Casting Shadows

The 21st prompt for #RPGaDAY2023 is licensed and it arises from the original question from 2014 which sought responses about participants’ favorite licensed RPGs. In the last ten years this particular area has seen tremendous growth and shows signs of continued growth.

Day 21: What is one of your favorite licensed RPGS?

My first licensed RPG, and definitely the one I have played the most and in more incarnations, is Star Wars. I am very fond of how in the versions which I appreciate most it has not only managed to capture a clear and communicable feel representative of the property, but has also been interestingly innovative at the same time.

Is it my favorite? That is hard to say. It is easily a top favorite. I have a tremendous fondness for the Cinematic Unisystem release of Armies of Darkness, though. I don’t play it much anymore, but it was one of the first games anyone ever bought for me, saying, “We want you to run this for us!” Like many other successful interpretations of IP into an RPG, it managed to combine system and tone for a supportive gaming experience in the world of the film.

These days, I am also very excited about the Rivers of London RPG and the tweaks it has brought to BRP. This is a huge hit for me because it brings a lot of my favorite things all together.

I also find that Free League have hit two successes in a row for me with their targeted applications of Year Zero to first Alien and then Blade Runner. I feel that it would similarly be remiss of me to not mention Nightfall’s Terminator and Modiphius’ Fallout and Dune RPGs. Each offers me a lot of piqued interest and sustained excitement.

What I notice in most of these is a sort of hierarchy of enjoyment. For some, I was initially interested in using them for a variety of experiences. For others, I was interested in them for a narrower range of experiences. For a game to really hitch itself to the Favorites post, it needs to show me it can do more than I think it can and make me want to use it for more things than first attracted my eye. In the past, I would cite the Laundry Files for this, but to be temporarily more contemporary, let’s consider Dune. Like Star Wars before it, is able to do this quite easily due to how the 2D20 version approaches character generation, how it envisions action, reaction, and interaction in play, and how it is open to its universe being explored and interpreted by the players.

Ten years ago, it was a difficult choice between Star Wars and Armies of Darkness. This time around, the field is more chaotic and that is a very nice situation to have~