So, of all the shows CURRENTLY in production (it counts if this year was their last season, or if the series will come out sometime before September), which do you think has the best potential to be made into an RPG game or setting? Why?
Man in the High Castle?
Black Mirror?
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency?
None?
Someones bound to wimper "I cant play cause... metaplot!"
Voltron would be pretty neat.
You have a big universe, weird stuff, and of course, giant robots that turn into an even bigger giant robot.
Twin Peaks
Personally, I find Twin Peaks fits pretty well into the background of Kult.
The Expanse, but it used to be an online Traveller campaign before it became a series of novels and a TV series.
Star Wars Rebels, but it is being spearheaded by former WEG d6 SWRPG alumnus Pablo Hidalgo.
So, I will say that I cannot think of anything because it is currently happening to my satisfaction.
The Americans.
Why? Because there would be so many cool undercover plots and opportunities for roleplaying, plus a little bit of combat here and there. It would need a really good set of rules that makes combat interesting and makes the undercover work more than "roll stealth" and "roll to pick locks" and "roll to fast talk."
It is kind of getting into its later years but I honestly think the Walking Dead would make a very good basis for an RPG. Would be quite easy to do an exploration based sandbox.
Quote from: Dumarest;964636The Americans.
Good call !
Taboo would make a nice historical campaign at least (and a very cool Into the Odd campaign).
Quote from: kobayashi;964649Good call !
Taboo would make a nice historical campaign at least (and a very cool Into the Odd campaign).
I haven't heard of that show, what channel is it on?
It's on FX I believe, but you would have to watch them on demand if you have that available.
On topic, I think SyFy's Dark Matter could be fun if it doesn't take itself too seriously (much like the show itself). It has sassy AI's, space samurai, cyborgs, androids, and evil corporations (in spaaaace).
Quote from: Dumarest;964652I haven't heard of that show, what channel is it on?
BBC One and FX
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo_(2017_TV_series)
Which makes me think of Peaky Blinders as well
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaky_Blinders_(TV_series)
Best in what sense?
If I had to play one, I might choose The Expanse, especially if it was going to feature tactical combat, because that's my thing.
Sense8 at least has that you'd not have to worry much about splitting the group! I would define it so it could be played with a variety of possibilities for what is actually going on in each campaign (to avoid spoiler problems).
I think American Gods would be interesting, maybe using Godbound or some other system. In this case some games that give some form of narrative control to the players would be a good thing, because the OOC metagame being played would be in the IC roleplaying of the Gods, so you end up almost with Troupe play. When you rise out of the PC perspective, it's not into OOC player, it's IC into the God who's their patron.
Quote from: jeff37923;964623The Expanse, but it used to be an online Traveller campaign before it became a series of novels and a TV series.
It was actually a D20 Modern game, not Traveller. Played over the internet IIRC.
Legion is an interesting twist on supers. It is set in a kind of neo-60s near future setting.
The Brit series Utopia would be an interesting paranoid spy game.
Actually, I am surprised in some ways that nobody has ever tried to do an Apocalypse World type of game for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Or maybe some sort of soap-opera.
Lots of shows on here I need to Google as I've never even heard of them. That's what I get for watching almost no television these days.
Way back we ran a Quatermass campaign using Beyond the Supernatural with the magic and psi powers mostly removed from human hands.
As mentioned before. Did Space:1999 using Gamma World and later Star Frontiers.
While not SF or Horror, Dragon Magazine had an article or two on converting Top Secret to Man from UNCLE.
Theres another Dragon article inspired by the movie Valley of Gwangi using Boot Hill. And a later issue of Space Gamer did much the same with Boot Hill and Wild West and featured more dinos. Also inspired by Gwangi and other lost world movies.
Quote from: Omega;964762Way back we ran a Quatermass campaign using Beyond the Supernatural with the magic and psi powers mostly removed from human hands.
As mentioned before. Did Space:1999 using Gamma World and later Star Frontiers.
While not SF or Horror, Dragon Magazine had an article or two on converting Top Secret to Man from UNCLE.
Theres another Dragon article inspired by the movie Valley of Gwangi using Boot Hill. And a later issue of Space Gamer did much the same with Boot Hill and Wild West and featured more dinos. Also inspired by Gwangi and other lost world movies.
