Starcraft RPG: Who would be interested?

[DMH]

There already was a Starcraft RPG. I sank wonderfully.

It doesn't help that the line got canned before the HC was released. That stupid box set was meant to draw SC players to Alternity. There are a couple files in the resources section of A.net that fill the gaps (plus a whole subforum devoted to the setting), but it would be nice to see a 300-400 page book.

 

[EyeontheMountain]

Wow, I cast the tying vote!!

I have no interest in a Star-whatsits game. No matter the system.

 

[johnnype]

I'd buy that. Actually someone on the PC Gamer podcast suggested Blizzard try a Diablo style Starcraft game. An Action RPG if you will. I'd buy that too but the pen and paper variety would work for now.

 

[Wayside]

Oooh. Starcraft 2. Thanks for the heads up! Now I have even more motivation to get a new computer. :-/

Don't buy that new computer just yet. No release date has been announced, and most of the major sites I've seen are guessing 2009 at the earliest.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I think others have pointed out - StarCraft as we know it from the games doesn't make a good setting

What's the players job in the world? They can't be just grunts, because that's not fun.
If you play in the StarCraft universe, you want to be able to be a Protoss, because they are at human-like in intellect and personality.

But you also want different characters to work together, and cooperating between Protoss and humans seems very rare.

Maybe it could work on a secluded world where Protoss and Terrans share a planet. There, characters could fight the various factions trying to overpower one of the colonies, and occassionally, they have to thwart of a Zerg attack. That might work, but it's not exactly playing in the whole StarCraft universe...

 

[Victim]

I think that the storyline characters of game provide an example of how the RPG should work. PCs aren't marines, they're Jim Raynors and Fenixes. Who cares if general cooperation between terrans and protoss is extremely limited? Heroes are going to team up anyway, convention be darned. They'll have to.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I said nope, I'd use some generic system, but that got me to thinking:

Most licensed games would probably be better off if they were written like The Pirate's Guide to Freeport - systemless, but providing all of the information you need to actually run a game there using whatever system you prefer. Then, you produce system-specific supplements which stat out NPCs, translate setting concepts into feats/magic/prestige classes, et cetera, according to the prospective market for each system.

A systemless setting book is just as good as a "proper" licensed RPG for the franchise-fans who will buy the book for the sake of the information it contains on the franchise - I still think most of the people who bought Serenity aren't playing games with it right now, and I know that about half of the people I know personally who bought the game never intended to play it - they just wanted more information on the Firefly 'verse.

In a way, it would be like those encyclopedias and visual companions for high-profile properties like The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, and Star Wars - it would certainly have a lot more crossover appeal for seeming like a guide to the world of the game than an actual separate game you'd have to learn to play, and I don't think that being written like a systemless roleplaying setting would really harm it on the "setting bible" front.

This crossover, mass-market appeal might help to mitigate the costs of selling at least two separate books before you can actually play a game in the setting - although, of course, plenty of people who do intend to game with the systemless book will be planning on doing the mechanical work themselves, anyway. Again, I know of people who own Serenity purely as a setting bible for their GURPS or Traveller games.

 

[Kanegrundar]

If it was done well it might be interested, but I think I could put something together pretty well just using the d20 rules I already have.

Ditto.

I've got the old Starcraft Alternity set. With the conversion guidelines put up by WotC a while ago, I could likely do it easily. However, if someone went and did the work for me, and did it well, I would likely snatch it up in a heartbeat.

 

[Doctor DM]

No, but that's just because I wouldn't really want to play a Starcraft game.

 

[ThoughtBubble]

It kinda depends on who all is making the product. If it's from people who've already made systems I love, then I'll take a look. Otherwise, you know, I can probably do better myself. I control the constraints of my campaign, so it's much easier for me to say "Ok, you're all totally awesome. So, the human gunslinger can keep up with the Zealot captain. He's just that much cooler than all the mooks.

Also, before selling humanity too short, remember, there are several missions in the human campaigns where you push the protoss back. Also, remember the UED. There were some darn good moments in there.

Anyway, back to the RPG comment, I think that I'd just find something trying to shoehorn starcraft into a typical "Class and levels" sort of RPG kind of a disservice to the world.