Fresh and untouched settings to explore for RPG games

Surf Solar

Surf Solar

So Old I'm Losing Radiation Signs
So I was, as the title says, thinking about settings in RPG games to explore. We usually see the high fantasy with elves and mages to explore (in different tones though) and then the usual sci-fi setting.

While this is cool and all, it rather bores me after a while, especially the fantasy/medieval setting is so horribly overused....

As I think I am not the only one, I opened this thread. In which setting would you like to see a good RPG? Note that each setting can be good as long as it's well fleshed out (imo)...
 
I wouldn't mind seeing a dark fantasy RPG. That's dark fantasy as in American McGee's Alice or Pan's Labyrinth, not as in Dragon Age Origins marketing lingo.
 
Could you explain that a bit more please? I unfortunately played neither the game nor seen the movie you've mentionend. :/ Judging by the screenshots of the McGee's Alice it looks like it could be a pleasant surprise for me though.
 
I want to play an RPG about colonies on Mars. That would be cool, although perhaps it falls in the realm of "overused scifi."

Also, I've looked for a while for an RPG with the same idea/"feel" of the TV show Firefly, with smuggling, trading, etc. A game set in the 'verse would be schweet.
 
a Steampunk world, it has been used already but not nearly as much as it should be, having all sorts of steam based machinery, weapons, conspiracies etc.
Also an rpg set in a Dieselpunk setting, like the pre war world from Fallout.
Or Raygun Gothic, a game with delibertedly ugly visuals would be cool.
Westersn, specially space westerns are also good settings for an rpg.
 
Q = In which setting would you like to see a good RPG?

A = Japan during the Meiji Revolution, can't go wrong with samurais and muskets.
 
American McGee's Alice was a slasher game in Wonderland to me. Not much story. I would like to see a well made Cthulhu game. The stories have detective and horror elements.

The Western genre was overdone in old movies, but not much has been done in computer games. I heard some people complain that "Gun" was boring because so much of the game was traveling on horseback. I loved it. I enjoy seeing the scenery and the Gun story was very cinematic. Westerns may not quite be "virgin" territory in gaming, but I wish there was more.

I like LR's Firefly idea too.
 
Or How about a Gangster RPG? not a GTA clone shit, but an RPG in the vein of Fallout about mafia and gangsters and all of that, liek New reno but not post apocaliptic and more fleshed out to be the whole setting of the game.
 
In a more realistic setting, I'd like something set during lesser used periods of history; the Renaissance (not just Italian, too), or the Asian nations before WW2 (mongolian invasion? hell yeah). Or in North America (as in, the continent). Britain vs France, Britain vs US, Civil War, plenty of potential for conflict and RPing).

More fantasy oriented? I'd like something done with ancient civilizations; Greece, Rome, Mesopothamia, ancient China. Lots of potential for magic and extraordinary stuff what with all the Gods running around smiting stuff left and right.

Yes I do like my games taking place on Earth, why do you ask?
 
Walpknut said:
Or How about a Gangster RPG? not a GTA clone shit, but an RPG in the vein of Fallout about mafia and gangsters and all of that, liek New reno but not post apocaliptic and more fleshed out to be the whole setting of the game.
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Yes. Set in 1920s America, Chicago, NYC, or LA. Chicago would be the best choice, with Al Capone and all. There are great things to work with, prohibition, the financial boom, social changes, and so on. They don't call it "The Roaring 20s" for nothing.
 
To be honest, I'd go even more back in the timeline. What about playing some Inka or Maya guy when their empire was at the epitome? Or putting up some imbroglios with spanish inquisitors or some sort, I imagine this can be fun if done right.

The egyptian empire has written plenty of stories worth to be made in such a setting too...
 
Surf Solar said:
Could you explain that a bit more please? I unfortunately played neither the game nor seen the movie you've mentionend. :/
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The simplest way to describe it is as a combination of the fantasy and horror genres. It tends to be split between fantastic horror (usually an extreme supernatural focus) and fantasy drenched in dark overtones. There's a wikipedia page on it but I don't think it's very good, especially not it's examples outside of the intro.

Surf Solar said:
Judging by the screenshots of the McGee's Alice it looks like it could be a pleasant surprise for me though.
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I feel like the gameplay is worth wading through in order to experience the setting. It was a game that left me with really mixxed emotions as I was disappointed by the very bland, uninspired gameplay but quite satisfied by the setting and conceptually with the plot (it could have been more fleshed out). I'd say it's worth $10 or so, certainly not what it's going to cost you on amazon ($50-100+ in the states).

