Movies as 'inspiration'?

[Phil Masters]

Originally Posted by MrTim

The hell?!?!? That's like citing Monty Python and the Holy Grail as source material for Banestorm!

Actually, that could be quite fun.

But anyway. There are of course no actual Transhuman Space movies. There are movies and similar which one can raid for inspiration for bits of Transhuman Space, though. For example, 2001 should give something of the feel of gritty hard SF space travel, while any version of Ghost in the Shell is good for definining the atmosphere of a high-action, somewhat cinematic Fifth Wave game.

I've not seen the anime of Planetes - must borrow it off my GM sometime - but I've read some of the manga collections. It is of course a good point of reference for vacuum cleaner campaigns (despite the occasional traditional cluelessness about orbital mechanics), though I can see why someone would find it unengaging; its ambitions exceed the writer's ability to tell a good story. Moonlight Mile is another recent anime which seems to have been created by someone who at least knows what hard SF is.

I'd guess that 20,000 Leagues is in the filmography for Under Pressure, and hence on the SJGames site, because it is an at least vaguely cool underwater movie. There aren't many of those around, at all, so that particular filmography maybe ends up looking a bit desperate.

[congo]

Ergo Proxy? It is a story in the future city with machines and humans working together.

[leslie]

Originally Posted by congo

Ergo Proxy? It is a story in the future city with machines and humans working together.

... which caused me to make a mistake and watch it in hope of seeing some interesting SF. Unfortunately, it turned out to have supernatural monsters and mysticism. Sigh. I can take the cheap philosophy crammed into Ghost in the Shell, but this was a bit too much. Not a good THS source, IMO.

[Silverback]

I believe that most of those films listed in my first post still hold some merit when looking at potential storylines for THS. For certain you'd have to ditch some of the super-science aspects and strip down to the core storyline behind the film to find something suitable for THS.

Another film which I neglected to put in my original list is 'The Island' with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. I won't spoil the storyline for those who haven't seen it!

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Silverback

Another film which I neglected to put in my original list is 'The Island' with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. I won't spoil the storyline for those who haven't seen it!

Or the original.

[Silverback]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Or the original.

So you concur that it is a good film for a THS plot then?

[Silverback]

I wonder if Westworld would possibly fit into a THS campaign? Or at least the concept of an advanced entertainment park.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Silverback

So you concur that it is a good film for a THS plot then?

Not really. THS technology allows tissues and organs to be grown separately in a matter of weeks there would be no reason to ghoulishly raise clones to adulthood and then sacrifice them for transplants.

[Silverback]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Not really. THS technology allows tissues and organs to be grown separately in a matter of weeks there would be no reason to ghoulishly raise clones to adulthood and then sacrifice them for transplants.

Erm . . . yes there is! Because it'd make a really great, ghoulish plot! :D

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Silverback

Erm . . . yes there is! Because it'd make a really great, ghoulish plot! :D

I'd find it implausible, goofy and inconsistent with the setting. What would be the motivation for it?