whos gonna write the story is it gonna be open ended or linier
I could write a story. I'm a professional writer, specializing in the subjects of myth, religion and spirituality. Studying myth I see the RPG as the perfect medium for communicating the ideas of spiritual transformation and self-actualization. There is more mystery, more drama and more fantasy in this world than in any world that we can invent; so why invent a world? I would like to set the myth in this world, or an exaggerated version of this world; neither a medieval fantasy setting nor magic-industrial.
The thing about the medieval set RPGs, is that they are based on 19th Century Romanticist rewrites of oral tradition, ignoring the fact that new myths have always been generated for a new generation, based on the same principles. The parables of Jesus, based on the Torah, brought in Greek and Egyptian thought, whilst retaining the core message. The Buddha similarly reworked the Hindu tradition, and Muhammad adapted the Judeo-Christian tradition for a different people of a different age, again whilst retaining the core message.
Myths have always been reworked, yet they never change. For the past several thousand years they have been communicated orally, then literally, in Greece, Mystery Plays were enacted and this tradition continued on into the works of playwrights such as Shakespeare and Operatists like Handel and finally in the 20th Century, the great revolution of the Motion Picture brought myth to a mass audience. You should of course be aware of the litany of comic-based films flooding the public consciousness carrying the same themes of identity, power and "truth". But largely overlooked is the RPG, while not as widely consumed as a blockbuster film production, the depth of involvement is unparalleled.
An RPG that including the esoteric mysticism of Kabbalah and Hermeticism, the orders of Druids and Freemasons, the transcendental meditation techniques of Yogi and Shamans, would have no equal. Set in the modern era, with exaggerations; multi-national corporations and fascist regimes, climate change and the machinations of the Catholic Church. The war in Israel, and all of it's apocalyptic associations, is just asking to be incorporated into an RPG. Why invent a baddie, when you've got the Anti-Christ?
There wouldn't be any magic, but we could use "Psyche" instead. Monsters are not real, but symbolic representations of the Hero's subconscious ala Jung & Hillman. New abilities could be obtained through learning new meditative/trance-inducing techniques from holy men and gurus from across the world. The elements: Chaos (Primordial Nothingness), Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Ice (Firmament of the Heavens), Sun and Lighting; if the sun symbolizes "Truth" then lightning, as a concentrated burst of solar energy is the Sword of Truth, the double-edged sword that can kill with one end and revive with another.
Let me know if you're interested, I'm currently writing a book analyzing myths from across the world (e.g. how the Fire god isn't really a fire god, but a symbolic representation of instinct, impulse, lust, anger, emotion etc.) And I'd love to put these principles into practice and compose my own myth after studying the works of other master mythographers I'd like to see I fare; less analysing; more making.
P.s. Consider using XNA tools, if you're serious about creating an original RPG (and making some coin while you're at it) then having the chance of selling it on XBOX LIVE is something to think about.