ONE YEAR LATER
I’m back these lists again, and not a moment too soon. We’ve had a variety of high profile license announcements lately: Rivers of London, Dragon Prince, Hellboy, Legends of Grayskull, Dune, Stargate, Altered Carbon, etc. So here’s a quick list of licensed rpgs actually released 2019-2020.
LICENSING OFFICE
This list focuses on products which adapt novels, movies, video games, or comic books. I’ll generally restrict myself to official licenses. My comments offer a mix of context, commentary, description, and review. If you see something I’ve missed from 1999 to 2000, please tell me in the comments.
I’m back these lists again, and not a moment too soon. We’ve had a variety of high profile license announcements lately: Rivers of London, Dragon Prince, Hellboy, Legends of Grayskull, Dune, Stargate, Altered Carbon, etc. So here’s a quick list of licensed rpgs actually released 2019-2020.
- ALIEN
- Champions Now
- Dishonored
- The Expanse RPG
- Fallout Wasteland Warfare
- Jim Henson’s Labrynith
- Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD
- Lyonesse: Fantasy Roleplaying Based on the Novels by Jack Vance
- The Princess Bride
- Robotech: The Macross Saga Roleplaying Game
- Sea of Thieves
- The Tingleverse: The Official Chuck Tingle Role-Playing Game
- Uprising (Dystopian Universe)
- Usagi Yojimbo Role-Playing Game
- Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound
- Zorro
LICENSING OFFICE
This list focuses on products which adapt novels, movies, video games, or comic books. I’ll generally restrict myself to official licenses. My comments offer a mix of context, commentary, description, and review. If you see something I’ve missed from 1999 to 2000, please tell me in the comments.
PREVIOUS LISTS
History of Licensed RPGs (Part I 1977-1983)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part II 1984-1985)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part III 1986-1989)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part IV 1990-1992)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part V 1993-1995)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part VI 1996-1998)
History of Universal RPGs
History of Post-Apocalyptic RPGs
History of Steampunk & Victoriana RPGs
History of Cyberpunk RPGs
History of Superhero RPGs
History of Horror RPGs
History of Wild West RPGs
Samurai RPGs
History of Licensed RPGs (Part I 1977-1983)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part II 1984-1985)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part III 1986-1989)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part IV 1990-1992)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part V 1993-1995)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part VI 1996-1998)
History of Universal RPGs
History of Post-Apocalyptic RPGs
History of Steampunk & Victoriana RPGs
History of Cyberpunk RPGs
History of Superhero RPGs
History of Horror RPGs
History of Wild West RPGs
Samurai RPGs
1. DC Universe Roleplaying Game (1999)
West End Games filed for bankruptcy in 1998, the year before publishing DC Universe. It came out from a WEG restored as "d6 Legacy," a division of French publisher Humanoids. Originally the publisher of Metal Hurlant/Heavy Metal, Humanoids evolved into one of the most important European creators of graphic novels, with DC briefly working with them to publish in the United States. This new organization published both DC Universe and The Metabarons rpg, until Eric Gibson bought WEG in 2003. So we have a high-profile US comic book license developed by a semi-bankrupt company under the auspices of a French publisher.
Despite those challenges, WEG managed to put together a strong and solid game. DC Universe uses the d6 Legacy system. That offers an interesting compromise between rules-light and granular mechanics. The character sheets, even for simple characters, pack a ton of information- lists of skills and abilities with die values. The write-ups resort to teeny-tiny font to fit everything in. Other elements make the game feel very classic and conventional. Pages have an intrusive sidebar that eat up text real estate. The designers subdivide broad areas into increasingly smaller bits in the form of specializations. These apply across skills, combat talents, and powers. That's an approach closer to the older DC Heroes than more open systems like Champions or Marvel Heroes. Despite that DC Universe isn't that heavy in play (unless you use the optional rules and countless modifier charts there). The weight of the game rests on character creation and trying to figure out exactly what you can do in play.
DC Universe did well enough that WEG published several supplements- for groups (JSA Sourcebook), locations (The Daily Planet Guide to Metropolis), and concepts (Magic Handbook). If you like the d6 system, you should consider tracking down a copy of this (or d6 Powers). If you loved DC Comics in the 1990's, you could do worse than this as a sourcebook for the period.
