Do you create your own story or use someone elses?

[Drogo]

Hi guys this is my first forum post so yh.... my question to all rpg makers is do you guys create your games using your own story or anothers story? For example my first project which im finishing up is a game of thrones game... but recently i've been kinda in 2 minds whether to continue it or not.... i kinda feel like its not original since its not truly my story. So would you guys rather create an rpg game based off a story entirely made by you? or would you use another story which you didn't create?


EDIT: creativity isnt an issue for me i have tons of stories planned out but i just want to know what gives other people more enjoyment, stories based off something you know and love.. or your own original story.

 

[Niten Ichi Ryu]

Better to make your own stories.


It's an extra challenge to actually make a game in an established and well known setting. In your case particularly, as you tackle on A Song Of Ice and Fire.


I do not doubt that you may have writing skills, but you're probably not Georges RR Martin, and it is difficult to follow on his style. It is one thing to make a game where a character dwarf called Tyrion goes around a town called King's landing, it is another thing to make a really Game Of Thrones Game. So of course it's not really original, particularly if you emulate the flow of the books (or worst, the show) instead of trying to make an original story happening in Westeros.


My advice would be to reflect on what drove you to emulate ASOIAF as a setting( like backstabbing, politics, sex, warfare...) extract the elements and build your own stories and world around it. By the way, I hope you were not using the cute Chiby RTP for that. That would make it harder to work with the grit.


Really hard to do an ASOIAF RPG without a talented team of writers, and I'm not sure it would really be a good RPG, or even a good ASOIAF story.


Taking inspiration from a classic story is ok, for example, emulate 7 samurai in medieval europe and you end up with 7 knights, but it should be more an inspiration than a total adaptation.

 

[Andar]

There are a lot of aspects you should think off, and they all point in the direction of using your own story is a lot better.


First, fangames are always illegal. You either have permission to use the content (in which case your game would be official, not a fangame) or you would be in violation of the trademark at minimum, with copyright violation often close to follow. And while some IP-holders try to ignore fanstories or fangames, they are often required by their countries laws to take action against them if they become too popular.


Second, why do you need to follow an existing story? In a lot of cases this is done by people who don't have enough ideas of their own to make an original game - but it's the ideas for the story that make RPGs good or bad. If you have problems coming up with ideas on your own, then the quality of that fangame will never be the same as the original source, no matter what you do.


Yes, there are two other reasons to use an existing story as a basis: You won't need to put in the additional work of creating a new universe, and it can be a "tip of the hat" to honor the original author.


If you really want to honor the author, then do it best by asking his/her stance on fanstories first - if the author is opposed to fangames (or even already fighting in the copyright courts about it), your fangame would only create problems or insult him/her. So ask first.


And if you want to use an existing universe because you don't have the time to create one of your own - then you'll have it a lot easier if you use one of the existing shared or free universes. There are a lot of them where the author encourages fanstories and works with others to  increase that universe, and you'll get a lot less problems writing a fangame there - usually you can even ask the author on the forum/board assigned to that setting for how to handle the specifics.


And third question of course is what you personally want to achieve.


If you're interested in getting your name known through a comunity somewhere, it'll be a lot easier to do that with your own ideas than to be known as someone who tries to follow (or steal) other people's ideas, especially as increase fame can result in a C&D if you're using someone else property.

 

[mardin]

First, fangames are always illegal. You either have permission to use the content (in which case your game would be official, not a fangame) or you would be in violation of the trademark at minimum, with copyright violation often close to follow. And while some IP-holders try to ignore fanstories or fangames, they are often required by their countries laws to take action against them if they become too popular.

What if he doesn't use the exact content? He doesn't name it "Game of Thrones", but "Game of Crownes". Not "John Snow" but "John Snowden", who got similar looks. Not "Westeros" but "Westernos"...and so on. I just find this very interesting and you seem know a lot about this topic. Sorry for crashing the topic.


I would not use the story of another one, but that is because I really like to come up with my own. And if you are an awesome artist for example, but coming up with your own story is difficult for you, than it is totally fine to get some inspiration elsewhere. The Big List of RPG Plots might be a good start...

 

[Andar]

If you don't use the (trademarked) original names and don't use resources without licences, you are usually save from law.


I won't say absolutely safe as I don't know the laws of every country and so on, but you should be mostly safe.

 

[Aoi Ninami]

Second, why do you need to follow an existing story? In a lot of cases this is done by people who don't have enough ideas of their own to make an original game - but it's the ideas for the story that make RPGs good or bad. If you have problems coming up with ideas on your own, then the quality of that fangame will never be the same as the original source, no matter what you do.


Yes, there are two other reasons to use an existing story as a basis: You won't need to put in the additional work of creating a new universe, and it can be a "tip of the hat" to honor the original author.

