Good ideas found in myths and folklore

[Callaxes]

A ship made of dead men's nails
A monster that rides through the night killing any fool who dares venture outside a haven after sunset
This was in Darklands
Any monster from here

 

[JarlFrank]

Well, yes mythology has great ideas, but usually games that are based on mythology like to rape the setting by introducing new "cool" parts to the story or just otherwise changing the original story in order to make it more "enjoyable" to the target audience.

 

[Gragt]

I wonder why Priapus isn't part of the D&D pantheon.

 

[Callaxes]

A CRPG based on slavic myths would be amazing.

 

[circ]

Slavic as in Dracula? No thanks. Fuck all that werewolf crap and cyclops, Hercules, etc. It makes for good reading and sometimes good movies but goddamn if Titan Quest and other straight mythology games aren't dumb and weak as shit.

 

[Trash]

The inclusion of the wild hunt in Darklands was awesome. Come to think of it, that entire game was build of awesome. Dark Age Germany where the legends and myths actually exist. Shame nobody tried something similar ever again.

 

[Korgan]

Quest for Glory 4 or 5 had that. Also, the Japanese are wasting their mythology and folklore on their dumb faux-RPGs, a Sword Of The Samurai remake with magic and demons would be nice.

 

[The Ninth Circle]

I'd love to see an RPG where all the mythological gods existed and were all vying for power -- which was based upon the belief in their being. The older gods are now relegated to low levels of power, though still more than a human based on the myth's being well known. Once falling to complete obscurity, they cease to be. This would allow for the player to sway the population based on his actions for various factions, split by not only their geographical starting point, but their age as well. If religions are anything, are they not political parties? The ultimate ending: the player themselve's become thought of as a god due to their monumental actions, becoming the strongest of them all.

 

[Durwyn]

A CRPG based on slavic myths would be amazing.

Slavic myths = The Witcher to some extent

 

[Annie Mitsoda]

<awesome>

Back in the day, when I was but a pup in the game industry, I proposed a game where you played as a fallen deity. Well, not "fallen" like as the devil, but "fallen" as in your name had faded. Hundreds of years before, another pantheon of deities had led in an invading force, and used an artifact to "seal" you and the other gods in stones. With your people busy with trying to fight off an invading force, their usual devotions were interrupted, sapping your strength to break out and fight back; and as you were unable to grant their requests for aid, soon their culture fell and was conquered.

Ages later, a group of rather foolish but greedy adventurers (I think it was a priest, a male rogue-type guy, and a burly female fighter) came along and inadvertently freed you - and you, being an angry god, immediately subverted them to your will. By yourself you can't fight the other pantheon... but with the priest being the herald of your new religion (and going from town to town secretly converting people into new believers to give you power), and "possessing" the fighter and rogue to do your dirty work, the goal was to conquer territory, get followers, free the other members of your pantheon, and defeat/drive out the gods of the invaders.

I wish I had that concept back. Yeah, I found out later it was a lot like Actraiser (which I'd never played, sadly), but man, I liked the idea a LOT.

...also anything based on the Ramayana would be seriously sweet.

 

[Vibalist]

<awesome>

Back in the day, when I was but a pup in the game industry, I proposed a game where you played as a fallen deity. Well, not "fallen" like as the devil, but "fallen" as in your name had faded. Hundreds of years before, another pantheon of deities had led in an invading force, and used an artifact to "seal" you and the other gods in stones. With your people busy with trying to fight off an invading force, their usual devotions were interrupted, sapping your strength to break out and fight back; and as you were unable to grant their requests for aid, soon their culture fell and was conquered.

Ages later, a group of rather foolish but greedy adventurers (I think it was a priest, a male rogue-type guy, and a burly female fighter) came along and inadvertently freed you - and you, being an angry god, immediately subverted them to your will. By yourself you can't fight the other pantheon... but with the priest being the herald of your new religion (and going from town to town secretly converting people into new believers to give you power), and "possessing" the fighter and rogue to do your dirty work, the goal was to conquer territory, get followers, free the other members of your pantheon, and defeat/drive out the gods of the invaders.

I wish I had that concept back. Yeah, I found out later it was a lot like Actraiser (which I'd never played, sadly), but man, I liked the idea a LOT.

...also anything based on the Ramayana would be seriously sweet.

When are you gonna get a job so you at least have a shot at getting some ideas through somewhere?

 

[Annie Mitsoda]

Working on it, trust me. Again, Seattle job market is total poops. But I am a persistent Annie, and I wants to make the games. This shall come to pass.

 

[Major_Boobage]

Working on it, trust me. Again, Seattle job market is total poops. But I am a persistent Annie, and I wants to make the games. This shall come to pass.

I cant believe you cant find a job with those knockers...

 

[Redeye]

"VonDanikenLand" the RPG of somewhat fudged cryptomythology.

It must exist.

Must.

eventually.


Please.

