Rpg Styled comic

[EpithetSoup]

So I currently have a story idea for an RPG styled comic that I want to make and before I make it, I wanted to know what I should know about the Gaming/Rpg genre here on Tapas before getting started?

[darthmongoose]

The title of the thread being "Rob styled comic" I kinda thought this was going to be about drawing in the style of Rob Liefield.

But anyway... It depends on what sort of "RPG Styled" comic you mean? You'll find lots of comics that take place in an isekai world that runs on RPG-like mechanics in Action and Fantasy, while the "Gaming" category is more about either gag comics making jokes about games or stories about people literally playing games (like for example Esports).

What sort of thing do you have in mind? Are there any series or comics you could point to that are similar?

[EpithetSoup]

Well I guess the style I'm trying to go for is on the lines of "Fantasy world with Rpg elements". Not quite an isekai, but rather it's a world that clearly has classes, monsters, and elements from Rpgs, but there just so happens to be a story within said world setting.

[darthmongoose]

Okay, well, it's probably a good start to look at some titles. There are loads of them, particularly among the most popular premium comics in Action and Fantasy, and most you can read at least three episodes for free to get a feel for how they do things. I've even seen stuff like this in other genres, like the GL comic "Lovespells" plays it for comedy.

Most of them, like "The Witch's Throne", people in the setting just take it for granted that everyone has stats and classes and levels. I guess just think about how you might imagine the way people might know about and talk about levels or numerical damage or elemental weaknesses if they were a real thing. Like is it a world where everyone can see games UI and damage numbers? Or do wizards kind of sense it? Or does everyone get a character sheet when they're born like a horoscope? Be creative and try to build a believable world with some kind of logic OR turn how absurd the concept is into a joke.

[Sethstiel]

Heyyaa~
I'm also publishing an RPG styled comic here on Tapas~! (Also on Webtoons but welp..)

idk whether you should know know something or not but I think you can just be original when having an RPG style..?

Cause there are just soooooo many "Advanced Players, Towers, Weakest turning to the Strongest, being an MC as a mob etc."

The comic I'm working on is a LGBTQ+, my version of a Sword Art Online..? Kinda..?
Here, if you wanna take a look;

Read Knights & Mages Online | Tapas Web Comics

[EpithetSoup]

That's a good point too actually. I also wanted to make my comic a slight comedy. Although not too the point where it's utter parody, but rather some moments where there's a bit of fun banter, awkward moments and even utter annoyance. So, stuff like say, 4th wall breaks, out of character moments and even moments that just feel random without subtext wouldn't be relied on or needed as much.

[darthmongoose]

That makes sense, so you should probably look at stuff like The Witch's Throne, which balances some comedy and doesn't take explaining how the mechanics of living in a world with RPG mechanics too seriously or go into too much detail on how it actually works, but you're not going full "Order of the Stick" or "RPGworld" (yes I know referencing RPGworld is REALLY showing my age here...) with fourth wall breaking and deliberate parody of systems.

Try to think about parts of RPG systems which would be mostly interesting or useful, but annoying to live with if they really existed, like "Oh, no, I can't actually use a sword. I'm physically unable to even swing one around effectively because I trained as a wizard", or "Hey, don't judge me for having the 'thief' class! Just because I'm a thief, doesn't mean I steal things!" or "Yeah, sorry, I'd love to help you light that fire, but I'm trying to save mana in case a monster turns up." or "UGH being a wizard sucks, all my friends ever want from me is free teleports to the capital!" kind of thing. And then try to come up with a set of consistent rules for what each class can do. The consistency is important if you want readers to really be able to buy into the drama of your setting, for example, there has to be some kind of a mechanic for permadeath or there won't be drama, and characters can't just feel like they can suddenly pull new abilities out of nowhere.

[EpithetSoup]

Oh you know about RPGworld too!? On a side note it sucks how it ended off on a cliffhanger

[EpithetSoup]

But I see your point thought. So, in other words, I can use RPG elements, but instead of being literal with the terminology(HP numbers, menu, etc.) use full on logic to work in tandem depending on the topic at hand. Is that what you mean?

[darthmongoose]

I was a big fan of RPGWorld back in the days when it was uploading! I'm glad Ian JQ went on to do great stuff (Steven Universe and OK-KO!) but ah man... I would have liked closure, it really was a good comic.

But anyway, yes. You really can choose how deep you want to go with literal numbers. For example, one of the most popular Novels on Tapas "The Beginning After the End", which also has a comic adaptation, is set in a world where magic has a very RPG-like way of functioning, where people have elements, people with different magical elements have different capabilities that people know about, and magical power can be measured by the colour of the person's magical core they can sense within themselves.Adventurers in that story have classes with a specific hierarchy, so there are ways to "level up" without it ever getting into people popping up literal game UI to look at their numerical stats.

Try to think of real world equivalents. There are plenty of societies throughout history that have assigned castes or classes to people, and many jobs and militaries have a hierarchical structure, or in education you're given grades based on success and can reach named titles and get certificates for it. Example, a standard bachelor's degree technically allows a person to be called a "Bachelor of" or put BA/BSc after their name, but few people in our world do it because degrees are so commonplace it feels a bit silly.
There's also the concept of say Horoscopes. In our world, some people who believe in astrology assign personality traits and even elemental alignment based on when a person was born. ie. I'm a Sagittarius, which to astrologists means I'm curious and adventurous, inclined towards bows as my weapon of choice and associated with the element of fire. Imagine a world where something like that was real, like in the Elder Scrolls series, where being born in a specific month can make you literally run faster or absorb magical energy

Have fun with it!

[thecrystalrook]

I'm writing a manga that was originally an RPG I made when I was a kid.

Besides the typical ability-centric designs, also look at story design: RPGs typically have the player build up a party over time. Sometimes the party is forced to split up for one reason or another. Each character has a deep sub-story that somehow integrates back into the overall plot (see FF7 - every single character somehow ties back to Shinra, and ultimately Sephiroth).

Also think about the whole "collect some MaGiCaL sEt Of ArTiFaCtS to forward your quest!" trope. Fairly common in Zelda if you consider that an RPG (I'm not so sure if I do, but many people do).

Weapon upgrades throughout the quest are also a cool thing.

[Chaz]

This sounds like it's gonna be a great comic! Have you come up with a name yet?

[EpithetSoup]

I have a name for it! It wont be out until........ when it's out, but once I make the first few episodes, I'll be sure to post it under this forum.

[system]

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