Is everything taken?

[Michael Hopcroft]

one of the common compalints I hear when talking about licensed RPGs is that all the good licenses are taken. I'm not convinced this is true, so i was wondering if anyone has a favorite mvoie, TV series, comic or novel series that has not been turned into an RPG that they would like to see turned into one. (Lapsed licenses like Sailor Moon and Conan count as taken).

The reason I'm asking is that the license I picked up is fairly obscure, but will make a great game. I wonder if there are other gems out there that fans are looking forward to actually seeing as RPGs.

[Derek Hiemforth]

I can think of plenty of movies, books, TV series, etc. that I'd like to see as RPG games or sourcebooks. Just a few off the top of my head include: The X Files
The Twilight Zone
Battlestar Galactica
Highlander
Big Trouble In Little China
The Matrix
The Belgariad/Malloreon
Harry Potter
The Chronicles of the Deryni (Grey Ghost Press is supposed to be releasing a Deryni RPG any time now, but it's not out yet, so I still get to count it. ;) )

[RavensPath]

Space: Above and Beyond would be my number one choice
Valdemar Series (Mercedes Lackey) would be great too.

[Crusader108]

Space: Above and Beyond would be my number one choice

God, I loved that series. :D

[Syberdwarf2]

- Armored Core
- The Outer Limits
- The Foundation Series
- The Sword Of Truth
- Ringworld
- Wild Cards
- Thieves' World

[misterdeath]

The Honor Harrington Universe.

D

[Monolith]

Originally posted by Crusader108
God, I loved that series. :D
As did I. My entire Alien Wars campaign will be based on the ideas presented in S:AaB. Too bad that series couldn't have lasted a few more seasons. And the way it ended was just incredible. You never expect a series to end in such a dramatic way.

[lemming]

Originally posted by Syberdwarf2
- Armored Core
That would be pretty cool.

A couple additions:
The Swords series by Saberhagen
The Paks world by Elizabeth Moon

Sliders

[Blue]

As I've been watching the DVDs all week, I'd have to vote for Firefly. I love the setting, the old west-in-space feel, the Cannibalistic Reavers... Seeing as how there are both BUFFY and ANGEL RPGs now, maybe this isn't too unreasonable. Except those series lasted more than a season. (C'mon big screen adaption!)

X-Files was one I thought of too. I'd say The Nightstalker too, but that is more Call of Cthulhu like. X-files has more conspiracy elements and more on-going characters. Nightstalker just had Cark Kolchak, his editor, and the cops who loved them.

[Ghost who Walks]

Originally posted by RavensPath
Space: Above and Beyond would be my number one choice
Valdemar Series (Mercedes Lackey) would be great too.
I concur.


Originally posted by Blue
As I've been watching the DVDs all week, I'd have to vote for Firefly. I love the setting, the old west-in-space feel, the Cannibalistic Reavers...
I concur. I bought myself the DVD for Christmas, then claimed it was from Santa.:)

I'd like to see a game based on the Spiral Zone. (1980's cartoon). Lousy toys, great stories.

[GestaltBennie]

I wouldn't kill to do a Narnia sourcebook, but I'd come damn close. :-)

Scott Bennie

[Celt]

Firefly, the Joss Whedon tv series, fresh on DVD with a big screen movie in the works.

[TheEmerged]

Comic Series
1> "The Crossovers", from Code 6/Crossgen. While not wildly popular or widely known (and the last 3 issues haven't lived up to the first 6, to tell the truth), I still insist this would be a PERFECT license for HERO to pursue. The Dad is a 4-color superhero, daughter is a warrior princess in a fantasy realm, son is an alien collaberator, and the mother a vampire hunter. And until issue 7, none of the above knew about the other 3 (mom knows about dad now).
2> "Sojourn", by Crossgen. Basic fantasy world with the unstoppable bad guy, dragons, heroine on a quest to defeat the unstoppable bad guy, powerful but annoying vague "wizard" guiding said heroine, and overtones of a much bigger story at work. Oh, and a dog character that's (gasp) actually a dog (we think).

Books
1> Narnia. 'Nuff said
2> Turtledove's Worldwar series would make an interesting wargame, in my opinion.

TV Series
1> Nowhere Man. Conspiracy theory without all the black boxes running around.
2> Wrestling. I'm personally surprised I haven't seen something like this; I personally ran such a campaign using 4th Edition's Ninja HERO.

