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General Category => RPGs => : Tadanori Oyama April 29, 2009, 03:00:05 PM

: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Tadanori Oyama April 29, 2009, 03:00:05 PM
I think the title says it all.

I've been wanting to run a Hunter: The Vigil game for a long time. My players are D&D hacker and slashers, though several of them deny this and proclaim they would love a wider game system. This additionally proves some of my players are liars but that is besides my point.

So, if you could have any players you wanted, what would you run?
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Setherick April 29, 2009, 04:00:50 PM
I wish I had: (A) time to run a game and (B) players to run a game for.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: AwesomeJF April 29, 2009, 05:20:07 PM
Anything that requires any kind of minimal bookeeping/rule remembering/math.  My players are artsy flakes.

I'd love to do a Rogue Trader/Mercantile empire builder -type of game using GURPS.  Actually, I think I would prefer to play than run that.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: wrotenbe April 29, 2009, 06:08:02 PM
Wraith: The Oblivion

Hardest game to run and hardest game to play, but if you can get the right people together then shit is fucking magic.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama April 29, 2009, 06:16:52 PM
Wraith: The Oblivion

Hardest game to run and hardest game to play, but if you can get the right people together then shit is fucking magic.

I plan to run the nWoD variant on the Wraith style, using the rules in Inferno, at PAX if I can get the players for it.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: clockworkjoe April 29, 2009, 06:37:46 PM
Wraith: The Oblivion

Hardest game to run and hardest game to play, but if you can get the right people together then shit is fucking magic.

Yup.

Also, Orpheus, Wild Talents, Dogs in the Vineyard, Prime Time Adventures, Twilight 2000 (using the module Airlords of the Ozarks), Riddle of Steel, Sorcerer, Warhammer Fantasy, Dark Heresy, Don't Rest Your Head, and Mutant City Blues.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Setherick April 29, 2009, 07:44:07 PM
Wraith: The Oblivion

Hardest game to run and hardest game to play, but if you can get the right people together then shit is fucking magic.

Yup.

Also, Orpheus, Wild Talents, Dogs in the Vineyard, Prime Time Adventures, Twilight 2000 (using the module Airlords of the Ozarks), Riddle of Steel, Sorcerer, Warhammer Fantasy, Dark Heresy, Don't Rest Your Head, and Mutant City Blues.

I always wanted to play in the T2K Ozarks scenario game.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: D20 April 30, 2009, 01:23:46 AM
call of cathulu but my players wont even try any thing modern
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Corrosive Rabbit April 30, 2009, 09:03:07 AM
Paranoia.  I might still try it, but it's one of those games that takes a certain mindset, and I don't know if the guys in my group would enjoy it or not.

CR
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Setherick April 30, 2009, 09:23:33 AM
call of cathulu but my players wont even try any thing modern

There is a CoC Medieval.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: vcdaniels May 01, 2009, 04:50:28 PM
Wraith: The Oblivion

Hardest game to run and hardest game to play, but if you can get the right people together then shit is fucking magic.

HERE HERE!!! ;D
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Mason May 02, 2009, 12:34:51 PM
monsters and other childish things. my players couldnt let someone else control they're monster, let alone play as a small child.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: clockworkjoe May 02, 2009, 04:58:34 PM
monsters and other childish things. my players couldnt let someone else control they're monster, let alone play as a small child.

You can let a player control both the kid and monster. Whatever works best for your group. I've done it both ways and they're both viable.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Mason May 02, 2009, 06:22:04 PM
monsters and other childish things. my players couldnt let someone else control they're monster, let alone play as a small child.

You can let a player control both the kid and monster. Whatever works best for your group. I've done it both ways and they're both viable.

yeah but just having them play kids is a stretch for my group. they see role playing not as you playing the role of someone else but more of a "what would I do" in this scenario. in some cases its okay, but if your playing a samurai who runs from a fight I immediately have an axe to grind. god damn "Jessica" players.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: White Zombie May 02, 2009, 06:48:54 PM
Sadly I, with my group, could never do a VtR or VtM. They like to kill shit, they like to kick ass and take names, never with the intrigue or political stuff. Always with the smash and grab. Never with the talking and plotting.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: clockworkjoe May 02, 2009, 07:43:18 PM
monsters and other childish things. my players couldnt let someone else control they're monster, let alone play as a small child.

You can let a player control both the kid and monster. Whatever works best for your group. I've done it both ways and they're both viable.

yeah but just having them play kids is a stretch for my group. they see role playing not as you playing the role of someone else but more of a "what would I do" in this scenario. in some cases its okay, but if your playing a samurai who runs from a fight I immediately have an axe to grind. god damn "Jessica" players.

Pitch it like this: What would you do if you were back in school...with a Lovecraftian monster at your beck and call? Oh and there's some evil shit you need to fight. Try to get them in a session and let them indulge in their dreams for a bit..getting revenge on the bullies...impressing the ladies and acing those tests. Get them hooked on the idea then throw in the wizards and rival monsters and so on.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Phelanar May 03, 2009, 05:03:10 AM
What I'd run (and will run, as soon as I find other players and have time), is D&D and 4th Ed specifically. None of the gamers I play with now like D&D at all. In fact, most make a point of bashing D&D on a regular basis and they especially hate 4e (though I find it ironic that most of them love Saga Edition Star Wars while hating D&D4e). So, while I do like all these people and they are my friends, I can't run D&D with them. Almost any other game I'd think about running (In Nomine, Cthulhutech, Call of Cthulhu, etc), they'd be great for. But I want some fragging D&D, damn it.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 03, 2009, 11:03:55 AM
What I'd run (and will run, as soon as I find other players and have time), is D&D and 4th Ed specifically. None of the gamers I play with now like D&D at all. In fact, most make a point of bashing D&D on a regular basis and they especially hate 4e (though I find it ironic that most of them love Saga Edition Star Wars while hating D&D4e). So, while I do like all these people and they are my friends, I can't run D&D with them. Almost any other game I'd think about running (In Nomine, Cthulhutech, Call of Cthulhu, etc), they'd be great for. But I want some fragging D&D, damn it.

I'm beginning to come 'round to the idea that players exist to spite GMs.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Mason May 03, 2009, 05:21:29 PM
What I'd run (and will run, as soon as I find other players and have time), is D&D and 4th Ed specifically. None of the gamers I play with now like D&D at all. In fact, most make a point of bashing D&D on a regular basis and they especially hate 4e (though I find it ironic that most of them love Saga Edition Star Wars while hating D&D4e). So, while I do like all these people and they are my friends, I can't run D&D with them. Almost any other game I'd think about running (In Nomine, Cthulhutech, Call of Cthulhu, etc), they'd be great for. But I want some fragging D&D, damn it.

I'm beginning to come 'round to the idea that players exist to spite GMs.


its really a damn shame that RPG tracker site, that Wizards was working on, is busted. it was suppose to be like facebook for gamers so you could find groups in your area.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 03, 2009, 08:37:38 PM
its really a damn shame that RPG tracker site, that Wizards was working on, is busted. it was suppose to be like facebook for gamers so you could find groups in your area.

