As you all probably know, I am planning on running an online game this summer. I am not officially recruiting yet, as I am unsure of my schedule once I start my job, and that seems like an important thing to know. However, I love writing out game ideas, so I thought I would set some down here.
Idea #1: “XSlayers” (Ie Dungeonslayers meets X-Crawl) I’ve blogged about this one a lot before, specifically when I first mentioned my summer game. To recap: The players are sports starts who descend into short, premade dungeons before a live and televised audience. A Master of Ceremonies runs the show, providing live commentary, flavour and possibly altering the dungeon as the players move through it.
Idea #2: “Megaslayers” This is very similar to idea #1, except that the players move through a large megadungeon. A megadungeon is one of those giant, many levelled complexes with perhaps hundreds of rooms in it, where the players will never truly “clear” it: New monsters will move in, old ones will leave, and monsters may well migrate as the players kill others and create vacuums within the dungeon. This is set in the same world as number 1, but instead of being a short sports event this is a weekly show. Players still are in a modern setting, but instead of being in a small dungeon 1-page dungeon style affair they are in a long megadungeon, and thus can play monsters off against one another, retreat to the surface, will have to rest in the dungeon and conserve resources.
Idea #3: “XSlayers Classic” This would be like idea #1 except that instead of going through an adaptation of a one-page dungeon or something short that I cook up the part will go through an adaption of a classic adventure. Probably an old TSR adventure, but I can take suggestions provided players promise not to use out of game knowledge to their advantage. This could very well branch into “Megaslayers Classic” if a longer adventure like the Temple of Elemental Evil is chosen to.
Idea #4: Straight up Dungeonslayers: If the modern-reality TV dungeon idea is not popular then I could go with running a traditonal fantasy version of Dungeonslayers.
Idea #5: “Dungeonslayers Classic”: If people like the idea of mixing Dungeonslayers and classic D&D adventures, but do not like the idea of the modern-dungeon crawling then I could do that to.
Idea #6: “Megadungeonslayers” Again, Megadungeon+Dungeonslayers but no modern.
Idea #7: Dimensional Hoppers: Another idea that I have blogged about before, this game would involve the players travelling across dimensions in search of a way home. Each dimension will be part of a slightly different genre and tech level for a highly episodic feel, but with (hopefully) continuing characters. I would be using a variant BRP system.
Idea #8: Dungeonworld/The Sargasso of Dungeons: Really I can’t think of much to add to this, except that I’d probably use Dungeonslayers, or if I can’t get support for that something like Warrior, Rouge & Mage or a retroclone. This one could be modern, fantasy or some combination of the above.
Idea #9: Tangents. I recently found the Tangents book for Alternity and discovered that it has a really cool adventure series in it. I would be willing to run this with the caveat that players either have to make their own characters or use a premade one from the adventure, as I don’t have enough experience to help them with it as I do the other systems.
I think I’m the most interested in running #1,#3 and #7, followed by #4, #5, #8 and #9, but if I get a bunch of enthusiastic players for any of them I think I’d catch the enthusiasm myself pretty quickly. Also it should be noted that while I listed a bunch of megadungeon ideas they all rated pretty low on my list: This is likely because I’ve not run enough dungeons yet to create a good atmosphere in most of them, and have them react organically to events in the dungeon. The Sargasso would be an inherently random place, so I think it might work more easily… That isn’t to say I wouldn’t try, which is why I listed them. Ideas which I really like, but am unsure I could run, like this idea I have for a game set on a Spacehulk/Sargasso of Death setting I haven’t listed, as I am sure I could run it, but can’t think of a system I am comfortable enough with and that has enough creatures for me to stock it with.
So, does anyone have any feedback on these ideas? Would anyone be interested in playing in one of them? Questions on bits of the setting that seem unclear? Just want more details on one or more of them? Please leave a comment!
Until then, or next time, Stay Geeky!
–Canageek
Ruminations of a Canadian Geek 
I have never experienced a Megadungeon adventure… I’d like to try that.
I do recommend Warrior, Rogue & Mage as the ruleset. :)
WR&M looks good, but I do prefer Dungeonslayers’s more modern feel, at least upon reading. I might use WR&M if I can get people for that & not Dungeonslayers, as I think it is a touch more popular.
What is your opinion on the settings that blend a touch of modern into it? Are those also interesting?
I’ve decided not to use either Dungeonslayers or WR&M based on more playing of DS and more reading of WR&M. If you are still interested have a look at my most recent post.
Alternity is a pretty neat system. I would leap at the chance to try it in actual play.
So would I, But I am a bit worried about DMing it before playing it, and doing so online.
I like 7 especially. I’d probably be down to play, and I love WR&M.
7 is the only one with a fixed system, as I’ve already gathered up a bunch of BRP based adventures for it. I don’t think WR&M would be a good fit for a SF game either… Did you mean #8? That was the one I mentioned WR&M in, and then only because I was worried about not being able to find DS players.
Given that 2 our of my 3 responses asked for what I thought was a throw-away mention of my backup plan I guess I should download WR&M and have a read.
I meant 7. I hadn’t seen BRP there—never played, but I’m still down. WR&M can be adapted pretty easily for SF if you just reskin it, but a few folks have also made variants that might be appropriate.
I still don’t think it would work nearly as well as BRP: It is a skill based d% system. You have skills from 1-99%, if you roll under it on d% you succeed. Every time you finish an adventure (level) you roll each skill, if you fail then it goes up by d10. This is a very simplified summary, but I summed up about 75% of the game right there. No idea why they took a 300 page rulebook for the latest version. I find skill based games work better for my SF GMing style. I’d use it for fantasy, but I’m not taken with any of the magic systems I have seen written for it.
Fair enough—I don’t have strong feelings either way :)
Sweet, I’ll let you know when I know my times. I should ask, is evening pacific time going to work for any of you?
I’m afraid I’m going to be on east coast time. Depending on frequency and duration it might work (if you even want me in your game :) ).
Is there a reason that I would NOT want you as a player?
Cue 1776: I’m obnoxious and disliked.
Joking aside, not that I can think of. But I don’t like to assume :)
Hi,
I emailed you over at RPG.net about this.
My greatest interest is in option #3. I have a yen for playing the whole Zero-to-Hero D&D “story” via classic modules & old Dungeon magazines (the exact system doesn’t matter very much). A reality-show twist might be really interesting.
I’m not sure how well timing would work. I am in Eastern timezome. I would prefer a weeknight to Friday or Saturday, especially for a weekly game. But I wouldn’t want it to go later than 1230 Eastern (ie 930 Pacific.)
On worknights I tend to go to bed no later then 10:30 pm, so that shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll have to see how long it takes me to walk to work in the morning and whatnot however. Thanks for your interest!
Well, please keep me up to date on your plans! Thanks!
[…] I’m still interested in the following ideas from my planning post- I’m having less energy after work then I thought, so some of them are not as feasible. […]