Miscellaneous idea:
Wands Race,
but instead of a nation or a similar entity, it's just one person and one side. Kind of like a standard suggestion game (think the "You are a ______" SGs [like You are an Independent Scientist!]) crossed with Wands Race.
The setting can really be anything, but I'd imagine it'd be either during a similar time to the actual Wands Race or during the Renaissance. Magic has been recently discovered ~5-10 years ago and applications are still quite sparse. Some nations are incorporating wizards who can cast simple fireballs into their armies. Alchemy is starting to become a profession. Hospitals in big cities begin to see very simple "Heal" spells. And Mages Guilds are starting to be established as the science of Magic is taking root in society.
Basically, the setting is in the transition from the [renaissance] to standard D&D-like fantasy.
And the character is in the center of all this, with a lab and their choice of a spell/wand/artifact (perhaps even player-suggested) bought with the rest of their life savings.
Money would play a very large role, perhaps taking precedence over the standard Design/Revision phases. The character would have to deal with maintenance costs and costs for producing their items+researching them. Then they'd have to turn that into money, with contracts with guilds/nations/etc. or just selling their stuff outright.
There would likely be three phases, partially [mostly/loosely?] based off of Draignean's system. I don't know the
exact details off hand, but it's mostly the general ideas behind it.
- Research & Development. Spend money on dice for research/development projects. There would be a difference between Designs/Revisions - perhaps in the amount of money spent on dice?
- Production. Spend money on building designs. Pretty straightforward - designs have a money cost (and maybe occasionally a production time) and you can say "Build 3 Fireball Wands for $300" and be done with it.
- Distribution. The most "SG-like" part of the game and also the vaguest phase so far. Likely the players would be presented with a list of leads. Leads can be pursued (maybe >1 or maybe just 1 per phase) and done in a SG-like format - talking with people, doing things, etc.. And deals are arranged to sell your produced designs.
So ultimately, the idea is to create a "hybrid" SG/Wands Race-type game in a slightly new setting. Like if you crossed "You are an Independent Scientist"
(which I'm too lazy to link) and Wands Race. A game based on a single character but with largely Arms[/Wands] Race-like mechanics.