Your dream RPG setting

[Eternal]

I understand for many players the gameplay core is very important, but what about a game’s setting and its elements?

Despite the fact many RPGs and action-RPGs have been created over the years, passionate RPG fans always dream of more. The gaming industry has gifted us many amazing worlds, deeply developed universes and regions, but there are always worlds and events which would be interesting to pay a visit and explore.

Have you ever dreamed of something special: a peculiar world, a specific place of action, time or epoch? Or about certain conditions for the game plot development? Is there a secret hope in your heart that a certain RPG with a setting personally appealing to YOU will see the light of day? Is there something that would make you personally say: "Wow, I would definitely try to play this." Maybe a different region of the already familiar setting needs an intent look, or you have long wanted to get an RPG based on some literary or movie universe? Maybe you are interested in a certain layer of mythology or a historical period seems especially appealing?

I have several things that hook me personally:

Hard science fiction about space. In principle, I really love the space theme and often buy games related to it. But I've always wanted something a little less fantastic and more realistic, something where dramatic situations are intertwined with real modern science. I would really like to look at a Black Hole, watch Supernova explosions, visit realistic planets.

Sailing ships. Despite the fact that I’ve never set foot on the deck, I am desperately in love with waves, wind and sails flapping. Arrgh, if only there was an RPG focused on sea navigation, hardships and romanticism of sea travel. I would love to become a brave captain, get my own team and set off to explore the world.

Quirky cities. Floating cities, flying cities, cities powered by steam, living cities made from plants and mushrooms - I love it all! It’s not the beautiful scenery that interests me (although this is an undoubted visual plus), but exactly the way of life in such cities. How unusual living conditions in such a metropolis would affect people's everyday life, lifestyle and culture? What factions arise and why, what unusual skills and professions do the inhabitants master, what do they love and hate? And, of course, how does such a quaint city exist at all? When we are dealing with a bizarre world or country, authors often decide to separate it into regions. This is interesting too, but the transition between regions can be made quite smooth. At the same time, if a community of very different inhabitants lives quite crowded, very bright and expressive contrasts might arise that I really want to explore.

What setting would you like to get an RPG in? And why exactly in it?

 

[mlnevese]

i would love something that spanned several dimensions with different rules. Even magic/technology should work a little different when you jump to a different Universe/Dimension/Plane. I have seen it done in P&P several years ago but never in a computer game.

 

[m7600]

I need to think this through, because I'm not sure what my ideal RPG setting would be. I've been worldbuilding my own setting for some time, but it's very far from being something coherent. That being said, here are some settings that I wish WotC would bring back:

Planescape. This setting is unique in so many ways. I've never seen anything else like it. I still remember the impression that I had the first time I read about Sigil. It was something along these lines: in a barren, desert-like plane of existence called The Outlands, which lies at the center of the Multiverse, there is a rocky spire that is infinitely tall. At the top of this physically impossible spire floats the torus-shaped city of Sigil. It can't be accessed by climbing or flying, given the infinite length of the spire. The only way to enter Sigil is through a portal. And, throughout the city, there exists many other portals that lead to different areas of the Multiverse. This is why Sigil is known as The City of Doors. Although the city is controlled for the most part at different times by this or that faction, and although all manner of creatures of different alignments are welcome, the gods themselves cannot enter Sigil. They do no have the power to do so. There is a mysterious entity known as the Lady of Pain that keeps them at bay. Who or what she is remains unclear, but at least one thing is known: she killed Aoskar, the God of Portals, with a mere thought. Other than this, the people of Sigil prefer not to discuss at length the nature of the Lady of Pain, or anything else pertaining to her, out of fear. For, even though the Lady is not evil per se, she is not necessarily good either. On those rare occasions when she appears, those that merely stood in her shadow died a horrific, gruesome death, their skin erupted into blisters and gashing wounds so severe that what remained of their bodies were nothing more than bloody, amorphous pulps of lacerated flesh.

Spelljammer. This was an amazing setting, the way that they envisioned how D&D would look like in space was highly creative and original. I love the fact that they used a lot of long-forgotten and refuted scientific concepts, such as the crystal spheres of the Universe from Ptolemaic astronomy, and the phlogiston from 17th and 18th century chemistry. And then they made up a bunch of explanations that I think are just wonderful. For example, your character can indeed survive in outer space without a modern space suit. This is because there is a sphere of air that surrounds your character, which lasts anywhere from a couple of hours to a few days, depending on the quality of the air. And, characters can stand on the deck of a ship in space without floating away because every object, such as a ship, has a line of gravity that runs through its main axis. The setting gets its name from a mythical ship called The Spelljammer, comparable in a sense to The Flying Dutchman. It's a humongous ship that's shaped like a manta ray, and it has an entire city on its back. It never docks at any port, and it just seems to aimlessly wander through the Multiverse. There are many stories about it, and it's impossible to know which of these are true. The ship is said to be as old as the crystal spheres themselves, nay, as old as the Multiverse itself. The city on its back presumably has myriads of treasures of inestimable value, guarded by strange creatures, the likes of which have never been seen elsewhere. Many have been lured by these stories, and some have even been able to aboard The Spelljammer, but none have ever returned.

