Unused, rarely seen or never-used RPG settings

The Brazilian Slaughter · Oct 25, 2010

So I was thinking about RPG settings. We usually see:

Medieval Fantasy (Dragon Age, Baldur's Gate)
ISO Standard Sci-Fi Setting (Mass Effect)
Near Future (Deus Ex, Shadow Run)
Post-Apocalyptic (Fallout, Wasteland)

But I find there are lots of settings you don't see in RPG. Cite some examples.

Here's the first I thought:

Colonial America (1500-1822): Interesting frontier land. Anglos and French (later only Anglos) in North America, Spanish colonies in South America and Portugal in Brazil. Plenty of interesting areas and people to see and kill. Can be done in a pretty realistic tone, or a semi-magical tone with all those negroes, injuns and sincretic afro-christian cults around. I always dreamed playing a Bandeirante in the 1600's, slaving indians, looting and raping and searching for gold in the frontier, or a Inquisitor whose job is to purge the colonies of infidels, for example, Amerindian Religions, Jews, Protestants, Freemasons, Satanists, Afro-Christian Sincretics, Negro Muslims and Illuminists. Combat? Say goodbye to your popamole spells and automatic firearms. Its Musket and Blade country's here, maybe Bayonets if you're in the 1800s. If you're unlucky and away from civilization, well, better ask for your injun guides to make you some arrows, because firearms are hungry beasts, even those that take minutes to reload. Armor? Better think before heading to the hot jungles in steel armor plate, pal.

Davaris · Oct 25, 2010

Good thread idea.

I like the idea of 1930s and 1940s, film noir detective stories as RPGs.

I'd probably start out with soemthing mundane, like investigating an infidelity or industrial espionage and then mix in the unusual stuff later: gangsters, Nazi spys and scientists, UFOs, or some kind of ancient evil in a museum.

You could go with a campy B-grade feel, or make it more serious like the Maltese Falcon, or Key Largo.

Davaris · Oct 25, 2010

Hollow Earth settings are interesting as well. Civilized people and primitives used to believe there was another world, beneath our feet and searched for secret entrances leading to it.

Some people believed that one day, a more powerful race would rise up from this underworld and obliterate humanity using doomsday weapons.

With this setting you can carry in modern weapons and equipment and encounter virtually anything, from primitive societies and dinosaurs, to highly advanced races, that employ spiritual or mental energies to power their weapons and cities.

Such peoples may not even know that the world above them exists.

Another adventure could be searching for an entrance to the underworld and getting past the guardians who conceal and protect it.

DraQ · Oct 25, 2010

Also, possibly hard SciFi (of any tech level, from "we have interplanetary travel" to "custom tailored pocket universes").

Also, any fantasy that isn't simply :insert_set_of_past_cultures: themepark.

Also, fucking steampunk.

Also, we've had this thread before.

Malakal · Oct 25, 2010

Ancient civilziations (Egyptians, Mesoamericans, Middle Eastern), tribal settings, iron age (other than Connan I suppose), Dark Ages, Far Eastern settings (not only China and Korea but also south-east Asian), renaissance is rather unrepresented.

Actually other than high middle ages, modern, future and near future enarly all historical eras are not represented.

visions · Oct 25, 2010

ITT we can circle jerk over settings we will never see. Anyway, here goes:

Seconding hollow earth. I've always been fascinated by everything subterranean. Hollow earth could be merged with steampunk (now excuse me while I'm gonna cry for Journey to the Center of Arcanum, the title of which seems to have suggested something like "hollow Arcanum", never materializing).

Also, Wild West, pagan Europe (okay, we have some indies on this front like Nethergate and Teudogar but I'd like to see more of similar settings since this is the shit I've been fascinated by ever since I was a kid) and WW II. An organized crime themed rpg could be interesting as well. Oh, and the war in Afghanistan.

Davaris · Oct 25, 2010

War by Other Means

A political game, where you do what ever it takes, to rise to power in an imaginary nation.

At the start of the game, you choose a faction and must behave as befitting your chosen ideology, or depending on the nature of your group, you could lose followers, be demoted, get kicked out of the party, be plotted against, or face assassination attempts by your own people.

