[I am Har har har]

I just had a question: Why are most traditional RPGs of a medieval theme (King, Knights, Castles, the lot...). I think that an RPG could have any theme, and the dark ages are just what people tend to associate with RPGs. I personally liked In The Nocturne, because it was one of those gloomy type RPGs. Dark dread is the best. My favorite RPG of all time is Final Fantasy VIII. Enough about me. I'd like to know what other people think about most when they hear the words 'RPG'.
_________________
I do what I like. Do you have a problem with that?

[Ninkazu]

Reason #1: Swords are cool.
Reason #2: Good fighters (or at least old-fashioned fighters) believe guns are for cowards. I am a firm believer in this fact.
Reason #3: People play games to escape reality; you don't want to leave your world just to come back to same world in polygons.
Reason #4: Extension on #3 - we go backwards because futuristic games are always cheezy and impossible. At least we know what people faught with and wore 500 years ago.
Reason #5: 'Heroes' in technological world like we have today would be squashed with all the shit we've created. Biological weapons, neuclear weapons, guns... back then, if you're strong and have an awesome sword, you've got a fuckin chance.
Reason #6: We all know that full plate armor is cool-looking. Nowadays we may wear helmets that make us look like giant penises, or we wear vests and emphasize our breasts.
Reason #7: If we were to make RPGs before the medieval ages, we'd be in Egypt or Greece. Slaves building pyramids, or fat guys in togas regularly visiting the vomitarium (ok, they had that phalanx thing, but whatever).
Reason #8: The days of old hold legends that are fucking cool. They may not be real, but they're great ideas to base games on or around.
Reason #9: Magic was in question then, it's ludicrous now. I like a percent possibility of conjuring a fireball to throw at someone, rather than be considered an idiot now.
Reason #10: Face it, back then people were tough and awesome. Nowadays we have pussy politically correct baby boomers who need airport security tighter than any virgin on the planet.

If these didn't make sense, weren't very entertaining, or just plain didn't answer your question - I've been drinking, and I'm tired.

[Rooter]

Go read 'The Dark Tower' series by Stephen King. Roland the Gunslinger is the coolest hero ever and he uses guns ;P

[Ninkazu]

How many medieval books have you read with a badass swordsman as the main character? I'm guessing very few to none. Get your biased face out of my... face...

*cough*

Ya, I realized that I'm biased too, but that's understandable, because swords are cooler than guns.

[I am Har har har]

Well, Ninkazu, I do agree with you to a point. First off, let's establish one concrete rule of the universe. YES, SWORDS ARE COOL. Second of all, the medieval RPGs aren't bad, when they're done well. My problem with them is that 60-80% of all RPGs are of the same theme, with pretty much the same story and world. I'm just an abstract thinker, and here are some RPG ideas that could be interesting.
A. Bill, the couch potato, in the search for the stolen remote.
B. Homey Man, defender of the hood.
C. An RPG set in the days of the romans
I could come up with a plethora of ideas. The point is, that all aspiring developers don't have to follow the same cookie-cutter story. If you like the castles and 'Kill-the-Dragon' type games, that's your right to do so. Thanks for your feedback.
_________________
I do what I like. Do you have a problem with that?

[Zoggles]

But dragons are cool, and they work better as a villain than a piece of moldy pizza down the side of the armchair protecting a remote control ;)

Swords also pose and imply more danger.. you have to get into the action to use one properly, and in so doing are liable to get injured to some degree. Guns tend to be an all or nothing thing. Take a couple of shots and thats it - or, if you are a sniper type, you are so far out of the action that you are relatively safe and there is less of a rush of adrenaline associated with the fear of combat. Now I'm not saying this *has* to be the case, far from it. In most games, you can survive countless hits from various guns. However.. it is far less easy to visualise than sustaining damage from lacerations made from a blade weapon. I expect to take a couple of direct hits from a gun and thats final. Trying to convince myself that all the shots I'm taking are just skimming the flesh and causing minor wounds is a bit far fetched in my opinion.

Regardless.. I think any setting can be used for a good RPG. A good RPG does not necessarily have to be riddled with combat. In fact, deduction and puzzle solving is far more engrossing than pure combat (which I can get from any shootemup)

In an RPG by definition you want the player to be fully immersed in the game, to assume the role of the character, to imagine him/herself in the world. The more items / settings that are already familiar to the player, the easier it will be for them to become involved. They will have less to 'imagine' and can concentrate more deeply on the game itself and not the world its in. Start changing things like laws of gravity and I think you rapidly start to lose the players attention.

In an extension of Ninzaku's point about futuristic normally being 'cheezy'. Most of the time I view them as 'cop-outs' because its easier to create a robot or a laser gun, and fake settings and some laws of physics to explain things. It is far more difficult to use what people are already familiar with and twist their perception of it, or to find enough objects of a similar time period which fit in with each other and produce a good scale.

If there are puzzles involved, try and make the player think of the solution from the characters point of view and not their own. Entice them into being the character they are playing.

Any RPG that can accomplish this and have me hooked into it, imagining I am the character and keeping me sufficiently involved and challenged, is a good RPG in my opinion - whatever that counts for. Whether this be in a fantasy world, from legend and lore, a historical period, modern day or even futuristic.

-Z-

[grenideer]

Ok, I had to finally post my opinion about something because some of the things I read made me want to scream.

[Ninkazu]

[Rainer Deyke]

Personally I'd like to see more RPGs in a feudal Japanese-type setting. Even the RPGs made in Japan tend to have European-style settings. That's just sad.

But in general I agree with Ninkazu. You could use all types of settings for RPGS, but medieval setting generally work the best and are the coolest.

[Ninkazu]

Actually, Venosoft's secret project is based in modern-day (possibly a little in the future, but not jetsons shit) Japan.

I had to bargain with the artist, who's the only other guy working on this project with me, and we're splitting scripting duty. He likes guns, so I had to give it to him.

Also, Deyke, you should read Shougun (long o, not ow) - a very very very awesome book based in Japan. It's 1200+ pages, but I read it in less than a month it was so awesome (and I'm not a big reader AT ALL). James Clavell is now my favorite author. Once I finish these Premierpress books I have, I'm going to read Noble House or Gaijin. Too bad he died 10 years ago...

[grenideer]

Just playing devil's advocate again to stimulate discussion. I do love the medieval theme, although I think Shadowrun rpgs and the like kick ass too.

[Rooter]

[I am Har har har]

Well, Nin, the thing I have against Dark Age themes is that it's a common theme for newbies. Usually, the RPG sucks, and it gives the theme a bad name. There are some excellent games with this theme, and just to say, any one at any time can use a sword. A saber is just as deadly in the baron's castle as it is in the space station, so to speak. One thing I would like to see is a Monty Python's Holy Grail game. That would be interesting.
Even so, a game doesn't need a specific theme to suck. Some games from every time period that I've played are rubbish. I myself am guilty of writing a bad game. DIES IRAE's story line, I spent a lot of time on, but I got lazy on the coding and it's a mediocre game. It doesn't even have tile *tile scrolling.

BTW: Ninkazu, if you have any games, I'd like to see them.
_________________
I do what I like. Do you have a problem with that?

[Ninkazu]

[I am Har har har]

Look, I wasn't being cocky or rude. I just wanted to know if you had made any games.
_________________
I do what I like. Do you have a problem with that?