Steampunk Superheroes, Looking for sourcebooks |
Steampunk Superheroes, Looking for sourcebooks |
Mar 1 2004, 05:50 PM
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#1
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 184 Joined: 1-January 04 Member No.: 5,948 |
I finally saw "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and now that has gotten me itching to do a Steampunk Superhero game. But I don't know as much as I would like about the era. What sourcebooks would other gamers recommend for information on the setting? I was thinking of running it using the Hero system, but have not problems borrowing from other games out there. I've already considered "GURPS Steampunk", and "GURPS Steam-tech", are there any others I should look into? Is "Cthulhu by Gaslight" still being produced? It seems like there is a dearth Victorian era game settings.
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Mar 1 2004, 05:54 PM
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#2
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
There is a d20 steampunk book that is going to be coming out soon. I'll check with my gaming buddies to see what they know and will post back here.
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Mar 1 2004, 06:06 PM
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#3
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,065 Joined: 16-January 03 From: Fayetteville, NC Member No.: 3,916 |
Check your local hobby shop.
Cthulhu by Gaslight is a good source, as is the Gurps book. In fact, Gurps should have a number of sourcebooks fitting the time period you're looking for. The Cthulhu books will probably be your best bet -- they tend to have a fair amount of detail about the social conditions of the time period. -Siege Edit: White Wolf book Judging by a quick net search, the Cthulhu by gaslight series is out of print -- although I'd imagine your local shop might have something similar on the shelf. |
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Mar 1 2004, 11:20 PM
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#4
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Target Group: Members Posts: 39 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Stockholm, Sweden Member No.: 161 |
GURPS has a Steampunk module. I haven't read it, but I've heard good stuff about it.
Edit: oh, that was already mentioned. Missed that. |
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Mar 1 2004, 11:42 PM
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#5
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 6,748 Joined: 5-July 02 Member No.: 2,935 |
In Harlequin's Back, there is a steampunk-based adventure, and a Victiorian-style Masque. Really wiz stuff, would be quite easy to base a campaign off of. Cyberware is clockwork-and-magic based, magic is elemental-based, and bioware is animal-grafts. Trolls ride mini t-rexes. Yee-hah!
[/edit] In the masque, there's a steampunk-version Matrix, too. |
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Mar 1 2004, 11:59 PM
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#6
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Shooting Target Group: Validating Posts: 1,618 Joined: 29-January 03 From: Montevideo, Uruguay. Member No.: 3,992 |
Speaking of which, have you ever tried to analyze the implications of each of those adventures? What the heck did they symbolize, etc.?
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Mar 2 2004, 12:49 AM
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#7
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 6,748 Joined: 5-July 02 Member No.: 2,935 |
I have not, although the blood-magic angle on the first has already been covered to an extent in canon. It might be interesting to take a look at that.
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Mar 2 2004, 04:41 AM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 102 Joined: 26-February 02 From: The freelancer crackhouse Member No.: 119 |
If you don't mind venturing out of the safe confines of GURPS or the OGL, you could go on eBay and see if you can find used copies of the Castle Falkenstein game from R Talsorin. The setting may be a little "bright" for a steampunk-type of setting, but it could still be helpful, given a few tweaks.
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Mar 2 2004, 08:15 AM
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#9
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
Play Arcanum, the CRPG! A load of laughs!
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Mar 3 2004, 02:44 AM
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#10
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Target Group: Members Posts: 23 Joined: 3-April 03 Member No.: 4,376 |
Castle Falkenstein, its THE steampunk rpg IMHO, mind you, besides steampunk it has magic (ala ShadowRun). It includes the setting along with the gamesystem.
The gamesystem is very easy to learn and plays with cards. There is also a gurps conversion around but I prefer the original system all the way. The idea is that certain tasks require a certain lvl of ability so you have a hand and play cards that add to your ability in order to achieve those tasks. Each player is given a hand of cards, the catch is that you dont want to waste your best cards too early before you get to refresh your hand. You dont roll a single die because, as its said on the book, gentlemen dont roll dice :) You dont use a character sheet, you write your characters diary. this is optional of course and you can just go with a charsheet. But the diary way is nice cause if forces background. The setting is pretty nice, its based on the Real history except magic appears in the victorian era. It also adds a very nice twist having characters well known to everybody. Couple of examples: Jules Verne is the science minister of the French empire, Sherlock Holmes is around, etc, etc You got tons of secret societies like iluminati's, masons, etc. You got empires like the British empire, the french empire, Russia, etc USA is in a Wild West scenario. Its by R. Talsorian games, the makers of Cyberpunk and other games. It won several awords among which: The Origins Award for Best Role-Playing Rules of 1994. The Nigel D. Findley memorial Award for Best Role-Playing Product of 1995. Links: Castle Falkenstein official site R. Talsorian Web page |
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Mar 4 2004, 05:13 PM
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#11
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 6,748 Joined: 5-July 02 Member No.: 2,935 |
Bulldrek Echo
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Mar 4 2004, 05:54 PM
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#12
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 184 Joined: 1-January 04 Member No.: 5,948 |
Nice write up AH. Yes, it a nice illustration of how anything can be geared to a Victorian slant.
Thanks for all the suggestions all. What I really need is information of the specifics of Victorian society. Things like the technology of the time, the social mores, figures of note, things like that. From there I can extrapolate and tweak. I want to keep it mostly like our own with these larger then life figures added in (sort of like your classic Superhero comic, but set in the late 1800's with characters who have origins that fit in that era). I'm not sure that I want to take it as far as Castle Falkenstein, but it could be useful depending on the depth and accuracy of the background information. |
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Mar 4 2004, 10:27 PM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 102 Joined: 26-February 02 From: The freelancer crackhouse Member No.: 119 |
Comme il Faut, a sourcebook for Castle Falkenstein, will probably help you out with the society, mores, and such. The main CF book drops quite a few names of noted historical figures.
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Mar 5 2004, 05:49 PM
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#14
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 223 Joined: 24-February 03 From: The Containment Zone Member No.: 4,151 |
Space 1889 is also an interesting steampunk-style setting, although the system is less than perfect. Victorian-era spaceships and Europeans colonizing Mars and Venus. :) I have used it with the Silhouette system, although I never really found a good way to do inventions like they have in the default game. It doesn't have magic, and I don't know if it's really "superheroes," but you might like it anyway. I think the books are available on Amazon.
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