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Alien Invasion-type RPGs?

Started by pspahn, May 25, 2009, 01:46:03 PM

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pspahn

So, what's out there?  Have an idea for a setting, but I sure hate to cover old ground.

Pete
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Pelorus

Quote from: pspahn;304494So, what's out there?  Have an idea for a setting, but I sure hate to cover old ground.

Pete

The game which entices me more than others is the old DOMINATION RPG. I loathed the system but loved the background. It was like Independence Day really.

Other than that - I'm not able to think of too many which are straight 'V' style invasions or even Independence Day style invasions. Maybe you could count Necessary Evil in there? Or Call of Cthulhu?
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Silverlion

Conspiracy X is a possible direction to examine as well. It's X-files ish. There is also Delta Green for Call of Cthulhu, and almost any superhero game has had alien invasions depending ont he type of invasion you envision.
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pspahn

Thanks guys!

I've never heard of Domination and can't seem to find any info on it.  

The setting I've got is more of an Independence Day/War of the Worlds type setting so I was looking for something like that more than the covert alien invasion premise.  In fact, wasn;t there a WotW RPG?  I swear I read something about one, but can;t seem to find any info on that either.  

So, I'm thinking that maybe that's a good thing since it means the market isn't flooded with similar settings.  No?
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Tommy Brownell

Savage Worlds has Necessary Evil, but that one's a bit over the top, as it's an alien invasion in a comic book-style setting...in which all the major heroes and world leaders have been wiped out and the villains have been organized to fight back.
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Cranewings

Palladium's Robotech / Southern Cross / Invid Invasion come to mind (:

Pelorus

Quote from: pspahn;304526Thanks guys!

I've never heard of Domination and can't seem to find any info on it.

7 bucks from Noble Knight.
It's a declarative percentile system and, frankly, not very good. But the enemies - the Kalotions with their Brutes and Humanoids and other alien servitor species are a relatively compelling backdrop. The book is very very short. I think there's a real need for someone to do it right :)

QuoteThe setting I've got is more of an Independence Day/War of the Worlds type setting so I was looking for something like that more than the covert alien invasion premise.  In fact, wasn;t there a WotW RPG?  I swear I read something about one, but can;t seem to find any info on that either.

I wrote bits and pieces for a WotW game
http://www.lategaming.com/category/game-design/wotw-earth/
but due to the copyright laws, I can't do anything about it til 2016. If I had a US collaborator on the other hand...(as it's out of copyright in the USA), I'd be happy to work with someone.
(The UK copyright is held by Jeff Wayne who insists that you use his version of WotW and not stray from his story or his vision of the war machines -  neither of which I really want to use).

QuoteSo, I'm thinking that maybe that's a good thing since it means the market isn't flooded with similar settings.  No?

Yeah, of course, now a million would-be designers have now picked up their plumes...
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pspahn

Quote from: Pelorus;3045897 bucks from Noble Knight.
It's a declarative percentile system and, frankly, not very good. But the enemies - the Kalotions with their Brutes and Humanoids and other alien servitor species are a relatively compelling backdrop. The book is very very short. I think there's a real need for someone to do it right :)
I will have to check that out.  It sounds very similar to what I've got so far, what with the main bad guys using slave races to do their dirty work.  I might post some of it here for critique if anyone is interested in taking a look?

QuoteI wrote bits and pieces for a WotW game
http://www.lategaming.com/category/game-design/wotw-earth/
but due to the copyright laws, I can't do anything about it til 2016. If I had a US collaborator on the other hand...(as it's out of copyright in the USA), I'd be happy to work with someone.
It looks like you need a US publisher more than a collaborator.  You've got lots of good stuff written out.  Full of flavor, a very nice read.

Pete
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Pelorus

Quote from: pspahn;304812I will have to check that out.  It sounds very similar to what I've got so far, what with the main bad guys using slave races to do their dirty work.  I might post some of it here for critique if anyone is interested in taking a look?

And keep us informed on your idea and progress :)

QuoteIt looks like you need a US publisher more than a collaborator.  You've got lots of good stuff written out.  Full of flavor, a very nice read.

Yeah, though I want someone I like :) I don't know any publishers :)
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pspahn

Quote from: Pelorus;304814And keep us informed on your idea and progress :)
I like the look of that design blog you made.  I think I might try to make one myself.  

QuoteYeah, though I want someone I like :) I don't know any publishers :)
Lots of good publishers, small and large press.  Have you tried pitching your idea to board members clash (Flying Mice Games) or Brett Bernstein (Precis Intermedia)?  Both of them are very easy to work with.
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pspahn

Quote from: pspahn;304836I like the look of that design blog you made.  I think I might try to make one myself.  

So, the blog is up for anyone who is interested.  Also a thread in the Design forum here.  

http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=14338

Thanks in advance!

Pete
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J Arcane

My own piece of wondrous vaporware is about in part an alien invasion, sort of.

A mysterious calamity blackens the sky, and in the ensuing chaos, an ancient race from the dawn of civilization rises up from beneath the earth to reclaim dominance over mankind.  

It's all sort of horror meets post-apocalyptic meets alien invasion from within meets dystopia.  

It's of course not available yet, but I'm thinking I might pull it back out of the mothballs again for a conversion to D6 instead of my previous attempts at a homebrewed system.
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pspahn

Quote from: J Arcane;305506A mysterious calamity blackens the sky, and in the ensuing chaos, an ancient race from the dawn of civilization rises up from beneath the earth to reclaim dominance over mankind.  

That sounds pretty cool and I think it would fit the d6 System well.  I've kind of got something similar going on as these interdimensionmal aliens have actually been coming to earth for thousands of years, harvesting natural resources (they're vegetarians, so they had been using the earth as a crop field ever since its discovery).  The aliens just got done fighting a civil war that lasted thousands of _our_ years, so now that they finally returned to earth humanity has evolved enough to be a threat (hence why they're not satisfied with just conquering us--they want to wipe out all trace of our existence).
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David R

#13
Quote from: J Arcane;305506It's of course not available yet, but I'm thinking I might pull it back out of the mothballs again for a conversion to D6 instead of my previous attempts at a homebrewed system.

You should. A Song in the Dark was one of the cooler settings out there.

Regards,
David R