Richwizard said:
American McGee's Alice was a slasher game in Wonderland to me. Not much story.
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Gameplay wise it was, at best, a mediocre third-person shooter with the occasional interesting level design element and simple puzzles. Setting wise I think it was, conceptually, an extremely interesting take on Alice in Wonderland. Cheshire Cat was particularly interesting and Alice was pretty good. The plot wasn't super fleshed out but the art direction and what was there made me thirsty for more.

Richwizard said:
I would like to see a well made Cthulhu game. The stories have detective and horror elements.
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Another example of dark fantasy (one of the examples) and one I'd liked to see explored myself.

Ilosar said:
More fantasy oriented? I'd like something done with ancient civilizations; Greece, Rome, Mesopothamia, ancient China. Lots of potential for magic and extraordinary stuff what with all the Gods running around smiting stuff left and right.
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When I hear Greek/Roman I think of Titan Quest and God of War, neither of which I particularly liked setting wise. I may be biased against that theme or I may have simply not liked what I was given, I'm not really sure. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing something Norse, maybe an arctic focus setting wise.
 
I'd like to see couple of things (some are pretty cliche):

1. A RPG set in a new world, where humanity has evolved into two species, regular humans and "evolved" humans. The humans have tried to upgrade themselves to become stronger than the evolved and have created so called "proto-humans".
There's two types of these protos, Proto Mark I, a failed experiment. The subjects became crazy. The Proto Mark II is a humanoid with massive torso and hands, while it still has normal legs, making it a slow and clumsy creature without the usage of an exoskeleton and other improvements and Gene-O-Chips (chips that modify cells and improve the user for a while).
Some Proto II's wanted to rule the world and kill the humans, leading into "The Human War". Nuclear weapons were used, which triggered a new ice age. While the planet is covered in ice, humanity has survived and it's fighting for space against the Protos and Evolved.

Weird mix of sci-fi and normal world (crashed airships and spceships in a world that still reminds our world. Also, no laser gunz). I've actually been thinking a small story and timeline for this kind of gameworld. Damn I'd love to be able to create (good) games :/

2. RPG with STALKER atmosphere. Seriously, loved that atmosphere but I hated the world. Maybe it's because I never really got into the game so I stopped playing it. Would love to see some ruined sub-urbs and city centres. Especially Helsinki's sub-urbs. They're very eastern-european and it'd look pretty sweet IMO.

Also love the idea of gangster/mafia RPG and a Steampunk RPG. Not sure whether I'd make them FPS-like or isometric. I've been playing with the idea of something like ArmA mixed with RPG elements. Simulator-RPG? Now that might be pretty cool if done right.
 
World War I with fantasy elements. Zombies in trench warfare, people.

Alternatively, an action-RPG pitting you in the role of a Wehrmacht recruit in 1939, showing the war from an entirely new angle. From invading Poland, through Barbarossa, to the desperate defense of the northern flanks along the Baltic coast to delay the Soviet advance so that German civilians can evacuate.

Give the player choices as to which branch he wants to pursue and tailor the endings accordingly. Show that the allies weren't knights in shining armour. Show Dresden from the perspective of a man on the ground.
 
Tagaziel said:
World War I with fantasy elements. Zombies in trench warfare, people.

Alternatively, an action-RPG pitting you in the role of a Wehrmacht recruit in 1939, showing the war from an entirely new angle. From invading Poland, through Barbarossa, to the desperate defense of the northern flanks along the Baltic coast to delay the Soviet advance so that German civilians can evacuate.

Give the player choices as to which branch he wants to pursue and tailor the endings accordingly. Show that the allies weren't knights in shining armour. Show Dresden from the perspective of a man on the ground.
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Even though I as a "developer" would say its nigh to impossible to setup such a title this sounds awesome. :clap: This theme has never been showed in a cRPG before and the way you describe it can totally be something for a small game in such a setting.
 
Gameplay wise it was, at best, a mediocre third-person shooter with the occasional interesting level design element and simple puzzles. Setting wise I think it was, conceptually, an extremely interesting take on Alice in Wonderland. Cheshire Cat was particularly interesting and Alice was pretty good. The plot wasn't super fleshed out but the art direction and what was there made me thirsty for more.
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They are making a sequel, aren't they? Wiki claims Q4 2011, though not sure how credible that is.

