Posted May 10, 2023
Just imagine a game that's like your typical WRPG, except for a couple mechanics that you normally see in JRPGs:
* Stealing: Stealing is a combat-only activity. Some enemies have an item that can be stolen, and certain characters have the ability to try to steal said item during combat. (In a class-based system, it would be the Rogue or Thief that gets this ability; in a more free-form system the Pickpocket skill would serve this role.) If an enemy is killed and the player does not steal the item first, the enemy does not drop it; either you steal while the enemy is still alive or you don't get the item. (Note that often the stealable item will be something common like a healing potion or an alchemy ingredient.)
* Summoning: Summons are just big spells; they do not actually create an entity in the game. When a summon is cast, the game will show a (possibly fancy) animation, with everything else paused, When the animation finishes, the summon's effect, which could be something like massive elemental damage to all on-screen enemies, occurs. While weaker summons might be learned like other abilities, for the really powerful summons the player must find the creature and defeat them in battle to gain the right to summon them. (These summon fights can be treated as side quests, with the summon spell as a reward.)
So, what are your thoughts on a game like this?
(We can also imagine a JRPG with WRPG-style stealing and summons. In fact, I have seen some of this: Star Ocean 2 lets you steal from townspeople (and the super form of the final boss can only be fought if you do this), while Dragon quest 6 and 7 have summons that work more like they do in WRPGs, summoning a companion to help you in battle.)
* Stealing: Stealing is a combat-only activity. Some enemies have an item that can be stolen, and certain characters have the ability to try to steal said item during combat. (In a class-based system, it would be the Rogue or Thief that gets this ability; in a more free-form system the Pickpocket skill would serve this role.) If an enemy is killed and the player does not steal the item first, the enemy does not drop it; either you steal while the enemy is still alive or you don't get the item. (Note that often the stealable item will be something common like a healing potion or an alchemy ingredient.)
* Summoning: Summons are just big spells; they do not actually create an entity in the game. When a summon is cast, the game will show a (possibly fancy) animation, with everything else paused, When the animation finishes, the summon's effect, which could be something like massive elemental damage to all on-screen enemies, occurs. While weaker summons might be learned like other abilities, for the really powerful summons the player must find the creature and defeat them in battle to gain the right to summon them. (These summon fights can be treated as side quests, with the summon spell as a reward.)
So, what are your thoughts on a game like this?
(We can also imagine a JRPG with WRPG-style stealing and summons. In fact, I have seen some of this: Star Ocean 2 lets you steal from townspeople (and the super form of the final boss can only be fought if you do this), while Dragon quest 6 and 7 have summons that work more like they do in WRPGs, summoning a companion to help you in battle.)
