Games like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Digimon started out as card games, and then made the transition to the medium of video games. These games, in whatever format, have been enjoyed by millions and acted as a gateway for many to the amazing world of roleplaying games, both digital and tabletop. Now there is a company looking to bring the two genres even closer together. Late Knight Games (not to be confused with the unrelated and defunct blog by the same name) has recently launched a KickStarter campaign to produce a tabletop roleplaying game that’s all about catching the monsters – MajiMonsters: Monster-Catching Tabletop Role-Playing Game.
I recently got to ask the good people at Late Knight Games about their exciting new project, and where they hoped to see it go.
The Interview
Q: There is no question about the impact and influence Dungeons & Dragons has had on video games. How does it feel to have come full circle by making a tabletop RPG inspired by a popular video game genre or were the card games more of an influence?
A: It's hard to say what does or doesn't influence you when you design a game; it's really not any one thing, but elements of many things. We think it's fair to say as a game designer you're influenced by any game you've played in the past—it's impossible not to be. As a group, we've played games for the majority of our lives. Board games, tabletop RPGs, video games, collectable card games, you name it, we've played it.
Pokémon defined the monster catching video game genre, and it's an obvious influence for MajiMonsters. Part of the reason we're excited about this project is that we know people are dying to play a monster catching tabletop game, but there's nothing like it on the market. But you'll find dozens of homebrew RPGs, Pokémon or not, online with a simple search. It feels natural to come full circle, as you say, to provide that element that's missing from the genre. I think having come full circle from tabletop to video games and back to tabletop is only natural. It's like how books influence movies, then movies influence books. Of course, there are things that work in one format and not in another, but also playing between mediums brings to light things that enrich the whole genre of play.
For us to build a system that is truly fun for us to play leaves us with a feeling that we've bettered the whole industry.
A: It's hard to say what does or doesn't influence you when you design a game; it's really not any one thing, but elements of many things. We think it's fair to say as a game designer you're influenced by any game you've played in the past—it's impossible not to be. As a group, we've played games for the majority of our lives. Board games, tabletop RPGs, video games, collectable card games, you name it, we've played it.
Pokémon defined the monster catching video game genre, and it's an obvious influence for MajiMonsters. Part of the reason we're excited about this project is that we know people are dying to play a monster catching tabletop game, but there's nothing like it on the market. But you'll find dozens of homebrew RPGs, Pokémon or not, online with a simple search. It feels natural to come full circle, as you say, to provide that element that's missing from the genre. I think having come full circle from tabletop to video games and back to tabletop is only natural. It's like how books influence movies, then movies influence books. Of course, there are things that work in one format and not in another, but also playing between mediums brings to light things that enrich the whole genre of play.
For us to build a system that is truly fun for us to play leaves us with a feeling that we've bettered the whole industry.
Q: Aside from the source material inspiration, are you planning on converting any video game mechanics directly into MajiMonsters?
A: There are aspects that have been converted into our system, but we have also added a fresh take on how we feel this type of genre would play best. It's hard not to start by converting video game mechanics, but we quickly discovered things that work in one format won't really work in another. The soul of any monster-catcher game is present in MajiMonsters, but the system is largely based off what works best in a tabletop format. For instance, when you've got a computer keeping track of numbers for you, complex mechanics and a nearly infinite number of modifiers aren't a problem. But, when it's a group of people around a table, simplicity is king. You wouldn’t want to have to use a graphing calculator to figure out damage. So, with this in mind, we've prioritized the elements that make up the core of gameplay and added only those modifiers that seem to add to a vivid dynamic.
Q: What are some of the challenges of creating a tabletop RPG inspired, at least in part, by video game mechanics? I remember an Elder Scrolls forum where people were trying to create an Oblivion d20 game, and some of the video game’s racial stats and features just didn’t click with the d20 rules in a straight line conversion. Have you had any problems like that?
A: Numbers are definitely a problem when making an RPG inspired by a video game. They just don't crunch the same way—especially when you have to account for just how much deviation you can create based on dice rolls.
Especially during combat in a tabletop RPG, you need to keep your numbers manageable. Our early versions of MajiMonsters were mired with too much math and record keeping. For instance, attack techniques used to have an “Accuracy Modifier,” a bonus or penalty you got to hit when you used it. But having both addition and subtraction in the same roll was too cumbersome, and we nixed it. In our current version of the game bonuses to hit are more useful as well as more meaningful to the action of the game.
Experience points were also a problem for us at first. We wanted to account for so many different variables that our charts for experience were absurd. We got to the point where a computer program was necessary to keep track of everything, and that became unrealistic. So, after several hours of discussion over some take-out noodles and dice one night, we simplified experience points into small units with one scale for each MajiMonster. We knew immediately this was a much better alternative to what we had been doing.