2. Dragonball + Dragonball Z - Il gioco di ruolo (1999)
While DB and DBZ originated in the mid-1980s, it wouldn’t come to the US until 1990 and late 1996 respectively. It came out slightly earlier in Italy. This complete game combines aspects of role-playing and boardgames. Sections of the rules show how to simply play out extended combats between the characters. That’s something I remember strongly from the early days of Champions. The clinical point-buy system established a standard everyone had to abide to without a GM.
The RPGGeek entry mentions something interesting about the Italian RPG scene: “(these games) have been distribute(d) in Italian newspaper kiosks. At less than 10 euros each, both the full colour boardgames and the RPG have been a successful way to promote the hobby among non-players enthusiasts of Japanese cartoons, that are very popular in Italy since the state television started to broadcast them in 1978.”
This was the only release for the product’s line.
West End Games filed for bankruptcy in 1998, the year before publishing DC Universe. It came out from a WEG restored as "d6 Legacy," a division of French publisher Humanoids. Originally the publisher of Metal Hurlant/Heavy Metal, Humanoids evolved into one of the most important European creators of graphic novels, with DC briefly working with them to publish in the United States. This new organization published both DC Universe and The Metabarons rpg, until Eric Gibson bought WEG in 2003. So we have a high-profile US comic book license developed by a semi-bankrupt company under the auspices of a French publisher.
Despite those challenges, WEG managed to put together a strong and solid game. DC Universe uses the d6 Legacy system. That offers an interesting compromise between rules-light and granular mechanics. The character sheets, even for simple characters, pack a ton of information- lists of skills and abilities with die values. The write-ups resort to teeny-tiny font to fit everything in. Other elements make the game feel very classic and conventional. Pages have an intrusive sidebar that eat up text real estate. The designers subdivide broad areas into increasingly smaller bits in the form of specializations. These apply across skills, combat talents, and powers. That's an approach closer to the older DC Heroes than more open systems like Champions or Marvel Heroes. Despite that DC Universe isn't that heavy in play (unless you use the optional rules and countless modifier charts there). The weight of the game rests on character creation and trying to figure out exactly what you can do in play.
DC Universe did well enough that WEG published several supplements- for groups (JSA Sourcebook), locations (The Daily Planet Guide to Metropolis), and concepts (Magic Handbook). If you like the d6 system, you should consider tracking down a copy of this (or d6 Powers). If you loved DC Comics in the 1990's, you could do worse than this as a sourcebook for the period.
2. Dragonball + Dragonball Z - Il gioco di ruolo (1999)
While DB and DBZ originated in the mid-1980s, it wouldn’t come to the US until 1990 and late 1996 respectively. It came out slightly earlier in Italy. This complete game combines aspects of role-playing and boardgames. Sections of the rules show how to simply play out extended combats between the characters. That’s something I remember strongly from the early days of Champions. The clinical point-buy system established a standard everyone had to abide to without a GM.
The RPGGeek entry mentions something interesting about the Italian RPG scene: “(these games) have been distribute(d) in Italian newspaper kiosks. At less than 10 euros each, both the full colour boardgames and the RPG have been a successful way to promote the hobby among non-players enthusiasts of Japanese cartoons, that are very popular in Italy since the state television started to broadcast them in 1978.”
This was the only release for the product’s line.
3. Dragon Ball Z (1999)
In the late 1990s, R Talsorian leaned heavily into their Fuzion system, a hybrid which drew from their Interlock mechanics and HERO System. As I mentioned in my History of Universal RPGs list, Fuzion had an active web presence and discussion group. Most games didn’t have anything beyond the most rudimentary message board and webshop. Fuzion created a strong negative reaction in our area, mostly from older (dare I say grognards) like me. Looking back I’m surprised at how negatively I reacted to the possibility of change.
By the time of this release, R Tal had laid down and refined the basics of licensed Fuzion with Bubblegum Crisis and Armored Trooper Votoms. DBZ offered a modular but crunchy system with the ability to play out complex fights with detail and balance. The core book contained lots of background material and resources. My fav pull quote from the back cover is “Compatible with any scale of Dragon Ball Z Action Figures!”