 

[mlnevese]

Spelljammer was one of the most underrated settings ever released. It's a shame it didn't become more popular... many people don't even know that's where Giant Space Hamsters came from...

 

[Antimatter]

1. I would adore playing an open-world RPG set in feudal Japan, China or Chosŏn (Korea). It would be great to get a game without the usual JRPG grinding and yet with the unmatched tone of Asia.

I would also like more games like Yakuza: Like a Dragon - a game set in modern Japan.

What I think the world lacks is the tone of Japan but without grinding and/or anime/manga stylistics and approach. I would like to play a serious RPG in that setting without the usual high school tropes of Japan.

It shouldn't be a Souls-like, it should be similar to usual RPGs where the world and its characters are main personalities.

2. I would happily play RPGs set in Eastern European historical and/or mythological settings. Not LotR, but Slavs. It would be cool to explore the folklore of the Ural Mountains and Carpathians. Or a game similar to Kingdome Come: Deliverance to feel the everyday life of the Middle Ages, and not related to well-explored countries of England and France. Or a historical Eastern RPG about Genghis Khan. Wouldn't it be just amazingly beautiful to visit all those locations and learn about the local culture?

3. The world really, really, really needs another Cyberpunk RPG in the universe created by Mike Pondsmith. After finishing Cyberpunk 2077 the only thing I want is MORE. More quests in the same setting. More fraction interaction. I just want several hundreds of hours in the Night City, probably not in 2077, but another timeline. Before playing Cyberpunk 2077 I could never imagine this genre could hook me so much.

4. This one should be obvious now, when the Dune movie is so well-received. Dune is frequently described as the best selling science fiction novel in history. So why not make an RPG in the Dune world? The possibilities are just endless.

 

[Cahir]

1. I would adore playing an open-world RPG set in feudal Japan, China or Chosŏn (Korea). It would be great to get a game without the usual JRPG grinding and yet with the unmatched tone of Asia

It's a damn shame that Ghost of Tsushima is not available on PC, you would love it. It's one of the most beautiful open world I have ever seen. And playing this game in Japanese is just breathtaking.

 

[Antimatter]

For sure, it's a shame Ghost of Tsushima is a console exclusive. But there is always hope, you know. In June 2021 Sony updated the retail box art for this game, sparking speculation that the game could be heading to PC.

Ghost of Tsushima PC Port Will Finally Release In Summer 2024 |…

The Ghost of Tsushima PC port has been eagerly awaited by many fans, and now it's finally official after Sony announced the PC release for summer 2024.

www.earlygame.com

 

[alice_ashpool]

A space setting that is not mass effect. Not that I'm complaing about Mass Effect but something that is more Stellaris than best friends in space.

 

[WiseGrimwald]

India at the time of the Mogul Empire would be interesting, as would Nepal before it was unified, or perhaps just as they were invading Darjeeling.

 

[Black Elk]

Lately I've been kicking around the idea of Faerun but in microcosm, basically "Honey I shrunk the Kids" but the D&D version. I feel like something tried and true for the setting like the Forgotten Realms would be good to ground it, but then go all off left field by scaling it way down. Introduce Pixies, Faeries, Brownies and the like as companions or a possible player race, with squirrels and insects and whatnot for mounts. Take the faerie in a bottle approach of something like zelda, but do it from the perspective of being inside the bottle. I think a good set up would be like escape from Baba Yaga's Hut, then dip from there into a wilderness fey run and give it a ranging focus initially to get oriented before the adventure moves into more urban settings. I think that would be an instant win for game that really went for it in the 3d environments, introduce scaling and climbing as a core part of the exploration gameplay, with rope esp being showcased, and then going for more ambitious stuff like flight. If it works, take the same basic concept and then just stitch it into campaign that alternates scale later, first tiny, then colossus, before returning to the regular Medium sized creature scale sort of like Gulliver's Travels. I think that would be a lot of fun

 

[Antimatter]

At first, your idea, @Black Elk, reminded me of The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk, based on the fun aspect (have you tried it btw?), but I think you're moving the unseriousness part even further. I would play it!

