Ideas for an IP to replace Star Wars

[ArcaneLurker]

I think it's time for a new sci-fi-fantasy-space-opera IP-- if you had to create a fiction to fill the void of Star Wars now that it's been taken over & ruined, and it was for an RPG game, with a focus on worldbuilding, what would it be like?
How would it be inspired by IPs like Star Wars/ Dune and how would it differ or improve on things?
Would there be an overarching mystical & magical conflict that adds a sense of romanticism?

[wndrbr]

Nice try, Zack Snyder!

[Vergil]

Knights of the Old Republic but pre-2011 and the original vision for KOTOR III

[ArcaneLurker]

Knights of the Old Republic but pre-2011 and the original vision for KOTOR III

By the latter, I'm assuming you mean exploring unknown alien territory?
Let's say the IP has to be legally distinct enough-- what would you change to make it not so obviously derivative?

For instance, I've thought about lightsabers, and obviously they don't really make any sense, and despite that not really mattering, I still have a desire to make an equivalent that is more sensible. If you had anything like an energy baton that cuts through steel, all these big swinging motions would be pointless-- the swordsman would focus on small & quick movements like a rapier.
It doesn't have to be completely logical according to real world limitations, but just have some underlying 'autism' behind how things work, which is how I'd approach magic systems too.

[Oyster Sauce]

Knights of the Old Republic but pre-2011 and the original vision for KOTOR III

Let's say the IP has to be legally distinct enough-- what would you change to make it not so obviously derivative?

For instance, I've thought about lightsabers, and obviously they don't really make any sense, and despite that not really mattering, I still have a desire to make an equivalent that is more sensible. If you had anything like an energy baton that cuts through steel, all these big swinging motions would be pointless-- the swordsman would focus on small & quick movements like a rapier.
It doesn't have to be completely logical according to real world limitations, but just have some underlying 'autism' behind how things work, which is how I'd approach magic systems too.

Beam katana are cooler

[maidenhaver]

You could do spaceships with lightsabers.

[Ranselknulf]

Game of Thrones, but with light sabers.

[ArcaneLurker]

Knights of the Old Republic but pre-2011 and the original vision for KOTOR III

Let's say the IP has to be legally distinct enough-- what would you change to make it not so obviously derivative?

For instance, I've thought about lightsabers, and obviously they don't really make any sense, and despite that not really mattering, I still have a desire to make an equivalent that is more sensible. If you had anything like an energy baton that cuts through steel, all these big swinging motions would be pointless-- the swordsman would focus on small & quick movements like a rapier.
It doesn't have to be completely logical according to real world limitations, but just have some underlying 'autism' behind how things work, which is how I'd approach magic systems too.

Beam katana are cooler

I really like the aspect of an omnidirectional edge.

[rusty_shackleford]

mass effect

[Ranselknulf]

mass effect

with light sabers

[Oyster Sauce]

mass effect

with light sabers

3's magic hologram swords sucked hard. Just give me infinite ammo freeze ray rifles.

[Oyster Sauce]

Let's say the IP has to be legally distinct enough-- what would you change to make it not so obviously derivative?

For instance, I've thought about lightsabers, and obviously they don't really make any sense, and despite that not really mattering, I still have a desire to make an equivalent that is more sensible. If you had anything like an energy baton that cuts through steel, all these big swinging motions would be pointless-- the swordsman would focus on small & quick movements like a rapier.
It doesn't have to be completely logical according to real world limitations, but just have some underlying 'autism' behind how things work, which is how I'd approach magic systems too.

Beam katana are cooler

I really like the aspect of an omnidirectional edge.

Here you go!

[ArcaneLurker]

mass effect

Doesn't scratch the same itch.

Here you go!

Very chunky but it could be cool in it's own way.
In either of these cases, you'd have to avoid stabbing.

[Acrux]

Dune, but with lightsabers and robots.

[Element]

More humanoid aliens, and more wars between species. More drones and automated weapons that don't walk on two legs and aren't just spheres suspended mid air. Blasters and other directed energy weapons that are actually dangerous and shoot instantly at the speed of light. Heavier armour, but not 40k territory, and a lots and lots of tech like portable DIRCM in the armour to blind drones, motion sensors, dynamic camouflage. Rapid underground borers that quickly renders a planet into a fortress that cannot be destroyed from orbit. Lots of tech complexity that requires endless computation and assistance in the form of neural networks, perhaps even AI companions like in Halo. More realistic portrayal of military forces, with more arty and tanks and AD. Low and zero-g environments actually existing and affecting fights.

I think people would respond quite positively to battles that look like they have higher stakes and aren't just theatre with John Williams tricking your brain into thinking there's something epic happening.

