PC Gamer - Alternative RPG Settings

Aubrielle

Aubrielle

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Fantasy and post-apocalyptic settings are great, but is there another setting you'd enjoy for an RPG? Maybe Terry Pratchett's Discworld? PC Gamer makes a list with some fun ideas.

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2015 was a pretty great year for RPGs, though the biggest of them—Fallout 4 and The Witcher 3—took us back to familiar worlds. And along with Fallout's wasteland and The Witcher's Slavic mythology, Western RPGs generally put a lot of Tolkien, D&D, and dark fantasy in play, with some cyberpunk and space opera on the side. Now and then there's an outlier—the upcoming YIIK's 1990s town, for instance—but all things considered we've spent a hell of a lot of time in Gothic-inspired dungeons and gleaming space ships. We came back to the office after the turn of the year with lots of creative energy to burn off, so we started thinking about the kinds of scenarios we'd like to see in future RPGs. Just for fun, here are some of the staff’s pet RPG ideas. Come dream with us!
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I gotta say some interesting ideas in here.

Discworld I always wanted to know more...love dry british humour.

Friday night lights...interesting....one of the best tv shows I have watched to be honest...if you haven't watched it you should.

Superheroes...freedom force needs to come back with more rpgness....or champions like it was supposed to be back in the early 90's.

A single city rpg, isn't that sort of grand theft auto(not an rpg but sorta is like one)

I would love to see a futuristic world with a single city like buck rogers.....
 
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I'd love to see an rpg where you get to play as dictator on his/her's rise to power.
From lowly beginnings to joining the political party at young age, working through the lines and trampling over competition, the revolution and then finally handling your minions.
Rpg's are sorely lacking playing of cunning, with a set in goal "Evil".
As for "other" interesting settings, Ubisoft has a golden chicken with AC but wastes it with pointless collectibles. Good thing: dev(il)s said they're taking a year break and their next entry will be "closer" to Witcher.
 
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rune_74 said:
I Friday night lights…interesting….one of the best tv shows I have watched to be honest…if you haven't watched it you should.

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The high school football TV show based off the movie ....?????
 
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Small town with a it all its hopes based around the high school football team. A small time coach moving his family all over the country ending up there with all the pressures to push teens into a winning time so the failed hopes of their parents would mean something in their nothing lives.

A boy who lives with his grandmother scared to move on as his father is over fighting in the war. The coaches wife a student counsel at the school but afraid to care for her own family in this hopeless dream of her husband .....

I have seen it and don't think it is much of a TV as a sad look at small towns in the US where there is to much pressure on children to live out the failed dreams of their parents.
 
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CelticFrost said:
Small town with a it all its hopes based around the high school football team. A small time coach moving his family all over the country ending up there with all the pressures to push teens into a winning time so the failed hopes of their parents would mean something in their nothing lives.

A boy who lives with his grandmother scared to move on as his father is over fighting in the war. The coaches wife a student counsel at the school but afraid to care for her own family in this hopeless dream of her husband …..

I have seen it and don't think it is much of a TV as a sad look at small towns in the US where there is to much pressure on children to live out the failed dreams of their parents.
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Sure, but it's also very interesting look at that and enjoyable drama.
 
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PCGamer was clear on the game of the year and it's not any RPG.

They can keep their ideas for gametypes and ports they voted for.
 
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rune_74 said:
Sure, but it's also very interesting look at that and enjoyable drama.
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Just checking, I won't say to you it isn't one of the best TV shows.
I wouldn't call it myself a great TV though.

I do believe it was a some what honest look at how sad some parents lives are and the fear and pressures they put on their children to play sports. I know from having two boys in hockey and coaching hardball what some parents are like and I feel they should never be aloud near children never mind raise them.
 
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I'd love to play that law enforcement rpg. Its kind of odd that we haven't seen such rpg already given how popular genre it is on tv.

Also King's Dark Tower would be an excellent setting for a rpg.
 
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Dez said:
I'd love to play that law enforcement rpg. Its kind of odd that we haven't seen such rpg already given how popular genre it is on tv.
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I don't think that could roll out as a musthave unless an adventure/puzzler/shooter/RPG hybrid.
If it ever happens, hopefully it won't be Mafia=race_formula garbage or some GTA halfclone.
 
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Dez said:
I'd love to play that law enforcement rpg. Its kind of odd that we haven't seen such rpg already given how popular genre it is on tv.
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joxer said:
I don't think that could roll out as a musthave unless an adventure/puzzler/shooter/RPG hybrid.
If it ever happens, hopefully it won't be Mafia=race_formula garbage or some GTA halfclone.
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L.A. Noire was as close an open world RPG to fit this description.
 
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I looked at the comments of the article, and someone mentioned the Dune universe as potentially being a good RPG setting. That's something I could definitely enjoy if it were done well.
 
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RogueCat said:
I looked at the comments of the article, and someone mentioned the Dune universe as potentially being a good RPG setting. That's something I could definitely enjoy if it were done well.
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It definitely would as I played every game & watched every movie made. Just think of the possibility's as that universe is a Sc-Fi version of Game of Thrones with drugs.

CD Projekt RED would be a good developer to choose. It's to bad their is no more interest in making any more Dune games since WestWood, and the canceled MMO.
 
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Two realms that have been done computing-wise but could certainly use new, innovative updates for me would be Amber and Krondor. Both settings are based on great books, and the early games really didn't go into too much depth for either. Nothing to do with both Zelazny and Feist being two of my favourite authors, of course =p
 
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RogueCat said:
I looked at the comments of the article, and someone mentioned the Dune universe as potentially being a good RPG setting. That's something I could definitely enjoy if it were done well.
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That universe begs for an open world RPG. I hope I'll see one some time.
 
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Couchpotato said:
It definitely would as I played every game & watched every movie made. Just think of the possibility's as that universe is a Sc-Fi version of Game of Thrones with drugs.

CD Projekt RED would be a good developer to choose. It's to bad their is no more interest in making any more Dune games since WestWood, and the canceled MMO.
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Unfortunately, your last point about a lack of interest from publishers will probably remain true unless someone makes a new movie or TV show based on the Dune universe.
 
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RogueCat said:
I looked at the comments of the article, and someone mentioned the Dune universe as potentially being a good RPG setting. That's something I could definitely enjoy if it were done well.
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It could be called…

tumblr_o0iuwqbwH21u3c0fxo1_1280.jpg
 
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Silver said:
That picture makes me think theres a whole race of people that look like Patrick Stewart. Is he playing a Mandolin?
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Yes he is as he played Gurney Halleck in the original 1984 Dune movie.

 
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