31 Questions for Barking Alien - Question 9

Question #9 is another inquiry from my friend Andrew F. Rodriguez who asks...

Are there game settings that have yet to be explored?

Huh. Are there? Can there be? Honestly I'm not entirely sure, nor am I certain how one would know. Also, setting or genre? There will always be new settings so the answer there would automatically be yes. Genre is tougher.

I'm sure I haven't personally explored every possible setting that has ever been published, professionally or otherwise. A part of me, the part that originally powered my desire to try any and all new games as mentioned in my answer to Question 5, truly hopes so. 

For some reason I'm reminded of an observation I and others have made about Japanese Manga and Anime - none are unique but many are original.

Take Neon Genesis Evangelion for example. Basically when you boil it down its an 'Alien Invasion Mecha Show'. Aliens attack the Earth and we, the Humans, attempt to fight them off with giant robots built from confiscated/salvaged Alien technology. We've seen that a hundred times before and after Evangelion. Ideon, Macross, some of the Getta Robo series, and many more feature this premise. So why is NGE lauded as such an incredible series?

A) Because of the way the story is told.

B) because that's not what Evangelion is really about at all.

NGE is a study of character, consequences, and what lengths the Human mind will go to in order to deal with trauma. It is (as noted) not unique in its subject matter but original in the way it portrays it. It is a Mecha Anime setting but one very distinct from Mobile Suit Gundam, Five Star Stories, or Aura Battler Dunbine.

That right there is what I hope for when I check out a game setting I've never played before. I don't want yet another Fantasy Game setting that doesn't do anything interesting. I want a new or different take on a Fantasy RPG setting or one with a really distinct character.

All that said, here are some unusual RPG settings from Japan that aren't necessarily new (some are) but which you don't really see explored in the West. At the very least not all that often or that well.

Double Charger 44 is a futuristic racing game (America needs more cool racing games) akin to a roleplaying game set in the worlds of the F-Zero or WipeOut video game franchises. While not quite as expansive as my beloved Ōban Star-Racers, I could pulling a Space Opera racing game together without too much effort. 

Hallelujah Inferno is a game in which you play Demons in Hell trying to make the place a little more fun. Ignore that terrible reputation of eternal torture for your sins. It's great here! Go ahead and sin, we'll save you a seat at the casino's best blackjack table! Free all you can eat and drinks on the house! Very Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel. 

Kill Death Business (which I've mentioned before) has the PCs as contestants on Hell TV's most popular game show. Chase down truly wicked souls and renegade demons to win a spot in Heaven or even reincarnation back to the world of the living. 

Marshmellow Blood - A Cute & Violent RPG has to be one of the weirdest RPG concepts I've seen in a while. PCs are cartoon mascots similar to Japanese Moe characters or the practice of having Yuru-chara. They have 'The Jam', a little bit of evil in their hearts that enables them to pull pranks and make mischief in their otherwise peaceful, cutesy world. Unfortunately, some give in to their naughty aspects and start consuming more Jam to do bigger and badder things, eventually becoming monstrous Beasts. The PCs, who has just a little bit of bad in them, are the only ones who can stop the Beasts. The setting itself sounds a bit like a Studio Ghibli produced Adventure Time.

Star Rain Days in Meteor City is a game where the players play 'Observers', people who know the truth about their laid-back little city - it's actually a port for Alien travelers. A cozy, slice of life Science Fiction RPG. The setting has a very distinctive atmosphere, even though the GM and players are encouraged to build 'the city' as the campaign goes on. 

I'm postive there are a lot more settings to explore. I hope to discover as many as I can!

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