jsbrewster1
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Why only a Blade Runner character

Wed 22 Jun 2022, 06:40

The least interesting part of the films or the anime series is what a Blade Runner does, hunt down replicants and retire them. In the first film, he kills 2, Rachel kills 1, and one just dies, but the protagonists are really the replicants. In the 2nd film, K only retires one replicant, unless you count Luv (I don't), and the story is about his rebellion from the system. In the anime, it's about L (Elle?) who is a replicant, an ex-Blade Runner and one basically mindless Blade Runner who looks cool.

I can't understand the reasoning behind the choice to include the role of Blade Runner as the only character option.
 
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Vader
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Re: Why only a Blade Runner character

Wed 22 Jun 2022, 08:36

Yeah ... a bit of a bummer, that.

In the enthusiastic speculation in the early days of this subforum, people talked about how they were looking forward to playing all the interesting Noir-type characters that the world of Blade Runner is replete with and that potentially could be integrated into campaigns — private investigators, journalists, underworld characters, non-Rep Detect police, entertainers, genetic engineers like Sebastian or Chew, corporate types, retired Bladerunners...

With this in mind, with the entire vast backdrop of the endlessly fascinating world of Blade Runner to play around with, it is a pity that Ligan has chosen to make a game that only allows you to play a Bladerunner, period, and with that Bladerunner, you only Investigate Case Files, period.

What I myself hope for is that Ligan does what they've done with ALIEN: start publishing expansion modules that explore gameplay styles outside of the default.
Before you use the word "XENOMORPH" again, you should read this article through:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/aliens-throwaway-line-confusion
 
baldrick0712
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Re: Why only a Blade Runner character

Wed 22 Jun 2022, 09:25

Core Rules p26... "Future game expansions adding rules and guidelines for other types of characters are planned."
 
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Vader
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Re: Why only a Blade Runner character

Wed 22 Jun 2022, 09:34

Core Rules p26... "Future game expansions adding rules and guidelines for other types of characters are planned."

Hadn't seen that — lovely!

Hopefully they won't be long. And hopefully, it'll also go a bit beyond the strict "Investigate Case Files" format.
Before you use the word "XENOMORPH" again, you should read this article through:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/aliens-throwaway-line-confusion
 
CitizenZero
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Re: Why only a Blade Runner character

Wed 22 Jun 2022, 14:12

Don't want to speak for Free League here, but...

Blade Runner without Blade Runners chasing and retiring Replicants isn't Blade Runner anymore. That core tension - Blade Runners v. Replicants - is the essence of this world. A journalist or PI character is interesting, but that's a mystery or noir game. A cop/detective hunting down human criminals isn't Blade Runner either.

In other cases, playing a geneticist for example, I think would be difficult. What would the main purpose of the game be? A corporate exec is an interesting character, but you'd be somewhat limited to boardroom drama. I suppose corporate espionage could have some action, but again, that's more of a background element in Blade Runner.

I think all the things mentioned above are great stuff and should definitely be incorporated into the game. But what and how much is up to each individual Game Runner. You can make NPCs all all those archetypes.

Finally, if you want to be a replicant you certainly can be. They have the 'how-to' on making a Replicant character. Then there are any number of ways that character could "turn" and be going against Blade Runners. I do understand your frustration if you were hoping for a pre-made Case File with the option to play a rogue Replicant. That would be good for the future.
 
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Vader
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Re: Why only a Blade Runner character

Wed 22 Jun 2022, 16:21

Judging from the sentence baldrick0712 quoted above, it seems Ligan wouldn't agree with you, so I guess there is little danger of you being taken as speaking for them, CitizenZero.

But that is really a philosophical question — is the essence of the world fully defined by the title, or is the story's world actually a larger canvas; a potentially complex setting with its own life and dynamic, a place that can encompass stories that go way beyond the narrow constraints of the title?

As an example, must you play a witcher in the The Witcher TTRPG, or is that world large enough beyond witchers for it to make sense to play other types of characters?

For me, the Blade Runner films do indeed have a large element of Blade Runners chasing Replicants — although I wouldn't say that's what the films are mainly about. The world however is to me a much bigger place than that. There are so many other stories that could be told exploring that fascinating setting.


The core question is this: the statement that "Blade Runners chasing and retiring Replicants is the essence of the world" implies to me that as soon as that action and those characters leave the room, time just stops. Any non-Replicant and non-Bladerunner characters freeze.

And to me, that just isn't the feeling I get. The world glimpsed especially in the original movie is so much larger and more diverse than that. The feeling I get is that the world of Blade Runner is jam packed with stories worth exploring in a TTRPG that aren't necessarily about Blade Runners or Replicants at all.

But obviously, YMMV. Not everyone will see it the same way.
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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Kaybe
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Re: Why only a Blade Runner character

Wed 22 Jun 2022, 17:00

The idea behind both Blade Runner movies is the struggle between doing the cruel things you're duty bound to do ... or doing what you think is right. This agonizing grey area is the core of the movies and this RPG. If you play any other type of character, that struggle likely won't be all that present. It's like playing D&D, except asking to play a character who never goes adventuring or slaying monsters. It goes against the theme.

So while I appreciate that Free League is considering other character types in future supplements, I'm quite happy that the Blade Runner RPG core book focuses on, well, Blade Runners.
 
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Grimmshade
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Re: Why only a Blade Runner character

Wed 22 Jun 2022, 17:14

The idea behind both Blade Runner movies is the struggle between doing the cruel things you're duty bound to do ... or doing what you think is right. This agonizing grey area is the core of the movies and this RPG. If you play any other type of character, that struggle likely won't be all that present. It's like playing D&D, except asking to play a character who never goes adventuring or slaying monsters. It goes against the theme.

So while I appreciate that Free League is considering other character types in future supplements, I'm quite happy that the Blade Runner RPG core book focuses on, well, Blade Runners.
Same.
Blade Runner RPG focusing on futuristic used car salesmen in the Core Book would be weird.
It looks to beat great noir sci-fi detective game, with more to come in the future, and I'm happy with that.
 
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Vader
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Re: Why only a Blade Runner character

Wed 22 Jun 2022, 18:27

The idea behind both Blade Runner movies is the struggle between doing the cruel things you're duty bound to do ... or doing what you think is right. This agonizing grey area is the core of the movies and this RPG.

Sort of what you'd find at the core of pretty much any Noir-type story.

If you play any other type of character, that struggle likely won't be all that present. It's like playing D&D, except asking to play a character who never goes adventuring or slaying monsters. It goes against the theme.

...aaand that's where you lost me.

In a sense, you could say a Bladerunner is like a bounty hunter. The way I read your argument it pretty much amounts to that Noir only works with bounty hunter protagonists — you can't have a PI or a journalist or a police detective or an entertainer or ... etc protagonist, and still stay within the core theme of disillusioned characters balancing in the grey area between right and wrong in a world of cynicism, greed, and corruption.

Bearing in mind that something likle 90% of Noir protagonists would tend to be one of those precise archetypes, I believe that statement could be quite categorically refuted...
Before you use the word "XENOMORPH" again, you should read this article through:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/aliens-throwaway-line-confusion
 
CitizenZero
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Re: Why only a Blade Runner character

Wed 22 Jun 2022, 19:16

To be clear, I too love the Blade Runner universe beyond just Runners and Replicants. I agree there is a ton to explore. I would imagine as a Game Runner I would have the PC meet many of those people.

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