TheThan
2011-08-11, 02:19 PM
I’ve had the idea to do a “where in the world is Carmen Sandiego” RPG game for some time now. The problem I’ve had is that I haven’t really come up with a system to use or even a style to go by. Well after rolling it around in my head for a while I’ve come to realize that if you strip away the pretty colors, the wonderful music and the geography questions, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego” is effectively a film noir.
I mean just look at it, we have the players playing the role of the hardboiled detective (or group as the case may be) trying to capture a notorious thief as she springs daring and complicated capers. Carmen herself plays the role of the notorious thief and the role of the femme fatal that’s somehow caught up in the plot, primarily by providing clues to her next big caper. Plus if you’ve ever watched the show, you may have noticed everyone save the contestants actually dress in 40s style clothing. So we have most of the elements that make up a noir film.
I’ve been told that running a “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego”, RPG sounds too silly to take seriously. But I figure, it can be done, and done well. With a little bit of imagination and a dash of effort it’d be pretty awesome.
Now that I have a style to focus on, I need a system. I’ve toyed with D20 modern, and while it could work, I think there’s probably a better system out there. I’ve been considering the FATE or FUDGE systems but I’m not sure on that. Are there even any film noir systems out there? I’m aware that most of it is atmosphere, I’m confident I can handle that, so I’m looking for a system that lends itself well to that atmosphere. Does anyone have any suggestions for a system? Or any general ideas or advice for such a game? I’m not exactly well versed in this genre of fiction.
I mean just look at it, we have the players playing the role of the hardboiled detective (or group as the case may be) trying to capture a notorious thief as she springs daring and complicated capers. Carmen herself plays the role of the notorious thief and the role of the femme fatal that’s somehow caught up in the plot, primarily by providing clues to her next big caper. Plus if you’ve ever watched the show, you may have noticed everyone save the contestants actually dress in 40s style clothing. So we have most of the elements that make up a noir film.
I’ve been told that running a “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego”, RPG sounds too silly to take seriously. But I figure, it can be done, and done well. With a little bit of imagination and a dash of effort it’d be pretty awesome.
Now that I have a style to focus on, I need a system. I’ve toyed with D20 modern, and while it could work, I think there’s probably a better system out there. I’ve been considering the FATE or FUDGE systems but I’m not sure on that. Are there even any film noir systems out there? I’m aware that most of it is atmosphere, I’m confident I can handle that, so I’m looking for a system that lends itself well to that atmosphere. Does anyone have any suggestions for a system? Or any general ideas or advice for such a game? I’m not exactly well versed in this genre of fiction.