Table Top to Desktop: RPGs that should be made to computer RPGs

Dungeons & Dragons and The Forgotten Realms campaign setting have provided us with plenty of CRPGs throughout the years (Eye of the Beholder being my first), and consuming our valuable time, leaving many unfinished chores and school projects. However, game developers have been overusing the same Forgotten Realms, making the beloved campaign setting quite unforgettable. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but I just wish that game developers should look into other alternatives. While some developers did explore other RPG systems (Call of Cthulhu, d20 Star Wars, and the upcoming Deadlands and Shadowrun), there are plenty of excellent RPG sytems and campaign settings out there that still remains untapped.

Here a couple of table-top RPGs that I think have great potentials of becoming an entertaining computer RPGs, should they be developed.

A Game of Thrones

This game is based on George R.R. Martin's The Song of Ice and Fire saga. Although the novel is considered as fantasy, the world of Seven Kingdoms is less magical but filled with adventure and politics. The game also uses a modified d20 system, but not much is different from games like Neverwinter Nights. In addition, players must also choose a "Character Defect" which will make role-playing harder, yet more exciting.



7th Sea: Swashbuckling Adventures

Seafaring and swashbuckling is what we lack, and need, in computer RPGs. 7th Sea, a game set in the world of Theah -which resembles the Carribiean- is a strong candidate here. The game uses the d20 system and the D&D classes, though some were modified to fit the game's setting. Like A Game of Thrones, the 7th Sea is not much different from playing a D&D game, except for the setting, the guns, and the ship-to-ship combat.



Space: 1889

Space: 1889 probably has the most unique setting in any role-playing game. It's a steampunk game set in the Victorian-era and all theories about space travel during that time are applied, and is a reality, in this game. It's brilliant, like Jules Verne. A historical science-fiction role-playing game. The game uses a far simpler system than d20 as well, so learning curve will be much faster.




Urban Arcana

To those who are too fond of their fantastical creatures, then Urban Arcana is the campaign for you. In this campaign setting, there are elves, drows, bugbears, and dragons. The only thing different is: they're on modern Earth, wielding Glocks instead of short-swords, and sporting Reeboks instead of greaves made by Cromwell. The game uses the d20 Modern system (modified d20) and has an awesome array of classes like Spellslingers (magical gunslingers) or Shadowjacks (magical hackers) to choose from.



d20 Future

The d20 Future, along with d20 Apocalypse and d20 Cyberscape, are supplements for the d20 Modern Rulebook. The book offers a lot of interesting concepts and ideas if one wants to make a sci-fi or a post-apocalyptic computer RPG using the d20 system. Whether it be nuclear winter, cyberpunk, corporate nation, space colonization, or biblical-judgment day game setting, the d20 Future can defintely cater it.