I'm pretty sure none of those shows are "current," although they sound like fun games. I did a Man from UNCLE sort of game using James Bond 007, but changed the organization from UNCLE as the PCs had to be from Western allied nations as the Russians were generally on the other side. There was also a THRUSH-type organization, but one thing I found tiresome in the TV show was THRUSH nearly always being the opponent. Opening it up to include the Soviets, Red China, Cuba, and so on, gave us a lot more variety.
Quote from: flyingmice;964709It was actually a D20 Modern game, not Traveller. Played over the internet IIRC.
Are you sure? That accelerate burn, flipover, decelerate burn is pretty uniquely Traveller.
Too many good ones, but one someone hasn't mentioned is Fortitude.
Quote from: kobayashi;964649Taboo would make a nice historical campaign at least (and a very cool Into the Odd campaign).
Excellent idea, I'm watching it now and its fascinating. Penny Dreadful could be fun using the same engine I think. A clear antagonist to play against as well, Dracula and the Devil himself.
Hannibal would also have promise, probably best to have the GM play Hannibal though.
The 100 seems like a good choice. Several factions/tribes, plus the potential for many others, lots to explore while allowing for the familiar, post nuclear mutant weirdness (although they have backed off from that in later seasons).
The Colony also has possibilities. While the LA bloc is getting a little worn, anything could be going on outside, including lawless urban wastes and a potentially thriving resistance movement in the wilderness, and the aliens are everywhere. I see this as a near future version of the Midnight 3E setting (with even less hope).
Quote from: jeff37923;964848Are you sure? That accelerate burn, flipover, decelerate burn is pretty uniquely Traveller.
Star Frontiers did that too (it's how they got gravity), and d20 Modern pulled some SF stuff in, maybe that's where they got it.
Quote from: jeff37923;964848Are you sure? That accelerate burn, flipover, decelerate burn is pretty uniquely Traveller.
That is in Traveller because it's how spaceflight works. You burn and accelerate in one direction , then flip and burn in the other direction to cancel your speed. Now, you burn, coast, flip, coast, burn. In Traveller - and The Expanse - you have constant acceleration engines so there is no coasting. You just go faster and faster until you flip and start going slower and slower. It's science. :D
Quote from: CRKrueger;964934Star Frontiers did that too (it's how they got gravity), and d20 Modern pulled some SF stuff in, maybe that's where they got it.
Star Frontiers was after Traveller. I got Traveller the year it was released in 1977. while I got Star Frontiers when it was released in 1983. They all do this because that's how reaction engines work.
Orphan Black. It would be a solo campaign where one would play all the characters.
Quote from: DocJones;964963Orphan Black. It would be a solo campaign where one would play all the characters.
Seems to me that you'd want different players to separate knowledge, and it would involve a lot of split "party" play. Clones don't have that many similarities and don't have telepathic links. Like
Sense8, it would also want to be set up to allow various things that are actually going on to discover, instead of just having the background in the show, because much of the show is about figuring out and being surprised by what is going on.
Penny Dreadful reminds me of what I used to do with Call of Cthulhu. I think it would make a great world for an RPG.
Orphan Black would be interesting, but extremely heavy on the metaplot.
Quote from: Patrick;964655It's on FX I believe, but you would have to watch them on demand if you have that available.
On topic, I think SyFy's Dark Matter could be fun if it doesn't take itself too seriously (much like the show itself). It has sassy AI's, space samurai, cyborgs, androids, and evil corporations (in spaaaace).
In that vein I'd suggest Killjoys instead of Dark Matter, not because Killjoys is a better show (not sure that it is) but because it have a better hook for roleplaying games, namely bounty hunting.
Bounting hunting and roleplaying were made for each other, I even wrote a game about that.
Samurai Jack. Yes, Jack's the Big Hero. But you've got lots of room for other people the be heroes, saving people, fighting Aku's minions, inspiring hope. You've got a whole planet to work with, after all.
Quote from: jeff37923;964623The Expanse, but it used to be an online Traveller campaign before it became a series of novels and a TV series.
Seriously? Is that confirmed?
Quote from: RPGPundit;965446Seriously? Is that confirmed?
Well, it was d20 Modern, but yes, confirmed.
Ty Franck is a gamer who designs The Expanse as an RPG setting.
He writes the novels with a collaborator, Daniel Abraham.
