I would like to see a Steampunk RPG

[vellen]

What do you guys think about a steampunk rpg?

 

Personally I think it would be very cool.

 

Settings could include big smog filled industrial cities (im thinking like a twisted version of victorian London), a interpretation of the wild west, a huge air ship, a stream powered floating island.

 

Could use the the normal races, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, gnomes ect.

 

It could be a fusion og magic and technology.

 

It could have massive trains, steam mecha, air ships and all those cool things.

 

I dont know of any games like this on the market.

 

I think its an idea that would offer you a lot of scope to play around with.

 

Party based steampunk action, a fresh setting, different game play (i think you could still use D&D rules though).

 

wht do you guys think?

 

cheers

[vellen]

The plot could be something like:

 

The world is changing and science has caught up with teh arcane arts. The advances in technology has started an arms race between to expanding nations and some nefarious force is at work manipulating things from behind the scenes and by a twist of fate you get stuck in the middle of it.

 

Maybe something like this. The protagonist has decided to move to the big exciting city seeking fame, fortune and adventure. Encounters a dying person who has barely escaped an assination atempt whopasses on a special item to you which the "Dark Forces where after". With his dying breaths he/she tells you that you must deliver the item they were carrying and make sure that it dosnt fall into teh hands of the bad guys. And that is the start of you great adventure...

 

Guns, swords, steam power and magic

[Spider]

Arcanum

 

(even so much that you managed to get the plot down almost exactly)

[Magister Lajciak]

I don't really like the Steampunk genre, so I hope Obsidian Entertainment devotes its resources to other types of games.

[Xard]

let's call it... Arcanum!

[Hurlshort]

You should get an annoying sidekick right off the bat who keeps declaring you as the chosen one or something.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

I want a Steampunk RPG badly... But I also want a good one. No Chosen Ones, no profecy bull****, and no need for magic. Something like Bioshock meets Mass Effect, but less super-serious soldiers.

Edited February 4, 2008 by WILL THE ALMIGHTY

[Musopticon?]

Perdido Street Station license rpg!

[Dark_Raven]

Arcanum. It kicked ass.

[vellen]

So you guys are saying that there can only be one steampunk themed rpg but loads of fantasy based ones? I think a well made steampunk rpg with a strong plot and game play would win a lot of awards and become a cult game.

[Spider]

No, we're just saying that the game you described IS Arcanum, down to the plot description.

[Musopticon?]

This poses the interesting dichotomy of whether Arcanum had a generic enough premise that anyone could come up with it accidentally or maybe vellen has partial memory loss.

[Magister Lajciak]

So you guys are saying that there can only be one steampunk themed rpg but loads of fantasy based ones?

 

No, but you came to the board to ask about our opinions and people have varied opinions on the issue. Most seem to think that a game according to your specifications exists and are recommending it to you.

 

I think a well made steampunk rpg with a strong plot and game play would win a lot of awards and become a cult game.

 

I agree that a well made game of any genre can win awards and become a cult game.

[vellen]

I have never heard of Arcanum, I did a search and it turns out it is very hard to get hold of. Is it any good or is it really outdated. I seem to be reading some very mixed reviews about it.

 

But I think if obsidian were to make a game based around steampunk that would be so much better!!!

Edited February 7, 2008 by vellen

[Xard]

Arcanum is exactly the game you described.

 

It is very genuine and... soulful work but with few big faults:

 

Combat is absolutely horrible.

Combat is terrible

Combat sucks

 

Did I forget something? Naaahh...

 

Otherwise it's great RPG with Choices & Consequences, good dialogue, large world to explore etc. etc.

[kirottu]

Arcanum is exactly the game you described.

 

It is very genuine and... soulful work but with few big faults:

 

Combat is absolutely horrible.

Combat is terrible

Combat sucks

 

Did I forget something? Naaahh...

 

Otherwise it's great RPG with Choices & Consequences, good dialogue, large world to explore etc. etc.

 

I would also say that the main quest chain was done badly. Clearing some are of enemies and at the end of that area NPC tells where to go next --> repeat.

 

Still well worth playing.

[Hurlshort]

Arcanum is still very playable, and you should get it. I'm pretty sure you can order it somewhere. It's worth it and it's not really very outdated.

[Spider]

Funny that. I felt it was outdated when it was released. So opinions can definitely differ. (and to be fair, iirc it was released a year after it was completed)

 

Doesn't mean it's a bad game by any means, although the combat was pretty awful.

 

But it's good parts make up for the combat, so it's worth playing. Although if graphics and bells and whistles is important, it's probably best to stay away.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

Still, a steampunk RPG would be a nice change from sci-fi/medieval themes. There haven't been many, so that leaves room for originality.

[Gorth]

Still, a steampunk RPG would be a nice change from sci-fi/medieval themes. There haven't been many, so that leaves room for originality.

I don't know if Mass Effect is sci-fi (I suspect so), but there hasn't really been a lot of genuine sci-fi crpgs released the last two decades :sad:

 

Edit: Buck rogers was just a much a space-fantasy game as the Star Wards games.

Edited February 9, 2008 by Gorth

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

Space fantasy, Sci-fi, whatever you want to call it. I was mostly talking about futuristic RPGs (no need to start the Sci-fi/Fantasy debate here)... There have been a lot, but not nearly as much as medieval.

 

I'm just saying, the Steampunk genre (for RPGs, mostly) is still unexplored compared to other themes. With some imagination, you could make a great Steampunk setting.

Edited February 9, 2008 by WILL THE ALMIGHTY

[Amentep]

Well I'd love to see other games set in non-standard settings. Steampunk, western, 30s gangster/film noir-ish RPG...

[chaoticshifter]

A Steampunk RPG? Cool... count me in the group of supporters...

 

It's been a lo-o-o-o-o-ng time since Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura came out... That was a gem of a title!

 

Would love to play another title like it... even if it is just a port of Arcanum to an awesome graphics engine...

[Purkake]

Bah, more like failpunk.

 

Why settle for a single 'punk? There are dozens to choose from.

 

 

Good job asking for a steampunk RPG and not even knowing about Arcanum.

 

SMH

 

[Slowtrain]

Arcanum was pretty good but it had some balance issues. Tech was seriously underpowered compared to magick, firearms were horribly underpowered compared to everything else, melee/dodge was the both the easiest build and the most powerful by far, rendering all other combat options/build unneccessary,

 

Happily there was a lot of good non-combast stuff going on in the game, so al the various combat-related balance issues were tolerable.

 

And in the end, of course, any character build was super powerful by level 40 anyway, so ultimately it didn't matter much whcih dorection you went combat-build wise.