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Should more RPGs be licenced from established settings?

Destroid

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It seems to me that many of the most highly regarded RPGs are licenced from existing settings, such as Forgotten Realms, Planescape, The Witcher, Riftwar, Star Wars and Vampire: The Masquarade. Do you prefer these titles or original settings? I personally would like to see more, especially science fiction as there are some great space opera settings around that poop on mass effect from a great height.
 

Havoc

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Yes and No.

Yes, I would like to see some games from good settings like Dark Sun.

But...

No. Not in this age, where Dragon Age, Fallout 3 and Mass Effect are called the greatest RPGs.

Leave good settings to good (I wish to you all) GameMasters.
 

Captain Shrek

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Destroid said:
It seems to me that many of the most highly regarded RPGs are licenced from existing settings, such as Forgotten Realms, Planescape, The Witcher, Star Wars and Vampire: The Masquarade. Do you prefer these titles or original settings? I personally would like to see more, especially science fiction as there are some great space opera settings around that poop on mass effect from a great height.

The problem is that original settings take heavy investment and require their own RPG mechanics (you can't just steal them). So people rather choose the easy way out. Only indie devs go for originals settings because they can' afford licenses.
 

TripJack

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i don't really care if a game's setting is original or not, as long as the game is good i'm happy
 

easychord

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Titles licensed from good table top games can have the advantage of starting with a great set of rules like the recent Blood Bowl game. Developers often piss away that advantage by thinking that they know better, however.
 

Glowing-R

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More RPGs should be licensed from existing rulesets and use settings (original or not) that fit those rulesets.
 
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Havoc said:
Yes and No.

Yes, I would like to see some games from good settings like Dark Sun.

But...

No. Not in this age, where Dragon Age, Fallout 3 and Mass Effect are called the greatest RPGs.

Leave good settings to good (I wish to you all) GameMasters.

A better age isn't coming back.
 

hyttenhoof

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I don't think there's really any connection to whether the setting is original, and the originality of the setting.
Make a good game with great characters and stories, and good gameplay. that's all that matters
Ofcourse the setting contributes to that, but whether it's original doesn't

villain of the story said:
Havoc said:
Yes and No.

Yes, I would like to see some games from good settings like Dark Sun.

But...

No. Not in this age, where Dragon Age, Fallout 3 and Mass Effect are called the greatest RPGs.

Leave good settings to good (I wish to you all) GameMasters.

A better age isn't coming back.

I'd think it can only get better from here on.
There are some small european gems, sure, but I don't think the big titles can stoop any lower.
 

SkeleTony

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I don't really care either but if someone IS going to license an existing RPG setting then I wish to fucking Darwin they would go with something like Jorune, Talislanta or Glorantha...Hell even RIFTS would be better than fucking Forgotten Realms!
 

Destroid

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SkeleTony said:
I don't really care either but if someone IS going to license an existing RPG setting then I wish to fucking Darwin they would go with something like Jorune, Talislanta or Glorantha...Hell even RIFTS would be better than fucking Forgotten Realms!

I know most that I listed were taken from pnp RPGs, but I mainly had proper fiction in mind such as the setting for Betrayal at Krondor (Riftwar), The Witcher and Star Wars.
 

Jools

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As much as I'd love a modern-technology RPG set in Warhammer, PlaneScape, WoD, Forgotten Realms, Chtulu, Ravenloft, hell even Star Wars or Middle Earth, anyway, as much as I'd like that, I'd rather do without than have to play some shitty arcade port (which is the kind of shit that has been released of late for big franchises...).
 

Zeus

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CRPGs should license their settings from tabletop pen and paper RPGs, because that's where imagination is free to take off.

Modern day, real world settings are almost alien to CRPGs. But Bloodlines was set on Earth, not Frayuuudeeen or some silly generic Tolkien wannabe world, thanks to the groundwork laid by White Wolf. Likewise, all the Goldbox games, Planescape Torment, etc., etc., were varying degrees of fantasy, but the designers could just concentrate on coming up with a decent game, and telling decent stories, since most of the world building had already been taken care of.

I'd like to see CRPGs based on all sorts of things. Deadlands springs to mind. Call of Cthulhu. All those pulpy, Robert E. Howard inspired pen and paper game worlds are ripe for the taking.