R Tal would release two supplements for DBZ: The Frieza Saga in 2001 and The Garlic Jr.-Trunks-Android Sagas in 2002. Both were pretty hefty coming in at around 100 pages each. And that’s more material than you might imagine, given the density of layout in those days.
There’s an argument to be made that DBZ represented a real generational split in gaming. The CCG boom had become less explosive, we didn’t have d20 to kick around yet. DBZ appealed to a younger range of gamer who had grown up with significant volumes of anime on TV and available on video. Robotech was old to them. They had new games to think about and D&D wasn’t really that interesting.
While there may have been a Japanese rpg adaptation of the license I haven’t tracked that down yet. Despite its popularity, Dragonball wouldn’t see another licensed version until 2016. Several fan-made versions popped up in the interim some with several supplements.
4. Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game: Diablo II Edition
In 1999 TSR released this boxed set intended to be a stand-alone D&D product to simulate the Diablo II setting. Diablo was huge, one of the most popular PC games of the time. The intent was to grab that player base and let them play out those adventures at the table. Could it be satisfying to players who wanted that click-n-kill experience? Could it provide the kind of rich, out of the dungeon stories other players might want? How about no.
Weirdly they then released a product to let existing AD&D players bring Diablo stuff into their game with Diablo II: The Awakening (1999). And then there’s Diablo II: Diablerie (2000) which does the same thing, but with the D&D 3.0 system. But then there’s also Diablo II: To Hell and Back (2001) which also seems to be adapting 3.0 to this…like I can’t even follow what’s happening here and my biggest go to, Designers & Dragons, doesn’t have anything on this.
In the late 1990s, R Talsorian leaned heavily into their Fuzion system, a hybrid which drew from their Interlock mechanics and HERO System. As I mentioned in my History of Universal RPGs list, Fuzion had an active web presence and discussion group. Most games didn’t have anything beyond the most rudimentary message board and webshop. Fuzion created a strong negative reaction in our area, mostly from older (dare I say grognards) like me. Looking back I’m surprised at how negatively I reacted to the possibility of change.
By the time of this release, R Tal had laid down and refined the basics of licensed Fuzion with Bubblegum Crisis and Armored Trooper Votoms. DBZ offered a modular but crunchy system with the ability to play out complex fights with detail and balance. The core book contained lots of background material and resources. My fav pull quote from the back cover is “Compatible with any scale of Dragon Ball Z Action Figures!”
R Tal would release two supplements for DBZ: The Frieza Saga in 2001 and The Garlic Jr.-Trunks-Android Sagas in 2002. Both were pretty hefty coming in at around 100 pages each. And that’s more material than you might imagine, given the density of layout in those days.
There’s an argument to be made that DBZ represented a real generational split in gaming. The CCG boom had become less explosive, we didn’t have d20 to kick around yet. DBZ appealed to a younger range of gamer who had grown up with significant volumes of anime on TV and available on video. Robotech was old to them. They had new games to think about and D&D wasn’t really that interesting.
While there may have been a Japanese rpg adaptation of the license I haven’t tracked that down yet. Despite its popularity, Dragonball wouldn’t see another licensed version until 2016. Several fan-made versions popped up in the interim some with several supplements.
4. Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game: Diablo II Edition
In 1999 TSR released this boxed set intended to be a stand-alone D&D product to simulate the Diablo II setting. Diablo was huge, one of the most popular PC games of the time. The intent was to grab that player base and let them play out those adventures at the table. Could it be satisfying to players who wanted that click-n-kill experience? Could it provide the kind of rich, out of the dungeon stories other players might want? How about no.
Weirdly they then released a product to let existing AD&D players bring Diablo stuff into their game with Diablo II: The Awakening (1999). And then there’s Diablo II: Diablerie (2000) which does the same thing, but with the D&D 3.0 system. But then there’s also Diablo II: To Hell and Back (2001) which also seems to be adapting 3.0 to this…like I can’t even follow what’s happening here and my biggest go to, Designers & Dragons, doesn’t have anything on this.
