Disclaimer - If you feel this should be on the Testing Grounds, move it there. I'm erring on the side of General Chat, correct me if I'm wrong.
We have several game players here, as well as RPers. With the DL flux, there are even more gamers about. This leads to a question:
What gaming world do you think would make a good setting for an RP? I ask this, as I'm searching for fodder for future games and ideas, so...heck, suggestions may even become a game down the line.
Hmmm. Well, the main problem with video game worlds is that the majority of them are pretty ... simple. Very small number of towns, and more limited number of people. Also the fact that the video game's main characters have usually already, uh, dealt with ... everything.
But, if we assume that we only see representations of the populations of these worlds, small cross-sections of the villages and people within them, then it becomes a bit more feasible. But then it's not really the video game world as much as BASED on the video game world ... but as a den of anime-fiends and fanfiction enthusiasts, who are we to deride derivitave work?
That being said, my first suggestions would be Illusion of Gaia. I know it's Earth. But bear with me. The world (pre Will and Kara's resolution) was a much simpler fantasy Earth. Will and Kara kind of changed the way the world worked. It'd be very easy to set a campaign in the times before (or even concurrent with!) Kara and Will's adventures. After all ... Will knew going in that he wasn't the first person into the tower of Babel. The theme of the game is pervasive, which is about humanity, survival, and if not morality, at least awareness of the world and others you live with. That and the fact that the game doesn't touch on the Americas or Australia, that I recall, and there's room to expand.
Crystalis might also be a fun one -- post apocylptic Earth with mutants and magic. There's not a lot of theme that really pervades the world ... the most compelling aspect would be Emperor Draygon, and his scheme to rule all of the world. If he was already dead, and the Tower was disabled, then the world is actually a bit lacking in pressing issues for Heroes to deal with. Not to say some couldn't be made -- the Empire had a huge army, and the resistance was dealt a horrible blow before the Hero and Mesia managed to stop the tower.
Earthbound is probably a bit better nomination. This is a video game that has substantially more style than Crystalis. On the other hand, it'd take a bit of work to come up with a story to be told in the Earthbound world that could live up to the scope of the original, without retreading some very familiar territory.
I'll stop there for now, but that's my suggestions.
As much as I hate to admit it, Final FAntasy six and seven would make decent RPing worlds. I'd have to say after Kefka destroyed the world for six. Maybe even after the game ended, as the world was still pretty much in ruin and people were still looking to see if people they knew has survived the disaster.
As for seven, the ending was so painfully open that any number of things could have happened. All we know is that life eventually went on, so. . .
And though the game wasn't the greatestm the world itself had potential. Hm. I'll add more later.
Fallout would be fun in my opinion.
Well, my ... 'bet' on what would make an easy, flexible, open ended game world to adventure in stands out there for inspection.
I actually think most of the stuff that works well for taking from games is not the heavily defined ones but the ones that leave more of it up to the imagination, or focus on the people and provide a general worldscape.
Dracos
tired, so tired
Hmmm. Well, the main problem with video game worlds is that the majority of them are pretty ... simple. Very small number of towns, and more limited number of people. Also the fact that the video game's main characters have usually already, uh, dealt with ... everything.
But, if we assume that we only see representations of the populations of these worlds, small cross-sections of the villages and people within them, then it becomes a bit more feasible. But then it's not really the video game world as much as BASED on the video game world ... but as a den of anime-fiends and fanfiction enthusiasts, who are we to deride derivitave work?
Pretty much, though I'm trying not to overthink the question as much as just get feedback here. Agreed, though.
That being said, my first suggestions would be Illusion of Gaia. I know it's Earth. But bear with me. The world (pre Will and Kara's resolution) was a much simpler fantasy Earth. Will and Kara kind of changed the way the world worked. It'd be very easy to set a campaign in the times before (or even concurrent with!) Kara and Will's adventures. After all ... Will knew going in that he wasn't the first person into the tower of Babel. The theme of the game is pervasive, which is about humanity, survival, and if not morality, at least awareness of the world and others you live with. That and the fact that the game doesn't touch on the Americas or Australia, that I recall, and there's room to expand.
Hm...
That might be good. Nice, simple and basic, though I'd need to replay the game. The memories from middle school gaming aren't as strong as they should be.
