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View Full Version : What system would you use for Fallen London?



Acacia OnnaStik
2015-02-25, 05:01 AM
I don't have any firm plans to do this- yet- but I love this game and might want to set a tabletop game in its universe. Has anyone else done that? What would you use, and how would you adapt it?

TheCountAlucard
2015-02-25, 05:25 AM
You might give Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine a look. :smallsmile:

Talyn
2015-02-25, 08:12 AM
Fallen London's whole gimmick is that there are four "Attributes" which let you deal with the weird, wicked and wonderful Cthulhu-inspired Victoriana of Fallen London.

I'd say the FATE system would mesh best with capturing the feel of the web game.

Karl Aegis
2015-02-26, 10:46 AM
Seems like you could use Tenra Banso Zero with minor fluff changes to model it.

Friv
2015-02-26, 11:47 AM
I would definitely use mortal-level Chuubo's; it has the free-flowing skills, the use of Bonds and Afflictions to represent the low-level weirdness that you can easily acquire, and Miraculous arcs and powers to represent the more difficult and dangerous things of the Neath. It also has a resource-based system, which I think would portray exploring Fallen London better than a chance-based system would.

Fate could also work. You're going to want something pretty narrative, regardless.

Beleriphon
2015-02-26, 11:57 AM
I'm going to throw FATE into the ring a third time. It seems like just the thing to use for Fallen London.

Dazhbug
2015-02-27, 05:16 AM
If you want an actual system, I'll fourth FATE. If you just want to mess around in the setting? Skin Fallen London on top of Don't Rest Your Head.

TheCountAlucard
2015-02-27, 11:56 AM
Ooh, yeah, DRYH's a good system too - you might even make more tracks to represent suspicion, scandal, et cetera., in addition to the usual madness and exhaustion.

Geostationary
2015-03-02, 12:38 AM
Another advantage to Chuubo's is that someone's already done (http://retroactivebakeries.tumblr.com/post/103600656971/fallen-london-x-chuubos-characters-and-arcs) some (http://retroactivebakeries.tumblr.com/post/104360676596/fallen-london-x-chuubos-some-quests) write-ups (http://retroactivebakeries.tumblr.com/post/104963640376/fallen-london-x-chuubos-connection-quests) for (http://retroactivebakeries.tumblr.com/post/107184845811/fallen-london-x-chuubos-miraculous-characters) such (http://retroactivebakeries.tumblr.com/post/105140899006/fallen-london-x-chuubos-issues-of-menace) a thing.

kaoskonfety
2015-03-03, 11:15 PM
I was gonna link Jenna Moran's "Projects: A Manual of Ambition" - a Gothic Horror Project resolution system - the core premise of which is: the pursuit of our grand goals requires we step outside the safe or sane and this corrupts us. Physically mentally or spiritually, it eats you alive... it fits Fallen London like a silken glove.

The police officer investigating the ritual murders grows dark and sullen while in pursuit diving into the work... his morals fraying to seek out the killer, rules broken, lives shattered, personal life slowly going to shambles... till one day he looks back and realizes... he was the killer all along... Is this the truth or has he gone mad? Does it matter? He's holding the knife the killer used and already has figured out who the next victim will be... it will be perfect. *curtains*. It was grimdark-horrorwonder.

But I cannot find it on her public site where it was previously posted for free and I'm very hesitant to look for third party copies, mostly out of real respect for the work. But it was bloody brilliant and could be layered over almost any other system or get used stand alone.

CarpeGuitarrem
2015-03-03, 11:21 PM
I was gonna link Jenna Moran's "A Manual of Ambition" - a Gothic Horror Project resolution system - the core premise of which is: the pursuit of our grand goals requires we step outside the safe or sane and this corrupts us. Physically mentally or spiritually, it eats you alive... it fits Fallen London like a silken glove.

The police officer investigating the ritual murders grows dark and sullen while in pursuit diving into the work... his morals fraying to seek out the killer, rules broken, lives shattered, personal life slowly going to shambles... till one day he looks back and realizes... he was the killer all along... Is this the truth or has he gone mad? Does it matter? He's holding the knife the killer used and already has figured out who the next victim will be... it will be perfect. *curtains*. It was grimdark-horrorwonder.

But I cannot find it on her public site where it was previously posted for free and I'm very hesitant to look for third party copies, mostly out of real respect for the work. But it was bloody brilliant and could be layered over almost any other system or get used stand alone.
I bet she's reincorporated some of it into Chuubo's; it's got a lot of focus on how story arcs change and mold characters in very particular directions--you just have to pick the right tones.

kaoskonfety
2015-03-03, 11:34 PM
I bet she's reincorporated some of it into Chuubo's; it's got a lot of focus on how story arcs change and mold characters in very particular directions--you just have to pick the right tones.

I bears some resemblance to both Chuubo's and Nobilis 3rds advancement systems (and this resemblance may be why it was taken down), but neither of them have the urgent "you must take large risks to gain ground" risk/rewards/turn limit built in - in the standard 5 step project you were unlikely to hit stage 2 the same person, stage 3 sane, stage 4 human or stage 5... at all - not without drastically redefining "complete", "project", "human" or "sane". (i.e I can catch the killer because I AM THE KILLER!, my men will be free from the endless war in the cold of space, I'll kill them myself with fire!)

Adaptation could be done, but now I'm mostly sad I can't find Projects - I used it for an Exalted games "mad scientist" Solars' "limit" and it was GOLDEN.

Geostationary
2015-03-04, 02:14 AM
Yeah, A Manual of Ambition predates the Projects of Nobilis 3e and Chuubo's XP system and has its influence all up in them. If you ask around at the rpg.net Nobilis or Chuubo's threads you may be able to get a hold of a copy, and Jenna posts there with some frequency.

Though now you have me wanting it, because I have most of her other publicly released strange/brilliant rpgs.