5. Feng Shui (1999)
Feng Shui’s based on Shadowfist, one of the few CCGs to survive the original boom. It folded at one point, only to be resurrected by Z-Man Games (before the broke big with boardgames). Shadowfist had color and a wild setting. It never hit the heights of Magic or even Jyhad, but it remained a solid niche product for years.
So the RPG adaptation of this setting, Feng Shui, probably belongs on my 1996 installment, the 1999 edition is where Feng Shui finally found a foothold. Last Unicorn Games’ in 1996 edition was a massive, glossy, over-produced full color book. It was gorgeous to look at and read, but less useful at the table.
But Atlas’ 1999 hardcover with b&w interiors actually caught on. Whether that was a result of a change in distribution, cost, or support isn’t clear. There’s an argument to be made that by 1999, rpgs had shifted to be better prepared for story-gamey, dramatic combat. Atlas would release several support books for the line before letting it kind of sit.
The 2014 Feng Shui 2 Kickstarter however, pushed it back into the limelight. It was one of the early big rpg success stories, with lots of stretch goal goodies. The game built on the existing Feng Shui setting, rather than bringing in developments in the card games meta-story. It also eliminated some key setting features, like the near future genemod villains, which bug some people. (Maybe not that many, but it bugged me).
6. Guardians of Order
GOO released three new licensed anime games during this period, along with the 2nd edition of their flagship Big Eyes, Small Mouth RPG. That system formed the basis of their generic Tri-Stat System. You can see more on that from my Universal RPGs list. It’s worth noting the owner/publisher Mark MacKinnon’s not a good dude, with shady business practices, so maybe think about that before you buy the latest BESM edition. For more on that see this the Designers & Dragons FB post on the issue.
Feng Shui’s based on Shadowfist, one of the few CCGs to survive the original boom. It folded at one point, only to be resurrected by Z-Man Games (before the broke big with boardgames). Shadowfist had color and a wild setting. It never hit the heights of Magic or even Jyhad, but it remained a solid niche product for years.
So the RPG adaptation of this setting, Feng Shui, probably belongs on my 1996 installment, the 1999 edition is where Feng Shui finally found a foothold. Last Unicorn Games’ in 1996 edition was a massive, glossy, over-produced full color book. It was gorgeous to look at and read, but less useful at the table.
But Atlas’ 1999 hardcover with b&w interiors actually caught on. Whether that was a result of a change in distribution, cost, or support isn’t clear. There’s an argument to be made that by 1999, rpgs had shifted to be better prepared for story-gamey, dramatic combat. Atlas would release several support books for the line before letting it kind of sit.
The 2014 Feng Shui 2 Kickstarter however, pushed it back into the limelight. It was one of the early big rpg success stories, with lots of stretch goal goodies. The game built on the existing Feng Shui setting, rather than bringing in developments in the card games meta-story. It also eliminated some key setting features, like the near future genemod villains, which bug some people. (Maybe not that many, but it bugged me).
6. Guardians of Order
GOO released three new licensed anime games during this period, along with the 2nd edition of their flagship Big Eyes, Small Mouth RPG. That system formed the basis of their generic Tri-Stat System. You can see more on that from my Universal RPGs list. It’s worth noting the owner/publisher Mark MacKinnon’s not a good dude, with shady business practices, so maybe think about that before you buy the latest BESM edition. For more on that see this the Designers & Dragons FB post on the issue.
- Demon City Shinjuku (1999) Originally a novel adapted into a OAV movie (and then a live action one. It’s a gothic, near future action story. The rpg builds on the DCS setting to offer a toolbox for building your own dark horror anime game. At the same time it gives a decent sourcebook for fans of the anime.
- Dominion Tank Police (1999) Based on the manga/anime from Masamune Shirow (Appleseed, Ghost in the Shell). It’s a whiplash mix of dark themes and weird high-comic material. It’s weird and was one of the earliest anime you could easily get on VHS, creating a strong American fandom. It’s a show about cops and that hasn’t aged well—especially given their attitude and methods.
