RPGs based off of Licensed Properties

[Tinker Gnome]

So, what is everyones opinion in general of RPGs based off of different licensed properties such as the Star Wars RPG, Serenity(I hear opinions tend to get rather strong on this one), The Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, etc.

Do you think that they are like novelizations of movies that are just designed mostly to generate some extra popularity for the franchise? And that they are not meant to last too long?

Or are they genuinely well made games that can last for a long time?

I know that the quality of these games depends a lot on who develops them. I am just curious to see what everyone here thinks of them(Not just the ones I listed above, it can be any RPG based off of a series of novels, TV series, movie, etc.)

 

[jdrakeh]

It depends upon the individual game. I think that some properites have been made into games or supplements that were mediocre at best, while other properties have been turned into phenomenally entertaining games or supplements. There are entire game lines that contain products from both ends of the spectrum, IMHO.

 

[Umbran]

Or are they genuinely well made games that can last for a long time?

Well, in practice, there's only two that have lasted a long time - Star Wars and Star Trek. I can't think of any other licensed properties that have really hung in for a long haul.

I think games based off a particular property end up with a dynamic similar to movies based on comic books - often enough, if you aren't careful the result does not have appeal outside the fans of the original property.

Gaming is already a small niche. Gamers who are fans of a particular property is a much smaller niche, generally. So, such games are going to saturate that niche quickly, and then sales drop, and the game goes out of print.

 

[kitsune9]

So, what is everyones opinion in general of RPGs based off of different licensed properties such as the Star Wars RPG, Serenity(I hear opinions tend to get rather strong on this one), The Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, etc.

Do you think that they are like novelizations of movies that are just designed mostly to generate some extra popularity for the franchise? And that they are not meant to last too long?

Or are they genuinely well made games that can last for a long time?

I know that the quality of these games depends a lot on who develops them. I am just curious to see what everyone here thinks of them(Not just the ones I listed above, it can be any RPG based off of a series of novels, TV series, movie, etc.)

I think it depends upon the staying power of the original property. Things like Star Wars and Star Trek are bound to have incarnation after incarnation eventually pop up here and there. Games like Wheel of Time or Black Company are one-shot deals. While WoT or BC may be truly awesome products and books, they just aren't recognized like Star Wars would be.

On the presentation side, I liked how some of the properties where made. West End's Star Wars was awesome, D20 was "meh" for me, and while I own the Saga version, I haven't gotten into it, so can't comment. WoT is a great rpg resource and so was Black Company.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Licensed games are generally best when a system is specifically designed for them. That's one of the issues I have with Serenity and Battlestar Galactica roleplaying games - I don't think they should even remotely use the same system, which is clearly just MWP's pet in-house system blindly applied to whatever license they might get - and one of the reasons I think Star Wars Saga Edition is so much better than the two previous d20 versions; it's a thorough-going adaptation of the system to suit the needs of the license.

I also think licensed games are, with a very few exceptions, not likely to bring new people into the hobby the way people think they do.

 

[SiderisAnon]

In general, I find most licensed property gaming books to be a disappointment. The problem is that they tend to take a very limit scope thing, such as a single TV show or movie, and turn it in to a wide tapestry. It just doesn't work.

I think the staying power of Star Wars and Star Trek is that both encompass wide tapestry universies in their very nature. Frankly, the Star Wars universe is more varied than the D&D one.

When you have something more focused, like say Battlestar Galactica, there is really a limt to what you can play. Sure, you can do anything you like with the system, but then you're really not playing Battlestar Galactica, are you? I have seen several game systems where I love the original inspiration, but have no desire to try and play a game there.

There is also the drawback that your game will probably never live up to the original. We are not professional writers, so our dialog isn't as good. We can't go back and edit, so things lack the polish. We perhaps aren't as creative as the writers (at least in the limited avenue of the settings), so our campaigns dissapoint. I watched a friend try to run Wheel of Time once, and it was painful because they could never get anywhere near the glory the other playres saw in the books. (I had fun, but I have never read a single book in the series.)


And as noted above, it's a niche thing. Gaming is a niche market. Gamers who like show/movie X is a smaller niche. Those who then want to play repeatedly in that setting are an even smaller niche.

 

[Glyfair]

Well, in practice, there's only two that have lasted a long time - Star Wars and Star Trek. I can't think of any other licensed properties that have really hung in for a long haul.

James Bond lasted a good while. It was successful when the license ended. Given it was Avalon Hill (rarely known for giving an RPG decent support), and the many licensing issues James Bond has had over the years, any number of things could have been behind the lapse.

I think a JB RPG that successfully captured the feel of the movies (as the original did) and, to a lesser extent, the books could have very long legs.

 

[thundershot]

I think it's difficult to do a licensed property in an RPG format. Mostly because everyone will want to play their favorite characters. I think Star Wars did the best job, IMO... However I'd love to see the 4E versions of things like Farscape, Stargate, or Firefly...

 

[Crothian]

Call of Cthulhu has lasted for quite a while, too.

For the most part they are hit and miss with I would say more misses then hits. I'm sure they can be a pain for the publishers though as there is no way they can make all the fans happy and this industry's fans seem to like to have the highly pissed off vocal minority.

 

[Ranger REG]

So, what is everyones opinion in general of RPGs based off of different licensed properties such as the Star Wars RPG, Serenity(I hear opinions tend to get rather strong on this one), The Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, etc.

Do you think that they are like novelizations of movies that are just designed mostly to generate some extra popularity for the franchise? And that they are not meant to last too long?

Or are they genuinely well made games that can last for a long time?

I know that the quality of these games depends a lot on who develops them. I am just curious to see what everyone here thinks of them(Not just the ones I listed above, it can be any RPG based off of a series of novels, TV series, movie, etc.)

In general, good for player-fans, restricting for licensees.

As someone already stated earlier, there are small percentage of roleplayers in the global gaming community, and even smaller percentage of that group are fans of certain IP franchise that are actually playing some form of RPG based on it.

There are some hits and some misses among gamers, and even among gamers there are disagreements. In the end, it really doesn't matter if it's licensed or not. I have seen gamers playing Trek in rulesystems other than d6 or d20.

IOW, there is no ONE perfectly tailored RPG system for one particular famous franchise.

Being licensed means you can carry the franchise's trademarks and giving a share of your revenue to the IP owner. You also give in to the whims of said IP owner (under the right of quality control).