TIFU by not researching other TTRPGs before creating mine.

Submitted by Calligaster t3_y9geam in tifu

I've been playing DND since I was about 8 years old with my family. I loved it instantly, and have played with DND 3.5, 5e, Pathfinder, pathfinder 2e, and BRP, as well as the Star Wars RPG and Cogent (the system created by Shad Brooks). Sometime around playing Cogent, I started putting together a list of the advantages and disadvantages of each system. This eventually evolved into a wishlist, then the seeds of my very own RPG started to form. I knew it would be niche, and likely never get popular, let alone make any significant money, but I rarely feel this kind of drive toward a hobby, so wanted to try anyway. I worked on it off and on for a couple years in my spare time between classes or after work. I had a lot of good ideas, but a so many dead ends. Eventually, back in December of 2020, I took the longest break yet.

Cut to last week. I started getting some ideas, and after coming back to it with a fresh pair of eyes, I made SO MANY IMPROVEMENTS! I simplified or removed superfluous rules, added interesting complexety and possible skill synergies to allow interesting character builds, all on my own, and all from scratch. I was about to start working on fleshing out the weapons today when (on a whim) I googled lesser known TTRPG's. "Maybe I'll find some inspiration, or know what kinds of things to avoid." One of the submissions mentioned a core mechanic of my system. I looked into it a bit more.

I had already accepted that nothing in my game would be original, but I figured I was at least combining them in an interesting way. But the more I read, the more my blood pressure rose and the more my heart sank. I HAVE ACCIDENTIALLY MADE A PROTOTYPE OF SHADOWRUN!!!! At least half the mechanics I've read so far line up closely with what I'm already doing. I don't know what to do or where to go from here, I'm so damn angry with myself for sinking weeks worth of man hours into somehting that somewhat already exists.

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TL;DR: I started making a TTRPG from scratch and accidentaly made a Shadowrun Copycat.

Update: I've slept on it. If Pathfinder could find success as an almost identical clone of DND 3.5, then my system is more than distinct enough from Shadowrun. Thanks to everyone for the supportive comments.

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Contank t1_it6l79e wrote

You weren't making the game to profit on it. This was your own wishlist of what you wanted. Now that you know a game exists with those features you can play it

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Burnrate t1_it6s8tw wrote

How is shadowrun lesser known. That's like one of the most famous, inspiration for all sorts of cyberpunk stuff, multiple video games, a movie.

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Calligaster OP t1_it706av wrote

Lesser known than dnd

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Burnrate t1_it7kgfj wrote

But that's everything! :P

Either way don't let it slow you down or get you down! Keep going!

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Feanor_Silmaril t1_it7l4rf wrote

Hi there! I am a player of TTRPGs since 2004. I have found dozens of similar games from fanmade to official ones. I have even got my player on a fully improvised adventure with all fresh ideas I had never used before, until one of my players ask me if I was taking inspiration in a manga I didn't knew it existed that was clearly a mirror of the adventure. You can't creat something new. But you can create a new gaze upon something. Look D&D, dungeon world, pathfinder, starfinder and so many more take a pot of it and made a new version. Don't beat yourself because there are a lot of games with a lot of different settings, rules and characters that are similar to other already made. And if you made your own Shadow run, my recommendation(from someone who tried several times to do what you are doing), compare them. You can see where you got different rules and solutions, where you took the same answer as the developers and where you choose different. I mean look it to learn from it. And if you think you can't use it, think or 5he Divine Comedy, it's a fanfiction of the bible with a self insert from the author in wich he meets his favorite writer and team up to rescue the woman he loves. If Dante could pubish that, you can make something with yours.

TL,DR: complete originally don't exist. And that is not bad. Dust yourself and keep creating. Sorry for the bad English. It's not my first lenguaje.

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OpiesDawgie t1_it7e4fi wrote

Don’t beat yourself up about it, you wanted to create something in this genre of games, it’s bound to have some similarities. Are you enjoying creating it? Will you enjoy playing it? I don’t know much about this sort of game, I’m aware of D&D, but it just wasn’t my thing, but I’m sure shadowrun borrowed a bunch of ideas from somewhere. You have a chance to make something you think is even better, do it! As long as it isn’t a verbatim copyright-infringing clone, go for it. People may prefer yours, but how will you know? Good luck

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Qyro t1_it7ogq0 wrote

I wouldn’t worry too much about it, the gaming industry is full of ripoffs (in a non-malicious way) and innovations on core systems. Keep forging on with it and you never know, it may end up being a better version of Shadowrun.

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Kalideagarwaen t1_it8gor1 wrote

At least you had fun putting it together. You didn't waste time you did what you like.

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