- Tenchi Muyo: We’d seen the Japanese licensed of this in ’96 with Tenchi Miyo in Love using the MAGIUS base system. This one also uses Tri-Stat. They’d follow it up with Tenchi Universe in 2001, Tenchi in Tokyo (2002) and a GM screen.
7. GURPS
Steve Jackson provided yet another wild set of choices for licenses in these two years. First GURPS New Sun adapted Gene Wolfe’s stylish and weird fantasy novels. They’re strong examples of the “Forgotten Earth” genre, alongside Moorcock’s Dancers at the End of Time. Wolfe writes striking prose and there’s world building. Shadow of the Torturer and its succeeding book have an allegorical feel set in a strangely discordant world. At times it reads like Candide, at others like a grimdark version of Vance’s Dying Earth. What’s strange is that I’ve always seen these as a niche fantasy series. They’re critically respected and admired, but don’t number among the popular big quadra-tetraologies. So producing a GURPS version feels like a vanity project.
GURPS New Sun aims primarily to be a sourcebook- and offers a complete history of the original series as well as the Urth of the New Sun. That means it’s spoiler heavy. The few reviews I’ve found are mixed, with even the most positive praising more the general info than the style, presentation, or playability. New Sun jams a ton of material into a single 128-page book. That’s always the challenge with GURPS supplements. They know they likely aren’t going to get another bite at the apple, so they have to distill everything they can.
The other four GURPS licenses all draw from games instead of books or movies. GURPS Myth (1999) seems the oddest choice in many ways. Myth was a fantasy rts from a pre-Halo Bungie in 1997. It got favorable buzz but never grabbed attention like Starcraft or Age of Empires. A sequel came out at the end of 1998. By the time this supplement came out, Bungie had already shuttered development on the series to focus on Halo. They would shut down the official game servers at the start of 2002. The GURPS adaptation tries to present Bungie’s deep lore for the game, but ends up being dry and not that compelling.
GURPS Castle Falkenstein (2000) is an interesting beast. It released the same time SJG made a big genre push, releasing GURPS Steampunk in 2000 and Steamtech in 2001. There’s something-- I don’t want to say perverse-- but at least weird to see one of the most experimental and cutting edge die-free proto-storygames converted over to one of the crunchiest system foundations available. SJG would support this with a new supplement, Ottomon Empire, covering an area not dealt with in the original. It’s…something.
For the last two adaptations, SJG poached from their own backlog. GURPS In Nomine (2000) adapted a French rpg from 1990 which had been translated into English in 1997. It’s a battle between angels and demons rpg, with lots of crunchy bits. Your reaction to this will depend on how much you dig high powered GURPS games. The other pick, GURPS Ogre, adapts one of the earliest Metagaming/SJG wargames into a role-playing setting. Given that Ogre’s about tanks, guns, and vehicles, you can imagine how this plays into GURPS core strength: the ability to write up long and detailed sheets for every piece of equipment. There’s a certain kind of tech and detail fetishism that I never got, even in my most trad years.
8. Twilight Imperium: The Role-Playing Game (1999)
In ’99 Fantasy Flight hadn’t yet become the powerhouse it would. On the rpg front, they’d only released a few Call of Cthulhu modules. They hadn’t yet published the massive boardgames which would put them on the map. Instead they were known for two products: the long running Diskwars series and the colossal Twilight Imperium boardgame, which had four expansions by this point.
This stand-alone rpg used all of that TI lore to create a fairly flat game which didn’t appeal to role players or board gamers. The few reviews online are pretty savage citing stereotypical presentation, lack of interesting choices, and little support for the GM. While it had a relatively simple rules system, overall it brought little to the table. FFG released one modest supplement, Mecatol Rex: The Star in the Crown, but ultimately dropped the line.
Steve Jackson provided yet another wild set of choices for licenses in these two years. First GURPS New Sun adapted Gene Wolfe’s stylish and weird fantasy novels. They’re strong examples of the “Forgotten Earth” genre, alongside Moorcock’s Dancers at the End of Time. Wolfe writes striking prose and there’s world building. Shadow of the Torturer and its succeeding book have an allegorical feel set in a strangely discordant world. At times it reads like Candide, at others like a grimdark version of Vance’s Dying Earth. What’s strange is that I’ve always seen these as a niche fantasy series. They’re critically respected and admired, but don’t number among the popular big quadra-tetraologies. So producing a GURPS version feels like a vanity project.
