at the end because I had some spare room, and I knew I wasn't going to get a good enough drawing done, and I'm proud of them.

The Future
Barring some minor tweaks and redoing the cover, I don't think Cloudfarer needs much addition work. However I doubt Cloudfarer will be my last one page RPG. This Jam has been an extremely fun experience for me and I feel like I've come away having learned a few lessons. If you have not already done so I, strongly  recommend you look at the rest of the entries because there are some excellent RPGs, If a new developer is reading this then I would also recommend making a one page RPG yourself, because like entering a Jam, its a good way to get some experience.

As for me while I'm not going to do any Jams in September, I am not going to be idle. I'm going to (finally) finish editing a video for my Youtube channel because I have neglected it for too long. I think I'll be able to get it done by the end of this week. After that I'm going to start a new project. It isn't anything major, just a small one shot adventure module for Layline Press's Salvage Union that I've had in the back of my head for a while. After that however, I've signed up for the Revival Jam, a Jam about resurrecting something once neglected as something new. After recalling old walkthrough videos and abandonware games I might have had an idea for something, however that's October. 

For now I'm going to get a cup of Tea and have a sit down and a read, but whoever you are reader, please, take care, and I hope to see you soon.