Q: The monster hunter genre of card and video games is the main source of your inspiration, but are there any other games, video or tabletop, that have had a strong influence on what you’re doing with MajiMonsters?
A: There's so many awesome games out there, so of course we draw inspiration from all kinds of things. We liked Pokémon obviously, but we wanted our game to have a different feel. The setting we present is somewhat more mature, akin to what you'd find in a fantasy novel, and yet not quite as dark as some of the D&D campaigns you may have played in. Besides games, we are all huge fans of fantasy novels: Tolkien and Lewis, of course, but also Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, and Brandon Sanderson. It seems an odd mix, but elements of the more serious side of high fantasy seep into our setting, while the Monsters in the center stage can be vibrant, even funny, at times.
We're also big fans of Warhammer 40K and Warmachine, and the war game genre surprisingly works very well for drawing elements into this kind of game.
A: There are aspects that have been converted into our system, but we have also added a fresh take on how we feel this type of genre would play best. It's hard not to start by converting video game mechanics, but we quickly discovered things that work in one format won't really work in another. The soul of any monster-catcher game is present in MajiMonsters, but the system is largely based off what works best in a tabletop format. For instance, when you've got a computer keeping track of numbers for you, complex mechanics and a nearly infinite number of modifiers aren't a problem. But, when it's a group of people around a table, simplicity is king. You wouldn’t want to have to use a graphing calculator to figure out damage. So, with this in mind, we've prioritized the elements that make up the core of gameplay and added only those modifiers that seem to add to a vivid dynamic.
Q: What are some of the challenges of creating a tabletop RPG inspired, at least in part, by video game mechanics? I remember an Elder Scrolls forum where people were trying to create an Oblivion d20 game, and some of the video game’s racial stats and features just didn’t click with the d20 rules in a straight line conversion. Have you had any problems like that?
A: Numbers are definitely a problem when making an RPG inspired by a video game. They just don't crunch the same way—especially when you have to account for just how much deviation you can create based on dice rolls.
Especially during combat in a tabletop RPG, you need to keep your numbers manageable. Our early versions of MajiMonsters were mired with too much math and record keeping. For instance, attack techniques used to have an “Accuracy Modifier,” a bonus or penalty you got to hit when you used it. But having both addition and subtraction in the same roll was too cumbersome, and we nixed it. In our current version of the game bonuses to hit are more useful as well as more meaningful to the action of the game.
Experience points were also a problem for us at first. We wanted to account for so many different variables that our charts for experience were absurd. We got to the point where a computer program was necessary to keep track of everything, and that became unrealistic. So, after several hours of discussion over some take-out noodles and dice one night, we simplified experience points into small units with one scale for each MajiMonster. We knew immediately this was a much better alternative to what we had been doing.
Q: The monster hunter genre of card and video games is the main source of your inspiration, but are there any other games, video or tabletop, that have had a strong influence on what you’re doing with MajiMonsters?
A: There's so many awesome games out there, so of course we draw inspiration from all kinds of things. We liked Pokémon obviously, but we wanted our game to have a different feel. The setting we present is somewhat more mature, akin to what you'd find in a fantasy novel, and yet not quite as dark as some of the D&D campaigns you may have played in. Besides games, we are all huge fans of fantasy novels: Tolkien and Lewis, of course, but also Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, and Brandon Sanderson. It seems an odd mix, but elements of the more serious side of high fantasy seep into our setting, while the Monsters in the center stage can be vibrant, even funny, at times.
We're also big fans of Warhammer 40K and Warmachine, and the war game genre surprisingly works very well for drawing elements into this kind of game.
Q: Any plans for a standalone MajiMonsters card game?
A: This is first venture of Late Knight Games, and that's how we all think about it—the first. We're going to support MajiMonsters well after the release with additional content, but that doesn't mean it's our only venture. We've been informally making games for years, and while we don't have any plans for a card game yet, that doesn't mean we wouldn't make one. Maybe not MajiMonsters—maybe something else entirely!
Q: Any plans to make your own video game adaptation of your tabletop RPG, if you become wildly successful?
A: If we become wildly successful, then the sky is the limit! I think we can safely say if we really took off we'd consider all options, but we'd have to get to that point first. It is doubtful that we would make a video game based on Majimonsters, simply because we lack the skill set. If we were to become wildly successful we have enough in the pipeline of dreams that we would be better off licensing the product for an actual developer to make, rather than make the videogame ourselves.
Q: Is there anything you would like to add?
A: Thanks for the opportunity and the recognition! We're very excited about MajiMonsters, and we appreciate everything!
by Kell Myers | |