GURPS New Sun aims primarily to be a sourcebook- and offers a complete history of the original series as well as the Urth of the New Sun. That means it’s spoiler heavy. The few reviews I’ve found are mixed, with even the most positive praising more the general info than the style, presentation, or playability. New Sun jams a ton of material into a single 128-page book. That’s always the challenge with GURPS supplements. They know they likely aren’t going to get another bite at the apple, so they have to distill everything they can.
The other four GURPS licenses all draw from games instead of books or movies. GURPS Myth (1999) seems the oddest choice in many ways. Myth was a fantasy rts from a pre-Halo Bungie in 1997. It got favorable buzz but never grabbed attention like Starcraft or Age of Empires. A sequel came out at the end of 1998. By the time this supplement came out, Bungie had already shuttered development on the series to focus on Halo. They would shut down the official game servers at the start of 2002. The GURPS adaptation tries to present Bungie’s deep lore for the game, but ends up being dry and not that compelling.
GURPS Castle Falkenstein (2000) is an interesting beast. It released the same time SJG made a big genre push, releasing GURPS Steampunk in 2000 and Steamtech in 2001. There’s something-- I don’t want to say perverse-- but at least weird to see one of the most experimental and cutting edge die-free proto-storygames converted over to one of the crunchiest system foundations available. SJG would support this with a new supplement, Ottomon Empire, covering an area not dealt with in the original. It’s…something.
For the last two adaptations, SJG poached from their own backlog. GURPS In Nomine (2000) adapted a French rpg from 1990 which had been translated into English in 1997. It’s a battle between angels and demons rpg, with lots of crunchy bits. Your reaction to this will depend on how much you dig high powered GURPS games. The other pick, GURPS Ogre, adapts one of the earliest Metagaming/SJG wargames into a role-playing setting. Given that Ogre’s about tanks, guns, and vehicles, you can imagine how this plays into GURPS core strength: the ability to write up long and detailed sheets for every piece of equipment. There’s a certain kind of tech and detail fetishism that I never got, even in my most trad years.
8. Twilight Imperium: The Role-Playing Game (1999)
In ’99 Fantasy Flight hadn’t yet become the powerhouse it would. On the rpg front, they’d only released a few Call of Cthulhu modules. They hadn’t yet published the massive boardgames which would put them on the map. Instead they were known for two products: the long running Diskwars series and the colossal Twilight Imperium boardgame, which had four expansions by this point.
This stand-alone rpg used all of that TI lore to create a fairly flat game which didn’t appeal to role players or board gamers. The few reviews online are pretty savage citing stereotypical presentation, lack of interesting choices, and little support for the GM. While it had a relatively simple rules system, overall it brought little to the table. FFG released one modest supplement, Mecatol Rex: The Star in the Crown, but ultimately dropped the line.
9. Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium (2000)
What happened? That’s the big question. I remember being at Gen Con the year Last Unicorn Games had this on sale. I still kick myself for not picking up a copy, because they never reprinted past that initial runs. Shanon Appelcline has the full story of LUG in Designers & Dragons ’90-’99. I’ll give an abbreviated version.
Last Unicorn originally had the Dune license for a CCG. Even that wasn’t complete as they only had it for material inspired by the David Lynch movie. That would eventually change when Brian Herbert saw the chance for some money. (Ever wonder why there are only Dune prequels? Apparently Frank Herbert stipulated there could be no sequels…). As the CCG market waned, LUG secured the Star Trek license (see the previous list) which did really well for them.
So riding on that and having the Dune license they produced the RPG. But at that time, Last Unicorn wasn’t doing so well financially. In stepped Wizards of the Coast in 2000 to buy them, releasing two final games before the completed merger, including the Dune RPG. But the arrival of WotC on the scene made the Herbert estate demand significantly more money for the license, resulting in WotC/LUG losing it completely. A d20 adaptation ready to go, for example, had to be cancelled.
