I'm am going to take the plunge from the "Conflict" thread and ask folks for their opinions on Anime in D&D.
For myself, I am a big fan of anime (well certain types of anime) I think there are a lot of great ideas in anime that easily be adapted to D&D to make any world richer.
I don't think they can just be cut and pasted in, they have to be adapted but, I think that many of the things I have seen in anime and liked transfer much better than a lot of the things in different novels.
For example, the tainted arm the protaganist has to deal withh in "Princess Mononoke", the deer mount, the intelligent giant animals, all could easily be adapted, balanced, and rolled into any game world.
The words of power in Dave Duncan's "Man of his Word" series would be much harder to adapt and balance - but are in my opinion a great idea for how magic works. The same could be said for "fey" in CS Friedman's "Coldfire" trilogy. Great concept but tough to adapt to the game and balance.
Spirited Away, Ninja scroll, Princess Mononoke, Inuyasha, Full Metal Alchemist all have great game ideas suitable for D&D. I dig giant transforming robots jet fighters too, but I don't want them in my game, or Trigun, or Dragonball Z level antics.
Anyway curious as to what others think - thought it might be a fun thread.
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When the Sci-fi channel first started they had a feature called "Saturday Morning Anime". Every week there was a different anime movie. There was one in particular called Lensman (very Green-Lanternish) that I really enjoyed. Does anyone know if it is on DVD? I've looked in places like Best Buy, but I've never seen it.
One of the Anime which reminded me very of some D&D is Scrapped Princess. The world was very interesting and the technical Influence and the Heroes explainable.
Hack Sign was very amusing "Why do you stop so often, Bear?" "Because I'm drawing the map." It was so D&D.
There are D20 Anime products out there like Hellsing D20 or Trigun D20, both wonderful series.
You might check out Big Eyes Small Mouth (BESM) Anime Role-Players Handbook by Guardians of Order. Essentially it is the d20 Player's Guide/DMG for anime (everything from magic high school girls, to ninjas, to giant robots, to fantasy, to collectable monster training and more). You will have to narrow the field a bit but or you will end up with anime soup, but otherwise its pretty all inclusive with almost every anime trope imaginable, including the school kid who gets a nose-bleed every time he sees an attractive woman. The Guardians of Order also put out a faster-paced non-d20 game by the same name.
-GGG
I don't really want to "play" anime - though recommendations for films is appreciated.
I was wondering if any of you all adapted stuff to your games or found that practical. If anyone cares I do, I think there is a lot of good material out there.
Aberzombie, the "Lensman" series is more than likely based off of the original series by EE "Doc" Smith - really really good. Reading them takes some getting used to, as they were originally presented in a pulp format (i.e., chapter-by-chapter digest).
As far as using anime references in D&D, ones that have intrigued me are Full Metal Alchemist, Wicked City, Ninja Scroll (the series, though the original movie was kick-ass), Rurouni Kenshin, Silent Moebius and Sayuki. :-D
Bits and pieces have shown themselves up in my campaigns, especially when I was running an Oriental Adventures/Rokugan campaign.
Ok, here are some of my notes:
Nausicaä, of the valley of the wind
The plant Creatures and the fungus forest always inspire me for underdark. The society which is a mixture of technical and medieval Setting is interesting, too. Of course it is post apocalyptic, but has a strong fantasy feel.
Chihiro, Spirited Away
Lot of good ideas: the animated dust, the spirit who had to be cleansed, a bath house for spirits, the deadly origami swarm
The Wandering Castle
I will surly use the magician’s attitude in Eberron. The idea of someone who could curse ,but cannot lift the curse is appealing, too.
Escaflowne/ especially Escaflowne, the movie
The soundtrack is superb for rpg sessions with dramatic. The story and the locales are easy transportable to any fantasy setting. The movie is grittier then series and I will definitely use the airships and the attack on them in my Eberron campaign.
Card Captor Sakura
I got still the Cards and maybe they are useful as change for the (often used) tarot cards.
Dragonhalf
A must see. The characters and the story is so silly it reminds me a lot of my sessions.
Nara Taru
One of the few anime that gave me the creeps. It starts as children soap opera and ends in horror. The idea that familiars actually form their masters is very nice developed.
Kinos no Tabi
A series I can only recommend. It tells the story of a traveller, which stays in every place/country only a few days and every country is strange by some ways. Some of the stories I will use as encounters on the way.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Maybe a nice NPC
Escaflowne/ especially Escaflowne, the movie
The soundtrack is superb for rpg sessions with dramatic. The story and the locales are easy transportable to any fantasy setting. The movie is grittier then series and I will definitely use the airships and the attack on them in my Eberron campaign.
I love this series, and the movie (while taking a bit to get used to) is quite excellent. I have used the example of Van attacking the airship (the first scene in the movie, IIRC) as an example of Combat Reflexes and Great Cleave in action. >.<
Aberzombie, the "Lensman" series is more than likely based off of the original series by EE "Doc" Smith - really really good.