Rifts! Holy shit, Rifts! There was an overhead, tactical wargame for the taco phone, but never an actual Rifts CRPG, and that's a crying shame. I want to play a juicer, and I'll try my damndest not to let the baby dragon in my party get all the kills. :D
 

mondblut

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Established settings have a generation's worth of developed background and lore. Original settings are slapped together on a lap in a few weeks. Yes, more RPGs should.
 

sirfink

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easychord said:
Titles licensed from good table top games can have the advantage of starting with a great set of rules like the recent Blood Bowl game. Developers often piss away that advantage by thinking that they know better, however.

Champions Online comes to mind. Champions (the table-top RPG) has been around for 30 years or so, having gone through various versions. Years of play-testing results in a very solid set of rules. Granted, making the transition to a CRPG requires some changes, but it makes no sense when a developer just dreams up horribly-unbalanced rules in about a week and then wonders what everyone's complaining about.
 
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Ulminati

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I definately wouldn't mind seeing more RPGs using preexisting settings. If done right, it means the developer can concentrate on telling a good story and getting the balance right, with the worldbuilding and lore already being in-place from the start. On the flipside, it's always painful to watch a setting you like being horribly faceraped because a publisher doesnt think it'll fit their marketing campaigns without an AWESOME button.

If done well, I would love to see a proper Eberron non-MMO rpg. (Although I'm told the MMO is sort of decent). Ideally some sort of Noir-style detective story set in Sharn. Or better yet: Where's my good and proper modern Shadowrun crpg? The setting is oozing with interesting plothooks and it's close enough to modern-day reality for the casual crowds to follow what's going on without helpful tutorials.
 

J1M

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easychord said:
Titles licensed from good table top games can have the advantage of starting with a great set of rules like the recent Blood Bowl game. Developers often piss away that advantage by thinking that they know better, however.
Very true. Like that Neverwinter MMO in development. Personally, I would love another ToEE game that followed a turn-based rule system as closely as possible.

I'd like to see more licensed RPGs from a wider variety of sources. Forgotten realms isn't going to let you tell a tale that has any impact on the world.

It makes more sense to do something like the witcher, though I haven't read those books or finished that game so I could be wrong.

An unknown IP gives you more room to explore for less cost and still comes with a pretty extensive backstory. The trick is having someone on the team who is actually into that product to take charge and say: "ok, this game is set in X and we are going to be looking at Y from different moral and emotional perspectives. End of the world plots make no sense here, but we can lead up to a finale with Z at stake."

Purposefully nerdy example: An RPG set in Vampire universe motivated around lost vampire lore. You have different (almost religious) groups with various viewpoints based on limited facts and an opportunity to location hop a little bit investigating different places. The player can piece together the different origin stories for Caine and try to find support for one or investigate the origins of the vampire rivalry with the werewolves, etc. Each area will have varying levels of information you can gather from it which will leave you with a different impression. Toss in some rivals with a vested interest in pushing their views and localized groups you can persuade with the evidence you uncover.

Now, if I can shit that out in 2 minutes then I'm sure someone drawing a paycheque 8 hours a day for 2 years can do something pretty amazing if allowed to think beyond the fed ex quest.
 

J1M

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Ulminati said:
I definately wouldn't mind seeing more RPGs using preexisting settings. If done right, it means the developer can concentrate on telling a good story and getting the balance right, with the worldbuilding and lore already being in-place from the start. On the flipside, it's always painful to watch a setting you like being horribly faceraped because a publisher doesnt think it'll fit their marketing campaigns without an AWESOME button.

If done well, I would love to see a proper Eberron non-MMO rpg. (Although I'm told the MMO is sort of decent). Ideally some sort of Noir-style detective story set in Sharn. Or better yet: Where's my good and proper modern Shadowrun crpg? The setting is oozing with interesting plothooks and it's close enough to modern-day reality for the casual crowds to follow what's going on without helpful tutorials.
The MMO tries really hard to provide a DM-like experience, even including voice over and traps/skill checks in the dungeons. I played the trial and found the atrocious combat unbearable. They also messed up by adding things that were essentially feats worth +10BAB.

