作者：Troy_Costisick

今天我将讨论过去10年里在RPG中越来越受欢迎的一种设计技巧。它便是“游戏终点。”游戏终点是一个或多个角色在活动中永久停止行动的时刻。这便意味着在满足特定条件时，角色的故事便算完成了。

游戏终点并不是什么新理念。它的存在与角色的战绩表一样长久。但是该理念却在过去10年间得到了更频繁的使用。并最终出现了各种处理游戏终点的方法。

D&D(from blogspot)

处理游戏终点机制的第一种方法便是假设不需要游戏终点。像《龙与地下城》，《Ars Magica》，《Vampire》和《Sorcerer》便都属于这一类别。它们假设游戏将无限期地持续下去，至少在理论上而言。玩家将独自决定何时结束与角色间的关系，并且游戏通常都会呈现一些重要的场景让他们做道别。

第二种方法便是设置一个柔和的游戏终点。《Dogs in theVineyard》和《Prime Time Adventures》便带有我所谓的“柔和的”游戏终点。《Dogs in theVineyard》的游戏终点是拯救城镇。角色发现了罪恶的根源，找到了犯罪者，并惩罚他/她。而在《PTA》中，游戏是以一个季节或故事弧线告终。如果玩家想要，这便可能是游戏的结局，或者他们也能够选择在一个新的城镇或季节中操控同样的角色。

有些游戏触发了游戏终点。《The Shadow ofYesterday》和《地牢世界》便是非常典型的例子。在《TSoY》中，当一个角色的能力到达一定值（6 IIRC），角色便“难以超越”。这便意味着他/她太过强大了，而为了保持游戏世界的平衡就需要将其带离这里。在《地牢世界》中，第10个关卡便是极限。而做出这些决定都是取决于玩家本身。在《TSoY》中，能力到达6这个标准并不是不可避免的。通常情况下这是很容易避免的。在《地牢世界》中也存在一种方法能够帮助玩家避免触及第10个关卡（如果你想这么做的话）。所以角色的故事只会在玩家想要结束的时候结束。当然，更传统的游戏中的角色死亡是触发游戏终点的另一个例子。触发游戏终点通常与独立角色联系在一起，并且不会影响整个群组或故事。

最后，也存在一些带有艰难游戏终点的游戏。就像《吾生为我主》和我自己的《Cutthroat》。《吾生为我主》既会以Master的死亡结束也会以Minion的死亡结束（或者两者都死去）。所有的游戏都驱动着最后的可能性。没有办法能够避免这种情况。同样的，《Cutthroat》中的所有游戏行动都会驱动着一个骑摩托车骑行者支配着所有其他的骑行者。这都是不可避免的结果。当Master死掉或当骑行者掌控了其他骑行者时，游戏便会结束。

所以游戏终点的作用是什么？

首先，游戏终点能够让玩家关注于游戏中。它们会提供给玩家某些目标并推动着角色去实现这些目标。它们会帮助所有人明白在三个游戏时标间发生了什么。游戏终点还会保持所有人处于同样的进度，并满足所有玩家的期望。

此外，游戏终点还会限制玩家玩RPG的时间。让我们以我所写的《Game Chef 2012》为例。我有意将《The Coyote Lode》变成一款一次性RPG。因此我添加了明确的游戏终点机制（游戏邦注：矿井中的每个空间最终都会被淹没）。作为设计师，我不希望游戏是无止境的。这是准确的定义。我认为在一次性游戏中也存在许多设计空间，我将会在其它文章中详细讨论这一内容。

最后，游戏终点会提供一个社交奖励。当玩家或玩家群组成功地走到游戏终点（就像在《吾生为我主》中杀死Master）时，他们便会获得社交声望作为回报。对于许多玩家来说，社交声望也是他们游戏的原因，所以游戏终点才能有效地吸引他们的注意。

还有许多方法能够进一步分解这些游戏终点。就像你可以通过角色，回合，冒险或活动去分解它们。在《龙与地下城》中，角色的游戏终点可以出现在他损失了所有生命值的时候，而《Sorcerer》中则是失去所有的人性点并成为GM的角色时。一个回合的游戏终点可能被一些可消耗的货币或资源所控制着，或者也可能是定时的。而对于冒险游戏的游戏终点，如《InSpectres》，它可以是解决一场犯罪。就像我在之前所提到的，《吾生为我主》是一个活动的游戏终点的经典例子。

