There's An Official Monty Python RPG Coming

Next month, Monty Python’s Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme (yes, that's it's real name) will appear on Kickstarter. In the game, players will carry out quests in medieval Britain using a new rules-lite game system.

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Characters incude knights, enchanters, royalty, monks, peasants, and more, each of which has 5 of 20 possible traits such as science, glibness, sorcery, and so on. The system has players rolling a die, the size of which is determined by the 'silliness' of the trait's level.

In place of a GM, the game features the Head of Light Entertainment.

You can read more about it over on Dicebreaker.

 

[dinsdale]

As my forum username and title are Monty Python references, I'm guessing this will wind up being a manditory purchase for me (though I'll likely never actually play it).

 

[Iamoutofhere]

The world just gets stranger by the day. Nuts

 

[John Dallman]

Probably a hoot to read, but very difficult to get right in actual play (based on my experiences trying to run GURPS Discworld).

I've had decent success with Discworld, and I hope the same methods will work with this. The way I found to do it was:

• Have an actual story line, something that somebody wants to accomplish, which isn't too silly.
• Allow the players to create characters that have silly aspects, but are semi-functional people. The pair of Llamedos druids based on Father Ted and Father Dougal were fine examples, but they needed some slightly more grounded companions.
• Run it reasonably straight-faced, allowing the insanity to wax and wane.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

The Head of Light Entertainment

GM (er, HoLE)

Missed opportunity by not making it Assistant Head of Light Entertainment.

 

[delericho]

Where will we get a d42, for when a trait has Ultimate Silliness?

 

[John R Davis]

Will bring a bucket for when someone says mattress

 

[Haplo781]

I admit I just opened this thread for the jokes, but...

One player controls each session as the Head of Light Entertainment, standing in for the traditional RPG game master as a mixture of demanding television producer and overly-enthusiastic teacher. The Head of Light Entertainment is assigned one of 20 different personalities, from a sports fanatic or stuffy historian to a Member of Parliament, which can influence their decisions and trigger further dire consequences in response to the players’ actions. The Head of Light Entertainment can receive complaint letters as the result of some consequences, with the risk of replaced by another persona if things steer too far off course.

This seems more like an idea for a...Monty Python sketch than a working game mechanism. The complaint letters seems like it would be funny to watch a group with dramatic training doing, but would rapidly become irritating in actual play as the GM (er, HoLE) who has to constantly play new personalities.

It kind of reminds me of that indie RPG where you play gamers and there are rules for generating your gamer characters and their characters.

I mean, this does seem like something I'd watch a CR or D20 one-shot for.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Ranks up there with the Wendy’s RPG, the Faith No More RPG, and the Dallas RPG as one of the least expected RPG adaptations!

 

[Blue Orange]

Ranks up there with the Wendy’s RPG, the Faith No More RPG, and the Dallas RPG as one the least expected RPG adaptations!

NOBODY expects the Monty Python RPG adaptation!

We have one main weapon: surprise! Surprise and fear! We have two main weapons: surprise and fear! Surprise, fear, and preexisting devotion in geek culture! We have three main weapons: surprise, fear, preexisting devotion in geek culture, and snappy trade dress!

(I mean, I couldn't let that one go...)

 

[Weiley31]

Man, imagine you're in charge of the session and you get fired by the end, only to be replaced by your rival at the end of the campaign.