D&D campaigns inspired by other RPGs

[Starman]

I got a cool idea for a D&D campaign the other day and it was inspired by Ars Magica. Ars is one of my favorite games and I also really enjoy D&D. I was wondering what a D&D campaign would look like if it took the basic gist of Ars Magica and ran with it.

In Ars Magica, stories revolve around a covenent in Mythic Europe. A covenent is a small group of mages who have gathered together for resources, protection, and companionship. At the covenent with them are companions (heroic non-magic users) and grogs (menial labor and defenders). Mages have social problems because they are more apt to stay in their lab for months on end than to socialize and their ability to wield magic (the Gift) causes people to feel uneasy around them. They also happen to be more powerful than just about anyone else.

Now, how about taking the gist of Ars Magica and turning it into a D&D campaign. Players have two characters, a mage (6th level wizard) and a companion (fighter, rogue, barbarian, or non-magical ranger variant at 3rd level). Grogs of the covenent would use NPC classes (commoner, expert, or warrior) and be 1st level. Mages have a -4 penalty to all social interactions due to the Gift. Clerics and Paladins typically view magic as evil and do not typically associate with them, though there are exceptions. Adventures would revolve around the covenent (nearby monster causes trouble in the countryside, questing for sources of magic, trouble with the divine, etc.)

I've never played this, but the idea intrigued me enough to file it away for possible use in the future. What about you? Have you ever taken the gist of another game and run it with D&D? How did it work out? Have you had ideas like this, but not had a chance to run them? Discuss!

Starman

 

[Frostmarrow]

A couple of friends of mine are setting up a game of EON (a Swedish fantasy role-playing game) with D&D-rules. I'll be a gamekeeper (EON) /Initiate of The Order of The Bow (D&D).

EON has it's own setting with loads of background material but somewhat clunky game mechanics.

Big picture

 

[Starman]

I'm not thinking of converting a setting to D&D or using D&D rules to play in another setting, so much as taking the basic gist of a setting and using D&D rules to play it.

In the Ars Magica example, I gave. If I was going to run it, it wouldn't be in Mythic Europe. It would be in a homebrew setting that took the basic trappings (Covenents, Mages are more powerful than other characters) and ran with it.

Another example would be Dark Ages: Inquisitor. I really like this game, but the odds of me getting anyone I know to play it are about nil. However if I ran a D&D game in a homebrew setting wherein players were members of a secret church group dedicated to hunting down evil creatures and enemies of the faith, I wouldn't have a problem. I could make everyone take a few levels in cleric or paladin, use a few variant rules to up the gritty factor (MDT=10 or something), humans only.

Do you see what I'm getting at?

Starman

 

[Fieari]

Something I've oft wanted to try is a game of Paranoia, but using D&D. Since Paranoia is more of a state of mind and a mood than an actual game in and of itself (though it does come with a game in and of itself) it should be very possible to manage this. But alas, I'm in other games already and probably won't have the chance to try this out any time soon...

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Paranoia sounds like an interesting choice. Though would you put some all-knowing overlord in place of The Computer?

 

[JoeGKushner]

I used Mistridge and it's master, Grimgroth for a whole campaign. Worked well.

I've run AD&D games in Talislanta. Worked well.

I've used Harn as a campaign setting. Worked well.

Settings tend to be easier to use whole cloth. You just have to change certain assumptions about the way the world works when using a different engine.

 

[diaglo]

I got a cool idea for a D&D campaign the other day and it was inspired by Ars Magica. Ars is one of my favorite games and I also really enjoy D&D. I was wondering what a D&D campaign would look like if it took the basic gist of Ars Magica and ran with it.

the gist of this was done in D&D years and years and years ago.

i'm sure Ars Magica got its inspiration from D&D.

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

I was going to say that I've run D&D campaigns inspired by AD&D, but when I saw that Diaglo was the last poster to the thread I was afraid he'd beat me to it!

Seriously, though, I was inspired to pick up the 3rd Edition, and thus get back into D&D of any stripe, by Ars Magica. It really reawakened my love of fantasy roleplaying, and seeing that Jonathan Tweet was one of the 3E designers was all I needed to know.

 

[Psion]

i'm sure Ars Magica got its inspiration from D&D.

Statements from Tweet imply that you are correct.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

I was going to say that I've run D&D campaigns inspired by AD&D, but when I saw that Diaglo was the last poster to the thread I was afraid he'd beat me to it!

Seriously, though, I was inspired to pick up the 3rd Edition, and thus get back into D&D of any stripe, by Ars Magica. It really reawakened my love of fantasy roleplaying, and seeing that Jonathan Tweet was one of the 3E designers was all I needed to know.

I think Tweet really has a great understanding of fantasy role playing.