Other than police proceduals and pathology (stuff like CSI), it seems to me that another great genre that is missing from RPG games is the disaster genre.

Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, Volcano, Armegeddon (ok, i'm pushing it now), Daylight. The disaster movie is normally great for tension. Will they survive? Who will get offed? Gee, those rescuers are brave! Ooh, the rich designer is here and he's a selfish bastard! Boo!

I guess that for long term play, it could get repetitive, but a couple of one shots would be great and a system to underpin the action would be cool. I'd love to be part of a team sent into a collapsing building to rescue the poor lambs trapped inside. The social tensions between the survivors, finding a way out, carrying the injured (or leaving them to save the rest), explosions, falling masonry, slowing rising water level. Stuff that tense roleplaying sessions are made for.

Yet, unless you want to do a hell of a lot of legwork, there'e nothing to support you in emulating this genre.

What do you think? Untapped potential?

Who needs support? You can do this in any system. I've done floods, pyroclaustic flows, mudslides, asteroid strikes, hurricanes, and dozens of other disasters, all without "support."

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceWho needs support? You can do this in any system. I've done floods, pyroclaustic flows, mudslides, asteroid strikes, hurricanes, and dozens of other disasters, all without "support."

-clash

I've done a few things too and 'winged it'. As you say, it can be done. What i'm saying is do you think that as a genre whether it has been largely ignored? I'll have to check out When a Star Falls and look at the environmental books that have been released by Wizards. Maybe there are some ideas there.

If you're going to have a short yet lethal game, it's handy to have full character sheets for some of the NPCs.  That way, if someone dies early, they can switch to someone already slightly established without having to pop in from nowhere or the player having to stop and roll up a character.  That way, you don't have to avoid putting them in danger early for fear of gimping someone's fun.

I do this with CoC but I think it would help with disaster games as well.

The genre does have potential.  It has some similarities to zombie games in that people need to cooperate to survive but there's also fighting over limited resources and tough decisions to make.  

I think a disaster that has the potential to get progressively worse would work best and keep a clock on the action.  If you just smack everyone with a disaster and then make them clean up, it's not very exciting.  But you might have an earthquake that has tremors before and after.  Then the loss of power at night causes looting, then broken gas lines start fires that threaten to engulf the players, etc.

Actually, there a few games that I know of like this...

Deep7's Distaster
This is basically a bunch of one-shot scenarios with really simple rules.

CORPS: Down in Flames
This is for some serious character-threatening dangers, and probably ideal for inspiring your own scenarios.

Quote from: pigames.netActually, there a few games that I know of like this...

Deep7's Distaster
This is basically a bunch of one-shot scenarios with really simple rules.

CORPS: Down in Flames
This is for some serious character-threatening dangers, and probably ideal for inspiring your own scenarios.

Ooh, cool. I'll check those out. My lack of 'indy-fu' is showing!

And I'm just wondering if this could be applied to longer campaigns as a way to completely throw a curve at the players..

How many times have any of your characters ever been, in the middle of campaign, subject to a natural disaster? Wouldn't that be a great way to push a sense of urgency to see how the players/characters react under pressure?

The closest I've come is being in a burning building..with women screaming for their babies.  But man, what if you're all set to go to the BBEG's hideout and have it out..and suddenly the Earth shakes and opens..and now you're fighting for your survival AND the BBEG is on the loose...

Sorry to threadjack...

Quote from: James J SkachAnd I'm just wondering if this could be applied to longer campaigns as a way to completely throw a curve at the players..

It could be cool.  If it permanently alters the world in some way, the players might like it or might be pissed.  Imagine if you had signed up for a political drama that suddenly morphed into a survival story - some would like it, some wouldn't.

Requiem for a God is a pretty decent fantasy disaster version. A god dies. Whoops.