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Sigurd
January 20th, 2008, 21:17
I'm watchin, and very much enjoying, the series Firefly by Joss Whedon. Its a gritty world that would make a great place for gaming.

I was wondering what people think would be an exciting setting for a game. I'd like to make a list, including old standbys like Greyhawk or Faerun, and then post a poll to see what people are the most excited about.

I'll start the list and let this message run a week so people can add to it. This is a list of works that would inspire a new game. No slavish copying or replaying of existing plot(s).

Sci Fi

Firefly
Buck Rogers (New) - Gil Gerard
Buck Rogers (Old)
Blade Runner
Logans Run
Star Wars (D6)
Star Wars (D20 & Paramount)
Traveller Univ.
Gurps Univ.
Star Trek (Pick a series)
Mad Max?

Sword & Sorc
Greyhawk
Forgotten Realms
Moor****
Thieves World
Fritz Lieber
Pern
Conan
?
?

Sigurd
January 20th, 2008, 21:18
This message is reserved to help organize the above.

Oberoten
January 21st, 2008, 00:03
Apocalyptical settings :

The Stand
Zombie-Disaster (Numerous flavours)
Last Blood (Webcomic, Zombies with a twist. :) )

Sci-Fi
Traveller New Era (Wonderful basic idea. )
Farscape
Firefly

Fantasy :
Roll D2-1 for millenia, and then a d1000 :)

Doswelk
January 21st, 2008, 17:42
Sci-Fi:
Firefly (I know it's been stated before but it is good!)
Torchwood (UK spin-off of Doctor who for adults) - Humans in the modern world using alien technology to investigate/trap/stop other aliens...

Kalan
January 21st, 2008, 19:00
I'll ditto Firefly for Sci Fi, same goes for Torchwood (awesome series...gettin antsy to watch series two!)

Fantasy...hard to say as I'm seriously hooked on Shaintar from Talisman Studios...

RiverRat
January 21st, 2008, 19:15
I think the Stargate series would make for an excellent sci-fi setting.

VenomousFiligree
January 21st, 2008, 19:36
What about Modern?

Brian Lumely's Necroscope, Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld and Jim Butcher's Dresden Files.

Just started reading the Fritz Lieber books btw and I'm enjoying them!

:)
MB

Kalan
January 21st, 2008, 19:41
What about Modern?

Brian Lumely's Necroscope, Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld and Jim Butcher's Dresden Files.

Just started reading the Fritz Lieber books btw and I'm enjoying them!

:)
MB

Ooo...you just hit three of my favourite series of books :D *drool*

All of which would make great settings :)

Kalan
January 21st, 2008, 19:42
I think the Stargate series would make for an excellent sci-fi setting.

It is ;) Sadly the line was discontinued :(

Stuart
January 21st, 2008, 20:47
Oh dear ... discussing books and settings :(

The Thomas Covenant stories made a lasting impression on me years ago ... interesting how it is one of the few fantasy worlds that did not spawn an rpg. That said, if you have a copy of the Arcana Evolved to hand ... read some of the class descriptions again and then turn to the front and see who helped Monte create the classes and magic ;-)

Tad Williams is possibly best known for the Dragon Bone Chair stuff (which I liked) but his lesser known (?) "faerie" novel ("War of Flowers" I think) is beautiful and in parts was very Dunsany-like. A great blend of romance and serious weirdness and a perfect setting for a steam-punk-ish setting. Once you have encountered "the remover of unfortunate obstacles" ... you'll be hooked !

Fafhred and The Grey Mouser etc were a 2nd Ed D&D setting ... I still have the books but it kinda failed to really catch the "feel". Similarly the "Dying Earth" setting of Jack Vance.

I'd second Lumley's Necroscope books (he also lives a few doors away from me too) - very imaginative, of course, Iain Bank's scifi setting is pretty unique (anything he writes his good ... Espedair Street, Wasp Factory and of course, the seriously disturbed Complicity).

For those of a Cuthulu bent (years since I last played), a really evocative book for a Victorian theme is "The Necropolis Railway" which is based on a real railway in London.

If you liked HBO's Rome and are keen on "sand and sandals" ... please check out HinterWelt's Roma Imperious fantasy setting. The detail is awesome.

