RPGS that say Yay! Humanity! Or even "average folks" having adventures

JongWK · May 26, 2007, 10:35:59 AM

I know I'm going to raise some eyebrows with this, but once you leave aside the mechas, the Battletech RPG is all about humanity getting its shit together.

Sosthenes · May 26, 2007, 10:39:15 AM

Well, Empire-era Star Wars is all about humanity

Warthur · May 26, 2007, 11:44:53 AM

A|State assumes that the players' main goal in life is going to be to help improve the lot of the common man and perhaps free the masses from the control of the corporations; certainly, pretty much all of the players in my A|State campaign more-or-less independently decided that that was what they wanted to do.

RPGPundit · May 26, 2007, 12:23:00 PM

Quote from: GrimGentMage: The Ascension, in which everything in the universe revolves around the beliefs and convictions of the human species.

Yes, except that human beings themselves are just chattel to be manipulated and have their collective unconscious directed by an enlightened few who are the elite meant to rule by virtue of being smarter than anyone else. Its pretentious elitist wiccan teen-geek wank-fantasy.

RPGPundit

Silverlion · May 26, 2007, 12:28:28 PM

Interestingly enough, my FRPG (in the works) is centered around the facet of folklore: "anyone can be a hero" (the cultural, everyman, kinda hero is possible).

Sure not everyone WILL be, but anyone CAN be given the focus of the game (the suggested professions include cooks, craftsmen, and other atypical "adventuring" sorts)

David R · May 26, 2007, 12:38:41 PM

Quote from: RPGPunditYes, except that human beings themselves are just chattel to be manipulated and have their collective unconscious directed by an enlightened few who are the elite meant to rule by virtue of being smarter than anyone else. Its pretentious elitist wiccan teen-geek wank-fantasy.

RPGPundit

Actually Mages except those of the Technocracy are supposed to "awaken" human beings to their full potential, they want the whole of humanity to be Mages.

But I get that you hate all WW games. Pretentious elitist (maybe) wiccan (yeah you hate them too...but yeah maybe) teen -geek wank fantasy (this goes for most games esp D&D)

Regards,
David R

RPGPundit · May 26, 2007, 12:56:26 PM

Quote from: David RActually Mages except those of the Technocracy are supposed to "awaken" human beings to their full potential, they want the whole of humanity to be Mages.

Regards,
David R

Really? They do? I had spent a lot of time in my day reading Mage, and that was NEVER my impression of the goal of the game. In fact, the goal of the game seemed to be (as the kind of "impossible dream" because the Technocracy was so powerful) for the heroic pseudo-intellectual hippy wiccans to create a new age where EVIL science is defeated forever, and instead of having the wicked byproducts of science like basic hygiene and people living to 100, we have masses of unwashed peasants dying at the age of 40 ruled over by the hippy-wiccan-teen wizard lords who rightly deserve to be the magical masters of the inferior peasantry.
That seems to be the point.

RPGPundit

Pierce Inverarity · May 26, 2007, 12:56:59 PM

Twilight 2000, big time.

Tribe 8, absolutely, David. At first glance it looks like your typical WW game, but it's not. People are outcasts but they aren't Special (TM). They're normal dudes trying to win against improbable odds in a world that's totally insane. Man, I love that game to death.

Dr Rotwang! · May 26, 2007, 01:02:37 PM

Quote from: RPGPunditReally? They do? I had spent a lot of time in my day reading Mage, and that was NEVER my impression of the goal of the game.

Impressions of the game, like the game itself and the 'magick' in it, were widely variant.

For example, I played a lot of Mage and had a very diferent take on it than you.

David R · May 26, 2007, 01:13:58 PM

Quote from: RPGPunditReally? They do? I had spent a lot of time in my day reading Mage, and that was NEVER my impression of the goal of the game. In fact, the goal of the game seemed to be (as the kind of "impossible dream" because the Technocracy was so powerful) for the heroic pseudo-intellectual hippy wiccans to create a new age where EVIL science is defeated forever, and instead of having the wicked byproducts of science like basic hygiene and people living to 100, we have masses of unwashed peasants dying at the age of 40 ruled over by the hippy-wiccan-teen wizard lords who rightly deserve to be the magical masters of the inferior peasantry.
That seems to be the point.

Strange my reading is/was different. The "impossible dream" was because Mages spent to much time arguing amongst themselves as to how best to guide humanity towards it's full potential. I did find this paternalistic but never really a hindrance to my enjoyment of the game. The technophobia of WW games has been debated endlessly and to me, it's a point of view/pose which I kinda of like. Escapist fantasy and all that. At the end of the day, compared to games like Vampire, Werewolf etc, Mage seems to be more interested in humanity and the direction it is going rather then the immortal creatures of the other games I mentioned.

Regards,
David R

David R · May 26, 2007, 01:18:51 PM

Quote from: Pierce InverarityTribe 8, absolutely, David. At first glance it looks like your typical WW game, but it's not. People are outcasts but they aren't Special (TM). They're normal dudes trying to win against improbable odds in a world that's totally insane. Man, I love that game to death.

Every time I read Tribe 8 I get something new from the game. Those little details in the game...so vividly evoked.

Regards,
David R

pspahn · May 26, 2007, 01:21:41 PM

Quote from: KoltarGURPS:WORLD WAR II : The ultimate setting for ordinary folks get to shine and be HEROEs if given the right situation, or rise above thjeir limitations.

I'm with you there.

Also, Coyote Trail (for Old West), Silent Hill (a videogame begging to be turned into an RPG), most AFMBE/zombapoc games, and of course, Vice Squad: Miami Nights.

Pete

RPGPundit · May 26, 2007, 01:32:50 PM

Well yes, a game that treats regular humanity as peasantry to be put into your service (Mage) is slightly better I'll admit than a game that treats humanity as food (Vampire) or as a pest to be exterminated in the name of the earth mother (Werewolf). But you can hardly consider any of those views "pro-humanity".

RPGPundit

Dr Rotwang! · May 26, 2007, 01:38:40 PM

I always interpreted Mage this way:

The Traditions keep arguing over who's right because, enlightened as they are, they're only human;
The Technocracy is taking extreme steps to protect humanity from the things they see as dangerous, chaotic, decadent or destructive, because they're only human;
Both have people's best interests in mind, but neither one can really be said to be right because they're trying too damned hard, which is not surprising because, well, they're only human.

Pundit, I really, really don't get this "reg'lar folks are chattel" vibe that you got. "Reg'lar folk don't get it and really need to no matter what" is more like it, as I read it.

David R · May 26, 2007, 01:38:56 PM

Quote from: RPGPunditWell yes, a game that treats regular humanity as peasantry to be put into your service (Mage) is slightly better I'll admit than a game that treats humanity as food (Vampire) or as a pest to be exterminated in the name of the earth mother (Werewolf). But you can hardly consider any of those views "pro-humanity".

I don't get where Mages want to enslave humanity - maybe the Technocracy - so I think your reading of this particular game is dodgy maybe because of your hate for WW games. So yeah it's definitely a pro-humanity game/setting.

Regards,
David R