Repost: Settings with Canon

With so many awesome games based on franchises, I thought it would be a good time to repost this article from a few years ago. I think it really helps and might inspire people considering games based on established stories. Originally I cited A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying and Adventures in Middle-earth to Star Trek Adventures and Mouse Guard but the list is even longer now. Tales of Xadia and The Terminator RPG are out, The One Ring has a new second edition, the Dune RPG, Avatar Legends, the Stargate RPG… There’s a lot out there, and I’m here to help you figure out how to play.

Settings with Canon

There are so many games out there inspired by ongoing series from A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying and Adventures in Middle-earth to Star Trek Adventures and Mouse Guard. This is actually one of my favorite types of RPG and the whole system roundtable is based around the idea of playing in a setting that already has an awesome story in it. But how exactly do you make room for your own story in there? Here are a few ideas.

Hot Take: Star Trek Discovery is an RPG

The first season of Star Trek: Discovery has been over for a while, but I’m only just getting caught up. This series has caused more consternation than any Star Trek series has, and I’m including the intense wailing about Star Trek: Enterprise back in the day. For the purposes of this post, however, I’m asking you to put aside any negative feelings you have about Discovery to appreciate one interesting aspect: it’s pretty much an RPG campaign.