Of all the Gin joints in all the towns in all the world.

[TheThan]

I’ve had the idea to do a “where in the world is Carmen Sandiego” RPG game for some time now. The problem I’ve had is that I haven’t really come up with a system to use or even a style to go by. Well after rolling it around in my head for a while I’ve come to realize that if you strip away the pretty colors, the wonderful music and the geography questions, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego” is effectively a film noir.

I mean just look at it, we have the players playing the role of the hardboiled detective (or group as the case may be) trying to capture a notorious thief as she springs daring and complicated capers. Carmen herself plays the role of the notorious thief and the role of the femme fatal that’s somehow caught up in the plot, primarily by providing clues to her next big caper. Plus if you’ve ever watched the show, you may have noticed everyone save the contestants actually dress in 40s style clothing. So we have most of the elements that make up a noir film.

I’ve been told that running a “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego”, RPG sounds too silly to take seriously. But I figure, it can be done, and done well. With a little bit of imagination and a dash of effort it’d be pretty awesome.

Now that I have a style to focus on, I need a system. I’ve toyed with D20 modern, and while it could work, I think there’s probably a better system out there. I’ve been considering the FATE or FUDGE systems but I’m not sure on that. Are there even any film noir systems out there? I’m aware that most of it is atmosphere, I’m confident I can handle that, so I’m looking for a system that lends itself well to that atmosphere. Does anyone have any suggestions for a system? Or any general ideas or advice for such a game? I’m not exactly well versed in this genre of fiction.

[Another_Poet]

What you want is Secrets & Lies.

So, so good.

[mint]

Take a look at Spirit of the Century. It is very pulpy and the way you create your characters can make the game a good noir fit.
For any detective style game, the ring master should keep the three clue rule in mind.

[TheThan]

I have spirit of the century, and i was heavily considering using it. I may very well go that route with it. I was wondering if there were any other options available though.

[beyond reality]

If you go for it I say keep carmen's amazing abilities completely intact and played straight within the world: She's possibly the most dangerous individual in the entire world. Almost a trickster goddess, she can rearrange the landscape (stealing mountain passes for instance) or even steal language itself.

[Kaun]

I had a friend run a similar thing in oWoD it was obviously a bit darker and it was fun but we never finished it.

Just remember if your going to run this live by the Three clue rule

[flumphy]

I second the recommendation for Spirit of the Century. Stuff like this is basically what it was built for.

Make sure it's easier for the players to win than the original computer game, though. Man, I swear I spent longer beating that shortish game as a kid than a lot of modern series...

[OracleofWuffing]

Make sure it's easier for the players to win than the original computer game, though. Man, I swear I spent longer beating that shortish game as a kid than a lot of modern series...

You would be quite disappointed how (spoiler) easy the game is in a post-wikipedia world.

Come to think of it, there was a Where in the World Cartoon Series, that I believe got released on DVD. If you could watch an episode or two, it could give you a few pointers on how to make tracking down the perp an adventure.

[TheThan]

The cartoon is “where on earth is Carmen Sandiego” which was an ok show, the opening song wasn’t as good as the original TV game show. Sadly I never really got to play the computer games. They also did a spinoff of the game show called “where in time is Carmen Sandiego” but we don’t talk about that (yeah was pretty bad).

As of right now I’m going to set Carmen up with a crew of fellow felons (sorry couldn’t resist) to act as her minions. I’ve got a computer hacker, a fighter (provides Physical Security) a con artist, and a thief. If you’ve ever seen the TV show Leverage, it’s a similar setup, Carmen is the mastermind behind the operation. All of which are going to act as mini-bosses before they take on Carmen herself.

In this game, Carmen’s motivation isn’t greed. She steals things for the challenge of stealing them. It’s a game to her, and the players are her opponents.

[OracleofWuffing]

Well, let's be honest here, the original game show had one of the best theme songs ever.

Here's a couple of Carmen's partners in crime from the game I have readily available. It's not as over the top as the game show was, there's no conjoined twins, outer space aliens, or ROBOCROOK, but I figure the information can't hurt.

• Sven Galli
• Gypsy Rose Lasagna
• BBD O'Brien
• Sheriff Paul Drive
• Ken Hartley Reed
• Titus Canby
• Mylar Naugahyde
• Brenda & Cobina Vanderbelt
• Karl La Fong
• Polly Esther Fabrique
• Heidi Gosikh
• Venus H. Pencil
• Wendy Pauper
• Alexander Graham Edison
• Benjamin Hana

[Ason]

There's also a James Bond rpg system that might work. I've never played it myself (have really wanted to, however), but it seems like a good setup for an intrigue/spying game, which might work for your gumshoes. I think you can legally access the pdfs online for free, but don't quote me on that. Google is your friend in this matter, I guess.