The book itself was a striking, full-color work. It adapts the ICON system they used for their Star Trek game to this. It’s what you’d expect: dense, amazing art, and lots of cool setting material. It’s uncertain how this would have done in the marketplace, but it had potential. It was announced earlier this year that Modiphius had acquired the license and will be releasing a 2d20 version. Their press release focused on the diverse team they’re bringing to the project.
10. Star Wars Roleplaying Game (2000)
Wizards of the Coast changed the rpg scene with the release of D&D 3.0. It’s such a major tipping point—the rebirth and expansion of a major IP, unification of system mechanics, and the first open game license. It would create a boom which would last until WotC popped it with the release of D&D 3.5.
The Star Wars RPG used a d20 system and built on the then-existing goodwill for the new SW trilogy. It received a lot of support from the company with a living campaign, tons of pdf mini-adventures, and some rich sourcebooks. It did well, even in the shadow of the new D&D 3.0 behemoth.
It also managed to overcome some of the WEG Star Wars nostalgia through that support and appealing to a mass of gamers who’d never even heard of the d6 system. Star Wars also had a “3.5” edition, here called revised. That didn’t have the knock-on effect on other publishers which D&D had but did shake the faith of Star Wars players who expected more expansions and not a reboot. They would take the hit again just a couple years later when WotC revised the rules to the Saga Edition, a proto form of D&D 4e.
What happened? That’s the big question. I remember being at Gen Con the year Last Unicorn Games had this on sale. I still kick myself for not picking up a copy, because they never reprinted past that initial runs. Shanon Appelcline has the full story of LUG in Designers & Dragons ’90-’99. I’ll give an abbreviated version.
Last Unicorn originally had the Dune license for a CCG. Even that wasn’t complete as they only had it for material inspired by the David Lynch movie. That would eventually change when Brian Herbert saw the chance for some money. (Ever wonder why there are only Dune prequels? Apparently Frank Herbert stipulated there could be no sequels…). As the CCG market waned, LUG secured the Star Trek license (see the previous list) which did really well for them.
So riding on that and having the Dune license they produced the RPG. But at that time, Last Unicorn wasn’t doing so well financially. In stepped Wizards of the Coast in 2000 to buy them, releasing two final games before the completed merger, including the Dune RPG. But the arrival of WotC on the scene made the Herbert estate demand significantly more money for the license, resulting in WotC/LUG losing it completely. A d20 adaptation ready to go, for example, had to be cancelled.
The book itself was a striking, full-color work. It adapts the ICON system they used for their Star Trek game to this. It’s what you’d expect: dense, amazing art, and lots of cool setting material. It’s uncertain how this would have done in the marketplace, but it had potential. It was announced earlier this year that Modiphius had acquired the license and will be releasing a 2d20 version. Their press release focused on the diverse team they’re bringing to the project.
10. Star Wars Roleplaying Game (2000)
Wizards of the Coast changed the rpg scene with the release of D&D 3.0. It’s such a major tipping point—the rebirth and expansion of a major IP, unification of system mechanics, and the first open game license. It would create a boom which would last until WotC popped it with the release of D&D 3.5.
The Star Wars RPG used a d20 system and built on the then-existing goodwill for the new SW trilogy. It received a lot of support from the company with a living campaign, tons of pdf mini-adventures, and some rich sourcebooks. It did well, even in the shadow of the new D&D 3.0 behemoth.
It also managed to overcome some of the WEG Star Wars nostalgia through that support and appealing to a mass of gamers who’d never even heard of the d6 system. Star Wars also had a “3.5” edition, here called revised. That didn’t have the knock-on effect on other publishers which D&D had but did shake the faith of Star Wars players who expected more expansions and not a reboot. They would take the hit again just a couple years later when WotC revised the rules to the Saga Edition, a proto form of D&D 4e.
11. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (2000)
Throughout these lists, I’ve pointed out the most obscure licenses. This may well be the most obscure and niche. It’s certainly in the top ten. The source of a movie by noted arthouse director Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, The Dead Don’t Die). In it Forrest Whittaker plays a mafia hit man who models his life on an interpretation of the code of the samurai. It contains references to the work of Seijun Suzuki and Jean-Pierre Melville.
