OMG RPG.com

In looking at the upcoming Wizard of Oz RPG for the DS, my mind started turning about the books I've read over the years, and which of those I think might translate well to the RPG genre. For a book to work well as a RPG game, it has to have a cast of characters that you follow along an adventure, towards one specific goal, be it "becoming the pie-eating champion" or slaying the ogre that's been eating the village children. The first books that came to mind, naturally, were the more traditional fantasy novels, but I pushed aside the Lloyd Alexander and Robert Jordan series, and took a look at those novels that would work equally well, but are not so well known.

7. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

What it's about:

When her son Timothy falls deathly ill, timid Mrs. Frisby the mouse is forced to seek help from her dead husband's friends, and is led into a tenuous relationship with a group of intelligent rats that live in a nearby rosebush. With the farmer planning for spring plowing, there is a great danger coming to all the animals, and it is only through the bravery of Mrs. Frisby and her newfound friends that the rats are able to escape poisoning by the farmer and escape to make a new life for themselves far from mankind.

Why it would make a great RPG:

This book has it all, a brave protagonist, a variety of companions that range from the zany crow Jeremy to the brave and venerated Martin, Mrs. Frisby's RPG would not only have NIMH and farmhouse kitchen stages, but also some most excellent rat-on-rat combat. While obviously a title more for the younger RPG audience, this game would still charm older gamers with its fascinating story.

6. The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson

What it's about:

This twist on the traditional dragon slaying epic tells the story of Jim Eckert, who is transported back in time to a fantastic version of medieval England in order to save his lovely fiance Angie. When he reaches his destination, he finds that he has been mistakenly placed into the body of a dragon, and must save his beloved from the Dark Powers while at the same time navigating the world in a completely different form.

Why it would make a great RPG:

Jim/Gorbash undertakes the mammoth task of fighting Evil itself aided by an unlikely cast of woodland creatures and a very surly wizard. Looking at the traditional fantasy world from monster's point of view would bring a breath of fresh air to an RPG, and there are plenty of evil baddies to fight along the way to saving the princess and finding a way home to the present modern world. Personally, this book has got a great sense of humor, so I would love to be able to muck around in Dickson's universe.

5. Holes by Louis Sachar

What it's about:

Stanley Yelnats sits at the center of a mystery created by Destiny, wherein his very bad luck lands him at Camp Green Lake, a boy's camp for delinquents. While digging holes out in the blistering sun Stanley learns that he himself is connected to the history of the camp, the ghost town of Green Lake, and sets about trying to uncover the truth with every shovel-full of dirt.

Why it would make a great RPG:

Stanley and his fellow inmates make an excellent cast of characters for an RPG, each of them different enough that they would fit well into a modified version of the basic class archetypes. As for bosses, you have the creatures in the desert as well as The Warden and her cohorts. Additionally Holes benefits from dual-layered storytelling, which allows for stages played from various character's points of view. The change of protagonist would allow for a richly blended story that not only would be interesting to play, but would also serve as a truly fascinating exploration of the Holes lore itself.

4. Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams

What it's about:

Fritti Tailchaser, a young and impetuous tom cat, lives in a world where the cats consider themselves the dominant lifeform of the land. He sets off to find his catfriend Hushpad, travelling through a dangerous world accompanied by a kitten named Pouncequick, the mad Eatbugs, and the mysterious Roofshadow. The adventure to find and rescue Hushpad takes Tailchaser to places he never expected, and in the end forces him to grow up and realize the world is not exactly as he sees it.

Why it would make a great RPG:

Tailchaser's Song in many ways is the most traditional fantasy book in this list, as it pits a young, naive hero against many obstacles and his only way to overcome them is by relying on the companions he only reluctantly allowed to accompany him. I see battles consisting largely of (pardon the pun) catfights, but there are definitely other monstrous creatures out there for Tailchaser to conquer.

3. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

What it's about:

In a future-version of Los Angeles, Hiro Protagonist hacker extraordinaire and god within the Metaverse (a completely immersive precursor to the Internet), uncovers a virtual drug ring surrounding a virus known as Snow Crash that is blurring the lines between the Metaverse and reality. As Hiro, along with the street-wise Y.T., searches for the meaning behind the mystery of Snow Crash, he delves deep into a world that connects him with understanding about the very nature of language, thought, and mankind.

Why it would make a great RPG:

Snow Crash amongst other things is one of the most influential cyberbunk novels of our generation. Beyond the power of its message, there are some truly excellent scenes in this book that would make perfect -- if completely boundary-breaking -- stages for an RPG. This could never be anything by a rated-M game, but in many way the RPG genre needs more mature content. Having a dark world, a dark story with a hero that breaks stereotypes while at the same time embodying them; Damn, I would LOVE to play that game.

2. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

What it's about:

One of the strangest science fiction novels written, the book follows the adventures of Arthur Dent, mild mannered Englishman, and his adventures throughout the universe as a Hitchiker, accompanied by his friend Ford Prefect, the lascivious Zaphod Beeblebrox, and the story's heroine, the spunky Trillian. Arthur narrowly escapes the destruction of Earth and along the way learns that while he thought himself insignificant, he is in reality the key to the salvation of the human race.

Why it would make a great RPG:

A Hitchhiker RPG would be the epitome of nonsequitor, and much like the original Infocom games would follow Arthur and their friends through a puzzle-ridden universe filled with strange creatures. Imagine the stage where you fight Vogon slinging their beaurocratic red tape at you while you try to dodge through the loop-holes. It would be epic my friends, truly epic.

1. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

What it's about:

Ender Wiggin, youngest child in a gifted family, is recruited into the navy at the age of six, and undergoes a rigorous training program that transforms him from a compassionate giving child, into a hardened navel commander, all before he turns 13. Ender is tasked with fighting an alien invasion, and builds a team of loyal students so skilled that they eventually succeed in saving the universe as they know it.

Why it would make a great RPG:

Ender's Game as an RPG would have a wide range of stages, each connected through an extremely dynamic storyline. Within the book, Ender is instructed to play a mind game so immersive, it would make an awesome level. With the antigravity sports games, the interstellar battles, and even the fights between the students themselves, an Ender's Game RPG would never lack for action.

• << prev
• next >>