One of the most important qualities that is needed for a really good RPG's (role playing games) - is "Consistent Precedence". What is consistent precedence? Don't bother looking for it in the dictionary or in an rpg games directory; it is a word I've created, out of necessity to describe an important quality in good rpg witting. Consistent precedence, simply defined, is the "precedence of established traits". This is important in not only good rpg games, but in good movies as well.
A good example of BAD consistent precedence can be found in the adventure movie "The Mummy". In the movie, the mummy (the villains) uses has magic powers to create a huge sand storm to crash a plane. There is nothing wrong with that. It is perfectly ok. But later in the same movie, the same mummy gets into a fist fight with the hero. I don't think it is nit-picking to point out that is stupid. If the mummy can summon a sand storm earlier - why can't he do it later? This is a violation of precedence.
A similar example of BAD consistent precedence in RPG games would be as follows: Let's say that in a role playing game, a player teams up with the rpg games main character that is a sorceress. During the rpg games the player and the sorceress are attacked by typical rpg thieves. While the rpg games player kills the first thief the sorceress points her finger at the 2nd thief and says "Zxap-Rpg-Morph!!!" causing a lightning bolt to shoot from her finger - smiting the 2nd thief. At that point in the role playing game the rpg games precedence has been established. The established precedence is that the sorceress in question, apparently has the power to shoot lightning bolts from her fingers when she says "Zxap-Rpg-Morph!!!" and points at something. (That is a perfectly fine thing to put into rpg games.) But suppose the rpg games player and the sorceress are later attacked by two evil rpg knights and instead of pointing to one of the evil knights and saying "Zxap-Rpg-Morph!!!" - the sorceress simply throws a punch. The player of the role playing games would have good reason to say "Hey!! Why the hell did she not point and say 'Zxap-Rpg-Morph!!!' and kill one of the evil rpg knights!?!" If precedences are established in rpg games, then they should be maintained throughout. That is not to say that if the writer of the rpg games wants to have the sorceress loose her lightning bolt power for some reason, (so that the sorceress and the rpg games player can be taken captive by the evil knights) then the rpg games writer should come up with an explanation for why the sorceress did not or could not use her lightning bolt trick on the evil rpg knights. One explanation that the role playing games writer could make would be that the knights surprised the rpg games player and sorceress and was able to knock the sorceress unconscious before she could say the magic words "Zxap-Rpg-Morph!!!" With a little effort a good RPG games writer could come up with many explanations that would keep consistent precedence though out the whole of the role playing games that they write.
For examples of good rpg games - visit our role playing links page at: http://www.normandcompany.com/LINKS_PAGE/RPG_Games.html
How To Write Good Role Playing Games By Using "Consistent Precedence"
