The RPG Sanctum - #9: The Ideal Setting

[Rosestorm]

Which environments have been done to death and need to be set aside for a while? Which world types deserve a better examination than they've gotten? Our panelists will go on a world tour of RPGdom to determine the answer.

Listen: http://www.rpgamer.com/rpgsanctum/sanctum09.mp3
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itunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-...um/id416583261

Be sure to leave any feedback for us on this thread and leave some reviews on itunes. The next show topic is Game Over, is it still a good idea for RPGs? If you want to submit content, e-mail me a mp3 file to rosestorm90@gmail.com, if you need instructions on how to make one e-mail me and I will be more than willing to help. If you have any ideas for future shows topics or formats ideas feel free to post them here or e-mail me.

Let me know what you guys think of the remixed opening and closing music for this episode, our music person Garret Lindquist is working composing a completely original opening for the Sanctum.

[TwinBahamut]

A setting I didn't have time to mention in the podcast, but is still well worth mentioning as an example of a great setting is Lea Monde from Vagrant Story. I really liked it for pretty similar reasons to why I enjoyed the setting from Dragon Quarter. The setting itself is a terrifying entity, both the source of the the very power that drives the conflict raging within it and a malignant force that seems to desire the death of everyone who wanders into it. It is the very uniqueness of that setting, slowly unveiled from the perspective of a character who entered it unaware of its nature, that makes that game so amazing. The setting itself is one of the most important characters in that game.

A random idea I had concerning the often discussed differences between Western and Japanese settings is related to that idea. Western games tend to have characters who are products of their settings, but Japanese games tend to have settings that are products and reflections of their characters. I suppose this is a major component of why they seem so different at times.

[Just Doug]

With regards to the whole non-explanation of things in FFXIII...my beef with the game was that the mythology behind it all was totally kept out of the main narrative except for vague references to "the Maker." I agree that too much stuff about the world of FFXIII only appeared in the datalog. Maybe if they'd had more side stuff they could have told us that stuff in the game directly--I liked the bits and pieces of world knowledge/history seen in the optional stuff on Gran Pulse (ruined cities, Atomos-the-hedgehog eternally digging tunnels, Titan stomping around fighting pokemon battles), there needed to be more of that.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm a sucker for anything with a set within the late 19th and early-to-mid 20th centuries, including fantasy or SF settings with the aesthetic of such eras (sometimes called steampunk for late 1800's and dieselpunk for 1920's~1940's). Ring of Red, Valkyria Chronicles, and FFVII (to some extent...) are some of my favorite dieselpunk-ish settings. The only steampunk-looking setting I can think of off the top of my head is some of the stuff in FFIX--I liked all the airships and Lindblum was by far my favorite place in the game, followed by Treno. Even there, though, Lindblum was still pretty medieval and not very Victorian, while Treno had some Victorian vibes to it but not much steam.

[Ocelot]

The best steampunk RPG I've played is Arcanum, a classic from the sadly-defunct Troika games. It gets off to a bit of a slow start and it has some balance issues, but it has a cool storyline and a lot of interesting choices to make.

[Just Doug]

The best steampunk RPG I've played is Arcanum, a classic from the sadly-defunct Troika games. It gets off to a bit of a slow start and it has some balance issues, but it has a cool storyline and a lot of interesting choices to make.

Thanks for the recommendation!

[Quin]

The best steampunk RPG I've played is Arcanum, a classic from the sadly-defunct Troika games. It gets off to a bit of a slow start and it has some balance issues, but it has a cool storyline and a lot of interesting choices to make.

Despite my general dislike of WRPGs, I liked Arcanum too.

How's that for an endorsement?