Gleemax? Yeah, that isn't taking off like they said it would. Be better off actually using Facebook to look for gamers.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Phelanar May 03, 2009, 09:45:01 PM
Because Gleemax was freaking broken as often as it was working. Login problems, downed servers, broken code, and other issues just didn't make people want to put up with it. If it had worked the way it was supposed to, it could have been a nice resource. As it stands, got to find gamers through old fashioned game store notes, meetup.com, nearbygamers.com and all those other sorts of places.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 03, 2009, 10:14:42 PM
Same here. Finding new people is seldom easy. Those I have found have been accidental. I carry my books with me where ever I go and sometimes people notice.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: rayner23 May 03, 2009, 11:20:51 PM
monsters and other childish things. my players couldnt let someone else control they're monster, let alone play as a small child.

You can let a player control both the kid and monster. Whatever works best for your group. I've done it both ways and they're both viable.

yeah but just having them play kids is a stretch for my group. they see role playing not as you playing the role of someone else but more of a "what would I do" in this scenario. in some cases its okay, but if your playing a samurai who runs from a fight I immediately have an axe to grind. god damn "Jessica" players.

Goddamn Jessica players indeed!


I wanted to play Mutant City Blues!
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Setherick May 04, 2009, 09:54:36 AM
Just a thought, but I'm willing to let someone run my IRL character for awhile. He's a 27 year old, graduate teaching assistant at UW-Milwaukee in the English Department. His main tasks for the next two weeks are churning out 60 pages and grading student essays. Who's in?!?
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Phelanar May 04, 2009, 10:34:50 AM
I'll trade. My character has to proofread and correct a 1500 page government document in 3 days.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: codered May 04, 2009, 02:18:28 PM
All I ever play is d&d so I would love to play anything  out there
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Setherick May 04, 2009, 02:22:06 PM
I'll trade. My character has to proofread and correct a 1500 page government document in 3 days.

hmm...I'll have to check my clearance level.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 04, 2009, 02:27:58 PM
My RL character answers phones and arranges for people having medical devices inserted into them eight hours a day. Sometimes he eats a muffin. The muffin encounters are my favorite.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: jonnygadfly May 04, 2009, 02:30:15 PM
I'd like to play any game that presents problems to which the solution is not "KILL THEY ASS."

My players do very well at any game centered around violence (DnD, Cyperpunk, etc.), unfortunately they tend to approach ALL games with the same mindset. I especially like investigative games, but the two attempts I've made to run games in this gameplay style have ended in violent shoot-outs involving vehicular homicide and violent kidnappings respectively.

I'm currently organizing a Doctor Who game using Skype because the only players I know with the temperment for such a think live very, very far away.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 04, 2009, 02:42:48 PM
Kidnapping. There's one I'm glad they've avoided so far. Outright murder is, at least, easy to roleplay. Kidnapping, the person is, theortically, right there. It's uncomfortable and hard to manage.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Setherick May 04, 2009, 02:48:37 PM
My RL character answers phones and arranges for people having medical devices inserted into them eight hours a day. Sometimes he eats a muffin. The muffin encounters are my favorite.

My RL character also lives for muffin encounters. Every Monday-Thursday he buys a Lemon Poppy-seed muffin from the coffee kiosk in the library, he usually washes this muffin down with some kind of hot tea, preferably green, and harasses his fellow colleagues about their projects.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: klaatu May 04, 2009, 08:19:54 PM
Wow, if only I had players.

One service worth mentioning for finding people is Nearby Gamers (http://nearbygamers.com/).  Depending on where you are, the penetration is OK, (though not here in 'Burque).
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Phelanar May 04, 2009, 08:28:55 PM
Heh, welcome to a small world Klaatu. Another Albuquerque person right here.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 04, 2009, 10:10:52 PM
Wow, if only I had players.

One service worth mentioning for finding people is Nearby Gamers (http://nearbygamers.com/).  Depending on where you are, the penetration is OK, (though not here in 'Burque).

Penetration seems like an odd choice of words.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Mason May 05, 2009, 03:06:09 AM
Im up to trade RL character, I play a 23 year old engineering tech. trusted with highly sensitive, highly breakable, and very expensive microchips. your job is to sit in a "clean room" for eight hours and inspect each device at about 50X looking for scum, nitride delamination, and metal lifting off the N1 resistors. each wafer comes with over 1000 devices and about 18 wafers a box and you get about 10-15 boxes a day. you get to wear these spiffy out fits as a bonus...

http://lasp.colorado.edu/images/engineering/tech_cap/clean-room-suit.jpg

and have small Asian men yell at you all day, but its okay I have a pretty good "Dodge" and "Hide in Plain Sight".
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Setherick May 05, 2009, 08:49:17 AM
Since we are sharing RL characters, I figured I'd post the RL AD&D stat generator (at least one that I know about): http://kevinhaw.com/add_quiz.php

My RL stats by this one are:

STR - 9
DEX - 12
CON - 11
INT - 17
WIS - 15
CHA - 17

So, yes, I am a warlock.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 05, 2009, 12:04:48 PM
Level One Commoner for me thanks.

STR - 9
DEX - 9
CON - 12
INT - 13
WIS - 12
CHA - 8
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Boyos May 05, 2009, 12:37:07 PM
Str 15
Int 11
Wis 14
Dex 10
Con 13
Chr 12

Prety normal stats for me. slightly above advrage, im impressed I scored a 10 on dex haha!
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Mason May 05, 2009, 02:10:00 PM
STR 7
INT 13
WIS 13
DEX 17
CON 9
CHA 17

BORN TO BE A SORCERER!!!
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Dawnsteel May 05, 2009, 02:29:03 PM
STR:16
INT:13
WIS:15
DEX:12
CON:11
CHR:7

I haven't finished reading PHB2, but it looks like I'm a Warden.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Setherick May 05, 2009, 04:40:28 PM
I moved all of our prestatted characters to this thread (http://slangdesign.com/forums/index.php?topic=145.0).
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Murph May 06, 2009, 02:37:04 PM
I'd love to play/run Houses of the Blooded.  Or anything other than 4th edition.  At my local shop we have a game every day of the week, but there all 4th edition  :P
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 06, 2009, 02:38:27 PM
I don't know House of the Blooded. What's that one about?
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Murph May 06, 2009, 02:54:06 PM
Www.housesoftheblooded.net

Created by John Wick, you take the role of nobles with land and peasants as opposed to dirty adventurers.  Gameplay focuses more on the social and politcal.  The system is unique in that you don't roll for success or failure.  You roll to take control of the narrative.  For example, if you attempt to jump from roof to roof, you  would take a "risk" and set aside some if the dice as wagers.  If you roll hits a target number, you get to dictate what happens plus a nmber of details equal to your wagers. So you might say
"I miss the other rooftop. I fall onto the balcony below.  A servant walks by and lets me in."
If you had three wagers and a successful role.  A failed role doesn't mean you fail, just that the GM dictates what happens.

Fighting has more specific rules to keep things in check but that's the basic idea.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 06, 2009, 04:25:26 PM
That sounds pretty cool. And it also sounds like something my players would never go for.

Also reminds me of another game I'd like to play: the ultra-rich variant in nWoD presented in City of the Damned. It was designed for Vampires: The Requiem but works for any of the systems. You play characters who make movements on the city scale, seizing, controlling, and protecting property, wealth, and influence.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Murph May 06, 2009, 05:04:16 PM
Houses of the Blooded or HotB has a kindgom building system also.  It's how they impliment the "level up" mechanic.  Every season you can hire more dudes, conquere more land, learn better swordsmenship, trade and manufacture, produce art, etc.  It's the best concept for "leveling up" non-combat PCs I've seen.

The guys at Bear Swarm have a nice AP, followed by a review.
 
