February Trad Games Design Contest: Let's Make a (Not Crappy) Anime RPG

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > February Trad Games Design Contest: Let's Make a (Not Crappy) Anime RPG

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

TheSoundNinja posted:

Which "musts" are too much, if you don't mind me asking?

Not sure about him, but Rule 3 definitely removes any desire I have to join this contest

# ¿ Jan 18, 2017 12:25

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 18:08

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

TheSoundNinja posted:

Rule 3 simply states this thought that was brought up in the chat thread: You can't submit an already made anime RPG to this contest. Ettin couldn't submit Breakfast Cult, for example. But making an OSR or D20 game that is designed around magical girl storytelling? Totally game.

So why the limitation on IP? Because the argument wasn't about "There isn't a good Sailor Moon game." I want you to make something that you can sell afterwards, and keeping it to original IP lets you do just that. There's nothing wrong with references to shows that exist, just make them a little more vague. Afterward, if you want to be less vague, why not make a supplement for your game that let someone run a Sailor Moon game? These guys did:

Oh ok that makes more sense, way I interpreted it made it seem like it had to be completely original systems, but yeah your clarification is a lot better, will still need to think things over about whether or not I'll participate though, cause it is a pretty big commitment

# ¿ Jan 18, 2017 18:20

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

Waffleman_ posted:

Sailor Moon is, of course, the big mamma jamma of magical girls, but Precure is also a big juggernaut in the genre (I recommend Heartcatch Precure to start with)

Also, for the people who got Sentai/Tokusatsu, a good short crash course would be the first season of Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger. It's an official parody series that knocks on both otaku culture and basic Sentai tropes. For actual series, where Sentai is concerned, Gokaiger, Kyoryuger, and the current series Zyuohger are pretty good places to start, and for Kamen Rider, W, OOO, and Fourze are really good bets.

Another good one is Zyuranger, the season that the first Power Rangers season was based on, it's currently available for free streaming on Shout Factory's site if you're in the US

Also on the more serious side of the genre there's Kamen Rider Amazons(only 13 episodes) and Garo, both of which fit into the Horror genre as well

# ¿ Jan 20, 2017 06:38

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

Antivehicular posted:

Honestly, I'd recommend Zyuranger for a newcomer to sentai -- it's a really good "pure" sentai series, and some of the newer series can get really cluttered. (To be fair, even the older series can be pretty cluttered; Dairanger, the series that followed Zyuranger, is a hot mess of weird half-finished plots.) Carranger is also great, although maybe less of a beginner series, because it's pretty goofy and has elements of parody.

(yes, yes, I know, nerd trap sprung)

Exactly, plus it's fun to compare between it and Power Rangers for the differences and similarities between them(Jason and Geki are pretty much the only two counterparts between the two groups of Rangers to have anything in common for example, and there's a lot of differences between Rita Repulsa and her group and that of Witch Bandora and her Dora Monsters)

Also I guess I'm throwing my hat into the ring for this challenge, hopefully I get a good genre to fit with the system I'll probably use(most likely some variation of OSR system)

# ¿ Jan 20, 2017 07:05

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

TheSoundNinja posted:

Oh.

Oh no.

The HORROR! (is your genre)

I think I can work with this quite well, I've got several ideas floating in my head for a horror based OSR game/setting(honestly horror meshes in really well with OSR rules if you don't mind it being more action-packed than what a lot of people think of when they hear Horror and RPGS in the same sentence), and most of them would be adjusted to being Anime flavored easily(indeed most of them already had some influence from Anime), just need to narrow down which one to use(none of these I've really written down so I'd say they're fair game to use as they're mostly basic pitches at the moment)

One of the things I love about anime is that few things are purely one genre, and horror gives me a lot of different directions I can go

# ¿ Jan 20, 2017 07:16

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

For me I've already got the OVA in mind to borrow/emulate/steal from primarily(well it and a bunch of stuff from the production company that made it), so there's going to be a lot of stuff besides horror jammed in

# ¿ Jan 22, 2017 01:41

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

Kwyndig posted:

Did you watch Stand Alone Complex or one of the movies, or all of it? If you haven't watched SAC, I'd recommend watching some Stand Alone episodes (the first season is divided into Stand Alone eps, which can be watched with little context, and Complex eps which are the season long plot. If you don't have time for 12-ish hours of anime, watch some of one or all of the other).

