New generic contemporary/urban fantasy?

[VelvetViolet]

Since my search hasn't come up the way I liked, I was thinking of writing my own settings instead.

All the ideas I've been able to come up with are basically variations on two ideas:

1. Contemporary Fantasy Kitchen Sink. In this setting, various magical races live hidden among human society. Witches run electronic stores, vampires prey on clubbers in alleys, shifters... shift? The part I find most interesting is the idea of secret societies that study the magical world, that pursue quests, or fight crime, or pursue immortal intrigues across history. (My favorite game in this vein is the French ttrpg Nephilim: Revelation, in which the PCs are immortals who were personally involved in various historical intrigues and continue to pursue occult quests in the present. The GM book includes rules for quests that PCs can pursue in order to "win" the game by ascending to a higher existence.)
2. Paranormal Investigators. In this setting, the PCs investigate paranormal phenomena and maybe hunt monsters. While PCs can go freelance, the part I find most interesting is the concept of organizations that study and maybe hunt the paranormal. Private think tanks that study to develop applications to advance human technology, secret societies of knights that fight evil, big pharma corporations that cut up unicorns, secret wings of the Vatican, etc. (My favorite games in this vein are Dark•Matter and Hunter: The Vigil, in which PCs deal with cryptids and conspiracies. The former is a great who's who of 20th century cryptozoology, parapsychology and conspiracy theories. The latter is useful as a model for designing organizations that specifically deal with the paranormal.)

There's a fair amount of overlap. In some books I've read, the monster hunter guild has a truce with the magical world and act like vice cops. In others, the monster hunters are the villains who are written as irrational racists who either arbitrarily hate magic or want to hoard its power for themselves. (A Monster of the Week supplement features a mini-setting where you play a shadowy quasi-governmental organization that arbitrarily seeks to destroy all magic.)

 

[rhythmsoundmotion]

This reminds me of an idea I had. The supernatural are some of the super rich of the modern world (but not all of the super rich.) The conflict comes from eliminating those supernatural that are careless or foolish about their choices (and getting to role play super pampered and eccentric rich supernatural creatures.)

 

[Dbudzik]

Is there any generic contemporary fantasy/urban fantasy games that are not horror or claim to be horror? I’m looking for a game where you can play angels in human guise, dragon shifters, leprechauns, werewolves infected by a bite, hereditary vampires, frankenstein monsters, mad scientists, etc. living secretly in modern society. I’ve checked out Fate and Savage Worlds, but they’re too generic. I’ve done research on the urban fantasy boom of the 90s and 2000s: Everlasting, Witchcraft, Fireborn, Nephilim, Nightlife, Nightbane, Urban Arcana, White Wolf, etc. So far I haven’t been able to find anything current or flexible. I’m thinking about making my own and releasing it under public domain or something.

I’m not sure generic and urban fantasy go together. Usually, when I think of generic, I think of something like Fate or Cypher or GURPS. But for urban fantasy, it’s pretty hard to beat City of Mist.

 

[VelvetViolet]

This reminds me of an idea I had. The supernatural are some of the super rich of the modern world (but not all of the super rich.) The conflict comes from eliminating those supernatural that are careless or foolish about their choices (and getting to role play super pampered and eccentric rich supernatural creatures.)

Watch the movie Hide and Seek with Samara Weaving. The movie reveals that rich people are actually Satanists who sacrifice innocent people to Satan in order to maintain their wealth and power. I’m working on a conspiracy thriller setting involving cryptids and aliens and secret societies, with some tongue-in-cheek and satirical elements. That particular plot point is something I’m using in my setting verbatim.

 

[Jd Smith1]

This reminds me of an idea I had. The supernatural are some of the super rich of the modern world (but not all of the super rich.) The conflict comes from eliminating those supernatural that are careless or foolish about their choices (and getting to role play super pampered and eccentric rich supernatural creatures.)

The problem with that, is super-rich villains would have so little trouble disposing of PC foes, via legal systems, contract killers, spin doctors, and all sorts of pricy conventional methods.

IME, you want your villains in modern day a bit more limited in resources, and more out-of-sync with society.

 

[rhythmsoundmotion]

The problem with that, is super-rich villains would have so little trouble disposing of PC foes, via legal systems, contract killers, spin doctors, and all sorts of pricy conventional methods.

IME, you want your villains in modern day a bit more limited in resources, and more out-of-sync with society.

That is part of my idea the PCs are super rich! They can dish out legal system punishment etc as the antagonist can.
Or then can have vampire blood feud melee combat in secluded mansions.

 

[Jd Smith1]

That is part of my idea the PCs are super rich! They can dish out legal system punishment etc as the antagonist can.
Or then can have vampire blood feud melee combat in secluded mansions.

Ah. Got it.

 

[innerdude]

I would be surprised beyond belief if some combination of Savage Worlds Adventure Edition + East Texas University setting, or SWADE + Rippers setting, or SWADE + Deadlands Noir setting couldn't meet your requirements.

If it were me, I'd pull SWADE + ETU + Deadlands Noir off my shelf and go.

If that wasn't enough, I might reach for Trail of Cthulhu and the Horror Companion next.

Edit: Interface Zero also has a ton of fun gear, edges, and psionic stuff to go with urban paranomal style of play, even if you don't want to lean into the cyberpunk tropes.

 

[VelvetViolet]

I would be surprised beyond belief if some combination of Savage Worlds Adventure Edition + East Texas University setting, or SWADE + Rippers setting, or SWADE + Deadlands Noir setting couldn't meet your requirements.

If it were me, I'd pull SWADE + ETU + Deadlands Noir off my shelf and go.

If that wasn't enough, I might reach for Trail of Cthulhu and the Horror Companion next.

Edit: Interface Zero also has a ton of fun gear, edges, and psionic stuff to go with urban paranomal style of play, even if you don't want to lean into the cyberpunk tropes.

I have no idea what any of those references are.

 

[rhythmsoundmotion]

I have no idea what any of those references are.

ETU is Eastern Texas University a settings book for Savage Worlds DriveThruRPG (I don’t know if it allows supernatural Player Characters.)
Rippers Resurrected is another Savage Worlds setting DriveThruRPG (supernatural Player Characters?)
Deadlands Noir is another Savage Worlds setting DriveThruRPG (Supernatural Player Characters?)