I'd suggest Cinimatic unisystem (Buffy, Angel).

Just fil it up with Harry Pottishness instead of Buffy-ness

I'm not a big fan either. That said, it seems to me that their strengths seem to be assigned ad hoc. To emulate that, I'd just award a few willpower points, let the players spend them willy-nilly, and then retcon the results into the story.

Potter: I hop on the broom and FLY!
GM: You've never ridden a broom before so it just sits there.
Potter: But I used a willpower to buy a super broom!
GM: Ok... it takes off with a super zoom. You're flying crazy loops all over the yard. One of the teachers sees you... YOU'RE BUSTED!
Potter: I spend another willpower point!
Ron Weasley: Wha?! How many willpower points do you have?
Potter: Like four thousand or something. I got points for dead parents, no siblings, evil muggle step family, disfiguring scar...  
Ron Weasley: No fair! I wasted all my points on a huge family!
Potter: ...hunted by Voldemort, hunted by Voldemort's minions...
Ron Weasley: My character sucks!
Potter: ...friend of Ron Weasley....
GM: No no, there's no such thing as a "bad" character, just bad roleplayers. THINK of how many siblings you have! Just wait till you get your hand-me-downs.  That's when Ron will come into his full power.
Potter: Anyway... I spend willpower!
GM: The professor comes into the courtyard and says "Harry Potter! You are such a good broom flier! Please join our Quiddich team!"
Potter: What about the retcon?
GM: "...oh and um, your father was also a good broom flier and... your father was also on our Quiddich team...."
Potter: Willpower!
GM: ...and speaking of the late Mr. Potter, he left you a magical hand-me-down...."
Ron Weasley: Not fair!
GM: Some of Ron's siblings show up. They make fun of his head.

Your example is the very reason why I'd rather see a world-at-large RPG than a Hogwarts-only RPG. Harry Potter will overshadow, frankly everyone.

Hell, either approach will require at least an entire chapter devoted to "Playing in the Harry Potter Universe Without Harry Potter"

Quote from: ElectroKittyThat's the problem isn't it? Do they present the game in terms of kids at Hogwarts getting into quirky situations, or do they present the game in terms of Wizard World at large? Are the PCs 11 and learning magic, or are they 20 year old Aurors working for the Ministry of Magic?

Maybe both. The game could adopt the old Ars Magica method of troupe play, with players controlling multiple characters-- say muggle, student and wizard. Campaigns would have the seasonal structure of Pendragon (maybe referred to as "terms"), allowing for one significant adventure or story per character per time slot. That way if you're more interested in adult wizards you could just drop the other two, or de-emphasise their importance to mere narrative embellishment. Crossover between character types would be allowed via the expenditure of story points or somesuch, which could result in older characters ending up as the tutors of the younger set. It'd probably be wise to set the game at a fixed point in the series history, say just after the disappearence of Voldermort a decade prior to the Philosophers Stone.

I think it could work pretty well, the real trick though would be coming up with a mechanically sound magic system that captured the flavour. I'd probably go with something along the lines of Mage Revised, with the caveat that rotes are the only expression of magic available. The freeform elements of shaping would be handled via research and the uncovering of secret lore. That way you can cover almost any effect without having wizards becoming agents of unbridled creative energy.

Harry Potter universe minus the Harry Potter? Simple enough. Play pre-Potter.

Quote from: beejazzHarry Potter universe minus the Harry Potter? Simple enough. Play pre-Potter.

In the seventies or the sixties? It would be a hippie game, then.

Quote from: Elliot WilenSo maybe the best way to phrase this would be: if you were making a Harry Potter RPG, would you sell packaged scenarios and what would they look like? Or if not, how would you advise GMs on how to create situations/scenarios, and incorporate them into ongoing play?

I would provide supplements covering locations and groups and so-on and let people build their own scenarios.

I dislike using iconic characters in games -- so when I run Star Wars, I don't have Luke show up -- but I might be very strange in this regard... so I have no idea if my perspective is economically viable or not.

I'll say this: lots and lots of fiction has characters who are students who get pulled into saving the world. That's what I imagine most HP games would look like and I think some good guidance on how to run such a campaign would be valuable beyond HP.

Cheers,
-E.

Quote from: GrimGentIn the seventies or the sixties? It would be a hippie game, then.

That's, like, far out trippin magic, man!

A cross between FATE and nMage.

Quote from: GrimGentIn the seventies or the sixties? It would be a hippie game, then.

Not quite canonical and hardly what I intended, but truly awesome. Magic in the seventies.

Quote from: beejazzMagic in the seventies.

Far out!

Quote from: Caesar SlaadA cross between FATE and nMage.

Adopting Mage might work. I'm wholly unfamiliar with FATE.

Quote from: Elliot WilenPrompted by a few posts in the Mongoose's "Holy Grail" thread.

I'm extremely indifferent to Harry Potter. I won't go into it, but I just want to get that out of the way.

I'm kind of shocked at the idea that a D20 or MRQ adaptation of the game be an intelligent use of the property. At least, I don't really see either of those systems as especially relevant to what people would likely be going to a HP game for. You could use D20, sure, or MRQ--but you'd need a lot more than that, wouldn't you?

While I know the basic concept about the Harry Potter Stories I haven't seen the movie nor have I read any of the books.

I have to agree, I don't think a rules-heavy system like D20 would be right for Harry Potter.

Something like D6, Jags Revised or something like those would work better for Harry Potter.

Be it D20 or another system, I hate when a game is given a rules heavy system when it doesn't need it.  Anything that's going to make my game prep time longer then it should be is more likely then not going to turn me off from the game and I will end up not playing it (If I bought it and then find out that it's rules heavy I will end up selling it).

Time is limited these days and I don't have time for rules heavy.

Quote from: KrakaJakI'd suggest Cinimatic unisystem (Buffy, Angel).

Just fil it up with Harry Pottishness instead of Buffy-ness

I agree.  I mean Cinematc Unisystem can handle magic (Buffy as you noted) and I think it would be a perfect fit.

Not too heavy, not too light, just right.

I just wonder if Eden would even be interested in getting the license.

Quote from: beejazzNot quite canonical and hardly what I intended, but truly awesome. Magic in the seventies.

Well, Harry Potter was born in 1980, and the novels are set in the nineties...