Ah! Beat me too it!
;PPeace,
tfad
Ok, here are some of my notes:
Nausicaä, of the valley of the wind
The plant Creatures and the fungus forest always inspire me for underdark. The society which is a mixture of technical and medieval Setting is interesting, too. Of course it is post apocalyptic, but has a strong fantasy feel....
Dragonhalf
A must see. The characters and the story is so silly it reminds me a lot of my sessions.Nara Taru
One of the few anime that gave me the creeps. It starts as children soap opera and ends in horror. The idea that familiars actually form their masters is very nice developed....
Nausicaa' - Yeah, this one had me wondering how I could abuse it for D&D material too!
Dragonhalf - My sides hurt every time I watch this one, I laugh so hard.
Nara Taru - I'll have to look this one up. Sounds highly interesting.
As for my own input, I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Lodoss Wars. I mean, it /is/ D&D in anime form! So, Lodoss Wars. There. It's mentioned.
As for Anime I'd plunder for material...
* Steamboy - The old man in this one annoyed the crap out of me, but I still think it's got swipe-worthy stuff. Especially for an Eberron game.
* Castle in the Sky - A floating castle with enough firepower to rule the world? C'mon. Easily converted to a D&D module/min-campaign, or plundered for ideas.
* 3x3 eyes - I've been wondering how to convert the Sangion into a D&D race for years now.
* Slayers - Great source for artifacts, epic quests, NPCs, and humor.
* Shamanic Princess - You'd think this was a girly movie by the title, but no. Very spiff flick, and since coolness for familiars was mentioned, this one has some kickin familiars. Summoned from other realities, it's not uncommon for them to be humanoid.
On another note...
I've always had a hankering for adding anime flavor to my D&D game, which I think could be done fairly easily with a few tweaks here and there.
* Jumping - Frequently in anime, you have anyone who isn't a faceless minion or background scenery jumping around like crazy. To simulate this, eliminate height and distance limits, and make the jump DC equal to the height or half the length (DC 10 for 10 feet high or 20 feet across).
* Monologue - Even pitched battles are prone to a lot of yacking. Make all conversation a free action, even if it's practically a speech. Then you too can have villains that get to gloat about how foolproof their plans are before delivering each devastating blow.
* 3x3 eyes - I've been wondering how to convert the Sangion into a D&D race for years now.
I actaully did that a few years ago, it worked pretty well. I'll see if I can dig them up if anyone's interested. I had to change them a little so they weren't quite so powerful.
If anyone's interested, I have a website on Fullmetal Alchemist - http://www.edwardelric.com. Things kept happening in that show that made me wonder if the author played D&D. Do they have third edition in Japan?
I found it interesting to contrast how magic works in Fullmetal Alchemist with how it works in Dungeons & Dragons. Magic, or "alchemy" as the show terms it, generally consists of flashy transmutation effects. Alchemy is studied as a science, not unlike wizards in D&D, while some characters can perform transmutations simply by their own innate power, as with sorcerers. Transmuting humans - augmenting people, raising the dead - is taboo, illegal, and fraught with danger and serious consequences, for reasons revealed later in the series.
It's also interesting to see how it has magic fit in with a more modern setting. The technology level is perhaps comparable to 1940 - motor vehicles, steam trains, telephones and pistols exist, for example, most of which were likely developed by the stury of alchemy (magic) rather than technology. Those talented in alchemy are often recruited for the military, where they undergo rigorous study and training and an exacting selection process. State alchemists enjoy prestigious rank.
I can really see this fitting into a more modern D&D setting, perhaps in Eberron. Imagine that a wizard didn't wear flowing robes or carry a staff, but instead wore a smart military uniform with a silver pocket watch as their insignia. Gone is the air of mystery that surrounds him, replaced with a certain fear and respect as one might owe a man who can kill entire squads of soldiers at a distance using magic. He doesn't research war magic out of a scientific curiosity - he does it because he's a walking weapon of mass destruction who fights for his country.
I actaully did that a few years ago, it worked pretty well. I'll see if I can dig them up if anyone's interested. I had to change them a little so they weren't quite so powerful.
Sure. I'm always glad to see some 'crunch'. :)
I can really see this fitting into a more modern D&D setting, perhaps in Eberron. Imagine that a wizard didn't wear flowing robes or carry a staff, but instead wore a smart military uniform with a silver pocket watch as their insignia. Gone is the air of mystery that surrounds him, replaced with a certain fear and respect as one might owe a man who can kill entire squads of soldiers at a distance using magic. He doesn't research war magic out of a scientific curiosity - he does it because he's a walking weapon of mass destruction who fights for his country.
It could also work well in Halruaa, I think, if handled correctly. Or even Cormyr. :-D
Hmmmm....
I think what appealed to me about FMA was the set consequences when you tried to do something that it wasn't meant for (transmutation, resurrection of the dead, etc). One of my favorite scenes, I think, that I've seen so far is when Edward & Elric are trying to resurrect their mother in the first episode and what happens afterwards. Woof. Ouch.