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: clockworkjoe May 06, 2009, 05:08:24 PM
That sounds pretty cool. And it also sounds like something my players would never go for.

Also reminds me of another game I'd like to play: the ultra-rich variant in nWoD presented in City of the Damned. It was designed for Vampires: The Requiem but works for any of the systems. You play characters who make movements on the city scale, seizing, controlling, and protecting property, wealth, and influence.

Really? Awesome. I'll have to check that out. I want to run The Wire as a campaign.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 06, 2009, 05:38:51 PM
Really? Awesome. I'll have to check that out. I want to run The Wire as a campaign.

It's the kind of thing I think you'd enjoy. The system mostly focuses around the use of liquid vs. solid assets. For example, you spend points to represent used or lost liquid funds.

So you might spend a point to gain control of a city section by buying it out. Or you might spend a point to represent money lost by underselling a competting baron in their market (you take a short term hit and they have a revenue source undercut).

I know my players could never handle it but it's fun to imagine. The book comes with a prebuilt city for players to fight over.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: clockworkjoe May 08, 2009, 12:31:28 AM
You're talking about city of the damned: New Orleans right? I flipped through it today but I didn't the city rules. Oh well.

Anyway, I want to run Scion again. I just looked at the Scion companion, which has rules for the American Pantheon - be an avatar of Uncle Sam, Columbia (Lady Liberty) or John Henry. Fuck. Yeah.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 08, 2009, 01:27:38 AM
I need to get the Scion books, it looked fucking amazing but I never picked any of them up.


Slight misprint on my part. The book I have is "Damnation City". It's a massive 400 page source book for Vampire: The Requiem.

The two new player styles detailed are "Barony", which focuses on ownership and control of city sections and domains. Typically this means characters who are Vassals or Regents, those just below the ruling Prince of a city. The style is still focused around the more typical, street level character, but who has some power (etheral political power rather than in game, given stats sort of power) to swing around.

Primacy, the mode I noted above, is playing the power behind the throne. The Prince of the City becomes the major NPC with the PCs trying to out manuver their enemies and attempt to control the Prince as Dukes would control a King.

The presented style rules are fairly easy to impliment or change as needed for what you want to do.


New styles aside the book as a literal city comprised of fifty districts (each with a short write up) with overlay maps of the main districts, the major streets, the freeway, the subway, and the sewers.

My personal favorite section, from nearly any White Wolf book, is called "One Hundred People You Haven't Met Before", a list of one hundred NPCs, each with a descrption and background sentence that you can drop in anywhere, followed by the section "Fifty Things People Want". I can't describe how useful these sections have been in using NPCs in my games.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Dawnsteel May 08, 2009, 06:03:59 PM
: clockworkjoe
Anyway, I want to run Scion again. I just looked at the Scion companion, which has rules for the American Pantheon - be an avatar of Uncle Sam, Columbia (Lady Liberty) or John Henry. Fuck. Yeah.

Can I be Whiskey Jack from American Gods?
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Setherick May 14, 2009, 11:31:32 AM
You're talking about city of the damned: New Orleans right? I flipped through it today but I didn't the city rules. Oh well.

Anyway, I want to run Scion again. I just looked at the Scion companion, which has rules for the American Pantheon - be an avatar of Uncle Sam, Columbia (Lady Liberty) or John Henry. Fuck. Yeah.

The Scion one-shot you ran based on the movie Smokin' Aces was absolutely amazing. Speaking of which, do you still have your Pegacorn? If so, can you take a picture of him and post it? I can't believe I found that thing.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Tadanori Oyama May 14, 2009, 11:47:33 AM
The Scion one-shot you ran based on the movie Smokin' Aces was absolutely amazing.

That does sound like alot of fun.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: Setherick May 14, 2009, 01:06:23 PM
The Scion one-shot you ran based on the movie Smokin' Aces was absolutely amazing.

That does sound like alot of fun.

Basically each player played a different hitman and we were all competing to see who could get to the top of the building first.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: codered May 16, 2009, 12:20:58 PM
I want to play an exualted game some time
: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: mathey July 28, 2010, 12:05:15 PM
If you're a RPG nerd like me (and I know you are - look, an obnoxious wink smiley  ;)), you probably spend at least some part of your day thinking up campaign ideas utilizing assorted systems that may or may not exist yet. At times, these thoughts interrupt your productivity in work, personal relations, in the bathroom, or waiting in line to buy Potted Meat Product. It can be vexing. But, wait, dear reader! Be Vexed No More! Utilize this thread to purge yourself of your roleplaying campaign ideas so others may exploit them or at least commiserate about the fact you'll never, ever get a chance to run or play it! Sharing is caring! Etcetera!

My current list:

Sleepwalk: I came up with this idea before Inception was ever mentioned to me. Honest. The basic premise is that several strangers (PCs) begin to experienced shared, lucid dreams in which they alone possess the knowledge to stop some sort of terrible psychic threat. The "bad guy" would therefore be some collective subconscious boogeyman that has gained self-awareness and is haunting the PCs and/or society at large. Each session would be a different dream with its own weird physics and roles for the participants, perhaps requiring house rules or tweaks. If I were to run it right now, I'd probably try Wild Talents 2nd Edition, with some cafeteria style powers prepared to emulate the dream personae abilities PCs take on. I thought about making the Big Twist the fact that "reality" wasn't and the dreams were, but after that fucker Nolan did his movie that'd seem redundant. Use of Santo and Johnny's guitar instrumental of the same name required.

One Hundred Killers: The PCs are badass mercenaries and assassins in the vein of 90's action movie heroes like Leon, La Femme Nikita, and The Killer. They collectively earn the ire of a secret society of professional murderers (ever see The Killer Elite?) and have to shoot, punch, stab, and defenestrate their way through the titular one hundred hitmen. Just one intrigue laden murderous set piece after another, with occasional breaks for heartfelt confessionals and grim flashbacks. I'd want it to be cinematic but fairly lethal, as its traditional for movie assassins seeking redemption to die before achieving their goal in some sort of karmic retribution. I ran this when I was younger, and I made the tragic mistake of switching the system every session. If I was running it again, I might use a stripped down version of Spycraft 2.0.

All Mages Must Die: I was in this one really awful, horrible Ars Magica campaign once with a bunch of SCA people, and it gave me this idea. The world is a boring-ass historically accurate medieval setting with petty tyrants, dirty peasants, and a handful of dull-ass snotty magic users who spend all their time masturbating over ritual spellbooks and collecting mushrooms. Its been like that forever. The stagnant state of the world is actually the fault of the mages, seeing as they can consciously (and subconsciously) tweak reality to fit their own worldview. The PCs are a ragtag bunch of misfits who have had enough of their bullshit and set out to topple them by hitting them really hard with pointy sticks. The cost in lives is likely to be horrible, but it'll be worth it just to wipe off the smug smirks off of those sorcerous assholes' faces. ...Ahem. Yeah, it was a bad Ars Magica game, and yes, its another premise where the PCs are trying to kill a lot of people. For system, I'd consider D&D 4th, with purely Martial PCs.

