Poll: Alternative Fantasy RPG's

[Tayh]

Another thing; I'd like to see an RPG in the setting of Discworld.
Or just any modern game set in the world of Discworld, really.

 

[Miss Layton]

Another thing; I'd like to see an RPG in the setting of Discworld.
Or just any modern game set in the world of Discworld, really.

Tell me about it. Of course, Sir Pratchett himself said he couldn't really picture a Discworld MMO...

But I wouldn't mind another point and click adventure game. I liked Discworld Noir, for example.

 

[Thoughtful_Salt]

When you walk around stanley park in vancouver, you can find plaques which detail lots of native legends surrounding the island. While I was reading them It occured to me that this aspect would make one hell of an open world RPG. in the vein of skyrim, since it is vancouver, but with naval aspects.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Either China, Japan or Red Indian cultures. They all have quite interesting folklore that would lend itself to the fantastical elements.

 

[norashepard]

I would like to see a game set entirely in a desert region. There are often deserts in RPGs, but they always just feel like "that desert zone" and they end arbitrarily, and everyone still walks around without face covering, and walking the dunes isn't hard or anything.

Gothic 3 had an expansive desert, but that game was lackluster in how it approached it. But yeah anyway: Big fancy Taj Mahal styled cities, harsh unforgiving desert wilderness, the occasional oasis. It would be cool.

 

[Miss Layton]

When you walk around stanley park in vancouver, you can find plaques which detail lots of native legends surrounding the island. While I was reading them It occured to me that this aspect would make one hell of an open world RPG. in the vein of skyrim, since it is vancouver, but with naval aspects.

Heh, I'm actually working on that.

 

[The Madman]

Europe is amazing, I just wish they'd stop retreading the same ideas and instead explore more interesting ideas. For example:

Take the premise of American Gods but set it in Victorian London, with gods and mythological creatures all over the place. Perhaps have you playing as some sort of secretive assassin dealing with supernatural threats with figures like Jack the Ripper and Spring-heeled Jack as villains while prominent figures real and fictional alike could play parts as well, like Sherlock Holmes for example.

Hell that's not even an original idea, it's been done before in books plenty of times so why not games? That'd make for a brilliant setting!

 

[splayfoot1]

I would love a standard fantasy game, but from a different perspective, like a world designed around the viewpoint of a goblin or wood elf. make humans one of the minor races instead of the dominant one.

 

[Miss Layton]

Europe is amazing, I just wish they'd stop retreading the same ideas and instead explore more interesting ideas. For example:

Take the premise of American Gods but set it in Victorian London, with gods and mythological creatures all over the place. Perhaps have you playing as some sort of secretive assassin dealing with supernatural threats with figures like Jack the Ripper and Spring-heeled Jack as villains while prominent figures real and fictional alike could play parts as well, like Sherlock Holmes for example.

Hell that's not even an original idea, it's been done before in books plenty of times so why not games? That'd make for a brilliant setting!

I'd like that, and I agree there's far more in European folklores, myths and cultures to lend to gaming than the usual Dark Ages foodstuff we've been fed all this time.

 

[Miss Layton]

I would love a standard fantasy game, but from a different perspective, like a world designed around the viewpoint of a goblin or wood elf. make humans one of the minor races instead of the dominant one.

Sort of the premise of that "Of Orcs and Men" game that came out last year. Apparently, it was just "okay," but otherwise praised for trying something slightly different.

Personally, I'd like an occasional, more, "feminist" take on standard fantasy here and there.

 

[RandV80]

Fantasy usually depicts quite an expansive array of civilizations/races, they're usually mostly(but not all, a common misconception.) European ethnicities and legends but it's just how the genre was setup. Fantasy has been evolving since the ancient era to the medieval stories to the basic setup Tolkien inspired in the 20th Century. It's hard to compete with that, I'd rather add to it or make something different(like Rokugan) than limit it to a mono-cultural fantasy setting.


On that note, I think we need more cyberpunk, everything's better with cyberpunk.


And you might wanna look up Werewolf the Apocalypse, it's never been used for games other than RPG(real RPG that you play with dice.) but it has a lot of native culture from the Americas in it.

I know, I've dabbled in it. But I'm talking about video games (or PC gaming), which is still completely saturated in typically white, predictable, worlds and narratives. A little multicultural diversity would liven the genre up a bit, and it's about time we explored our mythologies, folklores and legends outside the standard set up of Christian, English, Nordic, Greek, Eastern European and Egyptian. We've seen enough of these bastards.

Come on, let's be brave and pull an Avatar or an Earthsea. Let's create fantasy worlds based on tropes and cultural conventions of entirely different peoples other than Europeans, for heaven's sake.

Hell, I'd settle for a game comfortably immersed in Slavic folklore myself.