 

[Gay-Lussac]

Working on it, trust me. Again, Seattle job market is total poops. But I am a persistent Annie, and I wants to make the games. This shall come to pass.

You seem to have some great ideas, best of luck to you.

 

[The Ninth Circle]

<awesome>

Back in the day, when I was but a pup in the game industry, I proposed a game where you played as a fallen deity. Well, not "fallen" like as the devil, but "fallen" as in your name had faded. Hundreds of years before, another pantheon of deities had led in an invading force, and used an artifact to "seal" you and the other gods in stones. With your people busy with trying to fight off an invading force, their usual devotions were interrupted, sapping your strength to break out and fight back; and as you were unable to grant their requests for aid, soon their culture fell and was conquered.

Ages later, a group of rather foolish but greedy adventurers (I think it was a priest, a male rogue-type guy, and a burly female fighter) came along and inadvertently freed you - and you, being an angry god, immediately subverted them to your will. By yourself you can't fight the other pantheon... but with the priest being the herald of your new religion (and going from town to town secretly converting people into new believers to give you power), and "possessing" the fighter and rogue to do your dirty work, the goal was to conquer territory, get followers, free the other members of your pantheon, and defeat/drive out the gods of the invaders.

I wish I had that concept back. Yeah, I found out later it was a lot like Actraiser (which I'd never played, sadly), but man, I liked the idea a LOT.

...also anything based on the Ramayana would be seriously sweet.

Sounds like an RTS of sorts, where instead of gaining the usual resources (gold, lumber, etc) you're conquering the minds of citizens. How would it have played out exactly? I can't exactly picture how it'd all come together.

 

[circ]

Back in the day, years before, stones.

Ages later, a priest came to the new religion to dodirty work.

It also sounds extremely similar to this game where you were a forgotten anti Paladin or the like and some old servant of yours awoke you so you could take some goblins and take your shit back. Along the way you got better goblins, demons, worshippers etc. Can't remember the name of it but it was mildly entertaining.

 

[Gragt]

Overlord?

I quite like the idea of playing a forgotten deity who comes back.

Edit: I need to check Actraiser out now.

 

[circ]

Overlord?

That's it.

 

[Annie Mitsoda]

Sounds like an RTS of sorts, where instead of gaining the usual resources (gold, lumber, etc) you're conquering the minds of citizens. How would it have played out exactly? I can't exactly picture how it'd all come together.

Close - in my mind, it had kind of a Civilization-style overland map - cities and terrain and whatnot, as well as resource-management and the like - and showing your armies vs. enemy armies. As for the "dirty work," you had 3rd person action with your rogue (sneaky stabby - like assassinating a governor to throw a city into chaos, or stealing battle plans) or warrior (smashy smashy battle whatnots) with RPG elements as you grew in power and could "buy" new powers and abilities to grant your "champions."

This was RPG-Lite at best, mind - in my days before joining Obsidian, even. Someone actually had me work it and several other designs up to "appeal to a mass market." HA. God I was such a newb. I just threw out shit I wanted to see, not what would sell games in middle America. I wish I could get those concepts back - they'd be rough scribblings compared to how I'd revamp stuff now, but fuuuuuuuuck I wish I had them to dream about making.

Although they did have pretty shitty names, I will admit. Pantheon was what one was going to be called, and the others were Alteration, Sky Bandits, Blood Angel (aiming for the emo crowd there!), and Vesikko. If you ever see those, let me know. /wry grin

ALSO ENOUGH THREAD DERAIL! You know what's a good source of "hey, that mythological thing is pretty fucked up and awesome, I wish to learn more of it"? Any one of the Shin Megami Tensei games. Check out some of your Personas sometime, and if you are not all like whaaaat the fuuuuuck for at least one of them, you can be surprised by nothing.

 

[bhlaab]

There are plenty of games based on mythology already, I'd prefer to see more that just have crazy out-there settings.

Fantasy and Post Apocalytpic are apparently the only two settings allowed in RPGs?

 

[someone else]

There are also Chinese Wu Xia RPGs, one of which is very different from most RPGs, featuring a mish mash of various game types but mainly following Princess Maker. I was thinking of doing a LP of it, it will be an eye opener to most of you. Game trains you not only in gongfu but in tea, wine, chess, Go, music, literature, art etc.

http://www.mobygames.com/game/wulin-qunxia-zhuan

 

[Kingston]

Vesikko

Finnish for this.

And yea, it does sound like Act Raiser, which was an awesome game (superb music, too).

 

[The Ninth Circle]

Just thinking back and remembering Battle of Olympus. Think of a side-scrolling Zelda, or Zelda II without the XP and magic. Pretty cool game for NES. Very difficult too if I recall.

Here's some screenshots:

 

[Dark Matter]

Slavic as in Dracula? No thanks. Fuck all that werewolf crap and cyclops, Hercules, etc. It makes for good reading and sometimes good movies but goddamn if Titan Quest and other straight mythology games aren't dumb and weak as shit.

Fuck you. Age of Mythology is awesome.