How Far Are Gamers Willing to Stretch D&D?

[DragonLancer]

Here's a question that I've been mulling over for a bit:

I've got an idea for a campaign setting. Instead of fantasy using the standard Dark Ages/Medieval/Renaissance European foundations, it's a look at what fantasy would be if it was based on a mixture of the American Western and Chinese Wuxia.

Friends I've spoken to find it interesting, and really get into it once I give details. However, each one of them has recommended coming up with an entirely new system for it....with everyone stating a variation on the following: "D&D players will not go that far out of the box."

So I'm wondering....is there room for a setting, intended for use with the core rules, that is so far from the standard fantasy tropes? Or is a new rules set the way to go?

For me, I wouldn't play it. Thats mainly because I have no interest in the material that has inspired it. I also wouldn't want the D20 system for it if I did play it. GURPS would probably suit you better.

Just my opinion.

 

[Stormborn]

Stormborn-- you hit the nail on the head.

<snip>

The comments I've received here have convinced me that a setting for Core D&D wouldn't really fit. The question now is whether I'd be better served by designing a true "second generation" d20 system (like Green Ronin did with M&M and True20), or by designing a new system specific to the setting.

....and yes, folks: This is intended for eventual publication, not just a home game.

Thanks. Perhaps for now you might try a True20 version, I think it could work and GR is licencing publishers to come up with T20 material. Might be a chance to get it out to a wider audience. Later you could do it dual stat somehow, using T20 and a new system.

I'd be delighted to offer further input, if you should need any, once I have a few things taken care of for a certain Imperial Age line that you might be familiar with.

 

[joela]

Here's a question that I've been mulling over for a bit:

I've got an idea for a campaign setting. Instead of fantasy using the standard Dark Ages/Medieval/Renaissance European foundations, it's a look at what fantasy would be if it was based on a mixture of the American Western and Chinese Wuxia.

You mean like Trigun D20?

http://www.amazon.com/Trigun-D20-Michelle-Lyons/dp/1894938445

 

[GMSkarka]

You mean like Trigun D20?

Never seen Trigun, but from what I understand, it's more of a space western.


What I'm talking about is more like Stephen King's The Dark Tower meets The Storm Riders.

 

[joela]

Never seen Trigun, but from what I understand, it's more of a space western.

True, but it wouldn't be difficult to port over any of the myriad anime martial arts rules for d20 out there (d20 BESM, etc.).

 

[Desdichado]

What I'm talking about is more like Stephen King's The Dark Tower meets The Storm Riders.

Isn't that a song by The Doors?

 

[BadMojo]

Never seen Trigun, but from what I understand, it's more of a space western.


What I'm talking about is more like Stephen King's The Dark Tower meets The Storm Riders.

Sounds like a cool setting to me. Two of my favorite things in the whole, wide world are Wuxia and Spaghetti Westerns. I wouldn't have a problem with this as a D&D setting as opposed to a D20 Modern (or other system). Spellslinger and Dragonstar were two other "genre busting" settings that, IMO, if anything didn't go far out enough.

With magic implemented properly and the ability to do all kinds of over the top Wuxia stuff, I think this would kick major butt.

 

[GreatLemur]

What I'm talking about is more like Stephen King's The Dark Tower meets The Storm Riders.

Oh, hell. That does sound nice.

Sounds like a cool setting to me. Two of my favorite things in the whole, wide world are Wuxia and Spaghetti Westerns. I wouldn't have a problem with this as a D&D setting as opposed to a D20 Modern (or other system). Spellslinger and Dragonstar were two other "genre busting" settings that, IMO, if anything didn't go far out enough.

Yeah, didn't they both keep the usual D&D races and magic systems, despite how out-of-place they seemed in their settings?

 

[Wolv0rine]

Sounds like Avatar, or Kung-Fu, or Shanghai Surprise/Knights (Jackie Chan/Owen Wilson), or most any Kurisawa film... meaning yeah, I can see it as a workable combination. For myself, I tend to envision western games being in the realm of D20M more often than D&D, but a few people've shown how it works.
I think your friends who say it's too far outside the boix are either not thinking the idea through any farther than "That'd never work in (cartoon dungeon master's voice)The Realms Of Dungeons And Dragons!(/cartoon dungeon master's voice)... OR they don't exist and you used them as a foil against which to ask for feedback to your idea.
Either way, yeah it works fine.

 

[scourger]

Here's what I put in another post about the d20 games we've played:

I ran core D&D, DragonStar, Omega World, Judge Dredd, Spycraft, Conan, Spellslinger, a pirate-themed D&D with primitive guns, and D&D with mutants & jedi. So, I took the d20 system to just about every genre as a DM. I played in several different D&D games, plus Wheel of Time, Star Wars, Omega World, and Call of Cthulhu d20. I even read most of the d20 Modern SRD.

But, D&D is the lowest common denominator. The further a product deviates from it, the less reception it gets in our group. And, products that are the most portable to the core game get purchased & used. That's just my experience, though.