[BoneDaddy]

Alvin Maker (Its an Orson Scott Card series - neat-o!)

At the risk of sounding flippant, with FREd, you really CAN do it all. Except find weakness with entangle.

[Chris Goodwin]

Originally posted by Syberdwarf2
- Ringworld
- Wild Cards
- Thieves' World

All three of these are lapsed but taken. Chaosium, SJG, and Chaosium, respectively.

I would like to see Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures series, myself. I'm not sure whether this can be considered "taken" because there was a supplement that statted out Aahz and Skeeve. Buf it not, then yes.

[Richard Logue]

I'd love to see these in some form of rpg (although not another d20 game.

Firefly
Adventures of Briscoe County Jr
First Wave
Battlestar Galactica, the recently released Sci-Fi Channel version
Babylon 5 (yes, I know Mongoose Publishing puts it out in d20 and there used to be an rpg by Crunchy Frog, but I'd prefer something else...)

Sure, many of us can certainly use an existing system to cover the millieu, but isn't it more fun to go to your FLGS and spend money on published material? But with home-creativity in mind, I'd go with the following:

Firefly, Shatterzone rpg by West End Games.
Adv Bris Co. Jr, Deadlands by Pinnacle.
First Wave, Alternity by the late TSR, or perhaps Chill by Mayfair
Battlestar Galactica, not sure about this one... Star Hero maybe
Babylon 5, bah... I kinda like the d20 Star Wars so it might be okay for B5 as well. I just have to break down and buy the books and see what they've done with it. Maybe that's how I'll start spending my paychecks in keeping with my New Year's Resolution. Actually it's not a bad idea to at least pick up the main book and see how it is... I mean its probably better than suggesting the old dinosaur Space Master, and I've already used Alternity and Shatterzone as ideas for these shows. I know what you're thinking, there's the obvious choice of Star Hero, but the purpose here (for me, anyway) was to suggest non-Hero rpg's... I think I'm babbling at this point.

I'll shut up now. :)

[Michael Hopcroft]

Sincc I started this topic, I might as well post my own choices. Most of them are literary, as there are fewer literary RPGs than media ones (although I resent the implication that roleplayers don;t read books....)

media:
1. Firefly (I want the DVDs, but don;t have them yet, and it seems to be a popular enough choice that someone is bound to land the license eventually).
2. The Wild, Wild West TV series 9with its impressive rouge's gallery and the original Dr. Migelito Loveless, one of the greatest TV villains ever).
3. Star Cops (a little-known but very good british series about law enforcement on space stations on LEO)
4. the Tripods (Have you been Capped? Too bad....)
5. DangerMouse (would be a hilarious comedy game -- and which accent would YOu use for Stiletto?)

Linterary:
1. the Honor Harrington universe (this is so popular I'm surprised it hasn;t been done already)
2. The lord Darcy series by Randall Garrett (a Homes-caliber detective and a sorcerer team up to solve mysteries in a world of scientific magic)
3. the Stainless Steel Rat! (harry harrison's classic story of a criminal who is so talented that the only way to stop his gaalctic crime sporee was to make him a cop....)
4. Starship troopers (the henlien original. I would never have attempted to join the miloitary if I hadn;t read Starship troopers, and to this day i feel guilty about not making the cut).
5. Pern (fight Thread or resist the tax demands of the Dragonriders)
6. Band of Brothers (a realistic, character-driven WWI close compbat RPG where you're fighting for the essential reasons -- surviving the war and making sure your buddies survive the war too).

[tesuji]

Showing my age perhaps...

Karl Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

[Killer Shrike]

Originally posted by Blue
As I've been watching the DVDs all week, I'd have to vote for Firefly. I love the setting, the old west-in-space feel, the Cannibalistic Reavers... Seeing as how there are both BUFFY and ANGEL RPGs now, maybe this isn't too unreasonable. Except those series lasted more than a season. (C'mon big screen adaption!)

X-Files was one I thought of too. I'd say The Nightstalker too, but that is more Call of Cthulhu like. X-files has more conspiracy elements and more on-going characters. Nightstalker just had Cark Kolchak, his editor, and the cops who loved them. Drop me a line Blue; I have some material you might like.

[zornwil]

I wouldn't mind seeing an Alien Nation project.

I thought somebody licensed Wild Cards? Maybe it was a copycat product I'm thinking of.

