1980? Shit! Does that make Harry Potter older than me? Shit!

Designing a successful Harry Potter RPG would be a daunting challenge. With the license in your hands, you could create an extremely popular entry game that could in turn make your company one of the biggest players in hobby gaming. On the other hand, this also means introducing roleplaying to people who don't fit the standard gaming demographic; for starters, it seems to me that the majority of HP fans are teenage to young adult girls. Plus there is already a form of HP "roleplaying" in the form of fan fiction and freeform chat games. You would need someone who "gets" this sort of thing and can tap into the interests of the demographic, someone who can think outside the usual RPG box but also make an engaging game.

A truly great HP roleplaying game wouldn't use d20, nor GURPS or any other established game. It would be its own thing, custom-tailored for its audience in rules and playing procedures, and would have to break several ingrained rules now found in RPGs. I am not sure most current roleplayers would really like such a game, successful or not. It is debatable whether Mongoose could do it properly either.

First of all, play it post Harry Potter - he will die in the last book, so there you go...

Second, be careful how non-fiddly you want to make the rules.  The books and the movies are rife with examples of being fiddly about something magical working or not working because of a small mistake.  I could see the somatic and spell components being incredibly important. Look at the Goblet of Fire where Voldemort has to have specific ingredients to be brought back to corporeal form.

Third, I'd make it the universe, not just Hogwarts. Canon, however, will probably limit you to the number/locations of schools if you want to play students.  That might be the focus of the first release (to get all thos teenagers to play).  But you'd want to expand it to allow adults to play Aurors, or whatever.

The answer is going to be as diverse as the tastes of the people answering.  Those who want to play a cinematic story game about comging of age in a wizards boarding school are going to respond one way.  Those who want to play a detailed adventure of Aurors bringing the Rogue Wizard of Uruguay to justice for reanimating the dead to steal from muggles might respond a different way.

What about adopting the new SW SE rules - substitute Jedi powers with Magical ones.....

Honestly I think some kids are already rp in the Potter universe. I was at the house of a non gamer friend and her husband told me that their kids were playing "your D&D game"....apparently they were playing characters from the book using dice from a Monoploly set and recording stuff in diaries :eek:

Regards,
David R

Quote from: beejazz1980? Shit! Does that make Harry Potter older than me? Shit!

That's nothing. You really start feeling old when the actor playing Doctor Friggin' Who is a year your junior...

Quote from: DrewThat's nothing. You really start feeling old when the actor playing Doctor Friggin' Who is a year your junior...

Yeah, but he's a time traveller, so is that a year your junior right now, 50 years ago, or 1000 years in the future?

!i!

Quote from: MelanA truly great HP roleplaying game wouldn't use d20, nor GURPS or any other established game. It would be its own thing, custom-tailored for its audience in rules and playing procedures, and would have to break several ingrained rules now found in RPGs. I am not sure most current roleplayers would really like such a game, successful or not. It is debatable whether Mongoose could do it properly either.

totally agreed.  needs to be custom made for non-gamers, with modular complications/crunchiness add-ons for those experienced with RPG's.

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaYeah, but he's a time traveller, so is that a year your junior right now, 50 years ago, or 1000 years in the future?

!i!

As far as I know David Tennant is not a time traveller.

Tom Baker, on the other hand...

And I've just checked on IMDB and found out that Tennant is in fact six months my senior. Put it down to another crappy press release that insists on lying about an actors age for no good reason.

Still, all is right in the world again. I'm younger than the Doctor and therefore not quite ready for the knackers yard yet.

Tangent completed.

Quote from: James J SkachFirst of all, play it post Harry Potter - he will die in the last book, so there you go...

SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!!!

Don't worry EK, even a dead Potter doesn't stand in the way of Draco-Ron slash fiction... (Did I get the names right? I meant the Flashman-copy and the bumbling token comic relief character.)

Quote from: ElectroKittySHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!!!

And for that matter, so will sweet, sweet Hermione. You heard it here first.

Quote from: MelanAnd for that matter, so will sweet, sweet Hermione. You heard it here first.

TPK?

Nah...Ron will survive, and become the gritty hero who overcomes his incompetence because of the fate of his friend. He and Hermoine.  And Longbottom, who, it will be revealed, was the real source of the prophecy.