Quote from: finarvyn;944137I agree that the RPG system used might not matter that much. Traveller could work, or I like the idea of using Amber since DUNE is so intrigue and character based.

Actually, that would be a very interesting approach right there.

Quote from: CRKrueger;944142Eh, take a Cyberpunk game, Shadowrun or Cyberpunk 2020.  Some Runners get involved heavy in the shadow war between Corps and Govts and know exactly how their missions are affecting the Politics, Reputation, Economics of the different factions.  That might be why they are taking those missions.  No reason that couldn't occur with Dune Noble Houses.

Someone from inside the Cyberpunk/Shadowrun Corp/Gov't power structure frequently finds themselves off the grid or hiding in the shadows as a runner, no reason a Mentat or any other House servant couldn't find themselves similarly out on their own.  In fact, that's exactly what happens to Gurney Halleck, who winds up a spice smuggler after the fall of House Atreides.  

Bene Gesserit - that's kind of no different from a Jedi or Mage/Physical Adept.  If the group is the crew of the Firefly, then they need the Bene Gesserit version of Ahsoka or one of the younglings, not a Yoda or Harlequin power level.

It just sounds like you're shoe-horning an Edge of Empire/Cyberpunk game into the Dune setting, though. You are missing out on the rich narrative tropes and themes of the books themselves.

So, campaigns: Masters of a Minor House, Agents of a Great House, Agents of the Sisterhood, Fremen Under the Beast, Fremen on Jihad, Against the Fremen Jihad, Smugglers of Dune, Intrigues and Follies of the Face Dancers, Hired Swords for Hire, Seekers of the Diaspora, Honoured Matres Tell All, We're All Duncan Idaho Here.

Any others?

Quote from: TrippyHippy;944325Actually, that would be a very interesting approach right there.

This makes a lot of sense to me.

But it touches on what would be my main question: What does a particular Referee or group of players care about Dune? What turns them on? Because Dune is going to be different things to different people.

You could use Amber. You could easily use the Traveller rules (pick your flavor; I'd go with CT obviously) and have the PCs be members of a Noble House's entourage. (There's nothing inherent about being Free Traders with Classic Traveller. And plenty of Traveller campaigns have taken place on one world.)

So, what is that the Referee envisions for play is really a key question. The first question. And then go from there.

Beyond that, another question. Why Arrakis or even the Dune universe. What if the Referee and Players took those very things that they loved most about the book and wanted to dig into. And then came up with their own unique setting. Again, either on the other side of the empire from Dune or even something new wholecloth. As others have noted, the setting of Dune is about that one thing... But if you shift locals or universes you can get the stuff you want... but have the freedom to cut loose and find out how crazy things get in your story.

Quote from: TrippyHippy;944327It just sounds like you're shoe-horning an Edge of Empire/Cyberpunk game into the Dune setting, though. You are missing out on the rich narrative tropes and themes of the books themselves.

I don't play RPGs to deal with narrative tropes and themes, that's what the novels themselves are for.  What's the point of dealing with tropes and themes of Religion, Power, Profit, Class, Terrorism, Drug Use, Ecology, Nobility, Precognition, Freedom, Tyranny, Christianity vs. Islam, the Future of Man, etc in the Dune Universe directly through an RPG?  You'd have a much better and interesting discussion over some good food with good friends.  

The Dune Universe, like any other setting, from Middle Earth, to Westeros, to Tekumel, is what it is.  You portray the setting in a verisimilar way, then the PCs will interact with those elements of the setting.

Quote from: David Johansen;944338We're All Duncan Idaho Here.

That would be awesome.  For those ThemeSeekers out there, here it is:  Each ghola of Duncan struggles with recurring invasive memories as they have to work together and piece together their shared history while at the same time developing their own individuality.  Here's the Campaign Title:

Spoiler

My Own Private Idaho

Quote from: CRKrueger;944361I don't play RPGs to deal with narrative tropes and themes, that's what the novels themselves are for.  What's the point of dealing with tropes and themes of Religion, Power, Profit, Class, Terrorism, Drug Use, Ecology, Nobility, Precognition, Freedom, Tyranny, Christianity vs. Islam, the Future of Man, etc in the Dune Universe directly through an RPG?  You'd have a much better and interesting discussion over some good food with good friends.  

The Dune Universe, like any other setting, from Middle Earth, to Westeros, to Tekumel, is what it is.  You portray the setting in a verisimilar way, then the PCs will interact with those elements of the setting.

