PDA

View Full Version : DM Help Attack on the Shadow of the Titian Colossus Campeign



DoomHat
2014-12-11, 06:12 AM
Here's a wacky idea that I think would be a lot of fun!

How would you guys implement a game where-in the only monsters are Kaiju of some description? Outside the occasional NPC with goals that conflict with those of the heroes, the absolute smallest monsters would be D&D Large.

What system would you use? What sort of equipment and or abilities would you let the players have by default? How would you set up the battle map? Would it be feasible to treat parts of enemy anatomy as terrain?

I look forward to your feedback!:smallsmile:

Laughingmanlol
2014-12-11, 12:53 PM
An Attack on Titan mod of FATE exists, called Titan World (https://data.archive.moe/board/tg/image/1379/26/1379261469384.pdf).
I personally prefer my kaiju-killing Pacific Rim/Evangelion style, so Adeptus Evangelion would be my first choice.

CarpeGuitarrem
2014-12-11, 01:59 PM
An Attack on Titan mod of FATE exists, called Titan World (https://data.archive.moe/board/tg/image/1379/26/1379261469384.pdf).
Point: it takes a thing or two from Fate, but it's primarily a mod of Apocalypse World. Not that it makes much of a difference, it's still pretty tightly put together.

You really have to work out what sort of feel you want from the game. Shadow of the Colossus is compelling because each enemy is practically an entire environment that you have to figure out. It's also compelling because it tests your reflexes and platforming abilities, which are two things that aren't so relevant in tabletop RPGs. Of course, Shadow of the Colossus also has a pretty harsh failure state where you have to basically restart the boss if you fall off.

DoomHat
2014-12-11, 05:11 PM
You really have to work out what sort of feel you want from the game. Shadow of the Colossus is compelling because each enemy is practically an entire environment that you have to figure out. It's also compelling because it tests your reflexes and platforming abilities, which are two things that aren't so relevant in tabletop RPGs. Of course, Shadow of the Colossus also has a pretty harsh failure state where you have to basically restart the boss if you fall off.

Each Colossus is also a puzzle don't forget! Titans in 'Attack on Titan' also come in a wide variety of shapes and capabilities, thus requiring skill and creative use of the combat environment to dispatch.

So I'm basically looking for a game in which the monster not only takes up a significant part of the map, but in fact, is itself a part of the navigable terrain. Also, I want part of the challenge of each fight to be less straightforward then, "hit it with sticks until it falls over".

This is not to say I'm strictly limiting myself to games that REQUIRE mini's combat, but even with a more narrative game system I'll use a map to illustrate scale and environment.

Metahuman1
2014-12-11, 05:38 PM
Mutants and Masterminds works well for this. As well as pretty much everything else. Might have to use a house rule or two and make sure to set it to a higher power level.

Personally, I'm much more a fan of being Giant Robot Pilots or Kaju or growth themed Hero's and having giant on giant fights myself. But M&M could still do a Colossus Climb game.

DoomHat
2014-12-12, 08:37 PM
My concern with giant robots and Ultraman style superpowers for everyone in the party is that the scale of the fight is suddenly rendered meaningless. The fights become little or no different then the usual 1-1 scale struggles with but with an alternate coat of paint.

Is no one else interested in a swashbuckling underdog fight against legendary giants?

Metahuman1
2014-12-12, 09:30 PM
AoT kinda made it so I'll never be able to look at that concept and not see nothing but excessive gory pretentious grimdarkness for the sake of excessive gory pretentious grimdarkness.

DoomHat
2014-12-13, 01:32 PM
What if it looked more like this...
https://40.media.tumblr.com/d4a2ee66eaba119130a593d56d549057/tumblr_msk5wlRI0Z1riy8svo3_500.jpg
or this http://www.siliconera.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/0035.jpg

Or more likely this...
http://media.techeblog.com/images/steampunk-art.jpg

Hazrond
2014-12-13, 02:30 PM
What if it looked more like this...
https://40.media.tumblr.com/d4a2ee66eaba119130a593d56d549057/tumblr_msk5wlRI0Z1riy8svo3_500.jpg
or this http://www.siliconera.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/0035.jpg

Or more likely this...
http://media.techeblog.com/images/steampunk-art.jpg

that last image is quite funny :smallbiggrin:

Metahuman1
2014-12-13, 02:38 PM
If both the DM and the players could be trusted to stick to that, sure. Hell, I'd even settle for something like what we had int RWBY Ep 8 with the Nevermore. (Giant Bird Thing. Watch the ep. It's awesome.)