Another recommendation is the first season of Psycho-Pass, a dark post-cyberpunk future where cops control crime by monitoring people's "Crime-coefficient" on their eponymous Psycho Pass, a score determined by a vast machine which monitors every aspect of daily life, the Sibyl system. Just a warning, it features some of the more gruesome kills in modern anime, and the second season is even worse.

Cyberpunk aesthetics are pretty popular in anime, but cyberpunk themes can be sparse on the ground. You'd almost be better off just reading Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy, watching the first GitS movie, and then building up from what are essentially first principles.

I'm glad that I got horror instead of Cyberpunk, because while I'm probably going to be using a lot of Cyberpunk aesthetics(as it's one of my favorites), I don't have to worry about using its themes, which honestly in my opinion don't mesh very well with interactive fiction very well(since powerlessness is one of the big Cyberpunk themes and that doesn't work at all for either RPG's or videogames), and rarely make for good fiction in general(that same thing about powerlessness and futility in doing anything generally sucks any satisfaction or enjoyment out of any "accurate" Cyberpunk fiction and just leaves it a depressing mess)

Also since Cyberpunk anime is almost exclusively only Cyberpunk on the surface I'd say don't worry about matching with the genre's western definition

And lastly Psycho Pass is a terrible disgusting mess, not sure why you'd recommend it to anyone

# ¿ Jan 22, 2017 22:39

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

Another good one to recommend for Horror is Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories

Also there's a theme that occasionally pops up in Japanese horror that will be one of the main ones I'll be exploring, the horrors that can come from having power rather than lacking in it

# ¿ Jan 23, 2017 01:40

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

Plutonis posted:

Rewatching GTO, got a concept in mind but what's wracking me is how to implement mechanics because every "unique" idea I have for it looks like a huge loving pain.

Makes me glad I'm going to be using an OSR base for my rules, so I don't have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to my mechanics(at least not completely)

# ¿ Jan 23, 2017 03:52

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

Kwyndig posted:

I agree that it is a really good fit. If I had been assigned giant robots I'd do something similar (probably not pbta though, I don't have a good enough grasp on some of the details to be making my own designs using it right now).

As for me... still no progress, but I'm leaning towards a more cops game lately. Although with my current state of mind, it would be next to impossible to actually have 'fun' playing any game focused around police that I build.

Could pull a Fillmore or Codename Kids Next Door for something more lighthearted(hell KND was anime as hell at times)

That or borrow from the various police themed Tokusatsu series like Dekaranger or Kamen Rider Drive

# ¿ Jan 23, 2017 04:43

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

demota posted:

I think I've decided on the theme for my Period Piece subject. It's the 1970s, and it's the height of the Banchou Era.

What do I read/watch? I know manga/anime with delinquent characters, but the only one I know that's focused completely on them is Cromartie High School.

Honestly a Cromartie High School RPG would be amazing, so even if you watch other stuff it should be a main influence

# ¿ Jan 23, 2017 20:44

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

Psycho-Knights: The Intersection of Power & Terror

It is the year 2XXX, 30 years ago the mysterious metal known as Psygonite was discovered, it's Psycho-Reactive properties revolutionizing the world, unbeknownst to most however an ancient and terrible cult has known of this material for centuries, and are now using it's newfound commonness to bring to fruition their horrid goals; to awaken long buried genes in Humanity , enslaving most, turning some into monsters, and a few into veritable gods...

You will play as those who have been changed into that last category, through either luck or fate you have managed to escape before the cult could change your minds like they did your bodies, now you must fight them to save both the world and your very souls.

This game is based on Swords & Wizardry Complete by Frog God Games and is compatible with it and other OSR systems

# ¿ Feb 6, 2017 05:39

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

not the best work, but I've been without internet for the last couple days, so I had to rush it a bit, but I think I got the main point across, also here's the anime that is Psycho-Knights' main influence, 1989's Cybernetics Guardian;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4JUEIjXji8

# ¿ Feb 6, 2017 05:51

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 18:08

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

I'm unfortunately going to have to pull out, I've just had complete writer's block this whole week, that and some RL commitments possibly coming up soon

# ¿ Feb 13, 2017 05:35

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > February Trad Games Design Contest: Let's Make a (Not Crappy) Anime RPG