是否所有游戏都需要游戏终点？

并不是。实际上许多游戏都没有终点。但这却是RPG设计师的工具箱中一种可行的工具。当你在创造游戏时，不管你创造的是何种类型或你所支持的是何种创造性议程，你都需要考虑游戏终点是否适合自己的设计。有时候它是适合的，有时候却并非如此。但是考虑它将如何帮助玩家专注于你的游戏或在最终提供给玩家怎样的回报都是非常有益的。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

What is an ‘Endgame’ ?

by Troy_Costisick

Heya,

Today I’m going to discuss a design technique that has become more and more popular in RPGs over the last ten years.  It is the “Endgame.”  An endgame is a moment where play permanently stops for one or more characters in a campaign.  This means that once certain conditions are met, that character’s story is done.

The idea of an endgame isn’t new.  It’s been around for as long as writing “retired” at the top of a character record sheet has been conceived.  However, the idea has been developed more and more over the last decade.  As a result, several ways to treat an endgame have emerged.

The first way to address the endgame mechanic is to assume that there is no necessary endgame.  Games like D&D, Ars Magica, Vampire, and Sorcerer fit this category.  They assume that play, at least in theory, could go on indefinitely.  Players decide on their own when they are done with their characters and often make up some grand scene to say goodbye.

The second way is to have a soft endgame.   Dogs in theVineyard and Prime Time Adventures have what I call “soft” endgames.  For dogs, it is the salvation of a town.  The characters discover the sin, find the perpetrator, and punish him or her.  In PTA, it’s the end of a season or story-arc.  If the players want, that can be the end of play OR they have the option to continue the same characters in a new town or new season.

Some games have triggered endgames.  I think The Shadow ofYesterday and Dungeon World are prime examples.  In TSoY, when one character’s ability reaches a certain value (6 IIRC), the character “transcends.”  This means he or she has become so powerful that the character is taken out of the world in order to maintain balance.  In Dungeon World, it’s getting to level 10.  Both of these are mostly voluntary by the players.  In TSoY, reaching a 6 in an ability is never inevitable.  It’s easy to avoid.  In DW, there’s a way to avoid hitting level ten if you really want.  So the character’s story only ends if the players want to.  Of course, character death in more traditional games is another example of triggered engames.  Triggered endgames are often linked to individual characters and may not affect the entire party or the story.

Finally, there are games with hard endgames.  My Life with Master and my own Cutthroat are exemplars of this.  MLwM ends with either the death of the Master or the death of the Minion (or both).  All play drives towards that eventuality.  There’s no escaping it.  Likewise, all play in Cutthroat drives toward one biker dominating all the other bikers in the gang.  It is inescapable.  When the Master dies or when one biker dominates all the others, the game ends.  Period.

So what is the use of an endgame?

To begin, endgames can provide a focus for play.  They give the players something to drive towards and the characters something to achieve.  It helps everyone know what is happening during the three timescales of play.  The endgame keeps everyone on the same page and satisfies the expectations all the players have.

Additionally, endgames can limit the amount of time people play the RPG.  Take my Game Chef 2012 submission for example.  The Coyote Lode was meant to be a one-shot, one-session RPG.  Thus, I gave it explicit endgame mechanics (every room in the mine eventually floods).  As the designer, my intention for play was not indefinite.  It was well defined.  I think there is plenty of design space in one-shots and might cover that topic in a more in-depth way in another aricle.

Last, endgames provide a social reward.  When a player or a group of players hits the endgame successfully (like killing the Master in MLwM), there is a payoff of social esteem.  For a lot of players, social esteem is why they play, and an endgame will greatly appeal to them.

There are ways to further break down these endgames.  For instance, you could break them down by character, session, adventure, or campaign.  A character’s endgame could be when he loses all his hit points in D&D or loses all his humanity points and becomes the GM’s character in Sorcerer.  A session’s endgame could be tracked by some expendable currency or resource, or it could be timed.  For an adventure’s endgame, it could be solving a crime in InSpectres.  And as I mentioned earlier, My Life with Master is an excellent example of a campaign’s endgame.

Do all games need an endgame?

Nope.  In fact, many do not.  But is another tool in the RPG designer’s toolbox that you can use.  As you create your game, regardless of the genre or creative agenda you want to support, consider whether an endgame might be right for your design.  Sometimes it will be; sometimes it won’t.  But it’s always good to at least consider how it might help focus your game or provide a payoff for the players at the end.(source:blogspot)