1. A RPG set in a new world, where humanity has evolved into two species, regular humans and "evolved" humans. The humans have tried to upgrade themselves to become stronger than the evolved and have created so called "proto-humans".
There's two types of these protos, Proto Mark I, a failed experiment. The subjects became crazy. The Proto Mark II is a humanoid with massive torso and hands, while it still has normal legs, making it a slow and clumsy creature without the usage of an exoskeleton and other improvements and Gene-O-Chips (chips that modify cells and improve the user for a while).
Some Proto II's wanted to rule the world and kill the humans, leading into "The Human War". Nuclear weapons were used, which triggered a new ice age. While the planet is covered in ice, humanity has survived and it's fighting for space against the Protos and Evolved.
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Sounds a lot like the setup for most of the Gundam animation series. In the primary idea, if not some specific details. Can be OK, but IMO humans vs evolved humans is a tad of a clumsy setting. It also sounds like sth that would fit more to RTS than RPG gameplay.

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I'd love to see games in non-traditional DnD setting. Most cRPGs choose to use Faerun, of the "high fantasy" time period. There's definitely more interesting settings out there.

I'd also love to see a game made in the world of Amber. It's a very diverse setting with lots of possibilities, and is also significantly removed from the standard Tolkien-like fantasy.

It'd also be nice to see sci-fi games built less on the "rule of cool" and more on extrapolation from real scientific discoveries. Kind of a more realistic space age w/o laser beams and spaceship battles.
 
Personally i'm a fan of the time between WW1 and the High Middle Ages and would therefore like to see some RPGs based on that time, focused on areas not exactly touched by previous RPG's (Pirates of the Caribean isn't for example something i would need to see again).

The Renissance and Late Middle Ages where a dawn of a new time and the demise of the more classical fantasy eras.
I really liked how Troika tried to show such a time with Arcanum, but i thought the gap between the Medieval themes they used to the 'Victorian' themes they used was a bit too big.
Really more focused on different areas in this time i really love the three Musketeers as theme and the whole intrigues.
Than we've got the colonization of North-America, which is a great setting, just see how often movies and games use this whole 'natives' meet 'technological advanced conquerers' as a theme.
Not to forget the conquest and exploring of South-America and Africa - i mean there are like a tons of games who use the jungles of these two areas for mysterious gods and whatnot.
Than we got such things like 'Hellsing' (the movie) or 'The Brothers Grimm' or even 'Sleepy Hollow', even the original 'Dracula' and it works brilliantly because the 'civilised europeans' don't belive any longer into this fantastic horrors to exist.

But like Surf Solar i think every setting can be great, if done right.
 
GeneralissimoFurioso and me thought it would be cool to have a Western-Horror RPG with slight steampunk elements

(don't think steam powered robots and giant spiders, but rather weapon types or modifications that expand the arsenal of the time).

The time period I had in mind would have been set after the American Civil War aqnd that would also have influences on the storyline.
A lot would have been drawn from myths and legends of the time, native or brought along by settlers.

There would be a form of 'magic', but these would be Native American based, Religion (people who could really commune with the divine and draw strength from it), and was voodoo already known at the time?

Weapons and munition could also be 'magically' enhanced.

The player could choose various backgrounds for his or her character; native American, liberated slave, former Union or Confederate soldier, and so on.

Locations would include pioneer settlements, forts, ghost towns and so on.


Edit:

And I would love seeing something like 'Meantime', the player trying to stop history manipulating time travellers and recruiting historic figures like Werner von Braun, Amelia Earheart, and Cyrano de Bergerac.
 
Ausdoerrt said:
1. A RPG set in a new world, where humanity has evolved into two species, regular humans and "evolved" humans. The humans have tried to upgrade themselves to become stronger than the evolved and have created so called "proto-humans".
There's two types of these protos, Proto Mark I, a failed experiment. The subjects became crazy. The Proto Mark II is a humanoid with massive torso and hands, while it still has normal legs, making it a slow and clumsy creature without the usage of an exoskeleton and other improvements and Gene-O-Chips (chips that modify cells and improve the user for a while).
Some Proto II's wanted to rule the world and kill the humans, leading into "The Human War". Nuclear weapons were used, which triggered a new ice age. While the planet is covered in ice, humanity has survived and it's fighting for space against the Protos and Evolved.
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Sounds a lot like the setup for most of the Gundam animation series. In the primary idea, if not some specific details. Can be OK, but IMO humans vs evolved humans is a tad of a clumsy setting. It also sounds like sth that would fit more to RTS than RPG gameplay.
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Checked it out on Wikipedia, it does indeed sounds similar.

I'm not good writing down my ideas, but like I said, I've been working on the story in my head for a while now. It started as an idea for a RPG on earth and it slowly evolved into sci-fi, but I'm again slowly getting back to earth. I'll try to write it all down later.

It'd also be nice to see sci-fi games built less on the "rule of cool" and more on extrapolation from real scientific discoveries. Kind of a more realistic space age w/o laser beams and spaceship battles.
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Totally agree with this.
 
I really would like to see an RPG set in the Ottoman Empire. The game world could be diverse and colorful as hell.
 
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