How do you make a narrative-focused game? Which existing narrative

Why make one?

Just use World of Darkness.

Seen HeroQuest 2?

>>54999101
>How do you make a narrative-focused game?
Focus on the narrative

>>55000492
Its rules aren't particularly narrative focused. It has just skills and special powers, but no mechanic for affecting the narrative directly (like Fate for example).

>>54999101
You don't, narrative is the part GM and players naturally have total control over. When you make "narrative" rules all you do is restrict this freedom in order to enforce some definitive element you think think their narrative ought to have.

>>54999101

You start with your genre. You always start with your genre.

IMO you should start with genre, theme and tone when making any game, but when it comes to a narrative focused game it is absolutely key. Just making an abstract 'narrative' game will end up as an unfocused mess, unless you're specifically trying to make a generic system like FATE.

Narrative focused games rely on mechanics that are built to reinforce and support the conceits, tropes and cliches of the genre you're trying to emulate. Unless you know exactly what you're going for, you're not going to make a good game.

>>55003640

You could just say 'It's not my preferred playstyle'.

You're not obligated to like narrative games, but making blanket statements like that is really dumb. Having narrative rules and guidelines that focus the game is something a lot of groups find interesting. Restrictions can enhance creativity, having to act within constraints often leads to more imaginative and interesting solutions than just being free to do whatever you want.

Also, every system has narrative elements it reinforces. They might not be as obvious or explicitly stated, but how a system is designed will always inform the styles of game that system is appropriate for. Even generic systems can't avoid this, having their own implicit assumptions and biases which make them more appropriate for some things than for others. Being aware of this, and stating it explicitly, is useful and valuable for potential players and GMs trying to evaluate the system, rather than pretending a game might have no implicit tone or assumptions whatsoever.

>>54999101

Take a look at Robin Laws' Hillfolk. Or steal it entirely -- its Drama System is designed to be slapped on top of other games to add narrative mechanics to games that don't have them.

>>55003123

Like World of Darkness, yeah. For all its verbiage about "narrative" and "storytelling" it's just a basic superhero game with goth makeup on.