DUNE

[PK Games]

So interesting ideas so far. I will admit it now, my exposure to Dune is through the movies and Sci-Fi TV Mini-Series and an attempt during AIT to read the first novel.

Im more of a 40K guy and while working on some Dark Heresy stuff I suddenly got the Dune kick.

Another setting that sucks mechanis wise but would be cool in another system (D6 or BRP methinks) is Rifts, especially if you ignore everything after the fifth book.

[TrippyHippy]

Originally Posted by rust

There was a Dune RPG developed by Last Unicorn Games and published by
Wizards of the Coast in 1997.
According to what I have been told, this RPG probably was quite good, but
it is now very difficult to get a legal copy of it.

It was later than that. It was mooted to get published by Last Unicorn in 1999, but didn't come out till 2000, when Wizards published around the same time as D&D 3.0 Edition was coming out.

It was a full colour, gorgeous looking book - with very high quality paper, and good writing. It did, however have a slightly quirky inverted dice-pool system ("granular") which was a bit fiddly in applications to combat, particularly. It also made heavy reference to follow on supplements (especially details on Arrakis) that never happenned.

At the time, there were plans to release a new D20 edition, which would have worked well truth be told, but the licence was snapped away from them, by a grumpy Herbert estate that simply wanted more money, I think.

It was a shame, because Dune is the best sci-fi novel of the 20th century, and possibly the most prescient too if you consider the spice as a metaphor for oil in the Middle East. It's as highly gameable a world(s) setting as Middle Earth.

[PK Games]

Originally Posted by TrippyHippy

It was later than that. It was mooted to get published by Last Unicorn in 1999, but didn't come out till 2000, when Wizards published around the same time as D&D 3.0 Edition was coming out.

It was a full colour, gorgeous looking book - with very high quality paper, and good writing. It did, however have a slightly quirky inverted dice-pool system ("granular") which was a bit fiddly in applications to combat, particularly. It also made heavy reference to follow on supplements (especially details on Arrakis) that never happenned.

At the time, there were plans to release a new D20 edition, which would have worked well truth be told, but the licence was snapped away from them, by a grumpy Herbert estate that simply wanted more money, I think.

It was a shame, because Dune is the best sci-fi novel of the 20th century, and possibly the most precient too if you consider the spice as a metaphor for oil in the Middle East. It's as highly gameable a world(s) setting as Middle Earth.

Ive heard this before.

Arrakis, Iraq.

Spice, Oil.

Fremen, Insurgents.

Harkonnen, American.

[hikkaro]

Originally Posted by Pete Nash

I wish I could find a cheap copy of the Dune Encyclopedia...

Just a quick FYI that pdf copies of both "The Dune Encyclopedia" and Last Unicorn Games "Dune" RPG are readily available on file sharing services such as Limewire, etc.

They are a wealth of information.

[Jason Durall]

I suspect that there may be another RPG on the horizon, as Paramount Pictures has just announced a new adaptation of Dune, to be directed by Peter Berg (Very Bad Things, The Rundown, Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, and the upcoming Hancock).

[PK Games]

Originally Posted by Jason Durall

I suspect that there may be another RPG on the horizon, as Paramount Pictures has just announced a new adaptation of Dune, to be directed by Peter Berg (Very Bad Things, The Rundown, Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, and the upcoming Hancock).

Now that 3 hour fantasy/science fiction films are not only are made well but with lots of action and star power btu with todays modern audience being used to film franchises, this has a great shot at being a good 3 or 4 picture series.

I just hope for once they dont get some blah acting pretty boy to play Paul.

[threedeesix]

Originally Posted by PK Games

Found it. Well since I dont have $275 to blow on a game with a questionable system and no sourcebooks and so on and so forth, my other questions are still posted.

Could be a good setting, but how do you do it in BRP?

Wow, I sold mine on ebay last year and only got 150.00 I should have held out.

Rod

[Jason Durall]

Originally Posted by PK Games

Could be a good setting, but how do you do it in BRP?

Well....

The first question is "Am I trying to run a game set in the Imperium, or is it an Arrakis game?" There's a fundamental difference in the amount of prep you'd need to do, and the focus there.

