'Fairy tale' fantasy RPG settings?

Zarithar · Jun 6, 2009

I'm kind of surprised Narnia hasn't been done as a D20 setting...

I would like to see it done.

Aus_Snow · Jun 6, 2009

Foolster41 said:
I'm currently working on a fairytale inspired role playing game.

For sale, freeware release, or private use only?

The story focuses on children as the main player chracters

Well, that sounds like Grimm (the RPG), among others. But then, that's hardly going to be an exclusive system-type feature. As for steampunk, there are many. I don't know if there are any that combine these two things. Probably, though.

The system uses Mind-Body-Soul

Is Tri-Stat.

as major attributes and minor attributes under each must equal the major attribute it's connected to.

Sounds like (from memory) In Nomine, kinda. And, no doubt, several others I'm not remembering the details of right now.

Zarithar said:
I'm kind of surprised Narnia hasn't been done as a D20 setting...

It has, for True20. Fan-made, but still.

Pseudonym · Jun 6, 2009

Have you checked out the Nevermore material for True20?

Aberzanzorax · Jun 6, 2009

On my list (that I DON'T own, so can't vouch for):

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Fantastical-Everlasting-Roleplaying-Game/dp/188735803X/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3IKH26SMCV8FA&colid=24FA7Z9GTPKKN"]Amazon.com: Book of the Fantastical (The Everlasting Roleplaying Game): Steven C. Brown: Books[/ame]

Review
This heady mix of races isn't lost to yet another cheese fantasy world. -- Game Wyrd, 21st, September 2003

Product Description
You live in a fantasy world called 21st century Earth. You are not human; you are one of the ancient people. Your kind built great cities that have never been surpassed long before the world flood mentioned in the Bible. You have survived by blending in with humanity or by living separately from it. For you see, there are plenty of earthly places mere mortals do not know how to find or travel. Just outside the human cities are great castles, vast dungeon complexes, dragon lairs, dwarven subtropolises, aeries of giant eagles, and townships of the elven folk. Some humans, including a society of role-playing gamers, have become real adventurers, joining with elves, faerie, and dwarves on their expeditions.

Become an elf, one of the beautiful ones. You can become a Xeysori (technoelf), one of the Dru Galeeth (dark underground dwellers), one of the Karges (elves of fire and steel), one of the Lethquesti (elven nobles), or one of the Valmori (keepers of mythical beasts). You long to be free of your earthly existence, seeking the Bright City of Elanthia, but you have a duty -- you must guard against the Doomlands of the North.

Become a dwarf, a fearsome descendent of Neanderthal man. Your people have been long divided since many of your best warriors became agents of the Princes of Fire (chaos) and the Lords of Stone (order). You can join them or serve as one of the Hammerguard, the Or'Valderis, protecting all from those of your people who now serve other causes. Your people have a great advantage; your technology is far superior to that of humankind.

Become a faerie, forever trapped in a quixotic reality of your own imagination. You are called "fey" for you are a powerful, extra dimensional force, forever moving toward some metamorphosis into something even beyond faerie understanding. You can be a red cap who slays humans, a storm giant who walks among the storm-filled sky, a banshee who travels the realms of the dead, a faerie knight adventuring for his queen, or anything else you can imagine.

Best yet, you can become a dragon, one of the ancient races that fathered the first civilizations, the creators of the dinosaurs, and the destroyers of it all. You can be the most powerful of all the eldritch -- the creature that questers and mythic gods fear. You can walk the earth clothed in human form, but you can dracomorph into your ultra deadly true form when dragon slayers come calling.

Click to expand...

Foolster41 · Jun 7, 2009

Aus Snow said: "For sale, freeware release, or private use only?"
Obviously if it's private use only, I don't have to worry. But I like the idea of doing something commercial as an option, thus why I'm asking. The game would probably be produced like Steampunk magazine (http://www.steampunkmagazine.com) where it's available to print yourself and fold into a little book, and with some way of ordering a more professional print version.

Aus Snow said: "Well, that sounds like Grimm (the RPG), among others. But then, that's hardly going to be an exclusive system-type feature. As for steampunk, there are many. I don't know if there are any that combine these two things. Probably, though."
There may be a few games with elements each that have in common what I have, but the main thing I'm asking is: Is there anything anyone is aware of already in existence that sounds close to all the elements of the game I described; A more "traditional" grimms/Fairytale based RPG about children as heroes with urban emphasis and a medium amount of "crunch". (More than Universialis or Wicked thing (Name? Can't find the same one on Google) less than D&D)

Aus Snow said: "Is Tri-Stat."
I know the tri-stat thing is very common, The idea of a "trinity" of mind, body, soul is very very old. I'll have to look at In Nomine to see if it's too similar. Thanks.

Zherog · Jun 7, 2009

The Arcana Minor product line from Crystal Unicorn Enterprises aims to bring D&D to children as young as 7 or 8. The second adventure in the series is in production now, and I have it on good authority that there'll be more -- possibly including expansion of the world (called Horizon).

Jack7 · Jun 7, 2009

My main focus is on the stories of Grimms, Hans Christian Anderson (my favorite story of all time is still the Snow Queen) and George MacDonald.

I read the Snow Queen about two weeks back. Really good story. Not my favorite, but really good story.

The setting is not published (and it's really not made for kids, though my kids play in it) but I wrote Ghantik specifically to be Fairy Tale and Myth. On Ghantik there are almost no humans. The only humans are on the Isle of Wight and Avalon.

The world of the setting is geographically identical to ours circa our world 800 Ad, but it is inhabited entirely by Sidhel, Giants, etc. It has different nations and races and states and animal and plant life, and magic (Elturgy) is natural to that world. Monsters are created in that world by magic, usually by accidental exposure to magic. So almost all of the monsters are unique and one of a kind. Magic doesn't work the way it does in D&D either. There are no spells per se, you create charms and enchantments based upon whatever you can think of or imagine and have the actual power to do. Magic items don't work like in D&D either. Most things tend to have "connections" between other things. For one thing aspects like soul, spirit, faith, will-power and so forth are played up. And it now includes things like Memory Palaces and Mind-Kammers. Things change and transmute over time too. That is to tell the truth one of the main points of the setting.

I fashioned the world after the Legend of Prester John but all of the races are based upon myth and fairy tales (such as Irish myth) but there is no human history because humans are not native to that world and only exist as a small enclave of exiles. So because the main kingdom, Kitharia, is based upon the legend of the Realm of Prester John their is a lot of allegory, religious sentiment, mythological and fairy tale elements. And it's heavy on role play.

Now there is another world, ours as a matter of fact, the human world, and these tow worlds interact from time to time. But it really isn't based on Medieval Europe, it's set in Constantinople about 800 AD. And our world doesn't have magic, it has miracles (thaumaturgy).

Anyway what I guess I'm trying to say is that if you don't find anything you like then you could easily enough create your own. Just take those elements from fairy tales and myth you like and want to include and create your own setting.

I'd also say Mystara has a few fairy tale kingdoms, though not the whole setting by any means.

Good luck.