Okay, I've got others, but that'll do for a starter. Post yours!
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: clockworkjoe July 28, 2010, 01:50:20 PM
http://slangdesign.com/rppr/2010/07/podcast-episode/rppr-episode-47-adventures-in-the-real-world/#more-338
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Kroack July 28, 2010, 02:14:32 PM
A multi session CoC game, but my players are too used to D&D and their characters being badasses.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Maze July 28, 2010, 02:53:55 PM
I like the idea about the players wanting the beat the shit out of magic users being piss-poor villagers. I probably wouldn't even go for 4th ed but give them yet another homebrew system to that instead of going after the mages like they would any other enemy. They'd have to come up with elaborate traps and plots to either maim or scare off the magic users.

Think about it, mage walking through the disgusting peasants village when he suddenly trips on a rope, lands face first in cow shit (featherfall ain't gonna getcha outta this one), the rope pulls on some candle which burns an bull's ass, getting him to start running making him pull on something else which finally ends up in more cow shit falling on the mage. The smelly players have a round of high fives.

Cyborg Justice I had an old homebrew system made for a game I never got to run. The players are living on a Mars Colony which consist of humans and cyborgs co-existing. The colony is destroyed by some radical cyborg terrorist group and the players reactivate years later. Various cyborg groups battle for domination and the players have to choose a faction or create one of their own. They can repair themselves using parts of other defeated cyborgs and even steal their weapons/limbs.


MAFIA I want to run a game where the players work or run the Mafia. No idea of the system, but I don't even know if I'd want to run this with my current players at all.

and of course, Masks of Nyarlothothep.



: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Arje July 28, 2010, 02:56:03 PM
I would play in the mage game. I would love to be the angry villager with dreams of humiliating a mage.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Setherick July 28, 2010, 03:17:20 PM
I swear to god we already have a thread similar to this, but I'm not going to search for it to merge this one. So just consider this a warning.  ::)
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Mckma July 28, 2010, 03:25:40 PM
I swear to god we already have a thread similar to this, but I'm not going to search for it to merge this one. So just consider this a warning.  ::)

I thought there was, but I was also too lazy.  And didn't want to say anything because it was also quite possible I just imagined there was one...
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Joven July 28, 2010, 03:30:48 PM
I don't think I have an original idea in my head, all my ideas for games are based on or shamelessly stolen from other sources.  Of course it doesn't really matter, I haven't run or played in a game in years and will probably never will again, but if I did:

I'd like to run a game set in Gotham city, where the players aren't evil madmen, just your average criminals trying to get by, maybe doing some henching when the pay is right (or to try and pull a Witless Minions type thing).  The Goddamned Batman wouldn't really be an adversary, more of a force of nature, something that they would try their damnedest to avoid/escape, and is a constant source of fear, but would really only show up if shit got really bad.  Alternatively, a PI agency in Gotham, which kinda resent batman for always fucking up their cases.  I just like the setting of a kinda noir-ish 'midnight all the time' place like Gotham, where in addition to the normal run of criminal activity and hard luck people just trying to get by without being killed, you also have to worry about some guy crashing a blimp full of hallucinogens into a city square.  Not sure what system, maybe savage worlds with gritty combat mod and no powers.

Also have half-made a scenario where the players are called in to investigate/stumble upon an theme park. The owner is a slightly crazy man who made arrangements with dark forces to save his daughter and give her the childhood she never had since she was ill or in a coma after an accident.
People go missing and they're locked in cages in hidden tunnels running throughout the park, their shadows are stolen and implanted into stuffed mascots to give them life, and if the people are exposed to sunlight without their shadows they burn up into ash.  The mascots have all their characteristics but are controlled by the park owner, they feel no pain and can be stitched back together if necessary and act as his army when needed.  His daughter acts as the park's princess and lives in a fake castle at the center of the park, but she actually died a while ago, and is just her stuffed body with some other girls soul implanted, and doesn't even know it, unlike the mascots she still has free will and is very nice and can help the players, but is still brainwashed to love the park owner.  The players would have to rescue all the captives, while not allowing them to be exposed to the sun until their shadows are returned and the dark forces defeated.  Also, maybe have some of the players' shadows stolen and make them go up against themselves.  Probably would use something like CoC or something where investigation is emphasized and combat is lethal.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Tadanori Oyama July 28, 2010, 04:07:46 PM
I swear to god we already have a thread similar to this, but I'm not going to search for it to merge this one. So just consider this a warning.  ::)

There is, I made it months ago. It was "Games you'd run if you had the players you want" or something to that effect.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Setherick July 28, 2010, 05:04:52 PM
I swear to god we already have a thread similar to this, but I'm not going to search for it to merge this one. So just consider this a warning.  ::)

There is, I made it months ago. It was "Games you'd run if you had the players you want" or something to that effect.

Found, merged, updated.
: Re: Games you would run if you didn't have the players that you do
: ristarr July 28, 2010, 10:06:37 PM
I think this works better for me "Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy".  I am more a victim of my own time and energy.  I have a couple of things I want to run in the future.

The Inquisition - A 4e game where all the characters are of divine classes.  They would start off as Inquisitors and slowly get disillusioned with the tactics employed to maintain the theocracy.    This could work as a New World campaign, but I would probably want to run it in a more "historical" setting as a combination of the Crusades and the Inquisition.  I don't think I would have any trouble getting my current group of players to play in this, but we would have to finish our ongoing campaign first ... or I could just kill their characters and then mention the new campaign.  They probably wouldn't suspect anything.

Phenomen-X Delta Green campaign - we got to the point of rolling up characters and then went on hiatus.  Just having a scheduling issues getting everyone together.  I don't think it will get back started until after Dragoncon.

Atlanta Dresden files game - I have just done some big picture location and theme work.  Once again it will be after Dragoncon at the earliest to get it started.  Pretty sure I can find the players.  There is a good bit of Dresden interest in Atlanta.

... maybe doing some henching when the pay is right   ...

love this!  "crap, gotta pay the rent this month.  Maybe Dr. Impossible is hiring some temps?"
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Charlie72 July 29, 2010, 08:07:58 AM
I've allways wanted to run a M&M game where the players you gaint robots to fight terrorists in space, but can never find the players. :(
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: mathey July 29, 2010, 03:27:55 PM
Sorry about the redundant thread!

Here's another one:

David Simon's "Hudson City": Take the city sourcebook for Dark Champions. Apply the logic behind HBO's The Wire to said sourcebook. Add a mix of PCs that are cops, vigilantes, or criminals. Shake. Stir. Explore social ills and expose bureaucratic incompetence while also having scenes of caped crimefighters smashing in through skylights. 
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Setherick July 29, 2010, 03:32:42 PM
Sorry about the redundant thread!

Don't worry. The other thread on inspection had been dead a year, but I managed to get them all merged together.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: mathey July 29, 2010, 05:05:32 PM
Ross, I listened to your podcast about Real World Campaigns and saw the parallel to the All Mages Must Die in the peasant rebellion discussion. I therefore take credit for the idea retroactively.

Speaking of Real World Sources of Inspiration, here's some things you may or may not have heard of that would all qualify as Campaigns I'd Run If Etc...

Killing Pablo: By Mark Bowden, the guy who wrote Black Hawk Down, this is the story of the attempts to assassinate Pablo Escobar, the cocaine kingpin who essentially ran things in Colombia. The facts of the situation and how it played out are kind of insane, particularly when it comes to describing just how much power Escobar had. For instance, dude paid for his own luxurious prison when the Colombians were trying to appease the U.S. on jailing him. Ultimately, a combination of an NSA group called Centra Spike, U.S. Army Special Forces (including Delta Force), and Colombian cops finally cornered the guy - but getting there was quite involved and quite gameable. If you want to see how taking down a "real" Bond villain might work, its great stuff.