[lemming]

Originally posted by zornwil
I wouldn't mind seeing an Alien Nation project.

I thought somebody licensed Wild Cards? Maybe it was a copycat product I'm thinking of.
GURPS. I've got the books. and I'm pretty sure Michael Surbrook did conversions to Hero.

[zornwil]

Originally posted by lemming
GURPS. I've got the books. and I'm pretty sure Michael Surbrook did conversions to Hero.

Yeah, that's it, now I recall. Thanks! I just brought it up because someone else mentioned Wild Cards.

[Southern Cross]

How about Captain Scarlet vs. The Mysterons?
For those who came in late,this puppet series opened with a 21st century Martian expedition coming upon an alien base.and their leader,Captain Black,mistaking an alien camera for a weapon,orders the destruction of the base.The missile attack destroys most of the base,but the remaining tower shines a bright light upon the wreckage,restoring the base.The Mysterons then state that they are beginning a "war of nerves" with Earth,and state one of the expedition members would serve the Mysterons.Captain Black disappears during the return trip....
The Mysterons then state that they will kill the World President,and blast the car carring the SPECTRUM agents Captain Scarlet and Captain Brown off the road,killing both men,and then create exact duplicates of both men and the car.The World President barely escapes Captain Brown's self-detonation.Unfortunately,Colonel White,SPECTRUM's leader,only finds out about the destroyed car when Captain Scarlet is looking after the World President.Shortly afterwards,Captain Scarlet is shot from a futuristic carport by Captain Blue,falling hundreds of feet.
However,it turns out that Captain Scarlet has become "indestructible"-that is he cannot be killed (save by electrical attacks),and he is no longer under Mysteron control.Taking a huge gamble,colonel White orders him back on active duty, and he & Captain Blue try to foil the plots of the Mysterons over the rest of the series.

[Pteryx]

Sega doesn't understand it nearly well enough to allow anyone to do it right, but if it weren't for this, my dream license would be of the old Saturday Morning show "Sonic the Hedgehog", in which Sonic and the deposed Princess Sally lead a team of heroic Freedom Fighters against a rather nasty take on Robotnik who seeks to turn the planet into the same sort of polluted mechanical ruin that the city of Robotropolis is, with every mobile living thing on the planet roboticized. -- Pteryx

[Tamashii2000]

Project Hack
XenoSaga
and for braindead combat (Dyno Crisis)

And from books
The demons at rainbows bridge series
Neuromancer/Count Zero/Mona Lisa Overdrive



Of the three I think Hack would be the most interesting, followed closely by Xenosaga.

[Syberdwarf2]

Originally posted by Tamashii2000

Neuromancer/Count Zero/Mona Lisa Overdrive


YES! I never read Count Zero, and neuromancer was a chore for the first chapter or so, but Mona Lisa Overdrive kicked @$$.

I'd love to play one of the "SIN"-less...

I'd also like to see more Heinlein stuff done. Especially;
-Stranger In A Strange Land
-I Will Fear No Evil
-Friday
-Number Of The Beast
-The Cat Who Walks Through Walls

SIASL would be my first choice, at least the setting writeup and timeline for that universe.....

[Toadmaster]

The Tick

Black Adder (pick one)

Hitch hikers guide to the Galaxy

Samorai Jack

Although all could be lumped into comedy I think all would have the potential to rise above just being a beer and Pretzels game.

[Richard Logue]

David and Leigh Eddings' Belgariad/Mallorean setting would make a neat setting for a less-fantastic fantasy rpg.

And their Elenium/Tamuli world would make a good more-standard fantasy setting.

[Tamashii2000]

Originally posted by Syberdwarf2
YES! I never read Count Zero, and neuromancer was a chore for the first chapter or so, but Mona Lisa Overdrive kicked @$$.






Count Zero was....strange. I originaly had trouble taking in that the net in that book was the same one from Neuromancery. I will admit the first chapter of Neurmancer is hard to get past....

[Steve]

I know it's been mentioned in other places on this board, but I don't recall seeing it in this thread: Battlestar Galactica.

[Ghost who Walks]

Anybody remember the cartoon "Exosquad"?

While it had some similarity to other cartoons, it was well written and developed. They never left the Solar System.

No idea who, or if anyone has the rights to it.

