Full Version: Urban Arcana on Scifi Next year
Sci Fi wire•Urban Arcana, an action series inspired by the Hasbro/Worlds of Wonder role-playing game which follows an undercover detective who must protect the human population from the influx of chameleon-like, mythological creatures from a parallel world. Aron Coleite (Crossing Jordan) will write, with Gary A. Randall and Rockne O'Bannon (The Triangle, Farscape) executive-producing in association with Fox Television Studios.
Interesting, but isn't that the name of a campaign setting book for Modern D20?
Slacker: Yes, yes it is.
So, basically, they're going to take a gaming group, tell them to run a campaign and log everything. Then they're going to rip out all the nerdy references and make it so Joe Redneck can enjoy it and sit in front of the TV for an hour every week.
So, basically, they're going to take a gaming group, tell them to run a campaign and log everything. Then they're going to rip out all the nerdy references and make it so Joe Redneck can enjoy it and sit in front of the TV for an hour every week.
Well, on the bright side, if it's a popular show maybe we can proselytise them over to SR.
Doubtful. Urban Arcana is nowhere near what SR is.
Urban Arcana is just D&D in modern times (also known as d20 Modern! Gasp!). There is no cyberware, no decking, no rigging and rules to make Average Joe go "Nah, that wasn't a Bugbear. That was just a really hairy tall guy."
Urban Arcana is just D&D in modern times (also known as d20 Modern! Gasp!). There is no cyberware, no decking, no rigging and rules to make Average Joe go "Nah, that wasn't a Bugbear. That was just a really hairy tall guy."
Thats why I said prselytise. If UA was closer to SR then it would just be sheep stealing. Sorry Christian Fundie subculture referances don't work very well in the RPG community.
It does, but most people don't like Cyberpunk because of the heavy dystopian feel.
Granted, it seems like even SR is moving away from that... Le sigh.
Granted, it seems like even SR is moving away from that... Le sigh.
| QUOTE (Shadow @ Apr 14 2005, 03:44 PM) |
| Sci Fi wire•Urban Arcana, an action series inspired by the Hasbro/Worlds of Wonder role-playing game |
Interesting. To date, as far as I know, there have only been three Tabletop RPG settings that have spawned television shows. D&D, Vampire the Masquerade, and BattleTech (which is technically a miniatures wargame, but there's an associated RPG for the setting as well).
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that a WotC d20 setting is going to be the fourth. Would have been nice if it had been Shadowrun, but at least it's a setting that was heavily inspired by Shadowrun.
And to clarify, d20 Modern and Urban Arcana are not interchangable terms; Urban Arcana is a setting for d20 Modern, but it's not the only setting. There are other settings such as their "GeneTech" setting that de-emphasizes the "fantasy" elements ported over from D&D in favor of superscience. Then there are the "Agents of PSI" and "Shadow Chasers" settings, which tightly focus on specific "fantasy" elements instead of the broad-brush "D&D in a modern setting" approach of Urban Arcana.
In short though, saying Urban Arcana is d20 Modern would be like saying Forgotten Realms is D&D. However no matter what Urban Arcana is or isn't equivalent to, it's still little more than a dim echo of Shadowrun.
| QUOTE (RunnerPaul) |
| Interesting. To date, as far as I know, there have only been three Tabletop RPG settings that have spawned television shows. D&D, Vampire the Masquerade, and BattleTech (which is technically a miniatures wargame, but there's an associated RPG for the setting as well). |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was an RPG before it was a comic, TV show, or movie.
Wrong on that one. TMNT was an RPG after the comic. Then came the gawd awefull 1st cartoon sereies, and the worthless comics based off the cartoon series, then the movie which was fairly close to the original comics and was therefore good.
And the new cartoon which is far more closely based on the original comic including the TCRI aliens, the Fugitoid, and the Triceratons.
Mikey still has that goofy voice, however.
Mikey still has that goofy voice, however.
| QUOTE (RunnerPaul) |
| Interesting. To date, as far as I know, there have only been three Tabletop RPG settings that have spawned television shows. D&D, Vampire the Masquerade, and BattleTech (which is technically a miniatures wargame, but there's an associated RPG for the setting as well). |
What were the vampire and battletech shows?
Kindred: the Embraced was the short-lived Vampire show.
There was a Battletech cartoon years ago, in 94-95 with 15 Episodes.
There is also a movie which is being done by Paramount and producer Dean Devlin,should be done by 2005. Unless it's been put on hold or canned since it IS 2005 and there has been no word of it.
http://www.thezreview.co.uk/comingsoon/m/m...mechwarrior.htm
There is also a movie which is being done by Paramount and producer Dean Devlin,should be done by 2005. Unless it's been put on hold or canned since it IS 2005 and there has been no word of it.
http://www.thezreview.co.uk/comingsoon/m/m...mechwarrior.htm
| QUOTE (Catsnightmare) |
| Wrong on that one. TMNT was an RPG after the comic. Then came the gawd awefull 1st cartoon sereies, and the worthless comics based off the cartoon series, then the movie which was fairly close to the original comics and was therefore good. |
You're right. 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness' was released by Paladium in 1985, a year after the first dinky B&W comic. The point still stands that it was an RPG before it was a TV show though.
| QUOTE (Demonseed Elite @ Apr 16 2005, 03:43 AM) |
| Kindred: the Embraced was the short-lived Vampire show. |
Too short-lived! Too bad the star died.
I think there was a movie based on mechanized armor in an arena setting. All I can recall is that the main characters were Tex and Achilles.....Mmmm bad acting and fixed fights in mecharmor!
| QUOTE (Fortune) | ||
Too short-lived! Too bad the star died. |
I thought that was the whole point of vampires. That they're dead. Wouldn't be much of a vampire show if they were all still alive, would it?
Found it....
http://www.1000misspenthours.com/reviews/r...-z/robotjox.htm
My what a suckfest that movie was...
http://www.1000misspenthours.com/reviews/r...-z/robotjox.htm
My what a suckfest that movie was...
| QUOTE (nezumi) |
| I thought that was the whole point of vampires. That they're dead. Wouldn't be much of a vampire show if they were all still alive, would it? |
Um ... I meant in real life the dude (don't recall his name) died. Something about running his motorcycle into a truck, IIRC.
| QUOTE (Jrayjoker @ Apr 15 2005, 01:29 PM) |
| I think there was a movie based on mechanized armor in an arena setting. All I can recall is that the main characters were Tex and Achilles.....Mmmm bad acting and fixed fights in mecharmor! |
I think you're talking about the movie, Robot Jox.
very very bad movie.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102800/
edit: dang, I'm too slow.
| QUOTE (PBTHHHHT) | ||
I think you're talking about the movie, Robot Jox. very very bad movie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102800/ edit: dang, I'm too slow. |
See 2 posts above. Yes, same movie...
Your edit-fu is strong, and faster than my ability to post.
The worst part is that there was a SEQUEL to the movie Robot Jox, called Robot Wars:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107979/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107979/
Isn't that the name of one of the shows where people build robots and fight them in an arena? Like Battle Bots or something?
| QUOTE (Trax) |
| Isn't that the name of one of the shows where people build robots and fight them in an arena? Like Battle Bots or something? |
What I was specifically mentioning (and linking) was the movie Robot Jox 2: Robot Wars. But yeah, there are several shows where people build robots and bash them together in combat, none of which are bad knock-offs of Battletech/Robotech like the awful Robot Jox pair.
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