Help with Fantasy Film Noir

Laundreu · Mar 30, 2005

So I'm going to be running a Fantasy Film Noir game over the summer. Summer's pretty far away, I've got some time to prepare. Best to get started early, though, and that's what I was doing, when I stopped to think a moment...

What system do I want to run such a game in? I'm familiar with d20/DnD 3.5e, I've played Mutants and Masterminds, I've even done a wee bit of White Wolf, but I don't know what system would work best for the setting.

Literary note: the 'feel' of the setting is best caught in Simon R. Green's Nightside books, with gods and monsters walking the streets, and sometimes attending the same self-help groups.

BiggusGeekus · Mar 30, 2005

Eberron was written with this in mind.

But it sounds like you may want Planescape. Just set it in Sigil and never leave. You can find some conversions here: http://www.planewalker.com/index.php

Laundreu · Mar 31, 2005

With regards to Eberron...well, it's a rather good setting, compared to a lot of others, but it's a lot more pulp than it is film noir.

As for Planescape - yeah, I was kinda thinking the same way. I'd have to make some modifications, of course - ditch the Faction War 'cos it's silly, also lower their importance a tad. Things that make a group of private-eyes workable in Sigil.

cmanos · Mar 31, 2005

check out Feng Shui

Krieg · Mar 31, 2005

Laundreu said:
So I'm going to be running a Fantasy Film Noir game over the summer. Summer's pretty far away, I've got some time to prepare. Best to get started early, though, and that's what I was doing, when I stopped to think a moment...

What system do I want to run such a game in? I'm familiar with d20/DnD 3.5e, I've played Mutants and Masterminds, I've even done a wee bit of White Wolf, but I don't know what system would work best for the setting.

Literary note: the 'feel' of the setting is best caught in Simon R. Green's Nightside books, with gods and monsters walking the streets, and sometimes attending the same self-help groups.

From a rules standpoint, since you are already familliar with M&M you might want to consider taking a look at The Nocturnals & Noir...M&M Annual #1 also has some bits that might be of help.

ajanders · Mar 31, 2005

Noir

Noir is a setting, not a system.
It is not that different from pulp: noir characters and plots are more complex than pulp, but the action is very much the same.
Consider that if pulp is "four color action", noir is "eight or twelve color action"...the same things happen, but people are more conflicted about them.
Eberron will handle that quite nicely, but I think you could do a noir campaign in the City of Greyhawk or Sembia very easily...or in D20 Past, following either the Shadow Stalker or Pulp Hero models. D20 modern is obviously possible using either the Agents of Psi or the Shadow Chasers model.

It works in other systems as well: Shadowrun or GURPS noir is trivial: I think you could do it in Exalted, too, but it would be tricky for me, because I don't understand Exalted.

Krieg · Mar 31, 2005

ajanders said:
Noir is a setting, not a system.

I'm a bit confused, was this ever in question within the thread?!

Stormborn · Mar 31, 2005

Unknown Armies. One of the insperations for the book is Tim Powers, and his Drawing of the Dark and Anubis Gate and the like are fairly Noir.
The default setting is modern, so there are going to be some issues there. However, pick up Ascension of the Magdeline adventure. Set in Prague in the 1600s. Its a dual stat adventure with d20 and UA info, but the UA info will help you adapt. Combine the info it gives for a fantasy based d20 game and the UA mechanics presented and you have your first adventure and possibly the begining of a campaign.

Warning though, UA can get very dark and very disturbing. In fact if you are doing it right its supposed to. The monsters, and the gods, all started out as that nice quiet guy down the street who "kept to himself."

While system does not equal settting, UA or World of Darkness is probablly best designed to do what you are talking about. However, I do think that your construction of your world and your adventures are more important than the setting, and thus you can do it with just about anything. Rather than learn a new system, just use d20 and follow the plot of your favorite book. You might want to check out Glen Cook's Garret novels.