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The1TrueFredrix
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Tomas spills some secrets about the RPG

Sat 25 Sep 2021, 11:52

The latest episode Effekt is on your favourite podcast directory, with secrets about #BladeRunnerRPG. Tomas admitted afterwards that he "spoke a little too openly about things" so you can be sure to learn something exciting ;)
https://www.effektpodcast.org/166
Effekt - A fan podcast celebrating Swedish RPGs including, but not limited to: Alien; Coriolis; Forbidden Lands; Symbaroum; and Tales from the Loop. Featuring discussion magazine episodes and Actual Play recordings. https://effektpodcast.org/
 
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Fenhorn
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Re: Tomas spills some secrets about the RPG

Sat 25 Sep 2021, 12:47

The latest episode Effekt is on your favourite podcast directory, with secrets about #BladeRunnerRPG. Tomas admitted afterwards that he "spoke a little too openly about things" so you can be sure to learn something exciting ;)
https://www.effektpodcast.org/166
You lured me in :D

edit: ... and now when I have listened to it, I can recommend it.
“Thanks for noticin' me.” - Eeyore
 
Bengt Petter
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Re: Tomas spills some secrets about the RPG

Wed 29 Sep 2021, 12:27

I like the idea of each scenario as a case. That makes sense in a noir sci fi setting. But Deckard isn’t Sherlock Holmes. Actually, he is more or less Philip Marlowe put in a cyberpunk L. A. That means that he doesn’t just collect clues for a brilliant conclusion in the end. He is also the main protagonist in a film noir drama. It’s gritty and violent. He needs to pick up his blaster to kill people (replicants). Still, the bad guys might win in the end. And just like Marlowe, Deckard needs to deal with a sexy femme fatale. That’s a part of his sad life as bachelor detective.

I get that gathering clues is something playable, while perhaps the film noir themes and tropes might be harder (?) to deal with in an RPG. And all PCs can’t be just like Deckard. But I think that the game needs to include the main tropes of the noir genre. Without them the game isn’t really true to Bladerunner. L. A. is the main location for many noir movies, but the location isn’t the only thing that makes these movies noir. Their stories are very genre specific.
Last edited by Bengt Petter on Wed 29 Sep 2021, 13:08, edited 2 times in total.
 
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Re: Tomas spills some secrets about the RPG

Wed 29 Sep 2021, 12:36

Matt (edit: Matt Kay from Three Skull Tavern) did an interview with Tomas that have a little bit new info on what angle they aim for with this game. You can find it here.
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Bengt Petter
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Re: Tomas spills some secrets about the RPG

Wed 29 Sep 2021, 14:23

Matt (edit: Matt Key from Three Skull Tavern) did an interview with Tomas that have a little bit new info on what angle they aim for with this game. You can find it here.

Thanks, Fenhorn. But the film noir aspect isn’t even mentioned once in this 36:24 long interview with Tomas. Maybe there is a lot of film noir themes in the game anyway, but it’s hard to know from what’s been said so far. I did hear that Tomas mentioned a few things about what could happen during a case, but what I’m looking for is the specific ”Marlowesque” aspect of the setting. Ridley Scott has mentioned it in several interviews. By Marlowesque, he obviously meant in the style of Philip Marlowe, the main character in several of Raymond Chandler’s novels.

In case there is someone who doesn’t know what I’m talking about, it’s very obvious that Bladerunner is a part of the film noir tradition. This is quite informative: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E_JxmCZKF-w

In a way the dystopian L. A. is just the scene for Bladerunner, while the film noir tradition makes much of the story. As I said above: Deckard is more or less Marlowe put in a sci fi world. To me, that means that a Bladerunner RPG would have to include themes like corruption, dirty cops, drinking, fraud, smoking, gambling, love affairs, femme fatals, violent criminals etc. I want tools to create that kind of genre specific drama. Without all that this isn’t really a game true to the film noir tradition that Bladerunner is a part of.
Last edited by Bengt Petter on Wed 29 Sep 2021, 15:22, edited 2 times in total.
 
