The Console-game style independent RPG programming scene started around 1997. This Underground group of independent artists and programmers began creating games, originally in Qbasic, and centered themselves around QBRPG's a website dedicated to downloading, playing, and creating RPGs in the style of Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger. Around 1999 the site "died", and the scene began to evaporate with it.

Around late 2000, the scene began to rise again, due mostly to Allegro, a C programming Library, and many RPG Game Makers. Many of the people involved in the QB RPG scene moved up to the new scene that was boundless by a programming language. Some still programmed in QB, some in C/C++, others using RPG Game Makers.

Until 2002, there was no new site to reflect this growth and open mindedness to the scene. Most of the people hung out on sites like the now defunct GDR , which was hosted on swoo.net . Although an indie game dev'ing site, the GDR was too vague to be RPG specific. Eventually, a new site would arise, one to fill in the gap of QBRPG's . This site, RPGDX , followed a new idea and format from most indie RPG sites. It was not programmer or even programming language specific, so anyone could upload/download/review a game hosted by it. Gaining steadily in popularity, this site seems to be the most popular and central meeting point for anyone involved in designing Indie RPG's.