If you ever delve into anime/manga in the fantasy genre you'll find tons of Asian themed series naturally... and I've found it to get just as dull. It has a different coat of paint but it's basically the same animal as a medieval Europe, where you have cities, villages, nobles, peasants, armies, bandits, hero's, etc etc. Personally I find Asian flavour has better martial prowess, but European has better magic and beasts. So if you're turning your Medieval into outright fantasy I find that the European brand works much better. While it's not as common I'd imagine India would be fairly similar.

Anyways from the list, I agree with some of the posters above that an Arabian Nights theme should be added but I'm going to be picking an African theme here ahead of Native America or Mesoamerican. I'm sure you could make decent games with those settings but for a larger RPG Africa has the best range of biomes and beasts.

 

[Miss Layton]

If you ever delve into anime/manga in the fantasy genre you'll find tons of Asian themed series naturally... and I've found it to get just as dull. It has a different coat of paint but it's basically the same animal as a medieval Europe, where you have cities, villages, nobles, peasants, armies, bandits, hero's, etc etc. Personally I find Asian flavour has better martial prowess, but European has better magic and beasts. So if you're turning your Medieval into outright fantasy I find that the European brand works much better. While it's not as common I'd imagine India would be fairly similar.

Anyways from the list, I agree with some of the posters above that an Arabian Nights theme should be added but I'm going to be picking an African theme here ahead of Native America or Mesoamerican. I'm sure you could make decent games with those settings but for a larger RPG Africa has the best range of biomes and beasts.

I'd have to disagree. In the hands of talented writers, even in a fantasized version of some real world culture, it can be turned into a bonafide cultural experience. Ursula K. Le Guin, in lieu of an example - and perhaps the best example - regularly pulls off stories of this nature at the drop of a hat; Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed, the EarthSea series, etc. Apply this method to a game that takes place in a decidedly unique game setting in which we see through a unique pair of lenses - unlike the usual Tolkien frame of reference we're usually given in fantasy RPG's - and I believe it could make all the difference.

Besides, on another level, I disagree due to the insinuation it wouldn't matter. Representation matters. Fantasy, and I reiterate, can't just be "white" all the damn time.

We'v been through the same song and dance again and again; let's change the tune.

 

[Thoughtful_Salt]

When you walk around stanley park in vancouver, you can find plaques which detail lots of native legends surrounding the island. While I was reading them It occured to me that this aspect would make one hell of an open world RPG. in the vein of skyrim, since it is vancouver, but with naval aspects.

Heh, I'm actually working on that.

actually?

 

[Marik2]

I have to admit, much as I'm a fan of roleplaying games, even I'm starting to get sick of the usual white, European, medieval hubaloo that comprises most Western RPG's. I know this has been brought up before, but can't we have a little more variety every so often?

So, I'd like to ask you, the fine community of the Escapist, for what you would love to see "done" as an RPG. This can range from fantasy to science fiction and every related sub-genre in-between. I'll set up a poll with set themes and settings, but if you vote for "Others," elaborate in the comments. Tell me what you would love to see in an RPG if you could make it happen. Would it be turn based? Action-based? Retro, modern? What do you visualize? This can be anything. For God's sake, there's an indie RPG called "To The Moon" that's basically a 2D retro version of Inception.

Fantasy RPG's, even Scifi RPG's, have become a little too "white" for my tastes, to boot. Let's get crazy, let's add a few ethnic spices into this old recipe!

What would I like? Personally, I would love a fantasy RPG based on Native American cultures, aesthetics, folklore and mythologies. Wouldn't that be something? You could incorporate all sorts of environments, you could base the plot on a famous story or mythological yarn, and you could take history into account. Why not something a little basic? I'm envisioning an RPG in which you play this young man who must venture forth outside his village on a rite of passage into adulthood. He must go to the top of the mountains, pluck a feather from the legendary thunderbirds, and return to the tribe.

That'd make for a great adventure.

Wow speak of the devil. This topic has been on my mind for weeks and was actually starting to make a draft of it until your post showed up.

To answer your question, I would love to see practically anything different from European culture. Would buy an RPG that is based in Ancient China or Pre Islamic culture with all of hteir respective motifs and themes.

 

[Catrixa]

Holy bacon! I picked other because you forgot to include "All of the above." Seriously, I'd pick one, but you put in too many options I'd love to see in RPGs. So, yeah, can't decide, picking everything.

 

[Miss Layton]

When you walk around stanley park in vancouver, you can find plaques which detail lots of native legends surrounding the island. While I was reading them It occured to me that this aspect would make one hell of an open world RPG. in the vein of skyrim, since it is vancouver, but with naval aspects.

Heh, I'm actually working on that.

actually?

Some friends and I are trying to make our own indie RPG using RPG Maker. It'll be retro and 2D - best we can do, under the circumstances, but in a gist, yeah, we're working with a Native American theme.

 

[Miss Layton]

Holy bacon! I picked other because you forgot to include "All of the above." Seriously, I'd pick one, but you put in too many options I'd love to see in RPGs. So, yeah, can't decide, picking everything.