Anything goes in this game, you can play at traditional voting politics, spread sedition, break and enter Watergate style, use political terror, or fight political opponents and the Police on the mean streets, with anything from insults, fists, bricks, firebombs, or pistols.

You create each of your henchmen, with their own special skill sets and give them tasks like campaigning, writing and giving speeches, using talking points, raise money using legal methods, dig for dirt on rivals, intimidate and kill rivals, rob banks and marry widows for their money to fund the party and so on.

Henchmen when doing mundane tasks, like door knocking or handing out fliers, can be set to auto function. However when necessary, you can jump into any of your henchmen, at any time and take full control of their actions.

Other challenges you may face are extremist groups that oppose your ideology, the establishment using legal and dirty means as well as The Force to keep your group in check, moles infiltrating your group, or your own people getting fed up with the way you treat them and turning traitor.

Forest Dweller · Oct 25, 2010

As I played Bloodlines, it occured to me how cool it would be in an open-world setting. With all the clans and mythology, it should be interesting. A day and night cycle too, to force you underground during the say (they would need to have things to do ways to travel though).

A modern world spy rpg. Yeah I know, Alpha Protocol. But I mean also in an open-world context and without all the silly shit. You could become double or triple agents, set up spy networks, do serveillance and hacking, and all that other shit. Would be fun.

A virtual reality setting. Think tad Williams' Otherland. Would be awesome since the possibilities are endless.

An rpg set in the Age of Discovery, or Age of Exploration, or whatever. You could go back and forth between Europe and various colonies.

Vaarna_Aarne · Oct 25, 2010

I just want a CthulhuTech game...

grotsnik · Oct 25, 2010

An Ancient Rome RPG would be pretty badass. Plenty of politics and violence.

Hell, there might even be a market for it, unlike (sadly) some of these ideas.

visions · Oct 25, 2010

Dicksmoker said:
As I played Bloodlines, it occured to me how cool it would be in an open-world setting. With all the clans and mythology, it should be interesting. A day and night cycle too, to force you underground during the say (they would need to have things to do ways to travel though).

This too.

Awor Szurkrarz · Oct 25, 2010

The main problem with a semi-modern setting is that there's too much of people.

Jaesun · Oct 26, 2010

Vaarna_Aarne said:
I just want a CthulhuTech game...

This.

However a Hidden Earth game setting could be cool.

barker_s · Oct 26, 2010

I'd love a hard sci-fi near-future game focused on space exploration, founding of new colonies and dealing with harsh conditions that your crew must endure during the journey.

Also a proper Cthulhu rpg.

Awor Szurkrarz said:
The main problem with a semi-modern setting is that there's too much of people.

It's not much of a problem for modern engines.

Awor Szurkrarz · Oct 26, 2010

It isn't an engine problem. It's a content problem.

barker_s · Oct 26, 2010

But do all NPC's need to be meaningful? You could just write some "fuck off" lines for the nonsignificant ones and have a crowded city in no time.

Also, combining different head models with different outfits/colours/hairstyles will give you all diversity you need (and you'll have to do those anyway if you're making an RPG).

Mortmal · Oct 26, 2010

Heres a pnp game about the hollow earth:

You could make something as good as fallout with such setting. Imagine ancient aztec subterrean ruins, mixed with dinosaurs and nazis. If only i had the money i would hire people and do it myself.Theres many myths , many stories about ancient cities and myth (mostly hoaxes) like the crystal skulls or the city of akator to exploit .Nothing could beat hunting a dinosaur with a FG42 looted on a SS

DraQ · Oct 26, 2010

DraQ said:
Also, possibly hard SciFi (of any tech level, from "we have interplanetary travel" to "custom tailored pocket universes").

Also, any fantasy that isn't simply :insert_set_of_past_cultures: themepark.

Also, fucking steampunk.

Also, we've had this thread before.

I have repaired my post.

Lord Rocket · Oct 26, 2010

Bros you know that there's an Ultima game set in a Hollow Earth-alike hidden valley setting, right?

Erzherzog · Oct 26, 2010

Victorian era has Arcanum and nothing else it feels like.

