Monday, March 10, 2014

So why aren't there more action movie RPGs?

I went to a used book store this weekend and ended up grabbing a handful of "men's adventure" novels from the 70s and 80s.  I'm sure that my older readers are much more familiar with names like Mack Bolan and Remo Williams than I am, but I had never seen these sublimely ridiculous one-man-against-the-Mafia pulp paperbacks out in the wild before.

I mean seriously, The Penetrator?
As a librarian, I see a lot of different books cross my path on a day to day basis.  Alongside courtly romances and books about Draculas, I tend to see a lot of what I generally refer to as dad fiction, which runs the gamut from vigilante revenge and hardboiled detectives to special ops and pulp archaeologists.  Outside of fiction, action movies and TV shows still seem to be doing gangbusters (as the continued popularity of the USA network will tell you), so why isn't the modern action genre well-represented in RPGs?  The closest game I can think of is Feng Shui, but it's definitely more of a action movie kitchen sink that runs the gamut between Crouching Tiger and Robocop.

I want more RPGs about loose cannon cops on the edge, hard-bitten mercenaries doing the right thing, cold-hearted sons of bitches pulling off a bank heist and fortune hunters traveling the world in search of lost artifacts.

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  2. Great post, It does seem to be one of those niches thats lacking. The closest thing I found was Streets of Bedlam, which is more Sin City http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/103092/Streets-of-Bedlam-A-Savage-World-of-Crime--Corruption

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  6. I'm excited to see someone asking this question! Action movie RPGs have so much potential for thrilling gameplay. Imagine the intensity of playing as a loose cannon cop, a mercenary with a heart of gold, or a cunning heist crew. It's surprising there aren't more games capturing that high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled vibe. With the popularity of action movies and TV, it feels like a missed opportunity for RPGs. Here's hoping we see more games diving into this genre soon!
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