Shin Megami Tensei/Persona RPG?

[Otogi]

Anyone know a good tabletop adaptions of any of the Shin Megami Tensei games (or a good system and way to play them in)? I'm thinking about adapting one of the Final Fantasy RPGs, but what do you guys think?

[dethkruzer]

Aah, Shin Megami Tensei, love those games. anyway, I'm not sure if the Final Fantasy RPGs will work, it really depends what game you want it based of on. Let's take the Persona series for example: The game would need seperate mechanics for personae, and there probably wouldn't be too many player classes, seeing everyonr will most likely be a persona-user/Wild Card.

As another example: the Digital Devil Saga (Also known as Avatar Tuner) Would probably have more classes, no need for the above-mentioned persona-mechanics, and should probably include some kind of system for creating you're own personal demon avatar.

[Felirc]

Check out the Geist quickstart from White-Wolf. I haven't purchased the book yet, but from what I saw of the quickstart, it looks like the perfect system to try and adapt to Persona.

As for the other versions, I'd be inclined to say, "go with a generic system". So, BESM, Fate, GURPS, I think Risus is a generic, and there are a few others (tri-stat dX being a free version of BESM 2e, etc). Really though, I immediately thought of Persona when I read the quickstart, and that seems to be what you're looking for. Granted, it would take some re-fluffing, and a little bit of mechanics changes, but I think it would be a good place to start.

Edit:As an alternative, if you just want something "Megaten like", I might recommend Werewolf the Forsaken. Granted, you're not playing, or even fighting, demons, but thematically, a lot of the ideas of Persona could be ported over very well. Everything from the spirit world, to the characters needing to group up just to survive, is actually very well played out with the system. I've actually been planning on doing a Werewolf game inspired by Persona and Higurashi no naku koro ni, but I've been a little busy to actually put in the work. =P

-Felirc-

[Mr.Moron]

Check out the Geist quickstart from White-Wolf. I haven't purchased the book yet, but from what I saw of the quickstart, it looks like the perfect system to try and adapt to Persona.

Given the fact the book itself actually references Persona 3 as sources for players to draw inspiration from, it's not that big a stretch. It'd need some major tweaks for sure, but I can see the WoD system in general working for this.

That said, I feel pretty strongly that PCs should not be "Wild Cards". That's a very special status that should be reserved for Canon characters.

[Drascin]

Well, for standard Shin Megami Tensei series, as in, demon tamig and stuff, M&M would work wonders, especially with the Pet additions in Mecha&Manga. I've been actually figuring out mechanics and all that, and it'd be really simple.

[Morph Bark]

For the FF side of your questions, a quick search gives quite a few adaptations for DnD.

I couldn't find Zeta-Kai's FFX homebrew so quickly, but it is also somewhere in the Homebrew board.

[Galileo]

Personally, I've been trying to use the Eidolon Binder class to create a Persona User/ Digimon Tamer. It's still mostly unfinished, though, and the point system is kinda peculiar.

I reckon a Wild Card class could go side by side with characters limited to a single/few Persona, though. Like in the games, the Wild Card's Personae develop considerably slower than everyone else's.

[Otogi]

I reckon a Wild Card class could go side by side with characters limited to a single/few Persona, though. Like in the games, the Wild Card's Personae develop considerably slower than everyone else's.

Any idea on how much? Maybe .75%? 60%?

[Oracle_Hunter]

Though I only loosely know the Persona series, I'm pretty sure Bliss Stage can be refluffed to fit any empathic mecha series.

Among its inspiration were dating sims much like Shin Megami Tensei

[tonberrian]

Any idea on how much? Maybe .75%? 60%?

Judging by P3(FES), it depends on the ratio between Persona and MC level - a low level Persona on a high level MC gets much more experience than the MC himself, while the MC gets more experienc than Persona that exceed his level.

I'm fairly certain that the MC requires less experience to level up than his persona do at the same level.

[Gensh]

Given the fact the book itself actually references Persona 3 as sources for players to draw inspiration from, it's not that big a stretch. It'd need some major tweaks for sure, but I can see the WoD system in general working for this.

Interestingly, the last thread on this was leaning towards Exalted, especially an Alchemicals game, so it looks like a lot of people like the idea of using that sort of system for it. Of course, the most common and probably easiest one to use is Mutants and Masterminds, just because it was (if you stretch the terms) designed for this. A few years back, I wrote up some Gurps meta-traits but the less is said about those, the better. I also started on a homebrew system for it a year or two ago but got bored and quit eventually. It's nowhere near finished, and the balance isn't pretty, but the skeleton of it could be used by someone else.

That said, I feel pretty strongly that PCs should not be "Wild Cards". That's a very special status that should be reserved for Canon characters.

Really, Wild Card isn't something world-shakingly special. In fact, the entire party had it in Persona 2, and one character even transferred her entire Persona ability to someone else. All that it represents is a deep-rooted uncertainty in the character. Of course, not all characters are angsty teenagers, so it should be some sort of theurge class in most cases. Of course, if you're doing a game modeled after any of the other games in the family, it's a moot point because everybody summons multiple demons.

[Drascin]

Though I only loosely know the Persona series, I'm pretty sure Bliss Stage can be refluffed to fit any empathic mecha series.

Among its inspiration were dating sims much like Shin Megami Tensei

Oh, no, SMT is nothing like a dating sim. You might find some similarities of such sims with the Persona series, squinting a bit, but SMT is... well, if you'd have to call it something, you could call a darkened Pokémon if anything .

[Oracle_Hunter]

Oh, no, SMT is nothing like a dating sim. You might find some similarities of such sims with the Persona series, squinting a bit, but SMT is... well, if you'd have to call it something, you could call a darkened Pokémon if anything .

Shoot, I was thinking of something different entirely

[Otogi]

Interestingly, the last thread on this was leaning towards Exalted, especially an Alchemicals game, so it looks like a lot of people like the idea of using that sort of system for it. Of course, the most common and probably easiest one to use is Mutants and Masterminds, just because it was (if you stretch the terms) designed for this. A few years back, I wrote up some Gurps meta-traits but the less is said about those, the better. I also started on a homebrew system for it a year or two ago but got bored and quit eventually. It's nowhere near finished, and the balance isn't pretty, but the skeleton of it could be used by someone else.

Huh. I wonder if there would be room for Summoners and Atma Avatars...