Shardik the game?

0

Although I wasn't gripped by Shardik as a book, I did wonder from time to time if there was any mileage to it as a source for gaming?

I suspect there wasn't enough strikingly new stuff for an RPG (but maybe others differ?).

But I wondered a couple of times if there was a feasible board or table top game here? You have multiple competing factions and a range of different terrains to cross, so some strategy is possible. I suppose you could have something like Diplomacy or even Risk?

Any thoughts?

Comments

  • 1

    It think it's possible the book did play a role in inspiring some of the animism mechanics in Mythras because the authors mentioned being influenced to some degree. When I said I was going to read it, two members of my gaming club said 'oh, great book'. Now, likely they read it a long time ago and like others might not like it as much today, but who knows.

    I do think there's something compelling in having a kind of physical manifestation of fate like Shardik stumbling through the world. Could be quite an interesting thing to try to mechanize this and have it steer the roleplaying. This could be a simple as a passion, which is how it would be resolved in the Mythras system. You would occasionally be driven to roll against your passion to see how literally you interpret the actions of the Great Bear and whether you'd apply them to your life.

    Other than that, there's probably not much to take. The setting itself is serviceable - not top notch, but better than many of the throwaway settings one finds included introductorily in fantasy games.

    Certainly the map could be used for a Risk-like game, but that wouldn't really be true to thrust of the book, so I don't think I'd bother.

  • 1

    Maybe a reverse Scotland Yard, where instead of a bunch of detectives trying to hunt down Mr X, Shardik is hiding on the map and appears from time to time to try and hunt down the players as they scamper their way across the map trying not to have their faces chewed off.

  • 1

    LOL that does sound like it might be fun.

Sign In or Register to comment.