I'd have to play the latter two to comment, as I haven't done much in either. Yes, I haven't played much Crystalis. Shoot me.
As much as I hate to admit it, Final FAntasy six and seven would make decent RPing worlds. I'd have to say after Kefka destroyed the world for six. Maybe even after the game ended, as the world was still pretty much in ruin and people were still looking to see if people they knew has survived the disaster.
Heh, I've tossed around a World of Ruin game before. Hal and I nearly attempted one of those, but it never took off. Agreed wholeheartidly, and if there was interest, that one could spark. WoR gives such a vivid and strong working world for the players and GM.
Fallout would be fun in my opinion.
Probably, but I'm hobbled by never having played either. Sounds like a good post apocalyptic world setting.
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Shadow Hearts? I mean, it's basically a baseline pre-WWI/WWI earth that's being altered radically as time marches on by forces by all sorts of delightfully abusable elements.
*Slight spoilers, maybe? No plot related ones, though...*
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You want Cthulhu-esque? You got it in the form of devils and gods and angels that are just outside the reach of normal society, but which could be summoned through means wicked or not through the three books sealed within the Vatican...oh, that were sealed, pardon.
We've got espoinage running rampant as the nations of the world are playing a game of keep away from each other as they try to abuse these new powers to get ahead of the others.
We've got steampunk in the form of Roger Bacon, who's genius has created marvelous new inventions in his millenia or so of life...but which have been yoinked by the governments of the world. D'oh. So I figure there'd be more and more practical applications of his tech or retroengineered takes on them.
Geez, you can do a lot with this world set, really.
Deus Ex, for fairly obvious reasons. Excellent gritty-cyberpunk setting.
I can name a number of fighters that have decent, open-ended backstories, too; Soul Calibur, Guilty Gear, KOF, Last Blade, yadayadayada...
I dunno about you guys, but I found Warcraft 3 to have a nifty plot and a well-developed setting. (Pity about the game itself- though someone did write a rulebook on it, I believe. >_>)
I have to agree with FF6s World of Ruin, but, uh, make the cities into countries or something. >_>
The original Unreal was pretty damned cool, as is Half-Life. I can see interesting games made out of either of those settings.
A plug for my current favourite game, Starcraft, would not be out of place if we hadn't already seen an attempt. Bleh. Bad karma, now.
Devil May Cry. Love that game. Don't know how you'd work around the one-real-main-character drawback, but I'm sure it could be done.
Hm. Post-game Tales of Symphonia could be interesting. I'll second the Crystalis and EB ideas. A WA world could be interesting, so long as it ended up dealing with the past of the respective Filgaias (IE, pre-everything rotting and becoming sandy). Shadow Hearts/Koudelka would be rather cool, too.
However, this all could just be my fanboyism showing. >.>
Quote from: "Zenthor"A WA world could be interesting
O_O
Why have I never considered this before? I'm sold on the idea. I've always wanted to see how that war played out ... too bad I've already got my next three games to run picked out. >_<
OOOH I KNOW!
PICK ME!
Super Mario RPG! POST SMITHY!
Yeah... that'd be sweet!
-J
It is dark.
You are likely to get stabbed by an orbital sword.
STABBIES STABBIES.
There's various incarnations of Elite-style space trading/combat games that'd offer suitably anarchic scenarios ( I-war, X, that one Bruce Campbell did the V/O for, the name escapes me ) ... actually Freespace with it's large war/odd alien race setting might be more interesting. Or even Wing Commander. I'm not sure how the mechanics would work, but it'd make a change.
Or... Commandos, that ww2 isometric team game, or Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
How about one of the Shin Megami Tensei worlds? I'd suggest the one from Persona 2 myself. That was pretty neat how what people believed to be true could become true. Dark Cthulhuesque world, magic accessed by merging with demons. Modern world. Etc.
If they believe it, it happens?
Sounds suspicious like Planescape...
...or Mage, for that matter. *wants the updated version.*
Definitely pong.
"It is completely dark. You see a white sphere speeding in your general direction, but looks to be heading to your left side. In the distance is a thin white plane."
>Move left
You move left. You have covered half the distance between your former spot and the path of the ball.
