Urban fantasy idea

[tkdco2]

I've had this idea for a while about an urban fantasy campaign. Instead of presenting creatures as they appear in D&D and other RPGs, go back to traditional stories. Faeries, ghosts, mermaids, and unicorns would make occasional appearances in our world and would be a bit different from what we find in our games. The character who encounters and deals with them would be an expert in folklore, but unlike modern heroes, he would be a normal person. He doesn't have magic powers or super science. While he isn't weak, he's not a commando or martial arts master. He only has his knowledge and his wits to overcome any challenges he faces.

Would that work as a roleplaying campaign, perhaps with a GM and a single player? For that matter, would that work as a TV show?

[tkdco2]

Some examples of the creatures. Sure, D&D uses some of the traits of these creatures, but the game adds or changes some abilities.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmMglCcx7aI

[Finarvyn]

I'm not sure if you plan for a modern day adventure or more of a traditional fantasy setting, but urban. If you choose modern day I might suggest a couple of things:

(1) The Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher. They are my favorite modern urban fantasy stories. A blend of noir detective and fantasy heroes with vampires and werewolves and fairies and so many other interesting creatures.

(2) The RPG Vaesen by Free League Publishing. The game revolves around an investigating team trying to figure out how to deal with spirit-like creatures from folklore. One cool aspect of the game is that the team's HQ becomes another "character" and through earning XP you can add to the resources that the team can access. Not all creatures need to be killed, but sometimes there are other actions that need to happen in order to win the scenario. Not at all a "murder hobo" style game.

[thegreyelf]

The Grimnoir Chronicles by Larry Correia might also tickle your fancy.

[tkdco2]

I know a little bit about the Dresden Files, but Harry Dresden has magic powers and a ghostly adviser. My protagonists would have neither. Remember that the premise would be that the heroes would have no special abilities except their wits and knowledge. They're ordinary folks who run into extraordinary creatures.

[thegreyelf]

Nov 20, 2021 18:33:36 GMT -6 tkdco2 said:

I know a little bit about the Dresden Files, but Harry Dresden has magic powers and a ghostly adviser. My protagonists would have neither. Remember that the premise would be that the heroes would have no special abilities except their wits and knowledge. They're ordinary folks who run into extraordinary creatures.

For a rules system, this sounds tailor made for my Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars.

[rsdean]

Nov 20, 2021 18:33:36 GMT -6 tkdco2 said:

I know a little bit about the Dresden Files, but Harry Dresden has magic powers and a ghostly adviser. My protagonists would have neither. Remember that the premise would be that the heroes would have no special abilities except their wits and knowledge. They're ordinary folks who run into extraordinary creatures.

So more like a toned-down version of Grimm with Nick’s normal partner as the viewpoint PC?

[tkdco2]

I never actually watched Grimm, so I don't know the character. But if he fits the bill, then sure.

I was thinking of someone in his or her 30s or 40s, perhaps a bookseller or university professor. How or why the character comes into contact with the supernatural remains to be determined.

[rsdean]

I watched all seasons of Grimm, so I would recommend it. . I would also note, now that I stop and digest the original post a bit, that this is similar to a pitch for _Monster of the Week_, with some limitations to the “playbooks” available to the player. In principle, I don’t see any reason why this wouldn’t work.

In general, I gather, with no super abilities, you would resolve an encounter with a vampire, say, by staking it while it’s asleep, or luring it into sunlight, or destroying its coffin full of native earth, based on the character’s investigation and/or knowledge of the creature’s vulnerabilities, rather than by a strength-to-strength fight?

[tkdco2]

Tactics would probably be like that. Remember Kolchak: The Night Stalker? The heroes would probably be like that, although I imagine my hero to resemble Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles on Buffy TV series) rather than Darren McGavin.

While a lot of the adventures would follow the Monster of the Week format, I would imagine a few longer story arcs, especially if the heroes somehow wind up in Elfland.

[tkdco2]

You can also mine ideas from this setting, perhaps even modify it to fit in our world.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmbF0AaaIJA

To stay consistent with the premise, have the PCs be savants from Dragon Magazine# 140, scribes from Dragon # 3 and #62, and/or specialists from LotFP.

[tkdco2]

I shared this idea on another gaming board. Someone suggested it would work better as a TV show or book, as players would probably want their characters to have some special ability, even if it's just excellent fighting skill. But here are a couple of YouTube channels that can be used for inspiration:

DukeOfAvalon

Mythology & Fiction Explained

[tkdco2]

One of my friends suggested this would work as a Choose Your Own Adventure type of game. He also suggested looking at the original Twilight Zone series as inspiration for ideas and possible ways the characters would react. He also pointed out the Call of Cthulhu game is already doing this, although my monsters wouldn't be that powerful.