I’ve noticed recently that I find tabletop RPG ideas in all sorts of places these days, sometimes in places that I’d never expect.
Killer7 (2005) by Grasshopper Manufacture
Although I’ve never played Suda51’s Killer7 myself, I’ve now watched a full walkthrough video series of the game twice. The game is dripping with style and atmosphere, and its cel shaded graphics still hold up. The unique characters and frequently obtuse story are highlights.
Running some sessions in a similarly bizarre version of an imagined future in which assassins are the key movers and shakers sounds like fun. Mix in a healthy dose of the surreal and I think it’d take me a while to go back to any kind of medieval fantasy setting. I’ve written some world-building notes when inspiration strikes. It’s turning into a collection of in-universe document fragments that may prove useful in any number of ways. For now they are simply enjoyable to write.
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale (1851) by Herman Melville
With more free time than usual it felt like the perfect chance to give this classic a try. The book’s reputation gave me pause beforehand; I had always heard that it was a difficult read due to its frequent allusions and references. It’s surprisingly more readable than I expected.
Melville did an admirable job of making the story interesting even to a landlubber like myself. The minutiae of life on a whaling ship are strangely compelling. There’s a wealth of ideas here for anyone planning a sea-faring adventure. A GM, for instance, could simply flip to a random page and read a few sentences or words to randomize what happens to the players and their ship.
PUPARIA (2020) by Shingo Tamagawa — VOD on Vimeo
This animated short film features incredible, dream-like imagery. Its style is reminiscent of Kon Satoshi’s work. Hypnotic music by Steve Reich ties it all together. Seeing humans standing together with fantastical creatures reminds me that familiars could be done in so many different ways. The Golden Compass comes to mind, although those are meant to be representations of human souls rather than familiars proper.
Half-Life (1998) by Valve Software
I didn’t play this game when it originally came out. Despite coming late to the series, it’s definitely a favorite. I tend to replay it and its sequels every couple of years. As much as I enjoy the story, I think the atmosphere and setting are what keep me coming back. There’s something intriguing about the sparsely-populated Black Mesa Research Facility. The fact that Half-Life seems to have such a consistent
atmosphere without even trying means that the team put a great deal of
effort into achieving that. The late 90s graphical aesthetic is also charming.
Lately I’ve been keen on trying to capture a mood and/or feeling in the RPG materials that I make. Playing through Half-Life makes me want to try using empty places more effectively. There’s a lot of spots in the game that are empty; in other words, there are no NPCs, items, or enemies. Yet even these empty places sometimes have some unique geographical feature or look to them that prevents the game from feeling like a series of identical tunnels.