However, they did limit the scope of the MMO to one "lost world" type continent where they can muck around all they want in the jungle without influencing the primary setting. I like your Sharn suggestion but I've always found shadowrun repulsive. I think something like Tron has more potential. (Granted both movies are straight-forward action flicks, they really hint at larger questions and a setting inside the machine that wasn't 100% combat would be quite interesting)
 

Jools

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J1M said:
Ulminati said:
I definately wouldn't mind seeing more RPGs using preexisting settings. If done right, it means the developer can concentrate on telling a good story and getting the balance right, with the worldbuilding and lore already being in-place from the start. On the flipside, it's always painful to watch a setting you like being horribly faceraped because a publisher doesnt think it'll fit their marketing campaigns without an AWESOME button.

If done well, I would love to see a proper Eberron non-MMO rpg. (Although I'm told the MMO is sort of decent). Ideally some sort of Noir-style detective story set in Sharn. Or better yet: Where's my good and proper modern Shadowrun crpg? The setting is oozing with interesting plothooks and it's close enough to modern-day reality for the casual crowds to follow what's going on without helpful tutorials.
The MMO tries really hard to provide a DM-like experience, even including voice over and traps/skill checks in the dungeons. I played the trial and found the atrocious combat unbearable. They also messed up by adding things that were essentially feats worth +10BAB.

However, they did limit the scope of the MMO to one "lost world" type continent where they can muck around all they want in the jungle without influencing the primary setting. I like your Sharn suggestion but I've always found shadowrun repulsive. I think something like Tron has more potential. (Granted both movies are straight-forward action flicks, they really hint at larger questions and a setting inside the machine that wasn't 100% combat would be quite interesting)

I played the MMO for a good 3 months before quitting. The DM-like experience was a really nice touch that they picked up again in LOTRO and worked out pretty good. But yeah, the combat was really awful. Like, relly, really awful. Also, finding parties took hours, sometimes, as the player-base wasn't that big even on release. When they turned the game into play for free with microtransactions, I gave it another try, but it all went fubar, especially players-wise.
 
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Ulminati

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J1M said:
I think something like Tron has more potential.

Ever play this?

796925-tron_2.0_cdbooklet_large.png


It's quite good for what it is. Which is mostly an FPS. It does have extra rewards for exploring the levels, and some shuffling of different powerups to determine your abilities. I paticularly liked the part where you end up in a PDA that hasn't got the memory to run all your fancy power programs, so you have to pick and choose which if your inventory programs you want to run. It was a nice touch.
 

RK47

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mondblut said:
Established settings have a generation's worth of developed background and lore. Original settings are slapped together on a lap in a few weeks. Yes, more RPGs should.

I agree with you, but it does create a sense of expectations. I think Oblivion would have attracted much less ire if it was not part of Elder Scroll world.
 

SCO

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I like well developed lore.


Computer games writers are shit about lore.
(on purpose mostly because of their fucking audience).


So yes. VtM or forgotten realms may be shitty but the alternative....

Fuck star wars though.
 

SCO

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J1M said:
Purposefully nerdy example: An RPG set in Vampire universe motivated around lost vampire lore. You have different (almost religious) groups with various viewpoints based on limited facts and an opportunity to location hop a little bit investigating different places. The player can piece together the different origin stories for Caine and try to find support for one or investigate the origins of the vampire rivalry with the werewolves, etc. Each area will have varying levels of information you can gather from it which will leave you with a different impression. Toss in some rivals with a vested interest in pushing their views and localized groups you can persuade with the evidence you uncover.

Now, if I can shit that out in 2 minutes then I'm sure someone drawing a paycheque 8 hours a day for 2 years can do something pretty amazing if allowed to think beyond the fed ex quest.

:thumbsup:
 

J1M

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Ulminati said:
J1M said:
I think something like Tron has more potential.

Ever play this?

796925-tron_2.0_cdbooklet_large.png


It's quite good for what it is. Which is mostly an FPS. It does have extra rewards for exploring the levels, and some shuffling of different powerups to determine your abilities. I paticularly liked the part where you end up in a PDA that hasn't got the memory to run all your fancy power programs, so you have to pick and choose which if your inventory programs you want to run. It was a nice touch.
Yes. I liked how i could play most of the game with just the disc.
 

sgc_meltdown

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Dark Sun - Age of Dragonkings
PlanesKape 2orment - Planekiller
Spelljammer - Spellforce Unleashed
Ravenloft - Wrath of the Lich King
Al Qadim - Magical Warfare
EbberOnline
N3v3rwint3r - Winterest
 

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