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Vader
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Re: Tomas spills some secrets about the RPG

Wed 29 Sep 2021, 15:14

But the film noir aspect isn’t even mentioned once in this 36:24 long interview with Tomas. Maybe there is a lot of film noir themes in the game anyway, but it’s hard to know from what’s been said so far. I did hear that Tomas said a few things about what could happen during a case, but what I’m looking for is the specific ”Marlowesque” aspect of the setting. Ridley Scott has mentioned it in several interviews. By Marlowesque, he obviously meant in the style of Philip Marlowe, the main character in several of Raymond Chandler’s novels.

The Noir influence in Cyberpunk is of course indisputable. Interestingly enough, one might even claim it's the theatrical release of Bladerunner (with Deckard's voice-over and the whole kaboodle) that bears some responsibility for bringing it in — bearing in mind that Bladerunner is very much "proto-Cyberpunk", as it predates the genesis of the genre by several years — as the movie heavily influences, perhaps even defines, the genre once it coalesces.

Somewhat perversely though, the only Cyberpunk TTRPG I can off-hand recall seeing to date that really makes a big point of bringing in Noir as a central element into the game's style and narrative is the Altered Carbon RPG, which dedicates several pages to discussing Noir themes and characters.

It would certainly well behoove a Bladerunner TTRPG to do likewise, I feel.

EDIT: And cigarettes and bourbon. Definitely cigarettes and bourbon.

EDIT 2: Or rather, "Johnnie Walker Black Label", of course. And cigarettes.
Last edited by Vader on Wed 29 Sep 2021, 15:37, edited 2 times in total.
Before you use the word "XENOMORPH" again, you should read this article through:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/aliens-throwaway-line-confusion
 
Bengt Petter
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Re: Tomas spills some secrets about the RPG

Wed 29 Sep 2021, 15:34

Those of us who are Swedish probably know the Swedish RPG Noir. It’s not set in the future, but it’s a really good example of how the film noir genre could be useful in an RPG. Personally, I would have prefered L. A. as the main location for that game (instead of the fictional Sandukar), but that could be done right in the upcoming Bladerunner RPG instead.

I think you can just mine ideas from the novels of Raymond Chandler (and other noir writers and filmmakers), and from that create stuff also for a dystopian setting. Just add a couple of replicants, an artificial animal and some new neighbourhoods and you should be on the right track. A lot of the other stuff should be more or less the same as in Chandler’s novels (or the many movie adaptations of them).
Last edited by Bengt Petter on Wed 29 Sep 2021, 21:55, edited 1 time in total.
 
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Re: Tomas spills some secrets about the RPG

Wed 29 Sep 2021, 19:43

Having now listened to the podcast — pretty much everything Tomas says sounds exactly right. An investigative framework to support a gameplay that actually is all about exploring the characters and their interactions, and the city around them ... it's all but perfect!

My only caveat is that when presented with the question about Noir themes, I get the impression Tomas is a bit out of his depth. He talks about the city environment, and the whole Noir discussion falls flat.
But I'm actually not too worried about it at this time. Important as they are to the setting, there's still plenty of time to read up a bit and incorporate those elements into the game.

If the game also supports gameplay that isn't suspended from the investigation system, but is more about exploring the other themes that the movie(s) focus on from a different angle — themes more to do with atmosphere, character arcs, and emotional impact — without approaching them from the mechanics of investigation ... then it would indeed be perfect!
Before you use the word "XENOMORPH" again, you should read this article through:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/aliens-throwaway-line-confusion
 
Bengt Petter
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Re: Tomas spills some secrets about the RPG

Wed 29 Sep 2021, 21:40

Well, focusing on L. A. isn’t wrong. The city should be a major part of a Bladerunner game. I hope we’ll get at least one chapter about the city, and how to use it in game play. But the descriptions of L. A. should have a specific noir flavour with locations that are relevant for that genre. As I said above, Chandler’s fiction is a great source of inspiration. You just need to add cyberpunk to his 1940s L. A. There is a book called Chandlertown that I think might be a useful source for this game.