Interestingly the game’s co-written by David L. Pulver who also did several of the GOO anime adaptations mentioned above. Supposedly the studio approached the company about doing the rpg. It uses the same Tri-Stat system.
So what’s the game? It’s kind of a crime/mafia game with some discussion about changing perspective and PoV as exemplified in the novel and film Rashomon. But regardless of the high-brow themes in the movie, it’s basically a crime game. From the cover blurb, “This role-playing game and resource book re-creates the gangster genre as a cross-cultural fusion of Eastern philosophy, mob drama, and urban darkness. Inside you'll find an exhaustive analysis of the film, insightful bios for all the characters, and an engaging study of Mafia organized crime in America.”
12. Alternity Adventure Game: StarCraft Edition (2000)
When WotC bought TSR they carried over a ton of IP as well as some in-progress projects. Alternity was one of these, sci-fi game with a unified central resolution system. They would release two well regarded settings, Star*Drive and Dark Matter, both of which have fans even today. Alternity built some of the foundations of the D&D 3.0 engine.
But by 2000 energy and attention had been pulled away towards that major release. The StarCraft rpg would end up being a disappointment for fans of Alternity and Starcraft. Rather than an expansion of the rules it stripped them down into a lighter version for play. It also didn’t serve as a great sourcebook for fans of Starcraft. Oddly it launched as a box set at a time when those were falling out of favor.
History of Licensed RPGs (Part I 1977-1983)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part II 1984-1985)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part III 1986-1989)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part IV 1990-1992)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part V 1993-1995)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part VI 1996-1998)
History of Universal RPGs
History of Post-Apocalyptic RPGs
History of Steampunk & Victoriana RPGs
History of Cyberpunk RPGs
History of Superhero RPGs
History of Horror RPGs
History of Wild West RPGs
Samurai RPGs
Throughout these lists, I’ve pointed out the most obscure licenses. This may well be the most obscure and niche. It’s certainly in the top ten. The source of a movie by noted arthouse director Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, The Dead Don’t Die). In it Forrest Whittaker plays a mafia hit man who models his life on an interpretation of the code of the samurai. It contains references to the work of Seijun Suzuki and Jean-Pierre Melville.
Interestingly the game’s co-written by David L. Pulver who also did several of the GOO anime adaptations mentioned above. Supposedly the studio approached the company about doing the rpg. It uses the same Tri-Stat system.
So what’s the game? It’s kind of a crime/mafia game with some discussion about changing perspective and PoV as exemplified in the novel and film Rashomon. But regardless of the high-brow themes in the movie, it’s basically a crime game. From the cover blurb, “This role-playing game and resource book re-creates the gangster genre as a cross-cultural fusion of Eastern philosophy, mob drama, and urban darkness. Inside you'll find an exhaustive analysis of the film, insightful bios for all the characters, and an engaging study of Mafia organized crime in America.”
12. Alternity Adventure Game: StarCraft Edition (2000)
When WotC bought TSR they carried over a ton of IP as well as some in-progress projects. Alternity was one of these, sci-fi game with a unified central resolution system. They would release two well regarded settings, Star*Drive and Dark Matter, both of which have fans even today. Alternity built some of the foundations of the D&D 3.0 engine.
But by 2000 energy and attention had been pulled away towards that major release. The StarCraft rpg would end up being a disappointment for fans of Alternity and Starcraft. Rather than an expansion of the rules it stripped them down into a lighter version for play. It also didn’t serve as a great sourcebook for fans of Starcraft. Oddly it launched as a box set at a time when those were falling out of favor.
History of Licensed RPGs (Part I 1977-1983)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part II 1984-1985)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part III 1986-1989)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part IV 1990-1992)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part V 1993-1995)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part VI 1996-1998)
History of Universal RPGs
History of Post-Apocalyptic RPGs
History of Steampunk & Victoriana RPGs
History of Cyberpunk RPGs
History of Superhero RPGs
History of Horror RPGs
History of Wild West RPGs
Samurai RPGs
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