tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post2994975681373614788..comments2024-03-29T00:32:33.920-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Retrospective: Dallas: The Television Role-Playing GameJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-51334656271457496932011-06-11T15:04:22.502-04:002011-06-11T15:04:22.502-04:00This blog should definitely take a look at Leverag...This blog should definitely take a look at Leverage. I've never seen a TV-licensed game whose rules more closely attempt to harness the storytelling concerns of the TV show. It's an innovative approach.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-85582425606208991472011-06-09T14:13:06.314-04:002011-06-09T14:13:06.314-04:00@faoladh - there actually is a NCIS tabletop game,...@faoladh - there actually is a NCIS tabletop game, but it's presented as a boardgame although it appears to have quite a few roleplaying elements in it.sirkerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08527561024623753968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-87877216938066214452011-06-09T08:46:21.180-04:002011-06-09T08:46:21.180-04:00The idea of having a "resisting" and &qu...The idea of having a "resisting" and "affecting" score for your attributes is kind of neat, I think....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-74596958713609125722011-06-08T20:22:41.809-04:002011-06-08T20:22:41.809-04:00hüth: Apparently not.hüth: <a href="http://starwarsblog.starwars.com/index.php/2009/10/06/found-on-ebay-1978-star-wars-knock-offs/" rel="nofollow">Apparently not.</a>faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-45231317896043979052011-06-08T15:56:53.989-04:002011-06-08T15:56:53.989-04:00I find the Dallas RPG intriguing because it sounds...I find the Dallas RPG intriguing because it sounds like it aggressively designed the rules around the show. Many of the licensed RPGs above either took existing rules and dropped the license in, or designed new rules that looked like almost every other RPG out there. The resulting simulation focus frequently cuts against the actual license. Television writers don't sit around worrying about "Is X skilled enough as a hacker to successfully break into the bank's computer?" No, X succeeds or fails based on the needs of the show. Y never dies because he realistically got unlucky in a firefight; he dies for a dramatic reason, because the actor is leaving, or he simply can't die.<br /><br />There are RPGs that break this mold. Leverage and Smallville immediately leap to mind. There are older ones, but it's an idea that feels "modern" to me. To see such an idea is 1980 is fascinating. It's now on my list of RPGs worth acquiring to study!Alan De Smethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09091994420717419182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-7610284265120326042011-06-08T13:14:26.643-04:002011-06-08T13:14:26.643-04:00It's not branded Glee, though.
And would a ro...<i>It's not branded Glee, though.</i><br /><br />And would a rose, by any other name...?huthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502682297320819595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-10528414580550066162011-06-08T13:08:00.454-04:002011-06-08T13:08:00.454-04:00I want a copy of this to bookend the Rocky and Bul...I want a copy of this to bookend the Rocky and Bullwinkle RPG. No fooling:<br /><br />http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=7484<br /><br />Won an Origins award, and it included hand puppets.JackFoolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05645969148889581726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-82890406516934735242011-06-08T12:54:56.042-04:002011-06-08T12:54:56.042-04:00The most damning of all, it the inability to make ...<i>The most damning of all, it the inability to make you own characters. Players generally avoid plying well-established personalities as an unspoken RPG custom, and making-up non-canon characters is a popular practice, in what is basically a table-top fanfic.</i><br /><br>It's an odd design choice, I agree, but I wonder if it was done on the assumption that most television viewers, back in 1980, wanted to play existing characters rather than creating new characters in the same world as the existing ones. Nowadays, I think any licensed RPG that made this assumption would be foolish to do so, but was this the case 30 years ago?James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-72740099453152724192011-06-08T10:28:08.475-04:002011-06-08T10:28:08.475-04:00I've played this game. It was actually sort of...I've played this game. It was actually sort of fun. We played it a few times as a fill-in or waiting for the other guys to show up for the real game, game. <br />It actually worked fine.