DUNE

[PK Games]

Has anyone done anything with DUNE for a RPG setting? Ever?

How would you handle the setting? What special rules if any would you need? Would the wierding way be psionic or super power in nature? Would you need to develope in depth weapon listings, or is it a setting where light blaster, medium blaster, heavy blaster work just fine?

Do they even use blasters or are they all projectiles?

Basically what elements from the books (or films if you prefer) would you think would need to be adapted to game mechanics to allow the settings flavor through?

[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.

[PK Games]

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.

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?

[rust]

I do not know of anyone working on a BRP version of Dune, but you might

find some useful background material on the "Duniverse" on this forum:

DuneRPG - Index - Strategy/Role-playing Game - Free Message Board Hosting by FreePowerBoards.com

[PK Games]

I do not know of anyone working on a BRP version of Dune, but you might

find some useful background material on the "Duniverse" on this forum:

DuneRPG - Index - Strategy/Role-playing Game - Free Message Board Hosting by FreePowerBoards.com

Just another thing to add to my list of things that I want to do and will never get around to. Stupid real life jobs.

[Merak Gren]

There is a setting book/ pdf for Burning Wheel called Jihad, based on the Dune milieu. You can download the pdf free from the buning wheel website. Here: http://www.burningwheel.org/wiki/images/0/08/Jihad.pdf

Might be helpful for what you want.

[Pete Nash]

Has anyone done anything with DUNE for a RPG setting? Ever?

I have been seriously thinking about writing a BRP Dune setting. However, since the licence is out of reach, I was considering doing it as a free download for fans.

Basically what elements from the books (or films if you prefer) would you think would need to be adapted to game mechanics to allow the settings flavor through?

I was considering making the Wierding Way, Mentat recall, etc. a group of separate skills, only available to those of a particular guild/social group.

For Prescience, I'd use a simple rule of spend an extra power point, roll an extra set of dice for the skill check. Thus if you spent 2pp on a skill attempt you'd roll three sets of % dice, and then choose the best temporal 'path' by selecting the roll you preferred. Simple and elegant.

Most everything else is simply background, character professions and equipment; and the game itself should focus more on intrigue and politics, over gratuitous combat. (Crysknives, lasguns and poisons should make the already deadly BRP combat, more lethal still, encouraging more cerebral problem solving.)

[NickMiddleton]

Pretty much all the "magic powers" in Dune are actually just phenomenally well trained and integrated skills. The "weirding way" is a superstitious Fremen description for Bene Gesserit prana-bindu based martial arts, "the Voice" is clearly described as a technique of vocal modulation and pitching aimed at a specific individual. Even the truth saying thing is IIRC a matter of reading body language and vocal nuances. The only thing that's not a matter of training alone is the actual pre-gog.

So I'd say Pete's correct that most of it could be handled by some setting specific skills, an dother wise there would be no "powers" at all. Appropriate equipment descriptions would be key - no energy weapons (apart from the banned lasguns...), eprsonal shields etc. The officially NOT cannon Dune Encyclopedia would make a good reference, especially if one were aiming at the "classic" setting of the original three novels.

Cheers,

Nick Middleton

[Pete Nash]

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

[tal]

perhaps the "magic powers" could be something similair to Ki skills in Land of the Ninja. There would have to some add to the list of skills.

[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]

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]

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.

:deadhorse:

[hikkaro]

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 D]

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]

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]

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 D]

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]

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]

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

[PK Games]

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...

I would recommend the Warhammer 40K universe. Not too much space fighter dogfights, but you can squeeze them in. The current rules are close to % base, but the careers are heavily flawed and they forgot to get an editor and left some basic stuff out of the game. (fluff, charts and such refer to orks and eldar, but just try finding stats for them, and vehicles as a separate PDF?)

It has the intrigue and imperial structure similar to Dune, some Star Wars concepts (not too many) and some cool back ground. I am just not a big fan of Space Marines.

[Mithras]

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

You're not having mine!

Skills. I would have 'Bene Gesserit special powers' be normal skills ramped over 100. The Voice is Fast Talk 100+, Truthsense is Psychology 100+, etc.

Only the BG or the Mentats get to push skills this way ...

[AikiGhost]

Well I've been running a Fading Suns game with BRP on and off for several years now and the only things I had to do was a life path for character generation (Noble Houses, Guilds, alien races, etc) and some rules for energy shields

[Mithras]

Jason, excellent summary there.

I would go for an Arrakis setting. There would be options for PC groups: Fremen, Smugglers, the new House (not the Atriedes), or perhaps the Harkonnens.

That's 3 types of games with different emphasis on adventures. But I'd want to get into the desert alot.

The House game, would consist of the GM setting out what the roles are to select from; the PCs would all be the leaders of the House. Bodyguard, Mentat, Assassin, Duke/Baron/noble son etc., Bene Gesserit advisor, Planetologist, Pilot-Bodyguard etc. Let players choose the characters they want to play, the rest are NPCs.

Your starting group would determine Base Chances, different character sheet for Fremen, Smugglers and Great House.Each House might have different Base Chances also. Perhaps work up 3 or 4 and let the PCs choose, before the Emperor sends that House in to replace the Harkonnens.

Or something like that ... !

Shield combat has always perplexed me, I could never come up with suitable rules for that.

[PK Games]

Is fading suns available as a PDF somewhere?