An RPG based on the Russian revolution or the french revolution could be a good idea

[Humanophage]

It's a good idea in the abstract. It can be an urban adventure set in 1917-1918 St. Petersburg with a kind of Sigil vibe. Events are moving at a rapid pace with a lot of contingencies dependent on individual initiative, and there are multiple factions, as well as factions within factions. You can be all sorts of double agent with your own agendas. The combat is often individual or small scale, the dingy alley type or a robbery, although in general it's more about swashbuckling intrigue. You could support the Monarchists, the Trotsky internationalist Bolshevik type, the Stalin bureaucratic Bolshevik type, the intellectual Mensheviks a la Martov, the interim government with a Republican bent, the Germans or the French, some nationalist forces like Poles or Ukrainians, etc. The potential backgrounds are also quite diverse and relevant in terms of skills or reactions. E.g., if you're a Jew, maybe some monarchists could be suspicious of you, or you could debate a Russian nationalist about ethnicity and religion. If you're a Junker, they might promote you to a leadership position or you might find some double agent allies.

It might work even better as a part-strategy where you can manage your own movement with newspapers and propaganda, financial management, recruiting intellectuals and politicians and generals, militias, informants, foreign alliances, planning assassinations or pogroms, etc. It's an interesting period because the normal forces were uprooted, the establishment is either demolished or in chaos, so you can try starting something bold and new. It's also useful in the sense that it's quite focused geographically - e.g., the Bolsheviks mainly controlled the big cities, especially St. Petersburg, and won.

 

[mondblut]

I think it could be interesting for RPGs developers to dig into that period . Imagine a game in which You, the character has the ability to lead the revolution or to be part of the monarchy or take the throne or even have the ability to create an autoritian state and rule it or the rulor of the so-called Terror. At first you start as a nobody, a typical peasant but later on you become someone , you start something that gains a lot and with money, you can go far.
You can also be an hidden murderer and all kind of things.
Imagine a game in which you have a deep implication in the history.
Let's say the developers make the character creation with such attributes below:
- Courage: Your ability to make deep choices that change the history
- Speech : Your ability to speak to the crowd and people
-Will: Your enthusiasm and your ability to indoctrinate people or to be a demagogue
-Strengh: Has a strong influence on how people reacts to you -> typically a weakling can't make certain choices
-Intelligence: Determines how you will manage the situation in your flavor.
All types of ending could correspond on how long you go far and on your choices.

Storyfags. Storyfags never change.

The important consideration is, how many xp points do I get for frying a redguard parasite with fireball?

 

[Zer0wing]

The important consideration is, how many xp points do I get for frying a redguard parasite with fireball?

Depends. If you can stand against against g*rmans and wipe their forces out of Riga, then alot. If not, YOU DIED.

 

[Zer0wing]

intellectual Mensheviks

>(((Menshevicks)))
>Intellectual


And this is what bias I was talked about, one of the many. You can't just write a good script with such individuals at all, the logic will suffer and succumb to their bias.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

If it has to be Russian revolution setting, why not use someone like Corto Maltese as "outsider" protagonist?

Besides Corto had the best companion.

 

[JarlFrank]

I wanna play as this guy

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

I wanna play as this guy

I thought that he would've made an excellent antagonist.

 

[Erebus]

The French Revolution offers, in my opinion, four different types of setting :

- The very beginning, when the king is still a near-absolute monarch, the nobles and the high clergy are trying to protect their privileges, the middle class is eager for reform and the poor are angry.

- The beginning of the Revolution : the attempt to have a parliamentary monarchy, wars with foreign monarchies, popular unrest, the double dealing of the king...

- The Revolutionary Republic and the Terror.

- The most original source of inspiration would be the few years between the fall of Robespierre and Napoleon becoming dictator. It was a time of instability and corruption ; the Republican ideals were much weaker than before, the army was playing an increasing role, a return to monarchy was quite possible. But it would probably be a bit too complex a setting (as the setting of a sequel, it could perhaps work).

 

[Humanophage]

>(((Menshevicks)))
>Intellectual


And this is what bias I was talked about, one of the many. You can't just write a good script with such individuals at all, the logic will suffer and succumb to their bias.

Why? I'm anti-Menshevik, but they are a typical intellectual party together with the kadets, as acknowledged by their opponents. E.g., Trotsky repeatedly attacks Martov for being an ineffectual intellectual, while Trotsky is in turn attacked as such by his opponents. If anything, it was an accusation among the Bolsheviks.

For balance, you can employ supporters of various causes to write the replies and arguments for their preferred sides.

Personally, if the game were to be a semi-strategy, in the first naive playthrough where you "roleplay yourself", I'd first try to establish a non-monarchist non-imperialist ethnonationalist movement a la Dmowski, but for Russians.

 

[Zer0wing]

Why? I'm anti-Menshevik

Then you probably know the lifepath of Trotsky from real history and don't pay attention to white guard propaganda materials, and therefore, know that Leon started his revolutionary dolboeb career as anti-marxist and continued in menshevick kind of party and joined bolshevicks late june 1917 when they become popular, against Lenin's orders. So much for democratic centralism.

For balance, you can employ supporters of various causes to write the replies and arguments for their preferred sides.

Life and history of early 20th century is anything but balanced for Russia. If anything, it's a history of how bolshevicks broke the political balance. Balancing of writing would inevitably lead to all factions being morally grey caring for power and authority alone and beg the question - why the fuck there's a need for revolution? Which questions the existance of such a game in the first place.

 

[Ol' Willy]

Mensheviks, Bolsheviks, Left SRs... just different colours of scum.

 

[laclongquan]

The fact that so few revolution-setting games was made just say it all about what gamers think of revolution.

What you think is cool doesnt mean others will think it cool.

Hell, What you think is cool doesnt mean you would even play it.

 

[Bastardchops]

So long as you can foil the revolution and restore the monarchy.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

That is kinda obvious. When you play Dungeons & Dragons, you don't expect to play as the evil dragon (or the dungeon, for that matter). Why would you expect to play as the evil commies or jacobins then?

The Codex expects that any worthwhile RPG will contain enough C&C to allow for an evil playthrough.

 

[Alex]

That is kinda obvious. When you play Dungeons & Dragons, you don't expect to play as the evil dragon (or the dungeon, for that matter). Why would you expect to play as the evil commies or jacobins then?

The Codex expects that any worthwhile RPG will contain enough C&C to allow for an evil playthrough.

Sure, but it will complain if the option is being a dumb, moustache twirling villain.