*runs to local anime rental store to rent more FMA*
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well if we're going to do a discussion on D&D and anime, we'll have to have the Record of Lodoss War OVA series on the table. seeing mention of the Sci-Fi Channel's old Saturday Morning anime feature reminded me of that. and if you look closely, you can actually see the gaming elements throughout the entire series. The "Chronicles of the Heroic Knight" TV series is also good, but ignore the Legend of Crystania series unless you are a completist.
Magical Knight Rayearth is another good series, as is Rune Soldier.
How could I forget:
12 Kingdoms (Yuuni Kokki)
This Anime is brilliant, even if it starts with a very common theme. Highschoolgirl is transported to a (asian) fantasy world. But soon there are details that make this series so different. Not only the strong development of the characters, but it shows that the original was a novel not a manga. Funny thing is the character which is more or less a roleplayer and thinks that hack and slay works in a ‘real’ world and fumbles strongly. I thought once to make a complete campaign from the stuff, but I need more information. You got lot of courtly intrigue in the later episodes and lots of titles, which are sometimes not explained.
Gankutsuou (The Count of Monte Christo)
It is retelling of the classic story of A.Dumas, but in a Space Fantasy Setting. The visuals are very strong and the Count as a kind of vampire has a real cool flavour. Because I showed everyone the series, I think there is not much that I can take for my game. Maybe the roguish cross-dresser Peppo is someone who as NPC can make an appearance.
I can really see this fitting into a more modern D&D setting, perhaps in Eberron. Imagine that a wizard didn't wear flowing robes or carry a staff, but instead wore a smart military uniform with a silver pocket watch as their insignia. Gone is the air of mystery that surrounds him, replaced with a certain fear and respect as one might owe a man who can kill entire squads of soldiers at a distance using magic. He doesn't research war magic out of a scientific curiosity - he does it because he's a walking weapon of mass destruction who fights for his country.
Nice description, Jonathan Drain. I think I'll use this for describing the wizard soldiers of Aundair. Smartly dressed Wizard or Sorcerer officers, marching into battle, with Magewright enlisted men flanking them, carrying wands of magic missile.
Fullmetal Alchemist had a ton of cool themes and visuals.
When it comes to anime and D&D, I look no further than Record of Lodoss War(original OVA series) and Bastard!! I truly love those two series, and I have yet to see it done better. Full Metal Alchemist and a few more "modern" series are full of great ideas, too.
Bastard was cool, I really like the whole fingernail thing.
Berserk, as well. Sometimes makes me wish there was a balanced way to fit an outsized weapon like that into the game. To see him swing it like when he's fighting those armoured guards, you'd think it was an area effect weapon.
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As for my own input, I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Lodoss Wars. I mean, it /is/ D&D in anime form! So, Lodoss Wars. There. It's mentioned.
I almost mentioned it, but the Lodoss War and D&D connection goes the opposite direction of the thread's purpose. Lodoss War is derived from D&D (chant has it that it's basically an anime retelling of the creator's D&D campaign, but I've never been able to verify that). Taking something from it and adding it to your D&D game is really easy to do, since you're just adapting one form of D&D into another.
If anyone's interested, I have a website on Fullmetal Alchemist - http://www.edwardelric.com. Things kept happening in that show that made me wonder if the author played D&D. Do they have third edition in Japan?
They do. They have D&D, Forgotten Realms, and D&D Minis. They also have some Paizo products.
So yeah, it's possible FMA has some D&D connection. :)
One of the things to make a campaign Anime is to say that cosmetic changes don't have any influence on the game mechanics. One Character likes to have cat ears and a tail, no Problem - She just have a normal hearing and can't use the tail for anything special.
Berserk, as well. Sometimes makes me wish there was a balanced way to fit an outsized weapon like that into the game. To see him swing it like when he's fighting those armoured guards, you'd think it was an area effect weapon.
Oh me, oh my, how could I forget Berzerk! Talk about starting out at level 1(okay..maybe level 3 or 5) and then going up into double digits. The progression was impressively smooth.
I'm glad Record of Lodoss War came up. I was really starting to wonder there. Personally I have to say RoLW has convinced me more the degree to which D&D and anime are different animals and that the two flavors really just don't go very well together. That is not to say that some of the ideas in anime could not be spun into really interesting inspirations for D&D campaigns. Anime can just get really really wierd at times.
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I think you kids are also forgetting Vampire Hunter D, and D: Bloodlust, which is much better in my opinion than the original. I'm playing a ranger/corrupt avenger right now who is as close to a replica of D's character as I can make him, using the half-vampire template from Libris Mortis. In any case, I think that both of those two deserve mention; Bloodlust is a great example of a chase-driven hunt the PCs may go on for a villain, and a number of the settings (Barbaroi, the Castle of Chafe, etc) really carry the spirit of D&D.