Problem being that Titan is so freaking obnoxiously popular, that's not gonna happen. SOMEONE is gonna want 3dmanuvering gear, and then it's just obligatory to set the tone to follow. Or someone is gonna play that first opening theme song. Or make that stupid grim reminder quote. Something.


If I trusted the party and GM to keep to it, sure. I'd have to know for a fact that I'm playing with the other 11 or so souls on the planet who don't like the show though to have any confidence in that.

CarpeGuitarrem
2014-12-13, 04:00 PM
Yes, we get the point. :smallsmile: I think you've made it pretty clearly.

GorinichSerpant
2014-12-13, 11:16 PM
An option is to instead of making the monsters big, make the heroes small. Like In Terry Pratchett's book "Truckers", where the all the characters are tiny nomes.

Metahuman1
2014-12-14, 12:52 AM
Thats also a though.

CavemanDan
2014-12-15, 07:14 AM
I can't help much mechanics-wise but one of the main differences you'd have thematically in this campaign is that monsters wouldn't be something that you'd just run into every 5 minutes with loads of carbon copies of them to hack your way through.

You could treat them a lot more like monsters usually are in mythology: incredibly scary things that are one of a kind. So you wouldn't have hydras but The Hydra, not chimeras but The Chimera. Each of your monsters would have a chance to have personality of a kind. Think of your example of Shadow of the Colossus - there's only 16 of the things knocking around but each of them are very different from the others and even the ones that are similar have different problems to overcome to beat them.

For a campaign you'd have to consider why these creatures haven't just rampaged through civilisation whenever they feel like it. Do you have a way of keeping them out like magical barriers, fantastical terrains or mountainous walls (as in Attack on Titan)? Are they only in a special place that your characters are forced to go to (like in Shadow of the Colossus)? Or maybe they're not aggressive or only interact with each other (ignoring the two legged ants that keep running away from them). Or maybe they have destroyed civilisation and your setting's a lot more primitive and desperate.

Just had a thought rules-wise that might sound a bit left field but, have you ever seen the Mouse Guard RPG setting?

I only ask because it's an RPG where all the PC's are Mice (hence the name) that have medieval technology and guard (on a roll with this name thing) the rest of the mouse territories from titanic monsters such as snakes, owls and foxes. Unless you're fighting other mice, everything you encounter is bigger than you and a lot of the time you can't kill them by yourself and instead have to drive them off, placate them, set up elaborate traps, lead an army against something like a badger or BLIND THEM WITH SCIENCE!

It would be quite easy to re-skin the mice as human sized creatures and all the other animals as various monsters with different abilities and skills. It also allows you to have intrigue, arguments and betrayals with/from all the other mice in the territories because what kind of setting would it be if everyone got along? :smallbiggrin:

Let us know if your group manages to have a go with this idea, it'd be great to see what happens in practise.

Doorhandle
2014-12-16, 04:29 AM
Mechanics-wise, I'd put a lot more emphasis on called shots and ongoing wounds for big opponents. They should seek victory over one leg at a time. :smallcool: Likewise, you should bring a cursory thought to how you're going to rule people riding on or even climbing IN such creatures: murdering beasts from the inside is a time honoured tradition.

I think the Awesome System (http://www.sharkpunchstudios.com/)had some rules for a "giantslayer" attack: there was a certain location on each creature, that, if struck, does about 5x damage and ignores armour: obviously a concern for both SOTC and AoT. (I'd suggest stealing and idea or to from god of war as well, and it still fits.)
Look at it's initiative system as well: It's quite unique.

Also consider taking a page out of Mutants and Masterminds: Anything sufficiently big hits an area with all it's attacks, necessitating dodge rolls.

Plus maybe have a dodge mechanic, where players can use an immediate action to dive out the way, moving their characters early and allowing them to move out of AOEs, in return for loosing some actions on their next turn.