GURPS Dune

[Johnny1A.2]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

It would probably be of interest to fewer people. Movie-related conversation at gaming today revealed that no one in the group had read farther than book 2. A couple of us had read the first book more than 40 years ago and not revisited it.

The further the series goes along, the more Herbert delves into what amount to massive exercises in thought. That is, the characters thinking about the events that are happening to them, analyzing them, referring back to other events. It appeals to a certain mindset, and to those with that mindset it can serve to actually make you think hard about questions you usually don't. (Some of Herbert's political commentary in Chapterhouse is spookily prescient about what would later happen in real-world politics in the 21C.)

But it doesn't necessarily lend itself to gaming.

I suspect that one reason the much (and deservedly) maligned non-Herbert prequels and sequels are written the way they are is to turn the story into a more traditional 'adventure', in fact.

[Lamont Cranston]

Originally Posted by beetle496

Of course, but that doesn’t solve the problem. What you really want is an excuse for one player to be Bene Gesserit, one Sardaukar, one Mentat, etc. I couldn’t figure out a start that felt plausible.


With Star Wars, marginal individuals can still zip around the universe. The player characters meet at a bar and off they go! Important to the campaign premise (or not) isn’t really a factor to having great and varied adventures.

With Dune, the Spacing Guild has a lock on FTL travel, so the players are stuck on one planet without a patron / strong plot hook. If they players are mobile (i.e., important to the plot) they will be from one house, and pretty homogenous. If the players are on the fringe, they can be more varied, but it is going to be harder to get them exposed to all the lovely weirdness, especially after the initial setting.

Dr. Yuehs wife was a Bene Gesserit, so clearly different types of people did meet and interact. As for them being homogenous - three musketeers?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Lamont Cranston

As for them being homogenous - three musketeers?

Athos, Porthos and Aramis were all from the same Status level and general background. Their distinct personalities and semi-distinct skill sets came froim different things.

[ericthered]

Dune as an inspiration is probably just as or more important than dune as a setting, at least from an RPG point of view. I don't think I'll ever run a Dune setting, but one player for my 2022 game is going to be playing the precog daughter of an emperor with a velocity shield who took piloting (ornithopter).

[warellis]

Originally Posted by beetle496

Of course, but that doesn’t solve the problem. What you really want is an excuse for one player to be Bene Gesserit, one Sardaukar, one Mentat, etc. I couldn’t figure out a start that felt plausible.


With Star Wars, marginal individuals can still zip around the universe. The player characters meet at a bar and off they go! Important to the campaign premise (or not) isn’t really a factor to having great and varied adventures.

With Dune, the Spacing Guild has a lock on FTL travel, so the players are stuck on one planet without a patron / strong plot hook. If they players are mobile (i.e., important to the plot) they will be from one house, and pretty homogenous. If the players are on the fringe, they can be more varied, but it is going to be harder to get them exposed to all the lovely weirdness, especially after the initial setting.

That's only during the Dune-era. The periods after God-Emperor of Dune have ships as small as 140 meters having fold drives.