Aw, thanks, man.

 

[Miss Layton]

I have to admit, much as I'm a fan of roleplaying games, even I'm starting to get sick of the usual white, European, medieval hubaloo that comprises most Western RPG's. I know this has been brought up before, but can't we have a little more variety every so often?

So, I'd like to ask you, the fine community of the Escapist, for what you would love to see "done" as an RPG. This can range from fantasy to science fiction and every related sub-genre in-between. I'll set up a poll with set themes and settings, but if you vote for "Others," elaborate in the comments. Tell me what you would love to see in an RPG if you could make it happen. Would it be turn based? Action-based? Retro, modern? What do you visualize? This can be anything. For God's sake, there's an indie RPG called "To The Moon" that's basically a 2D retro version of Inception.

Fantasy RPG's, even Scifi RPG's, have become a little too "white" for my tastes, to boot. Let's get crazy, let's add a few ethnic spices into this old recipe!

What would I like? Personally, I would love a fantasy RPG based on Native American cultures, aesthetics, folklore and mythologies. Wouldn't that be something? You could incorporate all sorts of environments, you could base the plot on a famous story or mythological yarn, and you could take history into account. Why not something a little basic? I'm envisioning an RPG in which you play this young man who must venture forth outside his village on a rite of passage into adulthood. He must go to the top of the mountains, pluck a feather from the legendary thunderbirds, and return to the tribe.

That'd make for a great adventure.

Wow speak of the devil. This topic has been on my mind for weeks and was actually starting to make a draft of it until your post showed up.

To answer your question, I would love to see practically anything different from European culture. Would buy an RPG that is based in Ancient China or Pre Islamic culture with all of hteir respective motifs and themes.

Pre-Islamic, eh? Hm. Have to say, never considered that.

 

[Marik2]

I have to admit, much as I'm a fan of roleplaying games, even I'm starting to get sick of the usual white, European, medieval hubaloo that comprises most Western RPG's. I know this has been brought up before, but can't we have a little more variety every so often?

So, I'd like to ask you, the fine community of the Escapist, for what you would love to see "done" as an RPG. This can range from fantasy to science fiction and every related sub-genre in-between. I'll set up a poll with set themes and settings, but if you vote for "Others," elaborate in the comments. Tell me what you would love to see in an RPG if you could make it happen. Would it be turn based? Action-based? Retro, modern? What do you visualize? This can be anything. For God's sake, there's an indie RPG called "To The Moon" that's basically a 2D retro version of Inception.

Fantasy RPG's, even Scifi RPG's, have become a little too "white" for my tastes, to boot. Let's get crazy, let's add a few ethnic spices into this old recipe!

What would I like? Personally, I would love a fantasy RPG based on Native American cultures, aesthetics, folklore and mythologies. Wouldn't that be something? You could incorporate all sorts of environments, you could base the plot on a famous story or mythological yarn, and you could take history into account. Why not something a little basic? I'm envisioning an RPG in which you play this young man who must venture forth outside his village on a rite of passage into adulthood. He must go to the top of the mountains, pluck a feather from the legendary thunderbirds, and return to the tribe.

That'd make for a great adventure.

Wow speak of the devil. This topic has been on my mind for weeks and was actually starting to make a draft of it until your post showed up.

To answer your question, I would love to see practically anything different from European culture. Would buy an RPG that is based in Ancient China or Pre Islamic culture with all of hteir respective motifs and themes.

Pre-Islamic, eh? Hm. Have to say, never considered that.

Stuff from like Arabian Nights with magic and genies

If I'm not mistaken there was an SNES game that had that concept

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Fantasy RPG's, even Scifi RPG's, have become a little too "white" for my tastes, to boot. Let's get crazy, let's add a few ethnic spices into this old recipe!

Of the ones listed, I'd have to go with Native American. Although you'd probably have to go a bit more specific, since different tribes had different legends. Just sayin.

Anyway, you've reminded me of a Fantasy setting in a novel by one of my favorite authors (Lois McMaster Bujold).

It's set in mid-western America, along the Ohio and Mississippi river. However, it's set after a magical apocalypse that's reset society to a swords and horses level of technology. The interstate highway system still exists, albeit in ruins, and cities like Detroit and Cleveland are underwater - and spoken of as the oldest of myths and legends about the "Great Wizards" who once lived there.

So overall it has a sort of colonial/old west/Mississippi Riverboat feel, but without guns and with swords and magic (which may actually be psionics, but since no one remembers the difference, it doesn't matter). Oh, and with no nations - city-states are the main socioeconomic/sociopolitical unit.

Oh, speaking of my favorite authors, Jacqueline Carey did a pretty good Aztec fantasy novel in Naamah's Blessing (her 9th Kushiel novel, spoilers abound, so be warned). She didn't do bad with Indian mythology in Naamah's Curse (the 8th novel) either.