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View Full Version : Fairy Tales on the tabletop?



Silus
2015-01-19, 07:25 AM
No, not the anime.

So I've been sorta mentally kicking around this idea for a while now, and I'd kinda like some people to weigh in. General stuff mostly--good idea/bad idea, best system, foreseeable problems (be they mechanical or otherwise), that sorta thing.

ANYWHO the idea (probably done before but whatever) is that the PCs are playing some characters from fairy tales, fables, etc. and that, at least up until now, they and their predecessors have been more or less forced to "follow the story". Well, knowing the general attitude of PCs, there'll be a general "well nuts to that" and the characters will rebel against the roles assigned to them (which is the plan). Said rebellion sets events in motion that begins to unravel other, unrelated stories, like Prince Philip falling in battle to Dragon!Maleficent but surviving long enough to wake Sleeping Beauty who becomes a Self-Rescuing Princess/Dragon Hunter kinda thing.

Anyway, basic campaign goal would be to escape their stories and find a way "out" while outrunning the powers that be (Who or whatever those might be). For other-media reference kinda stuff, think if you mixed Ever After High, the Fairy Quest comics and the Fable comics.

Anyway, the concept isn't 100% ironed out (mostly I think 'cause it's like 6:30am and I can't quite brain right now), but I'm curious as to what ya'll'd think based off this...whatever.

Edit: While Fables and Ever After High are...fairly mainstream, I realize that Fairy Quest isn't so much, so here (http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Quest-Vol-1-Outlaws/dp/160886345X) is the Amazon page with a brief blurb and some reviews.

Grinner
2015-01-19, 08:13 AM
How devious. I like it. :smalltongue:

You may want to establish some idea of how the fairy tales might come undone beforehand, and you may also want to establish a protocol for keeping all of the details straight.

Also, have a plan in case the players don't behave as expected and more or less go along with the original fairy tale.

Because this is such a story-driven idea, a more narrative system might suit you better than something like D&D.

Khedrac
2015-01-19, 08:23 AM
You might also want to check out the "100 Kingdoms" novels by Mercedes Lackey. Although she doesn't take it anything like this far, one of the main characters (the Fairy Godmother Elena) is praised for using stories against themselves.
Also the setting might fit as background for what you want to do .

Silus
2015-01-19, 10:15 AM
How devious. I like it. :smalltongue:

You may want to establish some idea of how the fairy tales might come undone beforehand, and you may also want to establish a protocol for keeping all of the details straight.

Also, have a plan in case the players don't behave as expected and more or less go along with the original fairy tale.

Because this is such a story-driven idea, a more narrative system might suit you better than something like D&D.


You might also want to check out the "100 Kingdoms" novels by Mercedes Lackey. Although she doesn't take it anything like this far, one of the main characters (the Fairy Godmother Elena) is praised for using stories against themselves.
Also the setting might fit as background for what you want to do .

I was actually considering FATE for the system, both for its flexibility and because I actually have the book >.>

Lord Torath
2015-01-19, 04:06 PM
Consider which fairy tales you're going use, what roles will be filled by PCs, and how those tales will interact with each other - how will the PCs meet up? Into the Woods might be worth watching for ideas.

Honest Tiefling
2015-01-19, 04:12 PM
I have to ask, which body of tales are you going for? Because my first concern would be the players ganging up to steal a powerful artifact, or trying to seduce the first princess/prince they can. Or as many as they can.

Other then that, it does seem like an interesting idea, through I'd go more for the traditional stories (suffer party, suffer all of the versions of Cinderella there are! Mwahahahaha! No wait, they'd steal the fish) then modern adaptions.

Silus
2015-01-19, 06:43 PM
I have to ask, which body of tales are you going for? Because my first concern would be the players ganging up to steal a powerful artifact, or trying to seduce the first princess/prince they can. Or as many as they can.

Other then that, it does seem like an interesting idea, through I'd go more for the traditional stories (suffer party, suffer all of the versions of Cinderella there are! Mwahahahaha! No wait, they'd steal the fish) then modern adaptions.

I think if anything I'd start with whichever the PCs chose as their "home" stories and mostly stick to the more popular/Disney'fied fairy tales for the beginning--Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, etc. and start by playing them straight with a hearty dose of "Hahaha guys what are you doing get back on script hahaha" initially and then by the end send it spiraling into a barely recognizable grimdark-hole the more the player rebel/the closer they get to getting "out".

The idea of them "ruining" the fairy tales, like you suggested by way of stealing artifacts of mackin' on all the princesses/princes actually works. The fairy tales would have a very strict set of guidelines and such, rules that must be followed to maintain story cohesiveness. The PCs bucking those guidelines and going "off script" would be what starts the plot.

Tarlek Flamehai
2015-01-19, 10:01 PM
Some things that might interest you.

Fables the comic books/graphic novels.
Once Upon a Time the television show.
Into the Woods the movie.