The force can be made into something more potent. Keep the powers of the force from SW and augment them with the ability to conjure something from the other side. Plenty of ground for more mysticism.

[ArcaneLurker]

More humanoid aliens, and more wars between species.

So more like Warhammer?
I do enjoy Warhammer.

More drones and automated weapons that don't walk on two legs and aren't just spheres suspended mid air.

There's a lot of creative yet plausible stuff that could be done with drones.

Blasters and other directed energy weapons that are actually dangerous and shoot instantly at the speed of light.

I agree, it would be nice to move away from the Flash Gordan fantasy lasers.
If you were making a game, how would you balance it?
Energy shields?

Heavier armour, but not 40k territory, and a lots and lots of tech like portable DIRCM in the armour to blind drones, motion sensors, dynamic camouflage.
Rapid underground borers that quickly renders a planet into a fortress that cannot be destroyed from orbit. Lots of tech complexity that requires endless computation and assistance in the form of neural networks, perhaps even AI companions like in Halo. More realistic portrayal of military forces, with more arty and tanks and AD. Low and zero-g environments actually existing and affecting fights.

Yes, along with the more serious approach to factions/ economics/ space exploration that you can find in Dune.

What about the fantasy/ mystical side of things like the force or a magic equivalent?

I think people would respond quite positively to battles that look like they have higher stakes and aren't just theatre with John Williams tricking your brain into thinking there's something epic happening.

He's a powerful musician.

[Xenich]

Here! I present you the new IP!

[Mondain]

Lightsabers were always stupid.

[Vergil]

Lightsabers were always cool.

[Gregz]

It is interesting to note that George Lucas created the Star Wars universe because:

Lucas's goal at first was to make a new Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon serial. But when he was unable to get the rights, he decided to make his own.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Gor ... _1980_film

[GhostCow]

Chronicles of Riddick should have been the next Star Wars. I always thought it had the potential.

[ArcaneLurker]

It is interesting to note that George Lucas created the Star Wars universe because:

Lucas's goal at first was to make a new Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon serial. But when he was unable to get the rights, he decided to make his own.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Gor ... _1980_film

[Element]

So more like Warhammer?
I do enjoy Warhammer.

Warhammer is too black and white imo. There could be different species that coexist in cold neutrality. Some might even be trusted enough to cooperate with humanity. But there should also be others that shoot on sight. SW was always a lib fever dream of vibrant diversity.

There's a lot of creative yet plausible stuff that could be done with drones.

I like the SW aesthetic when it's confined to space. It had very memorable designs for starships. Unfortunately it never seemed to replicate that in the ground drones, which ranged from passable to bizarrely stupid (ie. stuff that was made to sell merch and not add verisimilitude). I'd keep it more realistic, without throwing out the rule of cool entirely. Quadcopters with toroidal propellers and screens that display their "face", like the new vegas securitrons. BigDog equivalents, but with a personality of their own. Perhaps even biomech stuff, like the combine in Half Life. Machines with partially organic sensors. I wouldn't ditch the retrofuturistic, analogue look though. Not a fan of the brutally minimalist.

If you were making a game, how would you balance it?
Energy shields?

It's an interesting question to think about when world building. I think having everyone armed with an energy weapon is a bit silly, since countermeasures of some sort would appear. SW approach of putting people into cool armour uniforms that don't do anything at all against blasters was always something that needed a complete overhaul. In a game this is easy to solve by having armour that has different resistance to damage type, but if it's an AAA title then you'd still need to picture what the armour would look like. Perhaps akin to modern tanks having active and passive protection, the armour itself would be broken up into those two parts. Active protection would mean you'd be wearing a rucksack with gear that would counteract drones and confuse the enemy via high tech hijinks. Whilst for the passive, you'd have points on the mesh where you can choose to attach different protective plates. One plate dissipates directed energy, another stops bullets and shrapnel, and so on. If its an RPG then your stats would determine how much gear you can carry into battle. Slap several plates on the same point if your strength is high enough. Exoskeletons could be worked in there, as long as they're not bulky and don't turn you into Brotherhood of Steel / Space marine.

What about the fantasy/ mystical side of things like the force or a magic equivalent?

That's an aspect that could provide a treasure trove of ideas. Even if keeping within the confines of SW, it seems to me that the use of the force in the movies is only a small subset of what could be done with it. There's manipulation of thought, telepathy and telekinesis that's portrayed on screen. Could a force user raise a dead soldier and puppeteer him in combat? Could he exsanguinate a body at a distance, cause panic in the enemy as the blood rises of its own accord into the air and assumes monstrous form? Could he manipulate the environment, create dust storms on desert planets, direct wildfires in forests? Im sure the expanded SW universe answers some of these, and it'd be cool to emphasise them in a new ip.