[Steve]

Does anyone know if GI Joe has an RPG licensed? I didn't see anything on the web. That would be another great license, but probably a bit pricey with the new comic book series out.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Originally posted by Steve
Does anyone know if GI Joe has an RPG licensed? I didn't see anything on the web. That would be another great license, but probably a bit pricey with the new comic book series out.

I rememebr veteran animation writer Steve perry telling the group at a convention that no ethical animation writer was willing to work on GI Joe because in their eyes it glorified militarism. They must ahve been really desperate for scripts, because they built an entire episode oaround the hoary old joke that ends "I'm the Viper! I've come to Vipe da Vindows!"

To this day, I amrvel at how the greatest amrksmen and warriors in the world never actually hit anything they shot at that happened to be alive, and how Sidewinder missiles could delay their detonation just long enough for the enemy pilot to always bail out....

[Jhamin]

Originally posted by Michael Hopcroft
To this day, I amrvel at how the greatest amrksmen and warriors in the world never actually hit anything they shot at that happened to be alive, and how Sidewinder missiles could delay their detonation just long enough for the enemy pilot to always bail out....

That's just Kid's tv in the eighties for ya.

The A-Team never hit anyone either, and on He-Man whenever somebody got thrown they had to show them landing on something soft.

I remember an interview with the guys who did the first season of Batman:TAS. They said they only agreed to do the project if the goons got to use real guns instead of "blasters". Apparently this was the subject of intense negotiation.

[Steve]

Well, the GI Joe series I would prefer to see an RPG of was the comic book version, which was much more serious than the cartoon show. :)

[Absolute Hero]

Originally posted by Celt
Firefly, the Joss Whedon tv series, fresh on DVD with a big screen movie in the works. Now that would be nifty.

[AndyStaples]

A selection of possibilities not mentioned by others...

TV Series
Robin of Sherwood - the British series with Michael Praed, then Jason Connery, in the lead. ICE's old Robin Hood supplement for RM/MERP and Fantasy Hero (1st ed) came close, but wasn't quite a tie-in.
V - cheesy, but fun. :)
Ulysses 31 - Japanese cartoon retelling of The Odessey, but set in space.

Books
Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea quintet
Kat Kerr's Deverry series
David Gemmell's Drenai books (Legend, Waylander and sequels)
Poul Anderson's Polisotechnic League stories
Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series (Master & Commander and sequels)
Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood and sequels

Movies
Mad Max
Blade Runner

Comix
Strontium Dog and ABC Warriors (both old series in 2000AD, which also gave us Judge Dredd)

[Rene]

Some of Alan Moore's superhero series also would be great as RPGs. They could mix "1963" and "Supreme" for a retro Silver Age game that'd put SAS to shame. The utopian superheroic world of "Miracleman" for a hard-edged/political superhero game to put Aberrant to shame.

And I know GOO is going to release "the Authority" RPG but what I really wanted to see was "Planetary". 100+ years of comic book/pulp/SF fantasy hidden in a world superficially like ours. Perfect for a RPG.

Oh yes, and a fantasy series that would make a extraordinarily unique RPG would be Steve Erikson's "Malazan Book of the Fallen". It's a rarity: a high fantasy world full of magic, gods, weird races, and superhumans, but it's very gritty, dark, psychological, and political. Not D&Dish at all.

[Spideyguy]

What about Battle of the Planets ? That would rock!!

[tkdguy]

Originally posted by Steve
Well, the GI Joe series I would prefer to see an RPG of was the comic book version, which was much more serious than the cartoon show. :)

Have you checked out the new series Image produces under Devil's Due Publishing? there are three new series:
1. GI Joe
2. GI Joe Frontline
3. GI Joe vs. the Transformers (minseries)

Dreamwave also has a miniseries which may have just ended (I haven't bought the latest issue yet): Transformers GI Joe. This one is set in 1938, after COBRA practically demolished Europe with the Decepticons' aid. The Joe team is hastily formed and reawaken the Autobots.

[GrooveD70]

Thundarr the Barbarian or the Herculiods! RPG!:D

More Seriously
BladeRunner Would rawk!
Or something based on the Preacher comic or another Vertigo title.

[John Desmarais]

Originally posted by Michael Hopcroft

1. the Honor Harrington universe (this is so popular I'm surprised it hasn;t been done already).

It has been (taken at least, it hasn't come out yet).

QLI/RPGRealms has announced David Weber's Honor Harrington Adventures: Roleplaying in the Honorverse will be done as a Traveller (T20) setting.

John Desmarais