What's your favorite modern setting theme?

[Elmoserpe]

Asking more or less out of curiosity, what's your favorite type of theme in a modern setting? Do you prefer horror games, crime dramas, investigation games, war-themed games, ecc. ? And what is that sparks your interest in that type of theme?
Let me know, i could also use the answers as personal """research data""".

[valuedmember]

I only played in "classic" fantasy worlds when playing pen and paper but really like horror-themed all-myths-are-true conspiracy-theory-steeped modern world settings. Think something like the world of The Secret World MMO for example. I guess you could call it "Shotguns, Swords and Sorcery".

[Pleh]

Never played modern setting tabletop, but I'm reminded of Assassin's Creed with Desmond's meta arc. I would describe it as, "grand conspiracy." I guess that falls under "investigation" but it follows that theme more loosely. It's less about *what* is going on and more about *how* which frees the heroes up from the granular investigating to spend more time doing thrilling heroics while leaving room for dramatic plot twists.

[martixy]

What exactly counts as a "modern setting" anyway?

Like, does the Dresden Files universe count? Cuz that's about the only piece of entertainment(in the form of books, not gaming) that comes even remotely close, that I've participated in recently...

[Hears You]

Modern farytale, games like Changeling or Folklore, a lot of Mage games can come too. The whole hidden world aspect and the stories they lean on for inspiration lean into both horror and mystery.

Generally speaking the thing I like most in modern settings is exploring interpersonal drama with people not unlike myself, then having them pushed into stories and environments that are unlike anything I could experience. The fantastic elements hopefully get to reinforce the drama and work as surrealist interpretations of the characters goals and motivations. I'm a fan of magical realism.

[Elmoserpe]

What exactly counts as a "modern setting" anyway?

Like, does the Dresden Files universe count? Cuz that's about the only piece of entertainment(in the form of books, not gaming) that comes even remotely close, that I've participated in recently...

I personally refer to modern as something set in modern age, like from the cold war to today. I don't know about Dresden Files, but if the characters in that world can, like, drive a car in a real world metropolis, then that's a modern setting. As i said, at least to me.

[Quertus]

Hmmm... I play mages. So, I suppose, a modern setting with PC mages - Mage the Ascension, Dresden Files, D&D (yes, in most editions I've played, they can get here), Scion, or even superhero games, etc.

As to what I'd want to be doing? Ideally, changing the world, or exploring the strange magical things which may or may not be hidden from the eyes of the unenlightened.

[tensai_oni]

Vaguely animesque superpowered teenagers/young adults.

[Red Bear]

I like low-magic supernatural investigators vigilantes with conspiracy theories

[Knaight]

Buddy cop comedy. It's such a dumb genre, but it's just so fun with a group of three people.

[martixy]

I personally refer to modern as something set in modern age, like from the cold war to today. I don't know about Dresden Files, but if the characters in that world can, like, drive a car in a real world metropolis, then that's a modern setting. As i said, at least to me.

The Dresden Files universe is set in modern day, technically. Except there's also magic.
It's basically noir/detective stories but with MAGIC. Cuz magic makes everything better.

There is a Fate-based RPG set in the universe as well.

So, that. Tied with the setting of the Chronicles of Amber. Which is really kind of hard to explain. It's weird, go read the wiki, skipping the plot summaries if you have not/ever intend to read them.

Modern age isn't really interesting, unless there's a twist. I like my twist in the magic/hidden world variety.

[Yora]

The most modernish setting I like is post-cyberpunk (cyber, but no longer punk). Which I guess makes police and conspiracy the main theme.

But only with cyborgs and infrared sensors. Otherwise I'm not interested.

[Anonymouswizard]

I think my favourite is anti-cosmic horror (the anti is only on the cosmic), where the horror is knowable and that in itself is scary. I also have a thing for spy-style games, especially gritty ones, occult, and throw in a bit of conspiracy.

Is it a surprise that my favourite RPG at the moment is Unknown Armies?

I actually find modern settings a lot more enjoyable than pseudomedieval type ones. Throw in a bit of occult magic and you're generally good to go.

Modern farytale, games like Changeling or Folklore, a lot of Mage games can come too. The whole hidden world aspect and the stories they lean on for inspiration lean into both horror and mystery.

I'm kind of torn on Mage, especially Ascension. On the one hand I like it's ideas, but I just find that Unknown Armies did most of them much better. Sure, you lose out on the massive magical factions, but the lack of those works in UA's favour and the latest edition weakened most of the setting's big hitters. But Unknown Armies and it's Adepts always felt like it got paradigm magic right, where you get your power because you're so utterly obsessed with something that reality will just sit down and shut up.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Basically James Bond.

Some form of greater conflict, be it an international mystery, political scheming or just a plain criminal war. An emphasis on cool skills, be it social manipulation and playing cards or cat-burgling or blowing stuff up. And plenty of action, using the less lethal weapons of the fictional modern arsenal, so anything up to pistols really.

Although I still have a project laying around for a game with more emphasis on vehicles and extreme sports. If I even get that to work well it would be really cool too. And it combines decently with the above.

[Cluedrew]

I have only played two modern systems. One was a crime story with no twists and the other was based on vs. nature where nature was back and ready for round two. Despite really large and dangerous animal acting like law enforcement at times (don't get caught) I found the second more open. Had more interesting characters with more interesting motivations.

[Dawgmoah]

I've used D20 Modern over the years to create situations like, a zombie apocalypse, a UFO crash with the party looking for clues, genetics at play to the tune of Jurassic Park, and time travel to try and set wrongs in the past right if possible, to name a few.

[Concrete]

Rural settings, where modern technology and communication butts up against wilderness, distance, and darkness, showing the hard limitations of it in such a way that it almost starts to feel like a weakness.

If the threat is real or supernatural doesn't make much of a difference, because in the darkness it is simply the great and terrifying Other, which, no matter how well prepared you are, has the homefield advantage. Even if you are native to it, you are still at the mercy of all that which makes humans just another animal.

[The Jack]

Oh, WoD without any reasonable doubt is my jam.
It's nice to get satiric. IE big oil is really out to destroy the world, the rich are literally trying to eat eachother...

I think they get it wrong on occasion. Earlier editions had a few bits that stood out as off, but 4th veers of the rails a few too many times, the result of barely-monitored freelancers and a few "progressive" writers putting their own wish fulfillment into a setting that doesn't warrant them.
5th edition... well, that's the result of a fundamental misunderstanding of what the setting is and should be. Among other things, It's actively partisan in a way that disgusts me; you need to show that something's bad, you don't tell them that you think it's bad. Satire is not a difficult concept.