What still makes me slightly hesitant is how the corporate aspect was treated in the Alien RPG. Corporate secrets are for sure a cruisal part of that setting. If they weren’t, Ripley and her crew wouldn’t end up in trouble. Still, what you get in the game are Wikipedia style articles about each faction, and no tools for creating your own corporate secrets or intrigues. I think that should have been a major part of the campaign chapter, instead of just getting tables with very simple missions. Of course, a creative GM could make something from almost nothing. But I think any game should support a style that’s true to the core of the setting.

I have similar thoughts on the Bladerunner RPG, but here it’s the noir aspect that I’m thinking of. It should, I believe, involve many aspects of the game - characters creation, character development, relationships, skills, talents, attributes, locations, equipment, cases, conflicts, habits, dramatic situations etc. Bladerunner isn’t just a dystopian city game with cool blasters and flying cars (the most obvious visual stuff). And you can’t just add Sherlock style investigations and beatiful illustrations to that.

Having all this said, of course this could still be a great game. The creators just have to grasp what the setting is really about. And the noir aspect is at least half of the setting core. The other half is dystopian sci fi (or cyberpunk, if you prefer that label).
 
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Re: Tomas spills some secrets about the RPG

Thu 30 Sep 2021, 09:07

I have similar thoughts on the Bladerunner RPG, but here it’s the noir aspect that I’m thinking of. It should, I believe, involve many aspects of the game - characters creation, character development, relationships, skills, talents, attributes, locations, equipment, cases, conflicts, habits, dramatic situations etc. Bladerunner isn’t just a dystopian city game with cool blasters and flying cars (the most obvious visual stuff). And you can’t just add Sherlock style investigations and beatiful illustrations to that.

Word!

The descriptions provided on Ligan's product page (https://bladerunner-rpg.com) make all the right noises:

  • This is the BLADE RUNNER roleplaying game – a neon-noir wonderland that’ll take your breath away. One way or another. An evocative world of conflicts and contrasts that dares to ask the hard questions and investigate the powers of empathy, the poisons of fear, and the burdens of being human during inhumane times. An iconic and unforgiving playground of endless possibilities that picks you up, slaps you in the face, and tells you to wake up.

    Time to live. Or time to die.

    The official Blade Runner RPG will propel players into the streets of Los Angeles as Blade Runners with unique specialties, personalities – and memories.

    The core game and its line of expansions will push the boundaries of investigative gameplay in tabletop RPGs, giving players a range of tools to solve an array of cases far beyond retiring Replicants. Beyond the core casework, the RPG will both in setting and mechanics showcase key themes of Blade Runner – sci-fi action, corporate intrigue, existential character drama, and moral conflict – that challenge players to question your friends, empathize with your enemies, and explore the poisons and perseverance of hope and humanity during such inhumane times.
    [...]
    As a member of the LAPD’s Rep-Detect Unit, you’ll face impossible choices and find beauty and humanity in the stubborn resilience to keep fighting. To persevere through pain. To agonize over itches you can’t scratch. To do questionable and extraordinary things, chasing after fleeting moments of love, hope, and redemption to be lost in time like tears in rain.

Give me exactly what those paragraphs describe — in word and in spirit — and it's mission accomplished as far as I am concerned!
It's just that what I hear Tomas describing is ever-so-slightly more narrow in scope than those descriptions — but again, I'm really not all that worried about it at this time. Tomas is talking about a work in progress; there's still time for it to evolve.

(BTW, @Bengt Petter — it's the same as with Alma Cogan being dead: "all of Cyberpunk is dystopian Sci Fi, but only some of the class of dystopian Sci Fi are Cyberpunk.")
Before you use the word "XENOMORPH" again, you should read this article through:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/aliens-throwaway-line-confusion

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