Generation Kill: This is a book and it was adapted into an HBO miniseries by the guys who did The Wire. Its about a Marine unit that's "the tip of the spear" in the invasion of Iraq, and the experiences a Rolling Stone journalist had with them. The best thing about it is its uncensored straight-forwardness about the trivial, the brutal, and the just plain incompetent aspects of the invasion and subsequent occupation. There's maybe one or two firefights of note, but its mainly about the guys in the unit and the logistics of trying to take over a country. You come to respect the soldiers (some of 'em) but its about as unglamorous as you can get when it comes to depicting modern conflict.

All The President's Men: Book and movie. The true story of how two plucky reporters investigated the Watergate break in and eventually took down the Nixon White House. No chases, no shooting, no magic CSI computer use; just smart, dedicated people who did their research, hounded potential sources, and figured out a top down conspiracy and exposed it to the public. If you like Fox News, it'll probably sound like science fiction, but this shit actually happened.

From Earth to the Moon: HBO miniseries - look, I like them alot, okay? - about the Apollo space program that landed a couple of people on the surface of the moon. In terms of premises, I'd have to say that successful space exploration is one of the more upbeat ones, at least if your test pilots and astronauts don't die in launching pad fires. So, while we've obviously got a laundry list of hate crimes, mass murders, and tragedy in the human experience - people did this kind of thing too.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Joven July 29, 2010, 06:38:55 PM
From Earth to the Moon: HBO miniseries - look, I like them alot, okay? - about the Apollo space program that landed a couple of people on the surface of the moon. In terms of premises, I'd have to say that successful space exploration is one of the more upbeat ones, at least if your test pilots and astronauts don't die in launching pad fires. So, while we've obviously got a laundry list of hate crimes, mass murders, and tragedy in the human experience - people did this kind of thing too.

Oh sure, of course they did...

Oh right, they actually did, still, should be able to run a scenario that aims to expose the moon landing as a fake.  Breaking into NASA and finding the bloopers and outtakes of the faked moon landing, being chased by MIB's etc.  My personal favorite moon landing conspiracy theory is by the Hari Krishnas, who basically say that its clearly impossible for anyone to have landed on the moon because according to their holy book (which is OBVIOUSLY correct) its further away from earth then the sun is and would take much longer then the 91 hours that NASA claims.  Also, how could the astronauts have stepped on the moon and taken video of them doing it, when in order to travel to the moon you have to shed your corporeal being and attain a new body suited for the moon?
You would get to unravel not only a hoax to fake landing on the moon, but the systematic cover up of the true nature of reality by the higher echelons of all the worlds scientists...for some reason...(dun dun duhhhhhhhhhh)
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: mathey July 29, 2010, 11:22:01 PM
Space landing hoax game?

There's a movie for that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM-iiPiReV8
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: joecrak August 03, 2010, 11:20:57 PM
I'd run a Weird Western Tales type game that the premise was about rounding up bounties in a old west type setting mixed with the races of fantasy worlds and the horrific monsters of lovecraft.  Sort of Brisco County Jr. and Jonah Hex meets gun slinging elves, orcs and shoggoths
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Setherick August 03, 2010, 11:25:35 PM
I'd run this. It was a game idea I came up with several years ago and never did anything with.

Iron Heroes: Fortress of the Five Hills – “To Save an Empire”

   Emperor Maximillian IV was dead. After a reign of thirty-seven years, the Emperor had been laid to rest in his sepulcher beneath the Fortress of the Five Hills, leaving behind a legacy and questions. The Emperor had left the four kingdoms of the continent Abashom in a peaceful state. He had learned which Kings to press on and which Kings to have free reign, and under his guidance each of the kingdoms had grown prosperous. But now the Kings of Nordland to the north, Geldland to the east, Brotland to the south, and Hinterland to the west eye the capital city nervously. The Emperor had left no heir.
   At sunrise of the appointed day, the high cleric representing each of the four kingdoms met atop the central tower at the Fortress of Five Hills. Since the Emperor had left no heir, the ceremony of wax had to be performed. Each of the clerics had taken a piece of wax, which they had fashioned into the likeness of the King they represented. The likenesses were then placed on a four beam scale and perfectly balanced. As the sun progressed along its path, the wax would melt tipping the scale. The King whose likeness melted the most, and thus would be elevated above the others, would be crowned the new Emperor. The clerics ascended to the top of the tower again at sunset only to find that there was still no Emperor; the likenesses had as melted equally.
   The ceremony of wax had never failed and rumors of prophecy and sabotage flitted throughout the Fortress of the Five Hills. The Emperor who everyone days before had admitted dying of old age had suddenly been assassinated by spies from each of the four kingdoms. Centuries old blood feuds began to erupt the in the streets. The Royal Guard was near mutiny.
   In attempt to end the brewing chaos, the Emperor’s Lieutenant Bartholomew enacted a seldom used law and named himself Lord Protector of the Empire. The act entitled Bartholomew all the powers of the Emperor with the condition that as soon as a new Emperor was chosen, he would abdicate his position. This measure seemed to work. The streets of the capital quieted. Talks of mutiny subsided.
The act had a price; Bartholomew was the son of Apgar the King of Hinterland. Though Bartholomew attempted to assuage the fears among the Captains of the Royal Guard that he was not putting himself in a position to hand the Empire over to Apgar or seize power for himself, he was challenged vociferously by Ghorn a Captain from Nordland. The feud between kingdoms of Nordland and Hinterland coursed in Ghorn’s veins. He had heard the epics of the legendary Nordlander warriors that had crushed the superior tacticians from Hinterland in battle after battle. He was not going to allow a Hinterlander to take control of the Empire without a fight. Two days after Bartholomew publicly announced he was assuming Lord Protector, Ghorn marched out of the Fortress of the Five Hills taking all the Nordlander soldiers with him.



[to the players]

This is how the world stands now.

Ghorn is influential in his kingdom, so with him leaving in the manner which he did there are now rumors that Ghorn may persuade the King of Nordland to attack the Fortress of Five Hills or raise an army and attempt it himself. Either way, an attacking army would probably pass through Geldland as Geldland and Nordland are closely aligned. If the King of Nordland should openly declare war on Bartholomew, it is likely that Apgar and the Hinterlands would declare war on Nordland. Without assistance, the Royal Guard would easily fall in an invasion.

The circumstances of Ghorn’s leaving are also suspect. The feud between the kingdoms aside, Ghorn fought side-by-side with Bartholomew for fifteen years. Ghorn is an excellent warrior, like most Nordlanders, but he is easily persuaded. If someone started whispering in Ghorn’s ear before Bartholomew enacted the law to make himself Lord Protector, then Ghorn may also be pawn of someone else.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Kroack August 03, 2010, 11:40:32 PM
I love Iron Heroes, it's of my favorite 3.5 variants.

I wonder if 2nd edition is ever going to come out.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: mathey August 05, 2010, 05:56:10 PM
I'm not a big 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder fan - but Iron Heroes was great. I'd kill for an updated version of it, even if it features "Use Rope" as a skill.

And here's another Campaign That Will Never Happen, offered mostly in jest:

J.P. Sartre's NO EXIT: The Roleplaying Game!

