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View Full Version : DM Help Just another walk in the Jurassic Park



gom jabbarwocky
2015-01-19, 08:00 PM
For a long time I've been sitting on an idea for a Jurassic Park game. Since there's apparently a new movie coming out, at the very least it will be on some of my players minds, and, personally, I'm a big fan of the first movie (not so much the book, but that's neither here nor there).

In this case, the I'm thinking the PCs would be playing as the humans, not the dinosaurs, which might seem kind of obvious, but with some players, you never know. I'm thinking that for this game some dopes decided to try the whole thing again some 25 years later, so they plan to open Jurassic Park:Europe in the Azores. The tone of the game would be close to survival horror/action, like Call of Cthulhu without the insanity.

The big problem that I'm having is that if the PCs go to this island of cloned abominations, obviously something terrible is going to happen and the dinosaurs get lose and raise Cain, yadda yadda, life finds a way, and one or more of the PCs get devoured before everyone gets rescued. But I'm having trouble coming up with the crisis that sets everything off in such a way that it doesn't feel like a re-tread of the novel/movie. Corporate sabotage and a natural disaster are already covered. I want to capture the feel of Jurassic Park for this game, but I'd rather not use the game as an excuse to play through a fun movie when it would be less work and less time consuming just to watch it.

Has anyone else had any ideas along similar lines? I'd love to brainstorm some odd twists on the JP formula, and drum up a game that still has that original flavor without being a bland re-run.

J-H
2015-01-19, 08:39 PM
You could try having them go in after whatever has gone wrong has gone wrong, but that's already been done (The Lost World).

If they are sent in at any point after Stuff Hit The Fan, they don't really have to know or care what happened. They're just there to rescue the VIP diplomat, Billionaire's daughter, etc.

Solaris
2015-01-19, 08:50 PM
Sapient raptors plot a jailbreak and eat everybody?

I know corporate sabotage is out, but how about a group of eco-terrorists? They could do any number of stupid things to 'free' the dinosaurs and cause mayhem.

Silus
2015-01-19, 08:57 PM
Sapient raptors plot a jailbreak and eat everybody?

And now I'm thinking of Jurassic Park meets Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Honest Tiefling
2015-01-19, 09:11 PM
Well...I don't know how far from the movies you want, but what if the players are poachers? What if they are hired by rich people to protect them while they pew pew pew at the dinosaurs? Perhaps the disaster has already happened, and the place has been blocked off. Doesn't stop the safari/poachers, however!

It could also be that the project happened on the soil of a nation that would quite like their island BACK, thank you. The players are hired to exterminate the wildlife so they can either exploit a resource there or use the land to stimulate the economy.

Or, it could be that the dinosaurs have some sort of genetic thingymajiggy that scientists would love to poke at. They need some samples, however, and scientists are not known for their dinosaur fighting prowess. Enter the players, who have to get the samples to a landing pad within a short window and fend off any dinosaurs who felt a bit nippish to get the sample out to get their money.

Jay R
2015-01-22, 03:27 PM
Don't even mention the Jurassic Park idea to the players.

Have them roll up customs agents or Coast Guard, and then follow a boat of smugglers onto an island, where their boat is smashed in a storm. As they walk along a muddy road looking for help, they come across a broken, faded sign from twenty years ago.

It says, "Welcome to Jurassic Park."

redwizard007
2015-01-22, 04:26 PM
Don't even mention the Jurassic Park idea to the players.

Have them roll up customs agents or Coast Guard, and then follow a boat of smugglers onto an island, where their boat is smashed in a storm. As they walk along a muddy road looking for help, they come across a broken, faded sign from twenty years ago.

It says, "Welcome to Jurassic Park."

Nailed it.

You could even do this in a post apocalyptic campaign. Because, well... dinosaurs AND zombies/fallout/mole-flu are un-toppable! (without using dinosaurs AS zombies...)

Tarlek Flamehai
2015-01-22, 10:14 PM
You could take a look at this too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Land_That_Time_Forgot_%28novel%29