What other genres would you like to see done right for RPGs?

VGmaster9 · Mar 18, 2011

We know genres such as high fantasy, cyberpunk, and superhero have lead to very well made RPGs, but there are others that still need work in making a good RPG. What other genres would you see as a successful RPG?

I'd like to see either a P&P adaptation of Fallout series or a completely new game with a similar setting, a real WWII RPG, a real western RPG, espionage, crime (like TSR's Gangbusters), sword-and-sandal, planetary romance, steampunk, prehistoric fantasy, a mecha RPG with no anime/manga influence, swashbuckling, and science fantasy.

Dice4Hire · Mar 18, 2011

Good question.

I cannot really think of many, though there are a few novel series I think might make a good game, but those are just variations on themes that have been done heavily already.

Stormonu · Mar 18, 2011

To my mind, most of these have been done

Fallout - someone's already done it and it's available as PDF
WWII RPG - World War II Heroes (though I'd like to see a non-d20 one)
Real Western - Boot Hill (though I thoroughly enjoy Deadlands)
Crime - What's wrong with Gangbusters? Though I'd love to see a Grand Theft Auto RPG; really though, this can be done with d20 modern
Espionage - Top Secret, James Bond 007 RPG (by Victory Games) or Spycraft
Non-anime Mecha RPG - FASA's Mechwarrior
Swashbuckling - 7th Sea (see also Swashbuckling Adventures)
Science Fantasy - Dragonstar, Shadowrun or Star Wars
Steampunk - Etherscope, Space 1889 (see also Red Sands)

The only three off your list that I haven't seen is a sword-and-sandals, planetary romance (what is that?) and prehistoric fantasy RPG. Though Dark Sun seems to come close to prehistoric fantasy/sword-and-sandals.

For me, there isn't a genre (beyond the ones you listed) I can think of that hasn't been covered by some game already.

Nagol · Mar 18, 2011

Stormonu said:
<snip>

The only three off your list that I haven't seen is a sword-and-sandals, planetary romance (what is that?) and prehistoric fantasy RPG. Though Dark Sun seems to come close to prehistoric fantasy/sword-and-sandals.

For me, there isn't a genre (beyond the ones you listed) I can think of that hasn't been covered by some game already.

Planetary Romance is the (sub?) genre that Edgar Rice Burroughs kicked off with the John Carter of Mars series.

The Shaman · Mar 18, 2011

VGmaster9 said:
*snippity-snip*.

Clearly you've never been to Singapore.

Seriously, there are many games out there that address most or all of these, and in many cases they've been around for decades.

When I wanted to run a cape-and-sword campaign, I had a wealth of choices, starting with the venerable En Garde! to the classic Flashing Blades to the more recent Swashbuckler!, which was released in a considerably expanded second edition in the last few years, and All For One! Régime Diabolique, which came out in the last year.

There are numerous generic systems I could use as well with swashbucking supplements, including Swashbucklers for GURPS, At Rapier's Point for Rolemaster, and Pirates of the Spanish Main or The Savage Worlds of Soloman Kane for Savage Worlds; I could even opt for AD&D with A Mighty Fortress or d20 Modern with d20 Past.

There are also fantasy games with a swashbuckling feel, such as 7th Sea (and its d20 incarnation, Swashbuckling Adventures), Lace and Steel, and Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies, which includes PDGSharp at its core. I've also discovered a number of tiny systems out there as well as games from other countries, such as Le Gant et l'Épée in French and El Juego de rol del Capitan Alatriste in Spanish.

The diversity in Western rpgs is perhaps even greater.

Many of these genres have been covered, and covered extensively; a little digging will turn up all manner of wonders.

VGmaster9 · Mar 18, 2011

Any good RPGs that cover genres like utopian/dystopian, alternate history, and apocalyptic (not post)?

Nadaka · Mar 18, 2011

VGmaster9 said:
We know genres such as high fantasy, cyberpunk, and superhero have lead to very well made RPGs, but there are others that still need work in making a good RPG. What other genres would you see as a successful RPG?

I'd like to see either a P&P adaptation of Fallout series or a completely new game with a similar setting, a real WWII RPG, a real western RPG, espionage, crime (like TSR's Gangbusters), sword-and-sandal, planetary romance, steampunk, prehistoric fantasy, a mecha RPG with no anime/manga influence, swashbuckling, and science fantasy.

Oh, so you mean d20 modern?

Ed_Laprade · Mar 18, 2011

Nadaka said:
Oh, so you mean d20 modern?

Nah, he means GURPS.

VGmaster9 · Mar 18, 2011

Ed_Laprade said:
Nah, he means GURPS.

More like individual games, like World of Darkness and Shadowrun. They can have systems like D20 and GURPS, but I don't mean as books for those systems.

Raven Crowking · Mar 18, 2011

Nagol said:
Planetary Romance is the (sub?) genre that Edgar Rice Burroughs kicked off with the John Carter of Mars series.

I would have put Lieutenant Gullivar Jones: His Vacation (1905) earlier, although it wasn't published in the US until after A Princess of Mars, there is arguable an influence from GJ:HV to APoM, as well as Arnold's earlier The Wonderful Adventures of Phra the Phoenician (Edwin Lester Arnold - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

wiki said:
Arnold's Lieutenant Gullivar Jones: His Vacation is considered important to 20th century science fiction literature, in that it may have inspired the Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom series, which was written six years later. Indeed, both Gullivar and Burroughs's character John Carter, first seen in A Princess of Mars (1917), are Southern United States soldiers who arrive on Mars and have numerous adventures, including falling in love with a Martian princess. The character of Carter, however, has more in common with Arnold's earlier creation, Phra. Critics would say that Arnold's Martian adventure was not as well written, and the fact that Gullivar doesn't quite defeat his enemies or get the girl in the end helps explain why his novel not as popular as Burroughs's, which was followed up by ten sequels.

RC

What other genres would you like to see done right for RPGs?

VGmaster9

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