There are other reasons: reading an existing story may give you the idea for how things could have gone differently, or another story in the same universe, or what happens after (or before, or behind the scenes), or just how you might tell the same story differently. In any case, reading the story has germinated an idea in your mind for a story that wants to be told. Sometimes you can graft the idea onto a separate world so that it is no longer a fanwork; other times, its ties to the original work are a deep-rooted part of the concept.


Fanworks can be great works of art: the creator takes a story idea that came originally from someone else's work, and makes it uniquely their own. The greatest example is William Shakespeare, who used other people's stories as the basis for nearly all his plays. Of course, that was before modern copyright existed, and today you have to be more careful, if you are thinking of publishing or trying to make a name for yourself. (In particular, George R. R. Martin is known to be strongly anti-fanwork.)


As for myself, I write fanfiction (as well as original fiction) but I wouldn't make a fangame. The effort it takes to make a game is so much greater than a story, I want to spend that effort on one of my original concepts. But I'd be interested in playing either; all that matters to me is that the story and characters are engaging.

 

[Carduus]

For the amount of work all the other aspects take, I wouldn't want to risk having to not release my game because of copyright issues. That might just be me, though.

 

[Drogo]

Better to make your own stories.

For the amount of work all the other aspects take, I wouldn't want to risk having to not release my game because of copyright issues. That might just be me, though.

Thanks guys for all the advice, though, i highly doubt i will be taken to court for creating a GOT game on rpg maker mv  of which i am making no profits off,  and that probably only one or two people will play, thats like drawing some fanart of Lets say Daenerys Targaryen and then George RR Martin taking me to court for it!!  (Well lets hope i dont get sued atleast xD)


NO but jokes aside i appreciate the advice and i do think my next project will be entirely my own but of course using influence from numerous stories which i follow, but what i really wanted to know from everyone was... What do YOU guys prefer to make (forget the copyright issues please) fangames or your own original stories, in other words which gives you more of a buzz to create or which do you enjoy creating more, a game based off something you love or know or expressing your creativity?

 

[Niten Ichi Ryu]

What if he doesn't use the exact content? He doesn't name it "Game of Thrones", but "Game of Crownes". Not "John Snow" but "John Snowden", who got similar looks. Not "Westeros" but "Westernos"...and so on.

that would be even worst, maybe only fit for a parody of sort. Where Jon Snowden would be a hornblower maybe.


Even if you were to adapt a book by the letter, you would have to work it and make it yours, make it into a game.


As I said you could take a popular story and twist it a little. They are also stories that could use characters and elements that are now part of global culture.


After my current project, which is an original story in a self designed setting but inspired by ASOIAF grittiness, low magic, and political drama, (and ASOIAF, magic aside, itself was already inspired in this by The Accursed Kings) I'm planning to make a game about the Arthurian Cycle. I will base myself on Le Morte d'Arthur, from Thomas Malory and Historia Regum from Geoffroy Monmouth, but will have to write my own script and version of some events. So won't the story be at the same time other's and mine?


bonus: No issues with copyright, such stories are public domain.


So in essence, I'm good with making my own stories, using other stories if its not pure plagiarism, and even letting someone else using a story of mine (with credit)

 

[kaukusaki]

I make fan games sometimes as a prototype, but then I tweak the ish out of it until it becomes original (usually because I hated the original story in some way and my changes wrecked the original anyway). it's better to come up with your own stories. ask yourself why this character is important and the audience should care. have a story bible - that Is, a design document with all the backstory, important items characters and places, magic/tech, etc. you're god of this universe. build it. and have fun with it. if you're enjoying creating this world and crafting the story, the players will have fun playing the adventure and following the character's trials.

 

[RishigangiX]

Of course, nothing is better than uniqueness in a story.
That being said, getting inspirations from well made stories in games is always a good thing. Do not copy the stories, but observe closely how great stories, backstories and worlds are portrayed using the games as a medium and use that inspiration to create a story of your own. 
Well, that's my two cents. ^^

 

[MidKin]

You either have permission to use the content (in which case your game would be official, not a fangame)

I don't think this is right.


Fangames with permission are still fangames. The developer of the fangame could have premission to make the game, but that does not mean they could claim it being official. There are authors that give permission for fangames, but those fangames could not represent the original work so you cannot call it official (unless the author said so). 


I used to made a fangame with the author's permission. Non-commercial game, of cause.  It was great fun for me and the author was happy to see/play it. I added in a lot stuff to made it a game. Those changes were allowed by the author, but they could not represent the author. That was a fangame and nowhere near official. 


Also I don't see why you should not make a fangame if 1) someone else write a story and you absolutely love it 2) and you got the permission. Games are just like movies. It is great if it is a brand new story, but using a good story from someone else does not necessarily to be a bad idea.

 

[Tsukihime]

Own stories. You don't need to worry about legal issues, nor do you need to worry about fans criticizing your work simply because it's not on par with the source.


Sure, the story might follow some common things like collecting 5 crystals or defeating the demon queen.