I'd come up with some cultural modifiers to represent the different major Houses of the Landsraad. Languages, customs, appearance, skills, weapons of choice, etc.

I'd narrow the existing list of professions to Artist, Assassin, Athlete, Doctor, Engineer, Entertainer, Explorer, Gambler, Hunter, Merchant, Noble, Pilot, Politician, Priest, Sailor, Scholar, Scientist, Servant, Shaman, Slave, Soldier, Spy, Student, Teacher, Technician, Thief, Tribesman, and Warrior. Some Houses might not have all of these available.

I'd come up with some "organizations" like the Suk School, Swordmasters of Ginaz, Mentat training, etc. that would serve like professions, but would include boosts to skills and offer training. Like an old RQ cult.

Characters would all be on the "highly trained" side of the spectrum. Rolling 2d6+6 for characteristics. I'd give players the option of how old they'd like to be, and have them figure out what House roles they'd like to fill before doing much more character generation. Lots of skill points available.

I'd use psychic and super powers to represent stuff like Mentat and Bene Geserit training. Other training could be handled through super powers like Super Skills, Super Characteristics, Super Senses, etc.

Clairvoyance is a Water of Life thing
Danger Sense seems like a Mentat thing
Dead Calm is Mentat training
Eidetic Memory, the same
Emotion Control is a Bene Geserit power
Mind Control is a technique of the Voice
Precognition is a power sought by the Bene Geserit
etc.

I'd throw together rules for body shields that properly represent the ones from Dune, and would cobble together some of the basic bits of tech/weaponry specific to the world. I'd stat out ornithopters and the like, as well. The Holtzman Effect would simply a huge explosion. Sandworms would be so large as to defy stats (or I could just steal the stats for Dholes from Call of Cthulhu, if for some reason I decided I wanted to have sandworms in my game).

It doesn't seem that difficult, actually. I can imagine that it would take a chunk of time (maybe a week or so of prep, spending an hour or two a day), but otherwise I'd readily jump into it.

At its heart, Dune isn't a science-fiction story about spaceships and explosions and weird experiments... it's about people dealing with enormous metaphysical issues colliding with their religion, and grappling with political issues, all taking place in a sprawling setting inspired by ecological and economic issues.

[TrippyHippy]

Originally Posted by Jason Durall

I suspect that there may be another RPG on the horizon, as Paramount Pictures has just announced a new adaptation of Dune, to be directed by Peter Berg (Very Bad Things, The Rundown, Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, and the upcoming Hancock).

Well, it's a pretty young director for a movie like that - so I hope it will work out. The success of the Lord of the Rings movies was down to the quality (and passion) of the director, as well as the quality fo the screenplay, which he was also heavily involved in. There is a lot that needs to go right, before a movie of that maginitude actually works as an adaptation.

[Shaira]

Originally Posted by Jason Durall

Well....

[... cool run-through of rules and concepts for Dune BRP]

It doesn't seem that difficult, actually. I can imagine that it would take a chunk of time (maybe a week or so of prep, spending an hour or two a day), but otherwise I'd readily jump into it.

At its heart, Dune isn't a science-fiction story about spaceships and explosions and weird experiments... it's about people dealing with enormous metaphysical issues colliding with their religion, and grappling with political issues, all taking place in a sprawling setting inspired by ecological and economic issues.

Very cool summary, Jason! I think it also says boatloads about the ease with which BRP can handle a huge variety of settings. It's almost formulaic - stat up critters, powers, equipment, "special organisations" (cults, guilds, etc), and any chargen specifics - and then the rest is actually background.

The implications of this are quite cool - with relatively little work you can adapt any existing setting to BRP. I guess we all knew/know this, but actually speccing out the work done makes you realise how "little" work would be required to run, say, Greyhawk, Gamma World, Traveller, using BRP. The game system is very "thin client" indeed!

I'm still looking for my all-time perfect SF setting: Dune doesn't quite cut it for me cos I love space-fighter dogfights and trade-based tramp-freighter campaigns. Star Wars... well, maybe. A bit toonish of late with weirdo rubber monsters popping up too often losing some what little hard edge it had left. Traveller - well, space isn't flat. Nuff said. Something Stainless Steel Rattish, maybe...

Cheers,

Sarah