 

[Balrog99]

How about something pre-Western civilization? Babylon, Egypt, Assyria, Caanan, Medea, Persia, Sumer, Parthia or Nubia/Kush would all be interesting settings. One could use the Old Testament Bible, the Torah and/or The Epic of Gilgamesh to flesh out the mythology.

Edit: It could even be set in a time before written records or a more advanced setting pre-apocalyptic disaster (think antediluvian) a la Robert E. Howard's Conan. I guess that could include Atlantis as a possibility too...

 

[mlnevese]

Ancient aliens would be interesting as well... every time I watch something about this on History Channel, I' think that would be a good movie/game plot

Stargate is a famous example of a sci-fi series that used this argument.

 

[Black Elk]

I like that idea, though they could bridge it western too. Go back far enough and there's plenty of overlap. I think a cool in for something that ancient would be to use written language and the alphabet as a kind of backdrop or running theme. Cadmus bringing the letters to Greece from Canaan or Evander bringing it to Italy, but done more generic and proto style. Maybe just call it Cranes and do a cranebag sort of thing Minoan style, just kinda ripping off the White Goddess hehe. Make the PC like an archetypal Horus/Mercury/Hyginus sort of figure? That would be fun. For an opener one could do a classic Conan village destruction, or even better Red Sonya snake temple getting destroyed. Like warriors on horseback are just putting the place to the torch. Maybe the Centaurs have come and the protagonist is like the last best hope of the Temple Goddess? The Crane Bag containing the secret mysteries of their people thrust into their hands by the high priestess or some such, and they're just told to "Run!" right before she gets cut down. All sort of sufficiently foggy and timeless there, but as soon as you flee the game starts immediately branching. Plenty of places it could go, you get some Pythagorean type spheres in there for the music element, or like Orpheus on the lyre. Maybe do something with the 7 ancient metals or like zodiac timepieces and just tie it altogether at like the dawn of agriculture but played up fancifully. Loom from that other post has got me thinking on the spindle and the wheel too. Just make it like a grab bag there and fold in some new world Toltec stargate material? hehe I'm sure it could all be to made to blend if done right.

Another fun idea along similar lines would be something that leans into the domestication of animals as a theme, but set it up more as a coevolution thing. You know, where we don't become fully Human until after we team up with the Dogs and then continuing that idea with each of the classic totemic animals in turn. Take it down to Apis, with the honey bees as the old oracles! Maybe do cool controls for a 'Nose Knows' meter or something? For all the love people have for their dogs and cats and such, I haven't really seen that done up yet in a game, but one could probably stitch it into familiar Druid/Ranger material. Or just focus on the dog as proof of concept. Do killer controls that make it actually feel like running with the pack. That would be a pretty badass game just all by itself. Call it "Alpha" and then do like heroic dog contributions down through the ages. Basically Civ but for dogs? hehe. I mean the potential from a millennia long sweep is all there, from the getgo into the space age. Raised by Wolves is already out in the aether, but Alpha seems like a good name for a runner up. Every other level you have to choose a different pup with custom fur coloration and sneakret weapons and whatnot. Unlocking the various breeds as one goes along, with themed missions for each? Fucking billion dollar idea right there probably lol

ps. Here I can even riff some buzz language for the pitch heheh. Explore the wild, hunt with the pack, and mark your territory. Locate a mate and do whatever it takes to ensure that you and your puppy progeny survive into the next generation. From simple games like fetch and tug of war, to the battlefields of Normandy, Outer Space and beyond! It's a dogs' life for you! Burry that bone for the bonus, learn new tricks, and uncover special treasures and toys to horde at destiny's dog house! Dynamic doggy controls, a nose Cam: 'scent tracker. Discover the mysterious secrets of the hidden world. Enhanced hearing, do your ears hang low? Which Way Home? mini-paw-mapper points the way! Specialize your powers with webbed toes for swimming, long legs for coursing the plains of the unkown, thicker coats for rugged winter adventuring! Does your pooch have what it takes to alter the course of Human history? Put your loyalty to the test with courageous Canine actions and be the best Best Friend you can be! Pouch picker - from simple beginnings come thousands of puppy possibilities. Determine the look and attributes of future litters by selecting which puppy to play in each successive generation. Black coat or Brown? Spots or no spots? The runt or the chubster? The choices you make today will surely effect the challenges of tomorrow, but which Puppy has the right stuff? Character generator -with snouts and whiskers -Poser for your pups! This shit practically writes itself lol.