Interactive Narrative Games
Project Overview
The MLP: Friend is Magic (MLP: FiM) Role Playing Game (RPG) Handbook is a 1-page document inspired by Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). The aim of the project is to practice worldbuilding for a specific aspect of the RPG like spells, economies, and religions.
Programs used: Homebrewery
Project Background
This project focuses on creating a 1-page document for an RPG handbook. I used MLP: FiM because of the unique species and lore that the show had. The project used D&D's style, scope, and balance gameplay. Using plain language, I created documentation for the world setting. Plain language is writing designed to ensure that readers can understand content as easily as possible. It avoids convoluted language and jargon. A great example of plain language is government documents and health information.
There were also resources used like the D&D Player Handbook that were used for inspiration.
Project Goals
- Create a unique, specific aspect of the world the RPG takes place.
- Write clearly and use plain language.
- Determine the target audience.
- Give players concrete details to generate ideas and flexibility to adapt to the guidelines.
Method
Before I started on the project, I gave a pitch on my idea to get feedback from my classmates. After taking that feedback, I started to use Homebrewery. Homebrewery is a document editor created by NautralCrit.
It makes homebrewing simple for Dungeon Masters (DM) to create modules for an adventure. The editor also allows you to include images and other elements in the document.
I used the MLP: FiM Wiki for the majority of the information that I've gathered. I wanted to focus on the entirety of the series including the movies and comics that were canon. It would've been limiting and difficult to only include information from just the show itself as they make references to previous movies later in the seasons.
The document also features Autumn Blaze, a Kirin species from the series. I used an image of Autumn Blaze because most people may not recognize other types outside of ponies, pegasi, and unicorns.
A PNG version of the Pony Types page. Autumn Blaze is featured as the Kirin species.
Key Takeaways
Overall, I enjoyed creating a document about one of my favorite series growing up. This was inspired by the One Piece and Naruto campaigns that my friends play every week. However, I never heard anything about MLP: FiM having their own Homebrew for fans to enjoy. Also, as someone who has played D&D 5e before in multiple campaigns, I was happy to be in a comfort zone when creating this document.
Obviously, one page wouldn't be enough to talk about the pony types since there's lore to all of them and great examples. However, this assignment not only challenged my world-building skills but also my storytelling skills through design and writing.
If I had more time and possibly a community interested enough, I would love to create an unofficial MLP: FiM RPG Handbook for players online to enjoy. Especially if I can somehow get the Wiki admins and writers involved, this project could potentially be successful. Furthermore, with more people involved, it'd be easier to receive feedback on the handbook and create a stronger community.