Games based on existing (non-RPG) settings?

#1

So I am on my way to start my next RPG project. I have written and released two games this far (only released in Swedish at this point in time), and am now looking to start working on the next thing.

I’ve been talking some with the authors of a book series that I really like, which was very popular about ten odd years ago. I would really love to make a game in that world, but I’m not sure if that is the right move. A lot of my (roleplaying) friends tell me that I should go for it, while others think it would be better to use the themes in the books and make a setting-agnostic system.

My plan right now is to make the game in the setting of the books (although placed a couple of years after the events in the books). The game will build on the worldbuilding from the books and expand on them, and I will do my best to make sure that you wouldn’t have to read the books to be able to play it.

I have a really hard time deciding how to go about this. Do you guys have any thoughts about it?

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#2

Assuming you are doing this as a business and not just for fun… can you leverage the book fandom to have a wider audience and do more sales? Would the authors endorse the product? Would the publishers of the books also publish the game (maybe in book format) ?

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#3

My approach to the project is that I want to focus more on the setting than the IP. So I want people to be interested in the game because of the stories you can tell in the world with the help of the mechanics I am developing. It’s awesome if someone has read the books and buy the game because of that, but I don’t want people to feel like “I haven’t read the books, so I’m not interested in this game.” Let’s take Jurassic Park as an example. I would like people to more of “Oh, a dinosaur park! Awesome!” than “Jurassic Park? Nah, I haven’t seen those movies, so I think I skip this game…” If that makes sense.

As for the authors—they endorse the product. I had a meeting with them just yesterday, and they think it’s a great idea and let me do what I want with the setting, as long as I don’t change the events in the books.

We will hopefully publish the game at my own publishing company, which also published my last two games.

#4

There’s many cases of successfully using literature based IP for RPGs - MERP springs to mind (and of course - Call of Cthulhu), but you have more recent games like Mistborn and several others. It is a different audience than those based on primarily visual media IP - Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space, The Expanse RPG etc…

You could track down contact details for the authors of those games and see if they have any blogs or advice.

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#5

David F Chapman told a bit in a recent interview I did about securing some IP with Cubicle 7 including Dr Who and a failed attempt at Ghostbusters.

The interview won’t teach you very much (although some idiosyncrasies are interesting like Dr Who could be a boxset with dice but initially not standalone books) but I’m sure Dave will be happy to give you advice if you reach him on Twitter @autocratik.

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#6

my personal preference is towards games that are setting agnostic but with prescribed themes and aesthetics.

If you pitched me Devil May Cry: the Roleplaying Game™ I would say “neat” and skim through, but unless it had stellar recommendations I would assume it’s too invested in being part of the brand to want more.

If you pitched me Stylish Demon Slaying with Sassy Goofballs I would say “ah, I see what you’re doing” and be more interested in checking it out. Both because I perceive that you wanted to recreated the experience of DmC rather than the brand and because I won’t feel like the existing lore is a straight-jacket.

That being said, your situation is a little different. I don’t think anyone would view an RPG for a decade old book series (and I assume you’re not talking Game of Thrones or The Witcher) as a cash grab. It could give you an air of legitimacy if you’re pitching a game as “I really love X, and look, the creator of X thought my game was good enough for it to be X: the Game”.

To be more concrete, here are a couple questions

A) Are you planning on the game having appeal as “X: the game” or “A Game of X”? Is your approach going to be trying to pull people into an established world or to pull people in with a fun game that that happens to be in an established world?

B) Are you willing to work within an existing IP? Even if you get the licensing rights for cheap to free, you’ll still need to be bouncing your work off the IP holders to ensure everything is kosher. If you are trying to make an accurate game as possible that could be helpful, but it will be a “collaborator” that limits how much control you have over the final product.

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#7

Thank you for your thoughts!

My main goal is to create a system that captures the same themes as the books. And using their world is a great shortcut for me—I don’t have to create a new world, the books have a large fanbase, and I really like the setting. And as the authors told me: “We would probably be pissed if you made a game that is this close to our books without actually base the game on the books.”

If you pitched me Devil May Cry: the Roleplaying Game™ I would say “neat” and skim through, but unless it had stellar recommendations I would assume it’s too invested in being part of the brand to want more.

This would be more like “Make your own demon hunter (or whatever Dante is) in the world of DMC and take on the beasts and demons from hell.”

A) Are you planning on the game having appeal as “X: the game” or “A Game of X”? Is your approach going to be trying to pull people into an established world or to pull people in with a fun game that that happens to be in an established world?

Very much this. The setting is cool, but it’s not the main selling point for the majority of my target audience. If you have knowledge of the world—congratulations! If you don’t—don’t worry, this book will tell you everything you need to play. If you want more, there are three books, a comic and a movie out there to read and watch.

B) Are you willing to work within an existing IP? Even if you get the licensing rights for cheap to free, you’ll still need to be bouncing your work off the IP holders to ensure everything is kosher. If you are trying to make an accurate game as possible that could be helpful, but it will be a “collaborator” that limits how much control you have over the final product.

I have already had a meeting with the authors and they are in on it. The game will be placed a couple of years after the events in the books, and as long as I don’t change anything from the books I can do pretty much what I like, it seems. As they said: “We won’t be writing anything else in this setting, so you can’t screw anything up for us when it comes to future stories.” They will also talk with the movie company for me to find out if they have any restrictions, but they didn’t think it would be any problem.

The IP is also one of the reasons why I want to do this game, since I think it’s a really cool setting and I think that you can create a lot of great stories in it.

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#8

Personally, I am also inclined to design setting-agnostic systems. However, my experience the last years has been that players find setting-specific games much more relatable. They tend to react much more emotionally to them.
In the future (and also right now) even if I have a setting-agnostic game, I choose a specific setting first and design with a focus on that setting.

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#9

I love this passion you are expressing and I think it’s awesome that the authors were within reach and willing to engage with you.

I find it very sad when an IP is used as the main factor, often applied on top of a more or less generic system.

Yet, at the same time I admit that I find it somewhat frustrating when a game emulates the spirit of an IP but doesn’t have the copyrights for it. It is silly of me but I guess that is the power of IPs.

So long story short I hope your own game will be “pull people in with a fun game that that happens to be in an established world” while indeed having the copyright.

The Full Breakfast!

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#10

I’ve been thinking about including rules in the book on how to adapt the mechanics for other settings. So it’s easy to use the rules for the setting of your choice. One good thing about the setting is that it is in our world, but with magic and stuff. It’s very much young adult urban fantasy, but the books and the setting is still very good for adults. I’m reading the books again now, and they are fantastic, even though I am double the age of the target audience.

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