>Move left
You move left. The ball slams into you, and as it bounces in the opposite direction, you realize that your body has transformed into a thin white plane devoid of limbs.
The ball has almost disappeared in the distance when it collides with the other plane, and starts to come back at amazing speed, heading to your right.
>Move right
You move right. The ball whizzes past you about two yards to your right.
The opposite plane fades into darkness.
Play again?"
The games that struck me as having good settings include Suikoden and Skies of Arcadia. I've always been somewhat interested in doing a Suiko RP, despite being less of a fan of the games.
I am another one of those Koudelka/Shadow Hearts fans, but hmm...well a more limited setting like Koudelka would work; SH rather ruined the suspension of disbelief for me with the whole "everyone and their dog is into something occult" stuff (see: random plotless little girl who learns she can summon monsters). FFX has a very nicely detailed setting with lots of background to work with; wasn't fully enamoured with it in-game, but might work well in an RP setting.
Skies of Arcadia is already taken by another GM at a future date. I agree 110% with that, however, and plan to play in this person's game. (He or she can ID themselves if they wish.)
And Shadow Hearts vastly interests me, but...For some reason, I'm not confident that I could pull that world off to my satisfaction.
QuoteSkies of Arcadia is already taken by another GM at a future date.
That'd be me. Even though Dune originally meant to run it, somehow I landed the job somewhere along the line...
It's not planned until sometime near the end of December at the very earliest, though.
And on topic, I think X-Com would work very well as an RPG. An elite team of misfit soldiers from all across the globe coming together to investigate crashed alien UFOs, decipher their technology, learn the mysteries of alien society, before taking the fight to the enemy on their home turf! I can see a lot of potential in that.
Quote from: "Carthrat"The original Unreal was pretty damned cool, as is Half-Life. I can see interesting games made out of either of those settings.
A plug for my current favourite game, Starcraft, would not be out of place if we hadn't already seen an attempt. Bleh. Bad karma, now.
Richard Baker personally apologized to me for the Starcraft RPG game. The rest of Alternity is limitlessly awesome, so I think he is forgiven.
Half-Life could be intense, extreme awesomeness for a short game assuming the PCs are Black Mesa employees trying to get out while the game is taking place, ala OpFor and Blue Shift, but it would not be good for a prolonged campaign. At least until HL2, anyway.
Earthbound would make a very good setting for an RPG with a humorous tone; the world is fairly loosely defined, and the 'great conflict' that the game deals with doesn't really impact about 90% of the world - only a few wise men and high-level individuals are even aware of Giygas' existence (like Mr. Carpainter or Geldegarde Monotoli). You'd have a very broad world, with unique enemies (You have encountered a pack of rabid New Age Retro Hippies!), a VERY warped sense of humor, and many elements that could easily be used in another game - are the 8 Your Sanctuary locations the only ones that exist, and if so/if not, is Ness the only one who can make use of them? There are other things that could be used as well - Dr. Andonuts, Stonehenge, Talah Rama (the sage in the desert who teaches you to teleport), the Lost Underworld (I THINK that's the name), and of course, Mr. Saturn. You've got a wide and varied setting for the game with a reasonable amount of development and a very tongue-in-cheek approach that wouldn't be too hard to fit a new plot into.
A little late, upon noticing this thread, but - X-Com: UFO Defence
Yarr.
Not that I know anything about this, but it does seem like an RP set in a Persona setting would be extremely cool. If the rumor system had a flaw in-game, it was that you had to acquire rumors in order to spread them. If players could spread any rumors they desired (with the right payment, of course, which could lead to whole other quests), they could do just about anything imaginable, and there's even a fallback for game-breaking rumors (that being that the rumor would be discredited due to its absurdity and not gain the required belief). Seems like that would be rather awesome, and the Persona universe allows for just about any kind of character and plot RP-wise. If few people are familiar with Persona, so much the better - they'd have to discover their power and its limits on their own with experimentation, which is always fun. Of course, you'd need a willing GM familiar with the setting, and I'm not sure how that would work out. Still, I second the idea.
Rezantis, you're late in everything. =)
Truthfully, Hal's idea though intrigues me. =)
In that evil way.
Dracos
Free time A-coming. 10 days and counting.