Discworld

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Afterward, examine carefully how well you think the novels would translate into an RPG session. IMO, it's just not possible. Like most novels, Discworld novels focus on only one or two protagonists and how they deal with the problem at hand. It just doesn't translate to RPing.

Uh, that sounds like many RPGs.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I have no problem RPing in a campaign/game set in a novel.

The REAL issue is that, unless everyone is at least somewhat familiar with the source material, it's probably not going to be "right" to somebody. You know, like the guy who joins the MERP game and wants to play a werewolf "defender of Mother Nature"...

 

[Balesir]

The REAL issue is that, unless everyone is at least somewhat familiar with the source material, it's probably not going to be "right" to somebody. You know, like the guy who joins the MERP game and wants to play a werewolf "defender of Mother Nature"...

Very true, but then I think every variety of roleplaying is at its best if everyone taking part knows what the expectations are for the "quality" of play.

 

[Horatio]

My opinion is that something like Discworld deserves its own system that would suit it well.

For example, the mechanics behind the theory of narrative causality should be reflected in the rules somehow, derivately, heroes should have some sort of genre-savviness stat

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Very true, but then I think every variety of roleplaying is at its best if everyone taking part knows what the expectations are for the "quality" of play.

Right, but RP based on a particular work generally narrows the "window of acceptability" significantly. After all, even though Glen Cook's Garrett, P.I., Robert Asprin's* Myth series and Terry Pratchett's Discworld are all comedic fantasy series, they have different feels and conventions within them. What works in one may not work at all in another.

And, of course, not everyone has read any or all of the books in each series. Take me, for instance: while I've read the entirety of Discworld and most of the Garret, P.I. books, I've never even touched a Myth series book, even though I'm happily familiar with some of Robert Asprin's other work.

So playing a comedic fantasy homebrew based on all of those- plus others- would in some ways be much easier than playing in one based on but a single one.







* Trivia: Robert Asprin died in 2008, while reading a Discworld novel.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

My opinion is that something like Discworld deserves its own system that would suit it well.

For example, the mechanics behind the theory of narrative causality should be reflected in the rules somehow, derivately, heroes should have some sort of genre-savviness stat

Good call on the narrative causality, but I think the genre awareness stuff dropped off after the Colour of Magic and the Light Fantastic.

Still, GURPS books have a lot of value as sourcebooks, even if you just feed all the stats into a woodchipper. An updated Discworld sourcebook, especially at this point in Sir Pratchett's life (and thus Discworld output), is a very good thing indeed.

 

[Argyle King]

I agree with Whiz. As I said elsewhere, the GURPS books I do already have are some of the most informative rpg books I've ever read on their respective subjects.

While I'm not familiar with Discworld, the opinions of the source material seem to be very good. Since I have no problem with the system that the book is being made for, it seems like a win/win to me. I could probably use some of the sillier concepts involved in the Discworld rpg for some of the whacky concepts I have for Dungeon Fantasy games.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The Unseen University stuff in the GURPS Discworld book is probably largely portable to any magical university, although the Librarian is very identifiable (as is the current archchancellor) and you'll need to either ditch him or do a lot of work to disguise him from your group, unless you openly intend an homage.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As I said elsewhere, the GURPS books I do already have are some of the most informative rpg books I've ever read on their respective subjects.

IME, that is a pretty common opinion- I share it, for example!

 

[Tonguez]

I've read all the DiscWorld novels (including the Tiffanny Aching books) and I use to have Gurps Lite Discworld game. While the novels are gems and even the gurps book is good playing the game just didn't work. It needs a very skilled and very informed group to play the setting with the same comedic genius as TPratchett. Without him it kind of falls flat and becomes something of a quirky urban fantasy (I played Bogeyman btw)