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View Full Version : Is there a Shin Megami Tensei tabletop RPG out there?



Masaioh
2013-06-05, 08:20 PM
I have recently discovered a series of new systems that have successfully diverted my attention from 3.5, which once held a monopoly over my tabletop gaming hobby. In the past few weeks I discovered FUDGE, Pokethulhu and Pokemon Tabletop Adventures.

I originally began searching for other systems because a member of my DnD group asked the rest of us to assist him in creating a Pokemon Tabletop RPG of some kind, wholly underestimating the enormity of the project (there would have been three, maybe up to five of us working on it).

I have run into a similar situation with Shin Megami Tensei. I would most likely have a great deal of fun running it for my group, but I would rather not have to create an entire system. Are there any that already exist?

Grinner
2013-06-05, 08:25 PM
Try this thread. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164043)

I've seen some other attempts before, but I can't remember where I saw them.

Asmodai
2013-06-05, 08:36 PM
In the mean time we got Tenra Bansho Zero. One of the settings supplied with the english version is essentially Shin Megami Tensei.

Masaioh
2013-06-05, 08:41 PM
In the mean time we got Tenra Bansho Zero. One of the settings supplied with the english version is essentially Shin Megami Tensei.

Which one? The main series? Persona? Devil Survivor?

Loki_42
2013-06-05, 08:42 PM
I've had some thoughts about hacking Apocalypse World to fit Persona 3 and 4, which I'm most familiar with, but I'm not that experienced with the system. And I don't think it would work as well for something that lacks Social Links.

Vauron
2013-06-05, 09:01 PM
I've heard that Magical Burst works pretty well for a Persona style game, but I suspect that you are looking more for Lucifer's Call than an Innocent Sin.

As to Otogi's attempt (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178455), my understanding is nothing ever came of it. Looking back, I think Otogi bit off more than he could chew by trying to cover all different types of SMT protagonists, from the Demifiend to Raido to Abel.

Tengu_temp
2013-06-05, 09:07 PM
Boring predictable answer: Mutants and Masterminds. The Mecha and Manga splat even has rules for mons, which is pretty much what SMT is.

tyckspoon
2013-06-06, 12:16 AM
If you want something that will cover all varietals of SMT, Mutants & Masterminds and BESM should be able to cover them with reasonable grace. If you have a specific SMT game you want to try and evoke (they all have different themes, tones, and mechanics) there's probably a game somewhere out there that will do that particular one better but struggle if you tried to apply it to something else... the modern Persona games, for example, are definitely missing something if you try to use them in a system that doesn't support the importance of social connections.

Mewtarthio
2013-06-06, 12:31 AM
I believe that Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine lists the Persona games as one of its inspirations. It's not out yet, but Kickstarter backers get access to the working draft.

Axinian
2013-06-06, 12:52 AM
If you want something that will cover all varietals of SMT, Mutants & Masterminds and BESM should be able to cover them with reasonable grace. If you have a specific SMT game you want to try and evoke (they all have different themes, tones, and mechanics) there's probably a game somewhere out there that will do that particular one better but struggle if you tried to apply it to something else... the modern Persona games, for example, are definitely missing something if you try to use them in a system that doesn't support the importance of social connections.

Pathfinder just released Ultimate Campaign, which contains loose rules for maintaining and advancing relationships of various kinds, and gives minor mechanical benefits for doing so.

I have no idea how well the system works in practice, but when I first saw it all I could think was OMG SOCIAL LINKS!! I ARE HAPPY!!

Masaioh
2013-06-06, 01:13 AM
I've heard that Magical Burst works pretty well for a Persona style game, but I suspect that you are looking more for Lucifer's Call than an Innocent Sin.

As to Otogi's attempt (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178455), my understanding is nothing ever came of it. Looking back, I think Otogi bit off more than he could chew by trying to cover all different types of SMT protagonists, from the Demifiend to Raido to Abel.
I have no knowledge or experience in regards to the Persona series. I was referring more to the classic cyberpunk mons setup. An emphasis on Devil Survivor 1-2 would be ideal.