That's a good list of Dune's themes (and some kudos for the use of the word 'verisimilar', incidentally), but in terms of the narrative approach of the books, I think the main thing is how to manage to capture the in-court intrigue elements of the game as an actual campaign. That is the appeal of trying out the Amber system too, per chance. How many themes you can build into your campaign is possibly tricky, but if you want to emulate the books at all - well, that is what I'd be interested in.

I've never read or played any of the Dune RPGs.

Any of them do a good job at this?

BTW, another shout-out for Fading Suns. I love that setting. Mongoose should do a Traveller version with the FS IP.

Quote from: Spinachcat;944422I've never read or played any of the Dune RPGs.

Any of them do a good job at this?

BTW, another shout-out for Fading Suns. I love that setting. Mongoose should do a Traveller version with the FS IP.

Dune portrays a vast universe and conveys the ambiance of an eternal empire so huge and old, it is beyond common comprehension.

I looked into Fading Suns and saw a:
 dozen planets and some White-Wolvish graphic design - if there ever was a conceptual mismatch, it was that one. Where's the Dune in Fading Suns? I did not see it. At all.

Quote from: Spinachcat;944422I've never read or played any of the Dune RPGs.

Any of them do a good job at this?

BTW, another shout-out for Fading Suns. I love that setting. Mongoose should do a Traveller version with the FS IP.

As I mentioned, the Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium game was pretty much set up like Ars Magica, insofar that you set up a Minor House for all the PCs to become part of. I'm not sure many people ever played it though as only a few thousand copies were made and the line was cancelled almost immediately with no supplements. The mechanics were the same as the LUG Star Trek games, although I thought the combat system looked a little convoluted (less of an issue in the Star Trek games). There was talk of a D20 version being play tested, which was meant to be great by one of the designers (can't remember who).  

Fading Suns could make a good Traveller setting, although it would have to be a licensed game from a third party, I would guess, as Mongoose seem to have a full programme already. But yeah, although the influence of a medievalish space-opera setting with Houses and Guilds and the like has an obvious influence, I don't think it's really quite the same as Dune.

Quote from: Settembrini;944426Dune portrays a vast universe and conveys the ambiance of an eternal empire so huge and old, it is beyond common comprehension.

I looked into Fading Suns and saw a:
 dozen planets and some White-Wolvish graphic design - if there ever was a conceptual mismatch, it was that one. Where's the Dune in Fading Suns? I did not see it. At all.

Mostly in House Hawkwood's pseudo Atreides-ness and their ongoing feud with House Decado's pseudo Harkonnen-ness.

And I guess a guild that controls most space travel, though through the more prosaic means of having the keys to the ships and the know how to fly them than any supernatural shenanigans. It's a very... light touch.

Edit: And body shields too.

Fading Suns has a more Arthurian vibe what with the knights on Errantry and all that.  It is a game of house politics and personal struggles with power though.  I did like how each power had its own unique trade off.  But, it's as much or more Warhammer 40000 than Dune.

I might take a stab at a Dune, Traveller adaptation.  Gun Combat would become Blade Combat in almost every instance.  Social standing would be far less fluid moving down would be easy and moving up nigh impossible.  Shields -12 vs projectile weapons, -6 vs melee weapons, cause sub atomic explosion vs laser weapons.

Quote from: Spinachcat;944422I've never read or played any of the Dune RPGs.

Any of them do a good job at this?

BTW, another shout-out for Fading Suns. I love that setting. Mongoose should do a Traveller version with the FS IP.

I'd be all for a Traveller version, obviously:).

I'd run or play in a Dune-based game.  How many people died in Paul's first jihad?  600bn?  If that's the case and it didn't completely depopulate the galaxy then there's something out there to do with a sea of humanity like that.  Like in 40k, there's worlds - hell, whole (small) sectors of the galaxy - beyond Imperial control.  People will be born there, live there, adventure, explore beyond their wildest imaginations there and die there without ever having seen or heard rumors about the Empire, the Warp, Chaos, Eldar, Tau, Orks, Tyranids, etc.

There's no reason the Empire in Dune couldn't be exactly like that.

Hell given GW's penchant for [strike]stealing[/strike]creating things that are wholly their own, I would imagine that is exactly the case.  Spice harvested (in immensely smaller quantities) on other worlds; rogue Mentats, Face Dancers, Semuta dealers, etc. etc. all existing beyond the bounds of the human Empire...

Quote from: tenbones;943766And if it matters - what {Dune} system would you use?

I'd probably break out Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium, and give it another go. It's probably been about 10 year since I've cracked that book, and I only ran the intro adventure in it. I've forgotten how worthless or worthwhile the ICON system was.

But, I do like the idea of using Classic Traveller as a rules backbone. Seems like it'd work pretty well. Could use Dune: CotI or the Dune Encyclopedia as a reference/setting guide.