Hey all. So, like many people I've been a RP gamer for a while, done a few betas and run roughly a couple hundred pen and paper RPG games (and been a player in about half as many). Like a lot of said people, I get ideas for games and plots all the time and while usually I use these for my tabletop games, sometimes I can see the difference between what would make for a good group game, and what would be more enjoyable as a PC game. With my work as a historian dying down, recently I've been feeling the need to explore the modding community and, if possible, use this as a stepping stone to learn the tricks of the trade in order to get into game design (and with any luck my future income through running archaeological digs in Romania will fund a more certified approach).
So, as someone who's version of modding is thus far limitted to altering starting stats and unit distribution in the game Rome: Total War, can anyone recommend me good starting points through which I can learn how to implement some of these ideas, maybe create a small portfolio of game ideas out of modded games to take as a 'proof of concept' to larger businesses?
Many thanks.