Boring predictable answer: Mutants and Masterminds. The Mecha and Manga splat even has rules for mons, which is pretty much what SMT is.

Likewise, I have no knowledge/experience in regards to the M&M system. It's made for superheroes, right?

Arbane
2013-06-06, 02:36 AM
I believe there's a pen-and-paper Shin Megami Tensei RPG in Japan, but I don't think anyone's tried to translate it yet.


Likewise, I have no knowledge/experience in regards to the M&M system. It's made for superheroes, right?

Pretty much, yeah. Fortunately, any good superhero game HAS to be a generic system, and M&M should be able to do a decent job of translating the crazier powers in SMT.

Terraoblivion
2013-06-06, 07:59 AM
I believe that Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine lists the Persona games as one of its inspirations. It's not out yet, but Kickstarter backers get access to the working draft.

It does. Not just that, reading the working draft makes it seem like quite an amazing system very well suited to the kind of abstract emotional representation and slow sorting of problems that Persona is all about. That said, it doesn't go much into the gritty aspect of things like fusing personas or fighting.

The Dark Fiddler
2013-06-06, 04:40 PM
I believe there's a pen-and-paper Shin Megami Tensei RPG in Japan, but I don't think anyone's tried to translate it yet.

That surprises me, I thought SMT had one of the more dedicated fanbases out there.

Masaioh
2013-06-06, 10:29 PM
Well, then, it appears that I will have to create my own RPG system. Listing all the demons I need now. If this goes anywhere I may make a thread in the Homebrew section.

Mewtarthio
2013-06-07, 01:01 AM
You could try FATE Core. Here's a quick hack I just made up (based mostly off Camelot Trigger):


Combat skills should be renamed to emphasize tactics
Demons are basically summonable stunts
While a demon is summoned and active, it aids you and gives you the benefit of its particular stunt
Demons can be sacrificed to absorb two incoming shifts of damage each; this prevents them from being summoned for the rest of the chapter
If you succeed with style on an attack, you may sacrifice two shifts of damage to banish a demon for the rest of the scene
This obviously works best if everybody can summon demons; if you suspect this won't be the case, you can make Demon Summoning an extra that costs [max number of demons that can be active at once] refresh


Adjust the numbers to taste.

Haven
2013-06-07, 04:09 PM
Boring predictable answer: Mutants and Masterminds. The Mecha and Manga splat even has rules for mons, which is pretty much what SMT is.

Mutants and Masterminds is actually a really good system for this. For whoever in the cast is using the wild card you can just build that as a container with a bunch of alternate powers (meaning each persona effectively only costs 1 power point so long as you only use one at a time, which makes it a lot easier to have a bunch of them than most systems would make that).

Also, the various vulnerabilities or immunities are easier to purchase than they would be in most systems.

While there's no particular "social link" mechanic, it wouldn't be too hard to make a system for that: if using alternate powers to represent the personae, then you could have social link rank-ups (handled by roleplaying and a few skill checks) give the wild carder one power point that has to be spent on a persona AP (with a descriptor of the appropriate arcana). If the person they're social linking with is another PC, that PC gets a feat: Interpose at rank 1, a modified Takedown Attack at rank 3, Leadership at rank 5 [and I guess Luck at rank 7?], Second Chance [saves vs. anything that would make them unconscious, limited to once per encounter], at rank 9. Max rank could be a flat out power level increase and the chance to respec, but it wouldn't be easy to achieve.

I just finished Persona 4 the other night, and I actually kind of want to try this now.

edit: I should probably add I'm talking about second edition M&M, here. I'm not really familiar with 3rd.

Masaioh
2013-06-07, 06:08 PM
Mutants and Masterminds is actually a really good system for this. For whoever in the cast is using the wild card you can just build that as a container with a bunch of alternate powers (meaning each persona effectively only costs 1 power point so long as you only use one at a time, which makes it a lot easier to have a bunch of them than most systems would make that).

