Tomorrow marks the beginning of a week of interviews with authors who enjoy table top role playing games, or TTRPGs. In many ways, TTRPGs and books go hand-in-hand. While the most well known TTRPG is Dungeons and Dragons, you can find books as TTRPGs as well. So, after you’ve read and enjoyed the book, maybe play in its world yourself. Here are just a few:
The Lord of the Rings
The One Ring Roleplaying Game is the newest fantasy roleplaying game set in the world of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, allowing you and your friends to set out on your own adventures in Middle-earth. (taken from Amazon)
Who wouldn’t want to adventure in Middle Earth? Tolkien created a rich setting that is perfect to explore in. There are several different editions of LotR roleplaying books, ranging from affordable to “well, let me sell my kidney so I can buy this book”. I’d suggest grabbing the affordable ones and keeping your eyes peeled the next time you’re used book buying.
To buy:
The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game Core Book on Amazon
Jane Austen
Who says classics can’t be played? This is a pre-order right now: the game should be available in October. This has some definite potential and it’s an indie game! If you decide to give it a go, let me know what you think!
To buy:
Good Society
The Dresden Files:
Beneath the “normal” surface of the world are things and people which most of us don’t want to know about, and will do our best to forget about if we ever come near them. People won’t see what they don’t want to see.
But that’s most of us. And you—you’re not most of us.
What’s Your Story?
Whether you’re a champion of God, changeling, vampire, werewolf, wizard, or plain “vanilla” mortal human being, this volume of The Dresden Files RPG gives you all the rules you need to build characters and tell your own stories in the Dresdenverse. Inside, you’ll uncover the secrets of spellcasting, the extents of mortal and supernatural power, and the hidden occult reality of the unfamiliar city you call home.
I’ll be honest: I really haven’t read much Dresden Files. I think I’ve read one, maybe two books in the series. However, I know a lot of people would love gaming in this world.
To buy:
Mouse Guard
I love Mouse Guard! This graphic novel series is a surprising combination of adorable illustrations and breathtaking, rather brutal, fantasy. I would expect the TTRPG to be just as great.
To buy:
Frankenstein
What if Victor Frankenstein had embraced his discoveries rather than seeking to destroy them?
Rejected by his peers and his family, hunted by the Creature, Victor slips into the background of history. Manipulating people, events, whole countries, Frankenstein slowly plans and executes his revenge.
Carved out of the Balkan conflicts of the mid-1800’s, Victor Frankenstein hijacks the unification of Romania and creates his own country: Promethea. Established on high ideals of equality and scientific advancement for the good of all, the reality is very different.
Creating Promethea saw Victor make deals that compromised the integrity of his vision. Almost literally walled off from the rest of Europe, Promethea is a nightmare where the rich elite feed off the beauty and strength of the poor. While incredible advances across all scientific disciplines promise a bright future, the land is blighted by a new feudal regime – the Harvest.
Even as Frankenstein moves to bring Promethea in line with his original vision, so he is stalked by the Creature. Seeking to destroy all his creator’s works, the Creature and the resistance movement he leads often find they share Frankenstein’s goals. Both Victor and the Creature know that Frankenstein’s gift must never escape the fortified borders of Promethea, bringing the dark harvest to all the world. (taken from Drive Thru RPG)
This particular TTRPG seems to be very loosely based on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I think this could be a really interesting game setting, but I don’t expect it to be much like the original book. Either way, it’s intriguing.
To buy:
Dark Harvest: Legacy of Frankenstein
These are only a few of the books that have been reinterpreted as roleplaying games. There are so many others: Watership Down, The Song of Ice and Fire, and others also have TTRPGs. And of course, there are gaming systems for series such as Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, and Ravenloft. These books were originally written to tie in with gaming systems, although they have their own self-contained storylines and don’t really fall into the RPGlit category.
What books would you love to see get the roleplaying game treatment? Have you played any of these?
What an incredible compliment to an author — they’ve created such an interesting and in-depth world that people would want to take an active part in that world rather than just flow with the story of the book. I haven’t played any of the games in your post. But I can see how Lord of the Rings, Jane Austen, and Frankenstein would make for popular games.
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Sounds like an amazing series of posts you’ve got coming up – looking forward to them!
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Thanks!
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Maybe it’s there already and I don’t know about it, but I’d love to have a good TTRPG based on Diskworld from Terry Pratchett. OK, I answer myself : http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Discworld/
Do you know it? It looks like it’s a GURPS supplement…
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I haven’t played it but I’m intrigued.
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I’ve played the Song of Ice and Fire rpg. Really like it, although the system is a little easy to game – its social combat system is solid, house creation is fun.
I also owned a Conan d20 hack, leafed through a Wheel of Time one, owned several scenarios for an RPG based off of Moorcock’s Elric… but never played them alas! Ditto the Dresden Files ones which, tbh, didn’t look like it would recreate the feeling of the books to me.
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I didn’t know there was a Conan one! Why does that make me laugh?
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Because rolling dice is a serious matter, by Crom!
Also maybe the 50% of GMs that live by “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their players”
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Ah, you’ve met my husband. 😆😆
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This is a great post. Now I’ve got to read the interviews. What a cool idea! I only played one very rules-light session of the Vurt TTRPG, based on the Vurt books by Jeff Noon. I enjoyed but wasn’t blown away by the book (only read the first), but playing the game was super fun. Great world(s) to tromp around in.
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Thanks! I actually prefer DMs who are lighter on the rules– as long as the game is fun, that’s what is most important to me.
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Same here! Our best D&D session was four hours long, and we only rolled the dice four times.
Do you know the game Ten Candles? It’s a one-shot game, light on rules, heavy on atmosphere, and perfect for this time of year.
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I haven’t played that one, but I’m curious!
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