Which canon property/setting would be good for a MU* ?

[Arkandel]

Hey folks!

It's a Monday, just the right day for creative shitposting.

So this one is about using existing settings - such as from novels, TV, movie etc similar properties - to base MU* on. We're not necessarily going to be talking about actually doing so; this isn't a thread about actually creating a new game. I'm just wondering if you've read or watched something really cool you'd think would make a kickass MUSH.

One caveat; let's keep it somewhat 'original'. I know, it's not original since we're basing it on something, but let's try and focus on stuff that's not already out there - so no Star Wars or DC Comics or anything like that. Let's go a bit indy with this.

Thoughts?

[surreality]

The Catspaw series by Joan D. Vinge. Futuristic, a little bit cyberpunk in places, very strange, but neat.

A world based on Clive Barker's Lord of Illusions.

Big Trouble in Little China. (Still hoping that project gets off the ground, @Lithium!)

The Haven TV series.

[Arkandel]

My candidate would be The Broken Empire world in Mark Lawrence's books.

It's grimdark fantasy set in a pseudo-medieval setting in our future, where something happened to fuck up reality. Technology is about the usual level in fantasy but there are rogue modern weapons out there - malicious artificial intelligences, branches of deterministic mathematics that can predict or enforce the future - while the barriers between Earth and other places have been weakened by the apocalyptic events of the distant past to occasionally allow horrors to break through.

And in the middle of all that humanity is broken into a hundred mini-kingdoms, each of them ruled by a monarch (some of whom are puppetted by wizards) struggling between themselves to defeat, subdue or ally themselves all the way into ascending to become Emperors.

The combination of classic fantasy, hardcore politics, a rich and open setting where GMs can run their own thing without that much thematic restraints... it'd be fantastic.

[Three-Eyed Crow]

A buddy of mine got me to watch The Expanse, finally, by recommending it as 'everyone of these idiots could be a MU character'.

He wasn't wrong.

I'd play the hell out of it.

I also came away from Logan wanting to see semi-dystopian alt-X-Men (maybe centering around whatever Eden actually looks like). It'll probably be awhile before I'm in the mood for more mutants, but it'd be an interesting spin.

[bladesurfer]

Oh, I loved the Catspaw series

Regarding the Expanse, I've actually had this conversation before with @Kairos. He and I are both huge fans of the Expanse too. If you haven't watched it yet, highly recommended! I think the problem with doing Expanse as a MU* is that so much of it is about the political intrigue and the back-and-forth. Having so many threads going at once and then they get hooked in at just the right moment. That kind of coordination is nearly impossible in a MU setting when there are so many hands in the story "pie".

[Bobotron]

HRM.

• The 100, with better implementation and SLOWING DOWN of stuff.
• Falling Skies, blowing up aliens and each other!

[Lotherio]

Flash Gordon, sci fantasy L&L for politics and conflict post Ming, impressive beastiary for easy prp nemesis, atomic age sci fiction weapons and vehicles for awesomeness.

[surreality]

Another one I would think would be neat: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It would be hard as hell, but it could potentially be pretty neat for a smaller game.

[Bobotron]

Something based on Penny Dreadful, using the literature of the times in a mash of craziness. Like the Defenders of the Earth cartoon was all those comics like The Phantom, Flash Gordon and Mandrake the Magician.

[BetterNow]

I'd love something based on the former SyFy show Defiance. It seems ideal for a MU* setting, a single location, with tons of different types of characters, agendas, politics, war, etc. Plus tons of social stuff.

[ZekeTheG33k]

My 0.02...

• The Hollows Series By Kim Harrison - Living Vampires, Werewolves, Pixie and Fairy wars... And an unhealthy fear of tomatoes.
• Defiance - So much potential there.
• The Witch Hunter - Not so great movie, but left the ending open to the potential to create a mush setting that is both politicking and supernatural fun.
• RWBY - This would be a fun school setting. Difficult, but fun.

Just off the top of my head.

[Arkandel]

Into The Badlands. Characters belong to different Baronies, maybe also to some neutral factions like the monks or mine owners, and let them go to town - heavy emphasis on martial arts (of course), betrayals and post-apocalyptic intrigue.

[tragedyjones]

Fallout. Pick either the setting of one of the main games and jump forward/backwards 10 years or so, or come up with an original setting. Can utilize multiple races, possibly use a class based system. A mixture of survival, social, exploration, and adventure.

[surreality]

Oh, shit. How I forgot this one I do not know: Vampire Hunter D. Deeply weird, surreal as hell, futuristic and strange and full of bizarre things, but with the nifty gothic vibe going on.

Nightbreed. ALL THE FUCK YES. (The weirdass homebrew system I've been working on was originally to make a game along these lines.)

Necroscope. On earth, off earth... either way would be badass, though off-earth would be pretty fucking epic.

[Bobotron]

@surreality
Vampire Hunter D is one of those guilty pleasures of mine, but I couldn't see how it would work unless you set it, say, during the height of vampire aristocracy, or a small area where a vampire controls a lot of territory and has room/openings for vampire underlings. But there's tons of awesome stuff with all the crazy shit that serves vampires. Barbarois can do ANYTHING.

[surreality]

@Bobotron Yup. It seems like a world filled with nigh-infinite weird. Hell, all three of those suggestions are, really, in their own ways.

Is it obvious yet how much I miss the Tzimisce? IS IT?! <pines>

[Bobotron]

@surreality

There there. It'll be alright. VHD MU* would really need some type of actual coded combat, rather than just die rolls. Honestly, the old Megaman/Transformers-style 'lots of effects and modifiers' angle and doing them up as choose/build your own would work for the sheer amount of stuff the Barbarois can do. Merge with and control matter? Check. Redirect damage? Check. Stick a dude in shadow stasis? Check.

OH, ALSO. Nightbreed for OWoD.

http://bjz-backup.droppages.com/archive/nightbreed.html

[ZombieGenesis]

I'd love to see something utilizing Dragonlance or Masters of the Universe personally. I kinda get why there are not MotU games but I'm shocked at the lack of Dragonlance games.

[tragedyjones]

@ZombieGenesis

Isn't Dragonlance jus a D&D setting or am I an idiot? Also, MotU is semi-Exalted!

[Bobotron]

@tragedyjones

Dragonlance is a D&D setting but it's very different from typical ones, especially in the early sections.

@ZombieGenesis
There was an MotU MUSH a long time ago, and it tanked hard because of lack of interest.