<br />Violence was rare enough it could be handled by GM fiat. I think we had 2 murders and a fitstfight or two in a few sessions, pretty tame for a bunch of teenage dungeon pillagers who also killed each others PC's with glee in a TopSecret campaign.JDJarvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07691101939920824546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-27195198280045544842011-06-08T09:42:06.985-04:002011-06-08T09:42:06.985-04:00I notice with a lot of TV/Movie-based RPGs, they a...I notice with a lot of TV/Movie-based RPGs, they are narrative-based, with mechanics that enforces plot and character cliché. Its like playing a Star Trek RPG, where you are rewarded for saying <i>"He's dead, Jim!"</i> or <i>"Damnit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a _______!"</i>, if you are playing McCoy, or Kirk having the ability to wreck even the most sophisticated computer with... The way... He... TALKS!<br /><br />The most damning of all, it the inability to make you own characters. Players generally avoid plying well-established personalities as an unspoken RPG custom, and making-up non-canon characters is a popular practice, in what is basically a table-top fanfic.Malcadonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03111796978336546944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-17763214177946787802011-06-08T08:57:51.045-04:002011-06-08T08:57:51.045-04:00@Pekka Don't forget GURPS Myth: an OK worldboo...@Pekka Don't forget <i>GURPS Myth</i>: an OK worldbook based on a sadly under-appreciated computer game property.Viktorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04867648528753994863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-79436385447296327242011-06-08T08:41:24.244-04:002011-06-08T08:41:24.244-04:00Man, if I had to pick a soap to turn into an RPG i...<i>Man, if I had to pick a soap to turn into an RPG it would definitely be Dark Shadows.</i><br /><br>Years ago, I had a notion to create a multi-generational supernatural RPG on the model of <i>Dark Shadows</i>, one where you played not just a single character but multiple members of several interrelated families over the span of centuries -- kind of <i>Call of Cthulhu</i> meets <i>Pendragon</i>. I still think it's a good idea.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-63604711128055982592011-06-08T08:39:33.207-04:002011-06-08T08:39:33.207-04:00Pekka: All of those are genre properties. Can you ...<i>Pekka: All of those are genre properties. Can you imagine a tabletop game based on, say, Glee? Or even NCIS (which is nearly genre itself)?</i><br /><br>Yeah, that was my point. Can you imagine a world where a big, mainstream hit TV show or movie were turned into a RPG? Mind you, nowadays, TV seems such a marginal medium that I'm not even sure what "big, mainstream hit" would even mean in this context.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-42093516492389293422011-06-08T08:37:27.810-04:002011-06-08T08:37:27.810-04:00Wait, what?!? How do you handle cat-fights? That i...<i>Wait, what?!? How do you handle cat-fights? That is kinda intrinsic to the setting!</i><br /><br>I never watched the show as a kid, so I can't speak to this. My impression was that <i>Dynasty</i> was where most of the cat fights occurred ...James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-80067761572767865162011-06-08T08:26:25.247-04:002011-06-08T08:26:25.247-04:00Ed Dove: Exactly so!
hüth: It's not branded G...Ed Dove: Exactly so!<br /><br />hüth: It's not branded <i>Glee</i>, though. That's like <i>Primetime Adventures</i> instead of <i>Dallas</i>.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-24662639767352111502011-06-08T06:25:58.013-04:002011-06-08T06:25:58.013-04:00Man, if I had to pick a soap to turn into an RPG i...Man, if I had to pick a soap to turn into an RPG it would definitely be <i>Dark Shadows.</i>Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10745062840676790649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-41949895175956051612011-06-08T05:53:56.573-04:002011-06-08T05:53:56.573-04:00Glee RPG
I've played it.
