Subverting other sources for D&D. . .

[shilsen]

Truly, yoinking is the sincerest form of flattery.

Yup. I'm yoinking right now, IYKWIMAITYD.

 

[Rechan]

I can't believe I didn't mention this one, because I mention it every freaking place.

Goblins are ported from the movie Gremlins. No culture, no redeeming qualities, no nothing - just malicious, wicked, black sense of humor, and cruel. Goblins are born when someone has a hateful, spiteful thought.

 

[Glyfair]

I always wanted to do Alias or James Bond in Eberron.

Of course, Firefly adapts very well to Eberron.

Also, as I mentioned elsewhere, and X-Men type PC team can be done as well. You use kalashtar for the psychic type characters (Jean Grey, for example), shifters for the bestial (Wolverine), warforged for Colossus (and similar characters), changelings for shapeshifters (Mystique) and all sorts of character classes for the other "mutant outcasts." Lots of story ideas that can be reworded from this starting area.

 

[The Ubbergeek]

Well, I have mixed Warcraft, Warhammer and Eberron for a 'noble savages' subrace of Orc, myself, and a Greys subrace for the common ones...

 

[Dog Moon]

Yup. I'm yoinking right now, IYKWIMAITYD.

I think that's a different sort of flattery though.

If anyone's seen the Pretender TV series, I've always wanted to port in the Centre cause I think they would make an interesting villainous organization. Basically, if I ever did this, there would be numerous incidences that the PCs would be involved in where they're helping people and with some digging and some luck, they would find out that these incidences, while not similar in any way, are all the workings of this organization and then the PCs would have to work on finding and stopping this organization all the while the Centre is causing more disruption.

During this time maybe they would run into Jarod and Argyle, the Pretender and the comic interest, respectively.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've toyed with the idea of a plane-hopping game based on Stargate; a bunch of different worlds connected by rings to explore.

See also the 1Ed Judges Guild products covering portals...

Also, as I mentioned elsewhere, and X-Men type PC team can be done as well.

Lords of Madness has a Feat called Ocular Spell. Just combo that Feat with your Enhanced Maximized Scortching Rays and voila: Cyclops!

Other sources:

CJ Cherryh's Fading Suns trilogy is similar to Frank Herbert's Dune- both of which lend themselves nicely to a FRPG campaign.

So does CH Cherryh's Foreigner series, which covers the story of advanced Humans landing on the planet of the Atevi (size L critters who are quite Machiavellian).

Any Bruce Lee movie.

Disney's Black Hole could work if set on a ship headed into the maw of a whirlpool created by a Sphere of Annihilation...

Harry Turtledove's Darkness series IS a essentially a retelling of the events of WW2 in a fantasy world.

 

[glass]

Also, I had no idea that my idea was not fantasy.

Dr Who? I wouldn't say it was 'not fantasy' so much as not D&D-style fantasy.

I mean, I've never heard of Cybermen.

Heretic!


glass.

 

[glass]

Of course, there's Spelljammer, which is basically Sci-fi with the name crossed out and "FANTASY" written in big bold letters all over it.

It is? I can't immediately think of any setting that is less sci-fi than Spelljammer.

Which just goes to prove what I suspected for a while; that trying to draw any meaningful distinction between fantasy and sci-fi is doomed to failure.


glass.

 

[Rechan]

Dr Who? I wouldn't say it was 'not fantasy' so much as not D&D-style fantasy.

Well that's what I meant, I guess; I've never seen Dr Who. Among other things, I avoid time travel like the plague on general principle.

The Born Identity (Guy with "amnesia" realizing he suddenly has training and is a deadly weapon, going against his trainers) is pretty easy to do.

As is the show Burn Notice (CIA spy outed, now having to do odd jobs while tracking down who outed him and why).

The Soviets are an easy notion to convert into a race or organization.

 

[Kesh]

Shadowrun is a fantastic source of ideas, particularly if you go for a less scrupulous group of heroes or a more mercenary campaign setup. Works really well in Sharn (Eberron).

Of course, you have to steal any and all H. P. Lovecraft-related material you can. Done well, it's a great addition to any campaign.

The X-Files had more good plot hooks than I can count. Same with any modern conspiracy/horror movie or video game (Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Dog Soldiers) and classic horror flicks (The Thing, Halloween, The Howling). Several sci-fi movies & shows work too (Aliens, Pitch Black, Battlestar Galactica).