What Makes a Great RPG?
Or, phrased differently, what makes an RPG great?

I've asked this question of most of the people I've interviewed on this site, and since we've got the community and forums here where people can argue this back and forth a bit, I thought I'd ask everyone on the forums:

What's the secret ingredient(s) of a "great" computer RPG?

What do the memorable, wonderful ones possess that the forgettable or frustrating ones lack?

If you can't think of anything general, was there anything in a particular RPG that just gave you the "moment" when the game just went from good to awesome?

Sound off on the forum! I am very curious as to what people will say.

UPDATE: Articles based on this post:
* What Makes a Great RPG - The Answer?
* What Makes a Great RPG - The World
* What Makes a Great RPG - Playing a Role
* What Makes a Great RPG - The Story
* What Makes a Great RPG - Mechanics
* What Makes a Great RPG - Everything Else
* What Makes a Great RPG (Twenty-Sided)
* What Makes a Great RPG, Part II (Twenty-Sided)
* What Makes a Great RPG, Part III (Twenty-Sided)

Labels: Game Design, Roleplaying Games

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 12:39 PM (Permalink)