The PCs are all banal representatives of modern existential crisis, bearing with them the weight of their decisions and society's overbearing expectations. Escorted into an anonymous room in an anonymous hallway full of them by the mysterious Valet, they come to grips with the realization that they cannot leave. As the game progresses, the PCs reveal the sins that consigned them to this Second Empire decorated Hell. They ring the bell in the room, but the Valet only responds occasionally. If/when their disgust and fear causes them to turn to violence against one another or themselves, they discover that they cannot die, only continue to exit in the company of their fellow PCs. Confronting the true horror lies not in perceiving the absence of God or even their insignificance in the presence of alien beings inspired by some guy's issues with seafood; it lies in realizing that Hell Is Other People. The game continues until the players finally get up and leave the table or punch the GM in the face.   
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Setherick August 05, 2010, 06:04:37 PM
J.P. Sartre's NO EXIT: The Roleplaying Game!

The PCs are all banal representatives of modern existential crisis, bearing with them the weight of their decisions and society's overbearing expectations. Escorted into an anonymous room in an anonymous hallway full of them by the mysterious Valet, they come to grips with the realization that they cannot leave. As the game progresses, the PCs reveal the sins that consigned them to this Second Empire decorated Hell. They ring the bell in the room, but the Valet only responds occasionally. If/when their disgust and fear causes them to turn to violence against one another or themselves, they discover that they cannot die, only continue to exit in the company of their fellow PCs. Confronting the true horror lies not in perceiving the absence of God or even their insignificance in the presence of alien beings inspired by some guy's issues with seafood; it lies in realizing that Hell Is Other People. The game continues until the players finally get up and leave the table or punch the GM in the face.   

Run this as a Skype game and I'll play. No Exit is one of my favorite plays.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Kroack August 11, 2010, 11:50:37 PM
I just had this idea after watching a video of Shadow of the Colossus.

Pretty much it's a setting where humanity and all of the major fantasy races are fractured, leaderless, and doomed to wander a luscious landscape full of crumbling cities and vast natural settings. Nobody can settle down or build civilization for fear of the Colossi. The Colossi are gigantic creatures that tower over all other beings. They have existed since the beginning to time and are nigh invincible, however they have only become active in the last 500 years or so.

What I foresee for this setting is that the PCs are tasked by someone or something to defeat these massive Colossi, each of them being their own multi-session dungeon where the players not only fight off the Colossus but any symbiotic creatures that live on or inside of the beast.     

There could also be adventures dealing with the crumbling ruins of civilization and the nomadic tribes of humans, or the various races that fled underground.

I'm a big fan of Iron Heroes and I think that it would work very well with this idea. What do you guys think?   
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: clockworkjoe August 11, 2010, 11:57:09 PM
there's a mountain sized giant in the IH monster manual that is basically just that.

: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Mckma August 11, 2010, 11:58:32 PM
What I foresee for this setting is that the PCs are tasked by someone or something to defeat these massive Colossi, each of them being their own multi-session dungeon where the players not only fight off the Colossus but any symbiotic creatures that live on or inside of the beast.  

This kind of "encounter" per se has always intrigued me.  Fighting on/against a large "living" creature which actually plays out somewhat like a series of encounters over a single session.  I'm toying with an idea like this for my current DnD game, as well as fighting against/aboard something similar to the Goblin Hulk, but it is composed of undead/animated creatures (like the ship itself as well as the "crew")...
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Kroack August 12, 2010, 12:28:52 AM
there's a mountain sized giant in the IH monster manual that is basically just that.



I don't have the IH MM, but that's cool.

Oh and ross, with all your gaming insider knowledge, do you know if there will ever be an IH 2E?
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: mathey September 14, 2010, 01:29:46 PM
Watched the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode "Mighty Jack". Was amazed at the potential for an AWESOME campaign premise:

Danger Squad!

Danger Squad! is a top secret organization that everybody knows about and which has its own logo and designer uniforms. Dedicated to preserving peace and fighting evil, they have operatives all over the globe, but mostly just in Japan with Japanese agents. Unlike most secret spy groups, Danger Squad! doesn't just have amazing gadgets - it has full access to massive supersonic toy-like vehicles that can shoot lasers, fire missiles, submerge under the ocean, and serve as launching platforms for other, smaller toy-like vehicles that also can blow things up. Danger Squad! is opposed in their quest for truth and justice by the nefarious organization known only as "Z". Also global in scope but mostly composed of weird-faced European guys and half-Japanese creeps, Z is led by a mysterious white guy with a pet cat named Flopsy.

Danger Squad! would combine '60s spy hijinks with scenes of tokusatsu mass destruction featuring the aforementioned toy-like vehicles, giant robots, kaiju, and probably some of these guys:

(http://www.cinemastrikesback.com/news/films/ghidorah-monster%20zero/controller.jpg)


 I could see myself running it with Feng Shui, Mutants and Masterminds, HERO, or even SpyCraft, but I'm weird like that. It'd also probably only be good for a one or two shot, as the sheer goofiness of it could collapse on itself. 
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Mckma September 14, 2010, 01:43:11 PM
I don't know if I'd like to run one, but I'd definitely like to do more Call of Cthulhu.  My friends range from either not liking it to "meh" about it, so I doubt I would be able to.  Also that would cut into the other game I'm running which would greatly perturb them...
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Joven September 14, 2010, 03:33:46 PM
Watched the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode "Mighty Jack". Was amazed at the potential for an AWESOME campaign premise:

Danger Squad!

Danger Squad! is a top secret organization that everybody knows about and which has its own logo and designer uniforms. Dedicated to preserving peace and fighting evil, they have operatives all over the globe, but mostly just in Japan with Japanese agents. Unlike most secret spy groups, Danger Squad! doesn't just have amazing gadgets - it has full access to massive supersonic toy-like vehicles that can shoot lasers, fire missiles, submerge under the ocean, and serve as launching platforms for other, smaller toy-like vehicles that also can blow things up. Danger Squad! is opposed in their quest for truth and justice by the nefarious organization known only as "Z". Also global in scope but mostly composed of weird-faced European guys and half-Japanese creeps, Z is led by a mysterious white guy with a pet cat named Flopsy.

Danger Squad! would combine '60s spy hijinks with scenes of tokusatsu mass destruction featuring the aforementioned toy-like vehicles, giant robots, kaiju, and probably some of these guys:


And if you ever want to change it up, put a sci-fi spin on it and now its Star Force, then you can TRY TO KILL SOMEONE WITH A FORKLIFT!!!!!!!!
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: clockworkjoe September 14, 2010, 04:56:50 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV64lW0CTwI
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Kroack September 14, 2010, 05:16:09 PM
DR. STRANGELOVE!
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: mathey September 20, 2010, 05:58:04 PM
These are photos of Sandy Frank and his trophy wife. Seriously. They were in the news recently.

(http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2010/08/500x_gross.jpg)

Jesus Christ.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: clockworkjoe September 20, 2010, 06:07:23 PM
what
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: jonnygadfly September 20, 2010, 08:40:22 PM
J.P. Sartre's NO EXIT: The Roleplaying Game!

The PCs are all banal representatives of modern existential crisis, bearing with them the weight of their decisions and society's overbearing expectations. Escorted into an anonymous room in an anonymous hallway full of them by the mysterious Valet, they come to grips with the realization that they cannot leave. As the game progresses, the PCs reveal the sins that consigned them to this Second Empire decorated Hell. They ring the bell in the room, but the Valet only responds occasionally. If/when their disgust and fear causes them to turn to violence against one another or themselves, they discover that they cannot die, only continue to exit in the company of their fellow PCs. Confronting the true horror lies not in perceiving the absence of God or even their insignificance in the presence of alien beings inspired by some guy's issues with seafood; it lies in realizing that Hell Is Other People. The game continues until the players finally get up and leave the table or punch the GM in the face.   
I directed a production of No Exit in college while I was going through my existentialist phase. I have to say that in the years that have since passed Mr. Sartre fills me with Nausea.