Also, the various vulnerabilities or immunities are easier to purchase than they would be in most systems.

While there's no particular "social link" mechanic, it wouldn't be too hard to make a system for that: if using alternate powers to represent the personae, then you could have social link rank-ups (handled by roleplaying and a few skill checks) give the wild carder one power point that has to be spent on a persona AP (with a descriptor of the appropriate arcana). If the person they're social linking with is another PC, that PC gets a feat: Interpose at rank 1, a modified Takedown Attack at rank 3, Leadership at rank 5 [and I guess Luck at rank 7?], Second Chance [saves vs. anything that would make them unconscious, limited to once per encounter], at rank 9. Max rank could be a flat out power level increase and the chance to respec, but it wouldn't be easy to achieve.

I just finished Persona 4 the other night, and I actually kind of want to try this now.

By all means, go ahead. I have never played Persona before, and I don't think I have access to M&M rules.

Grinner
2013-06-07, 06:16 PM
By all means, go ahead. I have never played Persona before, and I don't think I have access to M&M rules.

Or do you?! (http://www.d20herosrd.com/)

Masaioh
2013-06-07, 10:59 PM
Or do you?! (http://www.d20herosrd.com/)

Reading through it and I don't understand how to calculate movement speed.

tyckspoon
2013-06-08, 12:38 AM
Reading through it and I don't understand how to calculate movement speed.

http://www.d20herosrd.com/home/ranks-and-measures The Distance column that matches your Speed rank is your movement rate per round. Speed is usually 0 unless you have a power effect that increases it (you can also make an Athletics skill check to increase your Speed for a round.)

Asmodai
2013-06-09, 10:25 AM
Which one? The main series? Persona? Devil Survivor?

I got no idea, it's not out yet. It should be soon enough :)

Tamaki Kuzunoha
2014-02-13, 03:26 AM
seeing is how Atlus USA forum as been taken down i guess i post here. there has been a few attempts at a SMT RPG, but nothing worth while. I'm currently working on one but its been post Alpha for a year. its set in post-apocalyptia, and yes their is a Persona class. I'm having a hard time to designing a basic battle system that does not feel to mush like D&D, while keeping to the flavor of SMT highly mathematical based system allot to do with percents and ranges and dealing with the XYZ grids. and dealing with real life with work and activism.

once i get a good alpha I'll probable make a blog spot and make the project more open source; or **** it, keep working on it my self and sell the idea to to Atlus. ....ah moral decisions

Milo v3
2014-02-13, 09:18 PM
I think of one the nWoD lines was based on persona, that gives you a manifestation of death thing inside your head that gives you elemental powers and has creatures that only the players can see or fight.

EDIT: Also, somewhere on the PTA forum, there is a persona ruleset for either PTA or PTU (Don't remember which).

Tengu_temp
2014-02-13, 09:26 PM
I think of one the nWoD lines was based on persona, that gives you a manifestation of death thing inside your head that gives you elemental powers and has creatures that only the players can see or fight.

Geist. There are several big similiarities between it and Persona, but there are also several big differences, and I'm pretty certain the similarities are accidental rather than intentional.

Also, thread necromancy.

Milo v3
2014-02-13, 09:32 PM
Geist. There are several big similiarities between it and Persona, but there are also several big differences, and I'm pretty certain the similarities are accidental rather than intentional.

Also, thread necromancy.

Ah, didn't notice since it was on the main page.

Though, if I remember correctly. That gameline specifically states Persona 3 as a main inspiration in one of it's first few pages.

Tengu_temp
2014-02-13, 09:49 PM
Really? Well, that's nice to hear, then!

Still, there are differences. But if you want to run a WoD Persona game, it's a decent baseline.

S@tanicoaldo
2014-02-14, 10:40 AM
You mean real SMT or persona?