So let''s hit the topic from the other direction, now that we are thinking freely. If you build a CRPG, or something close enough to start flame wars about it''s RPG-ness,and you did not have a story, then what are the implications?

1) You need a conclusion to the game. How else does the player know when the game is over? Fully open-ended is not a game, it''s a simulation. Which is an option, but for the moment let''s say we are building a game.

In order for the game to end, you could have a time limit - the life of the character (generally too long to be practical); you could have a separate goal not related to a story (earn 1 million gold and retire).

2) Something to motivate the player. If the victory condition can be achieved by simple repeated action then the player has no motivation to explore other opportunities. Taking the gold example, if they figure out they can earn 6 gold per hour by hunting rats near the starting point of the game then the only motivation they have to explore other parts of the game is boredom or curiosity. So we need a way to push the player to do more.

3) Conflict. Stories write out a nice conflict for the character to face. Usually a simple good vs evil theme these days. I''m sticking with the simple man vs man style found in most RPGs. Man vs himself is nice, but requires the game designer to dictate some of how the game character behaves, so infringes on the player control.

In order to generate conflict you either need competition for limited resources (or the illusion thereof), some sort of direct opposition / personal feud, or ... ?

No character exists in a vaccuum, they have a bit of a backstory like the rest of the world. But if we avoid dictating the player''s conflicts in the back story and focus on the player''s actions after creation then we have to create conflict by forcing the player to take some action that hinders or compromises an NPC (might be an evil NPC, or a monster) in order to reach the game''s goal.

So before the game has even begun, we have to have NPCs with goals, some of whom will directly compete with the player''s goals. More precisely, we need NPCs to conflict with the player NO MATTER WHICH ACTION THE PLAYER TAKES TO GET TOWARDS THE GOAL. These of course might be different NPCs.

Hmm. This is getting interesting.

It sounds like some solid world-building would be required. And some excellent NPC character writing.

4) No plot points means that some players won''t get a fixed pre-scripted message or a certain key. There need to be other options. Indeed, most pen and paper GMs allow players to come up with creative solutions to existing hurdles. That is not to say get rid of keys or sealed off areas, but the game cannot stop because the player can''t get to that area, and there ought to be multiple ways past the gate, in case the player has accomplished some action that makes it unlikely or even impossible to get the right key. This doesn''t mean the alternates have to be easy, though.

What else?