RPGObjects: Boss for a day

[Masada]

I gave a bare skeleton of what could be done with Angels... There are several hosts of angels after all... much more than just the Nephilim. Plus, what of the true angels? Not just the half-breeds? Of course only the half breeds can play with the Mortals (according to Constantine anyway).

Regardless... B&R was some groundbreaking stuff and I'd love to see Chuck go wild with it (some more). But then I suppose it is hard to work with and not violate someone's belief system somewhere...

 

[Vigilance]

I gave a bare skeleton of what could be done with Angels... There are several hosts of angels after all... much more than just the Nephilim. Plus, what of the true angels? Not just the half-breeds? Of course only the half breeds can play with the Mortals (according to Constantine anyway).

Regardless... B&R was some groundbreaking stuff and I'd love to see Chuck go wild with it (some more). But then I suppose it is hard to work with and not violate someone's belief system somewhere...

The problem isn't really offending anyone. The book really has its OWN cosmology that doesn't really conform to any real world religion. That was one of the mission statements of the book, that no one has it completely "right".

So when you see a Jewish organization trying to track down and kill the anti-Christ, you know you're through the looking glass (some people have pointed to this as an error in the book, assuming I didn't think it through, when in fact they're coming up against just how secret the game's secret history is).

The real reason I tend to "underplay" settings, and I did this with Prometheus as well, is to give the GM room for growth and individuality.

I'm sort of alone in the wilderness on this one it seems. Most people, fans, reviewers, even other writers seem to think a setting must be 300+ pages. I always preferred settings more like the original Greyhawk (grognard alert) where if you moved from one Greyhawk campaign to another they might hardly be recognizable.

As it stands right now, B&Relics could be used for Shadowchasers, Buffy, Omen, Exorcist, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider and a host of other modern fantasy/gothic horror campaigns.

At some point, expanding the setting is going to start closing those doors.

Similarly Prometheus currently supports campaigns strongly evocative of Firefly, Cyberpunk, Starship Troopers and ERB's science fantasy books.

I don't think we're quite to that point yet with either setting book (especially Prometheus), more pointing out why my setting books tend to be smaller than people like.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I'm sort of alone in the wilderness on this one it seems. Most people, fans, reviewers, even other writers seem to think a setting must be 300+ pages. I always preferred settings more like the original Greyhawk (grognard alert) where if you moved from one Greyhawk campaign to another they might hardly be recognizable.

Huzzah! Make room over in that wilderness you find yourself in, I think I'll find a spot, lay out my picnic blanket, and have a feast!

 

[Masada]

The stuff RPGO does is great! I'm not looking for 300+ pages detailed campaign material... just a little more Chuck Rice research on things like... the history of the Vatican, expanded history of the Templars, additional secret societies, etc. Of course I can come up with my own and I can freely ignore the stuff you write that I don't like. But a lot of this stuff could be developed with a near comic-book like quality where only tiny snatches of the larger story are ever told.

I like handy little references on specific narrow topics. Perfect for the PDF market. This is just one man's opinion and preference. If you did write 300+ pages, I would, of course, buy it and read it. Just the ideas alone swirl in to a 1000 half formed stories in my head.

So far I've not read anything by RPGO that didn't have at least high entertainment value. Expand what you want for any setting you prefer. I think the Blood & Relics setting is my favorite. But I'm a poor marketing subject since I'd probably buy anything you published.

 

[Psion]

The real reason I tend to "underplay" settings, and I did this with Prometheus as well, is to give the GM room for growth and individuality.

I'm sort of alone in the wilderness on this one it seems. Most people, fans, reviewers, even other writers seem to think a setting must be 300+ pages. I always preferred settings more like the original Greyhawk (grognard alert) where if you moved from one Greyhawk campaign to another they might hardly be recognizable.

As it stands right now, B&Relics could be used for Shadowchasers, Buffy, Omen, Exorcist, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider and a host of other modern fantasy/gothic horror campaigns.

At some point, expanding the setting is going to start closing those doors.

I am intrigued by your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

 

[Vigilance]

I am intrigued by your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

You mean like most settings where you subscribe rather than just buy them and then play the game?

Chuck

 

[molonel]

What you enjoy creating is ravenous mythologies. The idea is somewhat gnostic, but it lies behind the best contemporary fantasy stories like Blade, Hellboy, Laurell K. Hamilton in her best books (up to and including Obsidian Butterfly) and Underworld. The real world is something underneath everything else. It incorporates aspects of all existing reality, and reinterprets them according to its own storyline. The X-Files was doing a wonderful job of this up until Season 4 or 5, or until the movie came out in theaters.

(They made the classic Moonlighting blunder: they were better at foreplay than actual delivery.)

 

[Vigilance]

(They made the classic Moonlighting blunder: they were better at foreplay than actual delivery.)

I think X-files was in sort of the same boat Lost is in now. They had a fairly finite idea of what was going on, and the show was much MUCH more successful than they ever anticipated.

In the case of the X-files, they could only draw it out for 5-6 seasons (I actually put the high water mark of the X-files at the "full disclosure" story line which was exactly that- you find out who cancer man is, what the conspiracy is about, what happened to Fox's sister... all of it... and the show continued on for like 2 and a half seasons after that somehow).

I understand the problem... TV shows "jump the shark" because the idea plays out before the show actually gets cancelled. Some showrunners have the chutzpah to just step away while others continue as long as they can get renewed.

RPGs of course, don't HAVE to run that way. Yes an RPG company needs to put out product regularly (monthly under most business models) to be viable but that doesn't mean you have to flog a setting forever.

I actually thought Fantasy Flight was one of the best companies at finding the right balance on a setting. But of course even in their case, I frequently hear people clamoring for more.

Which is, I suppose, the trick. You would rather hear that than "that 8 book series on the sewers of Waterdeep was too much".

 

[kroh]

Wait a sec....There's a newsletter? :wink:

I think , RPG Obj has done a great job of their products and part of the appeal is that they (settings) are so broad in scope. Can't wait to see what comes next!

Regads,
Walt

 

[Vigilance]

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