If my players would leave their adolescent power fantasies behind them I would like to run Fear Itself, Trail of Cthulhu, or Esoterrorists, or A Dirty World since I just bought that. Sadly, my players play RPGs to "kick ass," so it's action, action, action, all action, all the time. :(
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Joven September 20, 2010, 09:11:58 PM
I wonder if they got married before or after they became zombies.
And how does half-assedly splicing together Japanese TV shows into some form of "movie" rate legendary producer status. I never heard of him until MST3k, and only remembered him cause of their Sandy Frank theme song. Did he actually do anything worthwhile at some point?
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: mathey September 20, 2010, 10:36:42 PM
Before I saw those photos, I always imagined that Sandy Frank was a cherubic fat man who liked silk satin dressing gowns and collecting Precious Moments figurines. The MST3K song about him "gadding about all day" probably had something to do with it.

Now I cannot think of him without questioning the existence of God.

Here's what wikipedia had to say about Mr. Frank:

Five of the Gamera films, as well as Frank's Fugitive Alien, Star Force: Fugitive Alien II, Time of the Apes, Mighty Jack, Legend of the Dinosaurs and Humanoid Woman, were lampooned on Mystery Science Theater 3000 twice (originally from KTMA, then to Season 3), except for Legend of the Dinosaurs and Humanoid Woman. During the remakes in Season 3, the crew of Mst3k ripped on Frank so much during some of the host segments and theater segments that they even made a song directed to him called "The Sandy Frank Song" in 306 - Time of the Apes, which said that Frank was "the source of all our pain" and implied that he was too lazy to make his own films. Because of this, when the rights to all the films expired in 1996 and could not be renewed, a rumor went around saying that Frank was "intensely displeased" by the mockery directed at him, and he refused to allow the shows to be rebroadcast or commercially released because of that. [1] A few years later, the rumor was later confirmed false when Kevin Murphy said that Frank was not offended, but just wanted a lot of money because of Mst3k's success, but at the same time lost the rights to all the films anyway and all reverted back to their original owners, but to some of which made the distribution rights even more complicated (an example is Kadokawa Pictures, who were horrified at what Mst3k did to their Gamera films that they refused to let them be commercially released, according to Brian Ward, one of the members of Shout! Factory, who even stated in his own words that "The Japanese just aren't into their man-in-suit flicks being parodied or mocked in any way." [2]). It is currently unknown about the status on how Tsuburaya Productions feels about Mst3k's treatment to Mighty Jack, Saru No Gundan (Time of the Apes), and Star Wolf (the two Fugitive Alien films), along with Toei Company's feelings to Mst3k's treatment to Legend of the Dinosaurs, and Gorky Film Studio's feelings to Mst3k's treatment to Per Aspera Ad Astra (Humanoid Woman).

In addition to Japanese imports, Frank is known in game show circles for producing and distributing two music game shows in the 1980s: Name That Tune and Face the Music. Frank also owns the rights to You Asked For It, last seen in the United States in 2000.

Apologies for this digression from the campaign ideas.

Here's a quickie: the PCs are walking down the street when they are hit by a truck. It'd be a one shot.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Joven September 21, 2010, 12:55:51 AM

Here's a quickie: the PCs are walking down the street when they are hit by a truck. It'd be a one shot.

Or to re-de-rail it back to MST3K, they're in a taxi driven by a guy high on crack, who rams them into a giant tree at high speed, yet they wake up out of site from the wreck and apparently without a scratch, except no one can seem to hear them, and a huge guy in a black trench coat is hunting them down.  Bullets can't stop him (although golf clubs work), and he just keeps coming, finding them wherever they go, he has the ability to take any form he wishes, and can fire sharpened metallic acorns he has stashed in his prodigious cheeks at high velocity.  The players must evade the unstoppable big-faced doom bringer while uncovering the secret of the car wreck.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: mathey September 21, 2010, 06:40:55 PM
Or to re-de-rail it back to MST3K, they're in a taxi driven by a guy high on crack, who rams them into a giant tree at high speed, yet they wake up out of site from the wreck and apparently without a scratch, except no one can seem to hear them, and a huge guy in a black trench coat is hunting them down.  Bullets can't stop him (although golf clubs work), and he just keeps coming, finding them wherever they go, he has the ability to take any form he wishes, and can fire sharpened metallic acorns he has stashed in his prodigious cheeks at high velocity.  The players must evade the unstoppable big-faced doom bringer while uncovering the secret of the car wreck.

"Oh, Z'no!"
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Charlie72 January 16, 2011, 11:35:18 PM
MaOCT:PERSONA PERSONA PERSONA! SOCIAL LINKS SOCIAL LINKS SOCIAL LINKS!
A Monsters and Other Childish Things game base off the Persona series. The players are all teenagers that are on there way to attend a boring school in the island town of New Mu, off the the coast of Washington State. They arrive to find that something strange and horrible has happed. Instead of the normal relationship dice players get at the start, they get a relationship pool which they can spend on people at the school and in the town.

A Dirty World: Oort Cloud
A Dirty World IN SPACE (but has nothing to do with the game In Spaaace). Mankind takes its first into colonizing space, and crime and corruption are close to follow. I originally came up with this as a one shot, but I think I can make an entire campaign out of it.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Moondog January 16, 2011, 11:55:17 PM
Persona thing sounds awesome, Charlie.

As for me, oh god, so many.

Fear Itself: I want to run something Clock Tower inspired.

New World of Darkness (shit flavor text, much better rules), I wanna do Sweet Home style thing.

Maid RPG: Something that rips Disgaea off completely, and is lighthearted and about as ridiculous as what Nippon Ichi could come up with. Dood. Maybe a school setting.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles And Other Strangeness: EDIT: I AM CURRENTLY WORKING ON THIS. IT INVOLVES A MAD SCIENTIST, NINJAS, A GIANT ROBOT, AND A MACGUFFIN. IT WILL BE AWESOME.

For me, it isn't a lack of players, it's just I never seem to get the chance to sit down and write this stuff out. I'll try, and WHAM hit a wall. Bv
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Dom January 17, 2011, 08:25:33 AM
For some reason, I too was thinking about a Persona MaOCT game, that would be interesting indeed.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Robot Master January 17, 2011, 10:02:20 AM
I would run the following if I could make it happen(I have all of these books):

1. Eclipse Phase: This hasn't happened yet because my players don't tend to buy books and I'm shuddering at the idea of getting their heads into the trans-humanity setting by "explaining" it to them.

2. Battlestar Galactica: The system is like Serenity's so it's designed for interpersonal roleplay points to be inserted by the players, which I think would lend for an AMAZING rp campaign with the right minded players. You'd have to have the kind of players that are willing to fight via RP with eachother and get in eachothers' faces if it means creating good drama.

3. Robotech: I have some players that hate Palladium and some players that LOVE Palladium. Who wouldn't love a good, old fashioned Robotech story?

