Night Watch -- What system?

[jdrakeh]

What about Angel? Seems perfect for that setting...

This was actually my first thought, but upon discovering this, I had to do some re-evaluation. I know vs. Monsters quite well and it runs faster in actual play than any system thus far mentioned (making it perfect for the high martial arts). Plus, I can use Russian playing cards to enhance the 'feel' of a Night Watch campaign

The only real downside is that the system has no default rules for magic (the vs. Elves supplement, does, however). Well, that and I have to wait almos two weeks to print a hardcover. That said, I went ahead and ordered a copy anyhow (well, two copies -- I got a softcover for my cheeto-eating players to foul with their greasy, orange, fingers). That said, I Angel is still looking awfully good. . .

I might have to grab a copy, just in case

 

[BadMojo]

My understanding is that it's not illegal in America to download foreign movies that have not been copyrighted in the US. The Russians might be pissed, though. Watch out for men with umbrellas poking you in the leg.

The Russians getting upset about copyright violations? That would be so much irony in one place at one time that the universe might implode.

I think True 20 could work and is a very slick system, but I think the best suggestion so far is Unisystem (magic from Witchcraft and the rest from Buffy/Angel).

For those who care, the main character in Nightwatch does a lot more "stuff" in the book than he does in the movie. As mentioned, he's not a field op at the beginning and is kind of bumbling as a result. From what I can recall, the movie seems to only cover the first third of the book "Nightwatch".

 

[Clueless]

vs. Monsters uses a card system? I'll admit I'm unfamiliar with it...

 

[FunkBGR]

Hey -

Use Unknown Armies. Simple, gritty, and made-for-movie feel.

Unknown Armies. By Atlas Games.

 

[jdrakeh]

vs. Monsters uses a card system? I'll admit I'm unfamiliar with it...

Yep. It's dirt simple and ultra-cinematic. I reviewed the original PDF release of the Deluxe Edition for RPGNow back in October of 2005. Here's a link. You can snag the free version of the game here (this is the 24-Hour RPG version, the revised free version appears to no longer be validated for sale at RPGNow).

 

[Calico_Jack73]

I TOTALLY disagree. The only book that you NEED with WoD 2e is the core book. Vampire, Mage, and Werewolf are all optional. I'm personally planning on using WoD 2e to run my own game based on the "Supernatural" TV series and am fully prepared to come up with my own monsters to keep my players guessing. If you want to create your own rules for the Gloom then do it. Unless a rpg company were to create a "Night Watch" game you are stuck taking another game and modifying it to fit. Vampire, Mage, and Werewolf are all White Wolf's takes on those character types but there are no rules set in stone that you can't come up with your own take.

A Dresden Files RPG is supposed to be coming out. I don't know much about the system but from what I know from the novel series and the television series it may work for you.

The reason that I discounted the WoD is because 98% of it has nothing to do with Night Watch. Specifically, none of the supernatural creatures in Night Watch resemble those in the WoD on anything more than a purely superficial level and supernatural abilities (including magic) don't seem to work anything like they do in the WoD. You'd essentially have to rewrite the entire game line to make it resemble Night Watch, not just adjust some fluff.

The only supernatural abilities that vampires possess in the film are the ablility to enter the Gloom and the ability to call prey using a psychic lure of sorts. And in the WoD the former power is reserved almost exclusively for werewolves (entering the Umbra). For shapechangers, transformation to animal form is a swift (almost instantaneous) process in Night Watch, whereas it takes place in cumbersome stages in the WoD.

Then you get to all of the weaknesses/vulnerabilities that WoD creatures possess, which Night Watch Others don't. Or the weaknesses that Night Others possess that WoD creatures don't. And, man, don't forget the psychic powers so prevalent in the films. Or the symapthetic magic.

To do all of that in the WoD, you'd need to buy a minimum of four core books, ignore large swaths of them, rewrite other swaths, and still need a couple of supplements to boot. That simply seems totally impractical (both financially and time-wise)

I'm starting to think that Danny A. may be right. . . this might be a job for something like GURPS.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The common advantage to HERO, M&M and GURPS is flexibility- they're all designed to simulate any genre.

The trick will be figuring out how many points/what power level best simulates what you're trying to do.

HERO 5th (my personal fave) Advantages & Disadvantages:

Advangages- Most flexible overall, fairly well balanced powers, & lots of internal consistency across sourcebooks. Only need the one core book to play, though Dark Hero & Fantasy Hero could be useful, ditto the gizmo book. Once your PCs are set up the way you want, things pretty much run themselves.

Disadvantages- Lots of numbers to crunch, though its mainly during ChaGen, which can take a LOT of time. A skilled player can really screw you over with his build if you're not careful.

M&M 2Ed Advantages & Disadvantages:

Second most flexible overall, with good balance & consistency. Almost all the advantages of HERO 5th, but with less number crunching. Given the popularity of the D20 system in general, M&M 2Ed will seem very familiar, so any learning curve will be flat. Again, a skilled player can easily build an abusive PC.

GURPS Advantages & Disadvantages:

Very Flexible, but not as much as the 2 above. I can't speak to the current edition, but past editions have had some significant differences between the Core book and some of the supplements. GURPS seems to work at the heroic to low-power superheroic level- I haven't seen too many high-power GURPS games that couldn't have been run better in other systems. However, no other game I can think of has more well-researched sourcebooks out there- I buy them for using with other games. Again, you'd only need the core book, but there are others you might want to consider, like the Martial Arts book, Gadget books, and so forth.