Sigh ... so many settings and books and so little time ... back to work :(

VenomousFiligree
January 21st, 2008, 21:25
The Thomas Covenant stories made a lasting impression on me years ago ... interesting how it is one of the few fantasy worlds that did not spawn an rpg.
Yes, I'd forgotten these books, a great read indeed! :)

Malovech
January 21st, 2008, 23:39
Middle-Earth set in the time during the Children of Hurin

Stuart
January 22nd, 2008, 06:06
Middle-Earth set in the time during the Children of Hurin
Sadly, merely mentioning the intention to set an rpg in Middle-earth tends to invite the black breath of the Tolkien legal team :(

Oberoten
January 22nd, 2008, 09:20
Hmmm... Black breath of the Tolkien legal team only makes me think of the dental status of the Mouth of Sauron you know.

Malovech
January 22nd, 2008, 12:26
Fair use, non-distributed and for personal use, I think the minions of Tolkien have better things to do.

Sigurd
January 22nd, 2008, 12:38
I just want to brainstorm. Legal concerns are serious but not something that should stop us from dreaming a little.

Speaking of the heavily copywrited, What about.

Tintin
Asterix
Lucky Luke
Rupert
even Beno!

Any long running cartoons I'm missing. I'm thinking about something deeper than GI JOE!. Something written for adults or adults and children.


- Sigurd

Waldo Pepper
January 22nd, 2008, 20:16
Oh dear ... discussing books and settings :(
Similarly the "Dying Earth" setting of Jack Vance.
:(
Robin Laws wrote a RPG using Vance's setting: The Dying Earth (https://www.dyingearth.com/)

Stuart
January 22nd, 2008, 20:44
Yup ... 'twas that very thing I was referring ;)

I guess the Dying Earth books were so refreshing in their handling of magic and so well written (the "wordsmithing" is beautiful) narratively, that any rpg attempt would struggle.

The Lyonesse trilogy were very good too ... has anybody else ever come across the Horse Lord, Demon Lord, Dragon Lord books (the author's name eludes me) ? I think the writer wrote these and then vanished ... the books do not seem to be in print anymore ? My first ever campaign used his setting ... and was basically a flagrant re-write of the first book :o

Toadwart
January 22nd, 2008, 22:14
Yup ... 'twas that very thing I was referring ;)

I guess the Dying Earth books were so refreshing in their handling of magic and so well written (the "wordsmithing" is beautiful) narratively, that any rpg attempt would struggle.

The Lyonesse trilogy were very good too ... has anybody else ever come across the Horse Lord, Demon Lord, Dragon Lord books (the author's name eludes me) ? I think the writer wrote these and then vanished ... the books do not seem to be in print anymore ? My first ever campaign used his setting ... and was basically a flagrant re-write of the first book :o

Can remember that the "Horse Lord" books were very good, though my aging braincells can't dredge up any details of the actual storyline.
Peter Morwood was the author.


Also just stumbled across https://www.dyingearth.com/ . . .

Griogre
January 23rd, 2008, 07:05
I'm shocked I haven't heard Paranoia yet, where reporting to the briefing could be an adventure. ;)
Some of Andre Norton's Witch World books fit in well for Fantasy settings.
Some of her SciFi Solar Queen novel settings do well for space.
Lois McMaster Bujold's Space Opera books could be a great SciFi Setting.
The X Men World of the Movies could make a gritty Super Hero/Vigilante Setting.
Tim Duncan’s Seventh Sword series would be a different caste based Fantasy Setting.
The Mad Science World of the Girl Genius Comics
Space 1889 for more turn of the century “Science”.
TORG for a great multi genre setting (love those cards mechanics too).

azbo
April 15th, 2008, 10:14
Yes, I'd forgotten these books, a great read indeed! :)Both the twists and the setting where great in the Thomas Covenant books. DnD 3.5 has enough feats to effectively make a "Haruchai" style bodyguard monk.

If you're considering making a campaign for personal use you can pretty much do anything you want. Take virtually any movie made and you can turn that plot into a "module" in almost any setting. I turned the movie open range into a DnD plot for first level characters hired on by "Bluehelm Spearweilder" to help him move a herd to market.

Stuart
April 15th, 2008, 11:59
DnD 3.5 has enough feats to effectively make a "Haruchai" style bodyguard monk.

It's been done in Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved - the Oathsworn character class. Not surprisingly, one of the people thanked at the front of the book is the author of the Covenant books ;-)