4. The Red Star: (( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Star )). Alternate reality WW2 style setting with sorcery and mechanical awesomeness.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: SageNytell January 17, 2011, 03:17:49 PM
A couple of campaigns that I actually am trying to bring to fruition, but have noooo idea when they'll even be feasible.

1. Call of Cthulhu: Into the Ashes: This would be a mix of Stephen King's The Stand (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stand) along with some aesthetics taken from the recent remake of The Crazies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crazies_%282010_film%29). Characters would be residents of a small town in Nowhere, USA, in either the present or the very recent past (during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq). Things would start off slowly, the only weird thing being some strange (but quite literally harmless at the start) church with some very nice but very obviously weird people. One day during some sort of holiday/festival/block party a drifter stumbles into town, causes a disturbance, and begins violent behavior that will not stop until the figure is dead - imprisonment will only result in his suicide. A day later, thousands of birds, all of different species, converge on the spot where the madman died, forming strange geometric patterns in their landing. If disturbed the birds will disperse and then gather once again moments later, if they are attacked the birds will respond in kind. They stay this way for hours, then, simultaneously, they all die, remaining in their strange shapes. Over the next few days similar attacks occur, sometimes from drifters, sometimes from previously normal members of town. On the news, there are reports of strange attacks from armies of spiders in South America, groups of people freezing to death in places where death due to the elements is impossible in Canada, strange stories of apparent vampirism in the foothills of Asia, and strange stories of abominations beneath the waves of the Pacific Ocean. The players are contacted by a member of the Army who grew up in the town, along with his superiors - they will arrive to begin the evacuation in seven days, and the characters need to maintain order until that time.
The last bit of news that is received before the power and communications go out for the last time is that researchers in astronomical labs around the world have simultaneously issued the same, puzzling bit of information...
"The stars are right."

2. Dungeons and Dragons 4E: To Slay the Beast: Standard dragonslaying fare. The players are not movers and shakers of the world, but they are at least considered heroes (or antiheroes) and have been called to the capital city of a besieged kingdom with a request - that they infiltrate the lair of the dragon who plans the destruction of the kingdom, and attempt to sever the head that directs the vast armies swayed against them. With the exception of the start and breaking back out through the siege, the entire adventure would be one big dungeon crawl, which is something that everyone in my group has expressed an interest in, but that we've never actually done. The entire complex would be somewhat living, for example the characters cannot possibly hope to destroy every foe, because more will simply come to take their places - instead they have to think tactically and make sound decisions in their hunt to slay the dragon. Because I would be playing with a smaller subset of the main gaming group instead of fuck's-sakes-nine people, I would be looking at the possibility of the players having minions or followers, customized to their background or skillset. The minions could be used in battle, and there would be some (unreliable) mechanism for healing at least some of them, or the players could choose to not directly employ them and instead benefit from, say, an additional daily power, or some sort of static benefit. This could present some interesting decisions between using limited resources (which there really isn't enough of in 4E, it keeps the tension less present, and I dislike that) or gaining a lesser benefit through conservation.

3. Pathfinder: Higher Ground: The world has been through a trying age - the low places of the world have been overrun with the dead, and civilization has retreated to the high places, mountains, and plateaus. Despite this lack of real estate, the world has pressed on, and much has been reclaimed of what was once known. Over time, the remaining governments have slowly begun to rediscover the world below, and have just barely begun to recolonize the low places. At the start, magic is present, but it is weak, unreliable, and prone to abrupt changes in potency. The players begin in a prologue, the night before the world... changes; their characters are just starting out in the world and have little to show but the most basic combat skills and a slight affiliation to one of the world's factions. After an initial short adventure/dungeon crawl, they are distant witness to an event that seems inconsequential but will have far-reaching effects on their entire world. The game would resume, five years later, as the characters are brought back together for the beginning of the true campaign - far more experienced than on their first adventure, but with a shared past that will hopefully add some fun roleplaying elements to the game. Their first adventure will be to explore the fog-choked and dead-infested streets of the town where their adventure first began, five years before. The gimmick here would be that the entire place is a dungeon, set out on a single piece of Gaming Paper (http://www.gamingpaper.com/index.php), making the trek through the overrun village a test of endurance and will. From there, the players have to determine how bad this onslaught of the dead upon the remnants of the living has become, and what sort of consequences it will have.

God damn I am long-winded.  :P
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Salkovich January 17, 2011, 03:34:29 PM
That Call of Cthulhu set-up sounds in-fucking-credible.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: clockworkjoe January 17, 2011, 05:32:51 PM
Might I suggest Iron Heroes for the Higher Grounds campaign? If magic is weak - make the PCs martial badasses
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: SageNytell January 17, 2011, 06:19:40 PM
Magic is weak at the beginning due to... reasons. Essentially, the world really has not 'regrown' per se because of the lack of magic, and since the Fall the gods have been more or less silent. Technological progression has continued since the Fall, but the sheer requirements of survival mean that not a lot has been done.
At the conclusion of the intro adventure, the characters will bear a very distant witness to... an event. I hate to be vague, but even the players shouldn't know that this is definitely the cause, and while they don't read the forums now I don't know they won't in the future. After this event, the players will meet up in-game 5 years later. Magic, while not completely understood, is back, in strength. This has led certain factions (not-Tesla) to combine magical and technological advances and allow things that were not possible before.
The campaign will play a lot with horror tropes, especially the exhaustion and lack of resources that make an apocalypse game fun. They'll have some power, certainly, but there'll be a list of banned spells that are not setting-appropriate.

I'd love to check out Iron Heroes at some point, though... it sounds pretty damn cool. :D
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: clockworkjoe January 17, 2011, 06:51:47 PM
IRON HEROES IS GOOD FOR ANY TYPE OF CAMPAIGN

CONAN STYLE EPIC WITH SORCERY AND ALSO SWORDS? YES

SPACE OPERA WITH ROBOTS AND LASER SWORDS? YES

FILM NOIR MYSTERY WITH REVOLVER SWORDS? YES

19TH CENTURY PRUSSIAN AGRICULTURE SIMULATION WITH TRACTOR SWORDS? YES

WESTERN SAGA OF COWBOYS FIGHTING EACH OTHER WITH LASSO SWORDS? YES

AS YOU CAN SEE IRON HEROES IS A VERSATILE SYSTEM CAPABLE OF HANDLING ANY TYPE OF GAME



: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Moondog January 17, 2011, 06:59:11 PM
But can it tell you why kids love the sweet taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch?
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: clockworkjoe January 17, 2011, 07:02:59 PM
THE CRUNCH IS ALSO SWORDS
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: crash2455 January 17, 2011, 07:06:15 PM
It does not have enough mechanics for women wrestling in Jello.  I am not sold on the system.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: clockworkjoe January 17, 2011, 07:07:11 PM
THATS STUPID

YOU ARE STUPID

UNLESS THE JELLOS IS ALSO SOWRDS

THEN IT IS SUPPORTED BY TEH SYSTEM
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: jonnygadfly January 17, 2011, 07:28:50 PM
This is what happens when Ross forgets to take his medication.
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Setherick January 17, 2011, 08:24:15 PM
Don't for get High Art Concepts (http://slangdesign.com/rppr/2005/11/comedy/high-art-the-role-playing-game/) with Swords!
: Re: Campaigns You Would Run If You Had The Time And Players And Energy
: Charlie72 January 30, 2011, 11:23:08 PM
Paranoia: Underneath Sector SEA

Paranoia meets Sealab 2021. Really self explanatory.