DFesque Scifi and Horror series

zorg · 01-15-2011, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kage2020

What would such a DF-esque series look like in sci-fi and horror?

Good question!

I imagine such a series would be patterned similiar to Action, but obviously with a focus different from contemporary action movies.

A horror series might be a packaged set of all the optional rules and knobs and levers you need to enable horror movies, or perhaps even a specific set of horror movies (Gurps Horror 1: Mad Slashers; Gurps Horror 2: Zombie Survival, etc). Add to that the relevant templates for both PCs and typical antagonists, a concise discussion of equipment or the lack thereof, and thoughts on the typical structure of the horror subtype in question (How does a Mad Slasher movie work? How do you GM a zombie adventure?).

A scifi series would need to do, obviously, similiar things for the scifi genre, possibly too with different books for different types of scifi. Have an analysis how to GM PCs-as-crew of a starship, how to deal with "space anomalies", how to use planets and civilizations and aliens in a game, etc. Space already gives you a lot of tools, a book such as Gurps Scifi: Space Opera might explain en detail how to use these tools - together with templates, and again a summary and explanation of the relevant optional rules.

All this, as usual, is completely off the top of my head, and comes without an in-depth market analysis. :)

the_seeker · 01-15-2011, 01:26 PM

I would buy GURPS Space Opera in a heartbeat.

robkelk · 01-15-2011, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_seeker

I would buy GURPS Space Opera in a heartbeat.

Here you go... or, at least, it's a start. (I wouldn't mind seeing this expanded, too.)

the_seeker · 01-15-2011, 01:59 PM

Heh. I picked up Tales of the Solar Patrol not too terribly long after it was released. It's great, but it's a specific setting. Space Opera should be a genre treatment. I don't want to overwork Bill Stoddard and David Pulver, but...

What?

I'm just sayin'... :)

josha · 01-15-2011, 02:20 PM

I would get GURPS Space Opera as well. Space operas are one of the things BRP stinks at.

CousinX · 01-15-2011, 02:21 PM

There's always RPK's up-and-coming Monster Hunters series, which promises to do for modern action/horror what DF did for fantasy. A more traditional Horror series might see a volume on the Heroes of Horror, and then one book each on various horrific villains, monsters, and tropes... is Ken Hite busy for the next five years? :)

A Space Opera series would be interesting, and I agree that it'd be different from the Solar Patrol. It would need to be able to handle a number of settings and genre-variations, or else specifically choose a sub-genre to focus on, since space opera can mean a lot of different things. I guess with a series you have some room to spread things out ... Book 1 might deal with the broadest genre conventions, while subsequent volumes might go into detail about the Starship Crew Serials like Star Trek and Battlestar Gallactica, Swashbucklers in Space like Star Wars, etc.

sir_pudding · 01-15-2011, 02:33 PM

Just as dungeon delving games have consistent genre conventions that allowed Dungeon Fantasy, skiffy first person shooters have consistent genre conventions, too. A DF-like series based (as loosely as DF is on Diablo) on Halo, Unreal, Mass Effect, Half-Life and so on might be very good, IMO.

vierasmarius · 01-15-2011, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Just as dungeon delving games have consistent genre conventions that allowed Dungeon Fantasy, skiffy first person shooters have consistent genre conventions, too. A DF-like series based (as loosely as DF is on Diablo) on Halo, Unreal, Mass Effect, Half-Life and so on might be very good, IMO.

Most of the action for such a series is probably covered by Action!, Gun Fu, and the upcoming Tactical Shooting. For example, see the inset on Gun Fu pg47. While FPS-inspired settings could certainly use more fleshing out, there seems to be a lot of pertinent information already present. Could make a nice Pyramid article at least... I'd buy it.

CousinX · 01-15-2011, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Just as dungeon delving games have consistent genre conventions that allowed Dungeon Fantasy, skiffy first person shooters have consistent genre conventions, too. A DF-like series based (as loosely as DF is on Diablo) on Halo, Unreal, Mass Effect, Half-Life and so on might be very good, IMO.

What kinds of things would it feature? Like vierasmarius, I'm having a hard time envisioning what it be, as distinct from Action and/or Monster Hunters.

sir_pudding · 01-15-2011, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

Most of the action for such a series is probably covered by Action!, Gun Fu, and the upcoming Tactical Shooting. For example, see the inset on Gun Fu pg47. While FPS-inspired settings could certainly use more fleshing out, there seems to be a lot of pertinent information already present. Could make a nice Pyramid article at least... I'd buy it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CousinX

What kinds of things would it feature? Like vierasmarius, I'm having a hard time envisioning what it be, as distinct from Action and/or Monster Hunters.

Power Armor, Spacecraft, Aliens, Mega-structures.

01-15-2011, 01:26 PM	#2
the_seeker . Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Charlotte, NC, United States	Re: DFesque Scifi and Horror series I would buy GURPS Space Opera in a heartbeat. __________________ Tim Harris The Seeker Time Lord Saving the universe one planet at a time. Occasionally from my own mistakes. Oops.

01-15-2011, 01:59 PM	#4
the_seeker . Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Charlotte, NC, United States	Re: DFesque Scifi and Horror series Heh. I picked up Tales of the Solar Patrol not too terribly long after it was released. It's great, but it's a specific setting. Space Opera should be a genre treatment. I don't want to overwork Bill Stoddard and David Pulver, but... What? I'm just sayin'... :) __________________ Tim Harris The Seeker Time Lord Saving the universe one planet at a time. Occasionally from my own mistakes. Oops.

01-15-2011, 02:20 PM	#5
josha Join Date: Jan 2011	Re: DFesque Scifi and Horror series I would get GURPS Space Opera as well. Space operas are one of the things BRP stinks at.

01-15-2011, 02:21 PM	#6
CousinX Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Shangri-La	Re: DFesque Scifi and Horror series There's always RPK's up-and-coming Monster Hunters series, which promises to do for modern action/horror what DF did for fantasy. A more traditional Horror series might see a volume on the Heroes of Horror, and then one book each on various horrific villains, monsters, and tropes... is Ken Hite busy for the next five years? :) A Space Opera series would be interesting, and I agree that it'd be different from the Solar Patrol. It would need to be able to handle a number of settings and genre-variations, or else specifically choose a sub-genre to focus on, since space opera can mean a lot of different things. I guess with a series you have some room to spread things out ... Book 1 might deal with the broadest genre conventions, while subsequent volumes might go into detail about the Starship Crew Serials like Star Trek and Battlestar Gallactica, Swashbucklers in Space like Star Wars, etc.

01-15-2011, 02:33 PM	#7
sir_pudding Wielder of Smart Pants Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ventura CA	Re: DFesque Scifi and Horror series Just as dungeon delving games have consistent genre conventions that allowed Dungeon Fantasy, skiffy first person shooters have consistent genre conventions, too. A DF-like series based (as loosely as DF is on Diablo) on Halo, Unreal, Mass Effect, Half-Life and so on might be very good, IMO.