ZX Gaming Survey

[Mpk]

I like RPGs and get the urge to make a bard's tale type game for the spectrum.
...
If I can't be bothered then I assume hardly anyone has played any rpg for the spectrum released after 2005?

Wychweald came in 2nd in the 2023 Game of The Year vote on here, and it's exactly a Bard's Tale style RPG.

So there'd be no financial or other reward,

I don't believe anyone's making significant reward making Speccy games. It's a hobby. Which ought to be a reward in itself. ( Happy to be corrected on this of course, maybe games are selling thousands of copies on itch.io )
I can say that while I've only written one Crap Game which was much less graft than what you're thinking of, I did get some very nice feedback which warmed the cockles of my withered old heart.