I don't quite understand why, there's fighting, politics, and a bunch of similarly powered nations running around. Seems like a c&c dream.

Davaris · Oct 26, 2010

I think its okay if something has been done before, as long as it has not been done to death.

I think what people should be looking for, is something that has not been over used, but has rich imagery and history, that a lot of people like.

For that reason I think Double Bear's choice of Zombies was an excellent one, along with Iron Tower's Lovecraftian RPG.

Its a pity the Lovecraft one is on hold, because I think if an RPG like that was ever done well, it would be a sleeper hit.

Lovecraft has enormous potential with its Puritans and Witchcraft paranoia in New England. Or if you want to plumb the depths, there is old New Orleans, with slave traders, slaves, racism, opium, mysterious travelers from the Far East, Voodoo, superstition, forgotten places in swamps, bottomless cellars, cities of the dead and so on.

Davaris · Oct 26, 2010

You can get around the population issue, by going low poly and low detail and use an isometric camera pulled way back, because everything looks better from a distance.

The other mistake some Indies make, is to try to mimic reality and that is too much work. If you have limited resources, it is better to try and create a toy reality. I would say VtM Bloodlines used this technique, because even though it was set in an enormous city, everything of interest in each area, was crammed into a relatively small space.

Phelot · Oct 26, 2010

My list:

Horror: like Ravenloft, but perhaps minus elves and other standard fantasy fare. I'd also like to avoid Cthulu based horror. No other dimensions and shit like that, just werewolves, mummies, and monocle wearing vampires... surprisingly under represented in games.

Colonial America: I second this (or third or whatever) especially if it's set in fall or winter. It's shocking how much a season can change a setting. I'm so tired of games being set in lush green worlds that are perpetually summer.

Pre-Roman Worlds: It'd be nice to have a setting set in a truly ancient time. Hittites, Sumerians, Egyptians, Minoans, hell even pre-historical Euro barbarian tribes could be fascinating settings.

Mortmal · Oct 26, 2010

Lord Rocket said:
Bros you know that there's an Ultima game set in a Hollow Earth-alike hidden valley setting, right?

yes savage empire, but its not hollow earth, and been so long ago anyway.

denizsi · Oct 27, 2010

One particular setting I'm madly in love with is Miyazaki's Nausicaa of The Valley of The Wind. A very romantically pastoral and feudal "post-apoc" setting, a millennium after the apocalyptic events with much swordsmanship and old salvaged weapons and machines of war in continued use: infantry flintlocks, steampunk warplanes and air-ships with broadside battles using cannons, mounted MGs and infantry boarding action in the air. Read about it:

The story is set in the future 1000 years after the “Seven Days of Fire”, a cataclysm brought on by the excessive industrialisation that mankind has undergone. It utterly destroyed industrial civilisation approximately a millennium after it began to flourish (probably sometime in the 2700s). Although humanity survived, the land surface of the Earth has become heavily polluted and the seas are poisonous. Most of the world is covered by the “Sea of Corruption”, a toxic forest of fungal plants which is steadily encroaching on the remaining open land. It is protected by large insects, including the huge Ohmu. Humanity clings on to survival in the polluted lands beyond the forest, periodically engaging in bouts of internecine fighting for the scarce resources that remain.

Nausicaä is the princess of the Valley of the Wind, a state on the periphery of what was once known as Eftal, a kingdom destroyed by the Sea of Corruption 300 years before the story begins. The leaders of the Periphery states are now vassals to the Torumekian Emperor and are obliged to send their forces to help when he decides to invade the neighboring Dorok lands.

Wikipedia page
Nausicaa.net wiki page

It may sound like a mish-mash of every cool thing, what with sword fightan, infantry battles, steampunk broadside battles and boarding action in the air, and monarchic politics but it all blends very elegantly and the best part is, none of these things is ever the main focus of the series, unlike, say, Steamboy. There is a strong sci-fi feel to it, too, regarding search and use of advanced lost "ancient" technology.

I have fantasies of an RPG in that setting, set on the brink of the aforementioned consumption of Eftal and various other kingdoms by the Sea of Corruption.

Unused, rarely seen or never-used RPG settings

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