Hybrid Settings

Warder · May 15, 2020, 04:51:23 PM

This idea is surely not new,

heck ive seen it done in comics even, but what do you guys think about taking two existing rpg's and mixing them together? Have you crafted such settings, im not really sure you could call them homebrews if they are official creations. How did you do it, taking one mechanic wholesale and adding nothing except the setting itself? Or did you cherrypick what you liked, took the best bits leaving out what you didnt like.

One example of such an approach is ofc oWoD, the five headed hydra of this hobby. Somehow they tried to make it work together, results varied imho.

David Johansen · May 15, 2020, 04:56:20 PM

Well, I've been working on a merged Dark Conspiracy / Mutant Chronicles. There are many of the MC Dark Legion creatures that can blend nicely into a dark near future.

ShieldWife · May 15, 2020, 05:10:12 PM

I have sometimes thought it might be interesting to have a game in a setting not unlike the World of Darkness, but the secret supernaturals aren't werewolves or vampires, but are Chaos cults like from Warhammer 40,000. Then there would be various different kinds of cults, dedicated to different Chaos gods, psykers, sorcerers, daemon bound, champions, etc. There would be these different groups scheming against each other and using their powers to manipulate politics and build their cults.

Years and years ago I was involved in a LARP that combined Vampire: the Masquerade and Cyberpunk, unfortunately not many people did cybernetic costumes.

Spinachcat · May 16, 2020, 05:05:26 AM

I enjoy combing Gamma World and D&D. In fact, its a kinda weird obsession as I've gone back to this particular well many times with different concepts and I've thoroughly enjoyed the campaigns.

I also run Traveller Cthulhu which is just Space Horror. It's always a hit with my players so its my default Traveller play.

I have wanted to combine Chaos Earth with Systems Failure for some time, but haven't a Palladium friendly group for years.

Kuroth · May 16, 2020, 05:11:39 AM

Sort of lame sounding, but I combined Greyhawk and Zakhara (Al-Qadim). I combined the maps and everything. Worked well. Another time I used the Middle-earth map and replaced all the place names with the nations and city-states of Greyhawk, a distant later age of the same world, with present Earth in between the two somewhere in time.

Kuroth · May 16, 2020, 05:20:33 AM

I know there is a poster in forumdom that swears Gamma World is the correct choice to run Greyhawk.

Omega · May 16, 2020, 06:02:35 AM

Over the years the better question is, what hasnt been tried.

Original Blackmoor had aliens from other worlds.
BX had a dinosaur island.
Another module featured a war with a space faring robot hoard.
Council of Wyrms made the PCs dragons in a world where dragons ruled.
Shadowrun is of course fantasy meets cyberpunk.
Shock Force was Warhammer meets cyberpunk.
And the king of it all is... Rifts. Everything meets everything.

Kuroth · May 16, 2020, 06:15:06 AM

I think the poster was talking about two or more actual RPG mash-ups. So, Blackmoor combined with Star Frontiers or Shadowrun combined with something like Bunnies and Burrows. Yes, this general mix up to make a setting has been done a lot.

Edit: I recall a fun campaign in which the ref used the old Fiend Folio from AD&D for all his Traveller aliens. ha Speaking of Shadowrun, I ran some of that under AD&D, though isn't much of a thing, just add some more guns. Rifts is a good one to run the old Time of Troubles Forgotten Realms campaign. A friend used elements of 40k, the wargame, to run the time of troubles once back in the day. ha

VisionStorm · May 16, 2020, 12:27:52 PM

Quote from: Warder;1130092This idea is surely not new,

heck ive seen it done in comics even, but what do you guys think about taking two existing rpg's and mixing them together? Have you crafted such settings, im not really sure you could call them homebrews if they are official creations. How did you do it, taking one mechanic wholesale and adding nothing except the setting itself? Or did you cherrypick what you liked, took the best bits leaving out what you didnt like.

One example of such an approach is ofc oWoD, the five headed hydra of this hobby. Somehow they tried to make it work together, results varied imho.

I believe that the thing you're describing here is called Shadowrun.

Or maybe RIFTS.

More on topic, I combined Spelljammer and Planescape with every D&D setting, except Dark Sun (I like to keep my Dark Sun as pure as the driven silt). Though, I believe that may have been playing as intended (or at least one variation of how those settings could canonically be played).

Krugus · May 16, 2020, 01:14:25 PM

I ran a dual campaign for my players that was Earthdawn RPG and Shadowrun RPG since Earthdawn was the past for Shadowrun. Certain things that happened in Earthdawn campaign had ripple effects in the Shadowrun campaign. There was some time travel hijinks involved in the Shadowrun campaign that allowed one of the Street Samurai characters to interact with the Earthdawn group. Ah fun times.

Omega · May 16, 2020, 07:20:31 PM

Quote from: Kuroth;1130164I think the poster was talking about two or more actual RPG mash-ups. So, Blackmoor combined with Star Frontiers or Shadowrun combined with something like Bunnies and Burrows. Yes, this general mix up to make a setting has been done a lot.

That sort of game crossover goes way back.
D&D vs German army, D&D and Boot Hill, D&D and Gamma World, etc.

Shadowrun can cross over with various settings depending on the approach. Combine it with Gamma World for a more Thundarr style post apoc. Combine it with say Star Frontiers for something akin to Star Wars, or with Boot Hill to get some weird setting like Bravestarr.

The Nights Edge line for Cyberpunk 2020 is effectively combining WoD with CP2020.

And using Gurps Bunnies & Burrows you could combine that with whatever for some really weird settings. Bunnies and Prisoners! Bunnieclans! Bunniepunk! :cool:

David Johansen · May 16, 2020, 08:06:36 PM

hmmm...GURPMASTER Cyberbunnies and Punk Burrows: The Masquerade

Kuroth · May 16, 2020, 08:31:43 PM

Ya, the Shadowrun stuff is easy to cram onto other games. I used it in various TSR settings back in the day. The miniature for it were mixed with the usual types too.

The old Tractics and D&D combo! ha

There have been rules conversions that are more or less published versions of this sort of thing, rather than genre mashing. Gurps Castle Falkenstein comes to mind.

Edit: Gurpmaster: Actually using Rolemaster weapon tables and critical tables in stead of Gurps standard rules is more or less what rolemaster is ok for.

David Johansen · May 16, 2020, 09:08:00 PM

I'm a fan of Rolemaster Standard System (3rd ed) because it impliments a system for talents and flaws and integrates the skill system into a unified single list one instead of having the secondary skills division.

Spinachcat · May 16, 2020, 10:31:16 PM

Quote from: Kuroth;1130157I know there is a poster in forumdom that swears Gamma World is the correct choice to run Greyhawk.

Maybe not the "correct" choice, but that sounds like a fun campaign!