Daniel Abraham also collaborates with George R.R. Martin.
Martin's a long-time gamer.
Wonder if Martin ever sat down and played in The Expanse?
Expanse Duh
Dark Matter Yah. This one is growing on me.
Person of Interest - a very gamable premise that has gotten some traction on a couple of boards.
Reign - if you want to use Hillfolk or some Social Cortex version.
Quote from: DavetheLost;965073Orphan Black would be interesting, but extremely heavy on the metaplot.
I think some of the appeal woud be lost as to playing the clones (same player, different player, how to get things set). Still Evil Genetics Company doing strange things... a nice plot for some other game.
Not exactly what the op wants, but Blame! the Japanese manga (and recently released Netflix movie) would be an awesome RPG setting.
Quote from: flyingmice;965639Well, it was d20 Modern, but yes, confirmed.
Huh. Cool. I quite like the show.
Into the Badlands would be a great setting for a game.
If I had to pick just one I'd have to say "The Magicians." Secret magical society who has secret influence the world with outcasts learning magic on the fringes, whole other fantasic worlds full of magical creatures. The magic while powerful has significant limits (its powered by emotional stress, can't really solve the big problems, takes long enough to cast that combat magic takes a lot of training to even be as good a gun, you risk burning out if you channel too much too fast, etc.) so that planning and creativity are needed to overcome obstacles rather than just blasting stuff.
That said, what I'd really like to do is mash it up with concepts from "Being Human", "Bitten", "Winnona Earp" and maybe even "Vampire Diaries/Originals" and "Supernatural" to create a more contemporary version of the World of Darkness.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell has an interesting alt history setting and approach to magic.
Quote from: Itachi;966042Not exactly what the op wants, but Blame! the Japanese manga (and recently released Netflix movie) would be an awesome RPG setting.
You really think so? I haven't read much of it but from what I remember it's mostly the main character lost in a endless maze of technology and monsters. I liked it, but it seems it would be frustrating from a PC's viewpoint.
I'm guessing I've got that wrong though... are there more characters? More chances for non-combat interaction?
Quote from: RPGPundit;966241Huh. Cool. I quite like the show.
I've hear that Miller was actually a player who joined the game late. The GM ran a solo investigative session that lead to him ending up at the same place as the rest of the group.
Quote from: Simlasa;966342You really think so? I haven't read much of it but from what I remember it's mostly the main character lost in a endless maze of technology and monsters. I liked it, but it seems it would be frustrating from a PC's viewpoint.
I'm guessing I've got that wrong though... are there more characters? More chances for non-combat interaction?
Take a look at the Netflix animated film. It gives a spin on the original story by taking the POV of one of those tribal communities the protagonist meets in the manga and their struggle for survival. This new angle would make an interesting premise for a game, I think, specially as the "electro-fishers", the tribe's power suit-wearing scavengers who go out there in the city to find food, tech, new shelters, etc. while avoiding the city Safeguard system, Silicoid creatures, other tribes, etc. A cyberpunk dungeon crawl, basically.
Quote from: Itachi;966371Take a look at the Netflix animated film. It gives a spin on the original story by taking the POV of one of those tribal communities the protagonist meets in the manga and their struggle for survival. This new angle makes it a pretty interesting premise for a game. (I agree the original story would be hard to make into a game)
Blame would make an awesome game just like Into the Badlands which is based on a Chinese series called Into the West. 7 barons each controlling a single vital resource with armies of Clippers (Goons) with distinct martial art/sword and knife styles and Abbots that are running around kidnapping and draining people that have a 40k Psi abilities because they draw from a dark side and you keep what you get when you drain someone similar to Highlander. Also the female characters kick ass without SJW. Awesome.
Quote from: Itachi;966371Take a look at the Netflix animated film. It gives a spin on the original story by taking the POV of one of those tribal communities the protagonist meets in the manga and their struggle for survival.
OH! I wasn't even aware there was an animated version, I'd only seen the manga. Cool!
Quote from: Baulderstone;966351I've hear that Miller was actually a player who joined the game late. The GM ran a solo investigative session that lead to him ending up at the same place as the rest of the group.
Heh, that's awesome.
Quote from: Marleycat;966305Into the Badlands would be a great setting for a game.
Yes, it so would be! What system would you run it with, though?