I'll be joining +Erik Tenkar's game next Friday and he'll be using Sanctuary, the focal point of the Thieves World setting. It's one of my favorite setting I've never had the play in. I'm a huge fan of the books and love the idea of walking through the Maze to the Vulgar Unicorn.
It got me to thinking of some of the settings, maybe they have their own ruleset (like Pendragon) or part of a larger ruleset (like Ravenloft) that I'd love to play in, but haven't. What would your list look like?
My list looks like this:
- Thieves World, some of the first gaming books I read, probably influenced my gaming style more than any other books
- Pendragon, playing in the world of Camelot would be a lot of fun, and I think the way they set up scenarios fits the genre perfect to reenact or rift on the existing legends
- Ravenloft, had the adventure module when it first came out, bought the Land of Dread supplements, never got to play in the land of Straud. There are so many cool ideas I could think of using this, the horror movie junkie in me salivates at the opportunities this kind of sandbox would provide
- Babylon 5, +Rob Conley GMed a short campaign a while back and had a great time. I mainly steer towards fantasy, but once in a while I love to get into sci-fi action
- Firefly, speaking of sci-fi action. I love the show, but not sure how the setting would be for gaming. I'd be interested to find out
That's the list I can think of off the top of my head. I'll be curious to see what other come up with.
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Ars Magica comes to mind and perhaps Greyhawk too. I did ran a handful of campaigns in the late 70s but nothing since.
ReplyDeleteAs for Firefly the setup is pretty much like Traveller but with the following differences
ReplyDelete1) a mildly authoritarian republic, the Alliance, controlling most settlements instead of a mildly authoritarian empire, the Imperium.
2) No FTL travel. Instead you have a multiple star, solar system with extensive terraforming of moons and planets.
Here is an image, http://www.fireflyshipworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/verse-frontbig1.jpg
Greyhawk, I think is the big one for me. Probably more out of a sense of nostalgia, and such than anything else. But I think, especially if I were to run something in a pre-made setting, Greyhawk would be the one I'd lean toward.
ReplyDeleteThe Hyborian Age. I played a brief couple of sessions of the Conan RPG a long time ago, and loved it. That world is so rich and ripe for adventure.
ReplyDeleteLas Vegas
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I guess it's a slightly different answer than my setting I like but I've never played.
ReplyDeleteThe Gothic Earth setting of Ravenloft might be one, though I would probably want to modify it. Pendragon would definitely be on the list, or GURPS Camelot, really, though Pendragon would probably be better.
Stargate - I loved this show 9at least the first 6 seasons) and Sheldon from BBT hasn't pointed out things that make me cringe thinking about as he did with B5.
ReplyDeleteBoot Hill - Played this when it came out and it was a lot of fun, but never campaigned in it.
Holdstock's Mythago Woods - I've been trying to develop this setting for play.
Urshurak - This was a cheesy Tolkien rip-off but I loved it as a kid. It is so cheesy that I am convinced it would make a fantastic game setting.
I can say from experience that Stargate is an excellent RPG setting.
DeleteQuestworld: the "lost" RuneQuest setting. I own it, but never have had a chance to play in it on either side of the screen.
ReplyDeleteHyboria - I have never had a chance to play in Howard's world.
Richard Tierney's Roman Empire - a strange mix of gnostic ideology and Lovecraftiana done as sword & sandal action adventure? OK!
Star Trek - ran it a few times using the FASA version, but never have had a chance to play in it much (except with Star Fleet Battles, but that's not a RPG). Better, though, would be to run Starships & Spacemen, to get rid of the expectations.
Transhuman Space - love the idea, would love to play in it.
Tanith Lee's Flat Earth - it strikes me that there is a lot of implied adventure there, just waiting. Do it in Rolemaster and the Eshva could center on the Dervish spell list.
The Atlantean Age of The Arcanum - we sort of played around with this for a session or two, but never really got to experience the setting.
Hârn - haven't had much chance to play in it.
Unknown Armies - I ran this once, but didn't really understand the system and it went poorly as a result. I'd like to give it a try again as a player.
I could keep going, but that seems like more than enough for the moment.
Heinlein's Future History- riding around the solar system on atomic rockets, dodging the Space Patrol, Venusian slavers and Martian nests. Don't know if any one ever wrote an official setting for it.
ReplyDeleteSpace 1889 - as above but with Victorian mad scientists. I think my oldest may have pilfered my copy.
Hyborean Age - always loved the Conan stories.