Also, I totally wou...<i>Glee RPG</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pelgranepress.com/?page_id=5482" rel="nofollow">I've played it.</a><br /><br />Also, I totally would play a <i>Dallas</i> RPG, but that's because our group does schemey PVP with gusto...huthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502682297320819595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-73172220748829996692011-06-08T05:21:20.169-04:002011-06-08T05:21:20.169-04:00What does the referee of a South Park RPG say to r...What does the referee of a <i>South Park</i> RPG say to rein in unruly players?<br /><br /><b><i>RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!</i></b>https://www.blogger.com/profile/14398295844409607075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-50506181045861492032011-06-08T05:10:32.883-04:002011-06-08T05:10:32.883-04:00If RPGs were as faddish now as they were in 1980, ...If RPGs were as faddish now as they were in 1980, not only would there be <i>Glee</i> and <i>NCIS</i> RPGs, there'd be <i>American Idol</i> and <i>Dancing With The Stars</i> RPGs too.<br /><br />But <i>Leverage</i> is only marginally <i>"genre"</i>. So the fact that there's a <i>Leverage</i> RPG is a good sign.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14398295844409607075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-21977705389954702332011-06-08T04:03:37.758-04:002011-06-08T04:03:37.758-04:00While normally I avoid Python quotes, but seeing D...While normally I avoid Python quotes, but seeing Dallas the RPG, the only thing I can say is...<br /><br />"What a stupid concept."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00801468265072232351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-66436258501713249142011-06-08T03:50:56.010-04:002011-06-08T03:50:56.010-04:00Hey John Hendry
I see Bill Bixby as the wandering...Hey John Hendry<br /><br />I see Bill Bixby as the wandering Monk, well Monk/Barbarian. David Carradine fits the monk roll rather well. Sadly a monk who death touched himself :(<br /><br />Hey JB<br /><br />Ok Assassin was a bit strong, and I was mistaken and thought he shot JR all of those years ago....he didn't.<br /><br />Patrick Duffy however is high level Illusionist after faking his own death by invading and altering the dreams/reality of the entire cast and viewing audience.<br /><br />Patrick Duffy was also the leg of Scuzzelbutt. I am not sure what sick WoD Thaumaturgy he used to <br />create that beast, but he is skilled.Anathematicianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09690147218442114230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-10061498678472770122011-06-08T02:51:37.775-04:002011-06-08T02:51:37.775-04:00By its 4th Edition, the Dallas game had lost much ...By its 4th Edition, the Dallas game had lost much of its freewheeling charm, with carefully templated dramatic powers, requiring a set grid and <a href="http://www.megomuseum.com/teevee/dallas.html" rel="nofollow"><b>action figures</b></a>. They even figured out a way for the game to have commercials!Roger G-Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08594440701279968693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-91307675599276523782011-06-08T02:50:39.479-04:002011-06-08T02:50:39.479-04:00Pekka: All of those are genre properties. Can you ...Pekka: All of those are genre properties. Can you imagine a tabletop game based on, say, <i>Glee</i>? Or even <i>NCIS</i> (which is nearly genre itself)?faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-86427884969651179142011-06-08T02:43:45.593-04:002011-06-08T02:43:45.593-04:00"Nowadays, if a TV series or movie is a hot p...<i>"Nowadays, if a TV series or movie is a hot property, you might expect to see a video game made of it, but tabletop roleplaying games? Not likely."</i><br /><br />Off the top of my head I can name at least Buffy, Angel, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Stargate SG-1, Firefly, Babylon 5, Leverage, Smallville and of course Star Wars. Decipher's LOTR was also based on the movies and used screenshots from the movies as art.<br /><br />There are also several rpgs based on books, e.g. Conan RPG, The Dying Earth, A Game of Thrones (two versions that I know of) and Dresden Files.<br /><br />Some RPGs are even based on popular computer games like Dragon Age, Warcraft and Diablo.<br /><br />I don't know if there are more or less RPGs based on tv series or movies than in the 80s but there are a lot of them nowadays.Pekkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13104355467265113471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-53695667617366070002011-06-08T01:58:46.752-04:002011-06-08T01:58:46.752-04:00Patrick Duffy's a Buddhist, so maybe he'd ...Patrick Duffy's a Buddhist, so maybe he'd be a mermonk.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com