Gaming/RPG Fiction Should Make A Comeback

[Dannyalcatraz]

In the 1990s, many RPGs had strong fiction lines, from Forogtten Realms to Shadowrun to World of Darkness and beyond. These days it looks like the only line to really have a strong fiction presence is Warhammer (mostly 40K).

I wish game tie in fiction would have a second renaissance along with TTRPGs. There are so many cool worlds in the TTRPG space and I feel like many would make good settings for fiction. Plus, a lot of young and hungry authors get their start in tie in fiction.

What game tie-in fiction did you like "back in the day"? What modern games would make a good basis for new tie-in fiction?

This is cheating a little bit, but I would like a series of Fallout novels. Also, I'd love for Star*Drive to make a come back both in TTRPGs and tie-in fiction.

TBH, I have never bought any gaming-inspired fiction.

…but I frequently think of my PCs in literary terms. AND I have often statted out characters in fiction I’m writing using RPG systems- usually HERO. To me, doing so works like a character Bible, but with more concrete details.

There’s even a couple characters I’d love to write up in fiction, but right now, I don’t have a good enough handle on them to do so. Even if I did, most people wouldn’t recognize the fact they were derived from a gaming source*, mainly because they’d probably be in a “homebrew” setting, not a published one.






* several, however, have been brainstormed on ENWorld, so y’all might pick up on their origins.

 

[Tonguez]

I liked Murder in Cormyr, having a detective story in DnD was a fun idea

 

[GreyLord]

As someone mentioned previously, Black Library seems to have a lot of fiction still published. Of course it is Warhammer Fiction, but it is connected to the series.

We've recently had Dragonlance and a novel or two for D&D as well (though some of it was for the film).

 

[Corinnguard]

Also, I'd love for Star*Drive to make a come back both in TTRPGs and tie-in fiction.

Ditto for an updated version of the Star Frontiers RPG.

Hmm... just a thought, but maybe the races for both Star*Drive and Star Frontiers could be brought back as additional heritages for EN Publishing's the Voidrunner Codex RPG.

 

[Reynard]

We've recently had Dragonlance and a novel or two for D&D as well (though some of it was for the film).

Perhaps weirdly, I don't really consider W&H Dragonlance novels to be game tie in fiction...

 

[Bedrockgames]

I liked the Ravenloft Books, some Forgotten Realms like Ice wind Dale and Dragonlance. Remember also reading an Earth Dawn book as well. It really was a heyday for this stuff

 

[payn]

Pathfinder has novels coming it seems.

 

[Belen]

In the 1990s, many RPGs had strong fiction lines, from Forogtten Realms to Shadowrun to World of Darkness and beyond. These days it looks like the only line to really have a strong fiction presence is Warhammer (mostly 40K).

I wish game tie in fiction would have a second renaissance along with TTRPGs. There are so many cool worlds in the TTRPG space and I feel like many would make good settings for fiction. Plus, a lot of young and hungry authors get their start in tie in fiction.

What game tie-in fiction did you like "back in the day"? What modern games would make a good basis for new tie-in fiction?

This is cheating a little bit, but I would like a series of Fallout novels. Also, I'd love for Star*Drive to make a come back both in TTRPGs and tie-in fiction.

I may disagree. I love the FR novels, for instance, but I cannot run or play in an FR game because the novels killed my view of the world as a place for adventure. Why adventure in a place that has so many epic heroes.

Also, tie-in novels are awful for income. The authors are treated badly, barely get paid, and their tie-in fame rarely translates to sales of their own books.

I just saw where a famous Star Trek tie-in author is destitute. Why? The work for hire novels paid poorly and even they either get no royalties or get defrauded out of them.

One of my favorite authors, Michael Stackpole, barely writes because the audience for his Star Wars or Battletech novels did not follow his own works.

So the tie-in tends to be a dead end for a writer who is forced to write on grueling deadline for truly awful pay.

 

[Belen]

Ohhh, the Warrior Trilogy perhaps?

Grey Death Saga, Warrior trilogy, Wolves on the Border, Clan Invasion, Jade Falcon trilogy…

I own the entire original run.

Great books for military sf.

 

[Belen]

Children of Kerensky is the book my buddy recommended to me. So I'm just kind of starting there.

Really want to get into the Battletech lore as he and I love playing the tabletop game.

Dude, start with Decision at Thunder Rift or Warrior books.