[WhiteShark]

I don't see a need to ditch conventional projectile weapons, personally. I always appreciated that in the Halo universe, one of the most devastating starship weapons was the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (MAC), which just fired big chunks of metal at extremely high speeds.

[Element]

I don't see a need to ditch conventional projectile weapons, personally. I always appreciated that in the Halo universe, one of the most devastating starship weapons was the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (MAC), which just fired big chunks of metal at extremely high speeds.

Yes, and especially in low gravity environments the projectile would have much longer range. Energy weapons would also vary greatly from planet to planet aiui since the composition of the atmosphere would affect dissipation.

[Vergil]

I don't see a need to ditch conventional projectile weapons, personally. I always appreciated that in the Halo universe, one of the most devastating starship weapons was the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (MAC), which just fired big chunks of metal at extremely high speeds.

One of the most devastating weapons is also a giant fucking laser that glasses planets though to be fair.

[ArcaneLurker]

Warhammer is too black and white imo.

Yeah, they take it to the extreme because it's meant to be a satire. I was mainly interested in Warhammer Fantasy and even then, it was because of Total War & Vermintide.

Perhaps even biomech stuff, like the combine in Half Life. Machines with partially organic sensors.

Ah, that reminds me- Have you seen Farscape? In that, there's a whole series of biomechanical ships piloted by special aliens. The designs in that TV show are great.

I think having everyone armed with an energy weapon is a bit silly,

That leaves room for coming up a wide variety of futuristic weapons.
There were some fun weapons in Jedi Outcast/ Academy.

SW approach of putting people into cool armour uniforms that don't do anything at all against blasters was always something that needed a complete overhaul.

It was the Stormtroopers & Clones that had armour which supposedly absorbed the energy, but just looked like they keeled over & died. Although it's pretty obviously a retroactive explanation for a cinematic oversight. Armours are never really used in the narrative, so they just seem cosmetic. In the expanded universe, there were armours that could deflect blaster shots but they were rare.

In a game this is easy to solve by having armour that has different resistance to damage type,

I wouldn't want to make an RPG without this. Offers a lot of room for varied gameplay.

Active protection would mean you'd be wearing a rucksack with gear that would counteract drones and confuse the enemy via high tech hijinks. Whilst for the passive, you'd have points on the mesh where you can choose to attach different protective plates. One plate dissipates directed energy, another stops bullets and shrapnel, and so on.

So the blasters would be so powerful that you'd be screwed if you didn't prepare adequately or approach the situation from stealth?

Not sure about the plates idea. Doesn't sound appealing to me.

In Dune, there's a forcefield/ shield that prevents high velocity projectiles, which makes a certain style of fighting with swords/ daggers viable, because the speed of the blade can pass through the shield.

If its an RPG then your stats would determine how much gear you can carry into battle. Slap several plates on the same point if your strength is high enough. Exoskeletons could be worked in there, as long as they're not bulky and don't turn you into Brotherhood of Steel / Space marine.

The whole point of an exoskeleton is to turn you into a Brotherhood of Steel/ Space Marine or Iron Man.

Im sure the expanded SW universe answers some of these, and it'd be cool to emphasise them in a new ip.

Yeah, I think raising the dead was done in the expanded universe.
It's always interesting to have the extreme be immense & otherworldly, but it needs the contrast with the lower level stuff. Like the problem with Force Unleashed is that it cheapened the force a bit, even though it had fun physics.

I meant more along the lines of the overarching lore behind the magic, with the force you have:
Some kind of ubiquitous force throughout all life that some people can tap into and control.
A dark side & a light side, or a moral/ philosophical conflict engrained in there.
Varying levels of force sensitivity which is like being a psychic because you were born with more magic microbes.
And control of the force seems to be related to both emotion as well as thinking.

Frieren has some interesting takes on magic, because it's outlined that it's to do with the limitations of someone's imagination as well as their naturalborn mana pool & their access to spells. Elves have an advantage in their long lives, in how much they can grow their mana and the expanse of knowledge they can acquire, but because of the way they learn it takes them longer to perform spells than a human that was raised from a young age to intuitively learn those same spells. They also tend to be complacent or lazy compared to humans because they have no sense of urgency.

[Mondain]

Star Wars isn't sci-fi

[Vergil]

I think it's time for a new sci-fi-fantasy-space-opera IP

Star Wars isn't sci-fi

Thanks for your contribution to the thread, dumbfuck.

[Mondain]

I think it's time for a new sci-fi-fantasy-space-opera IP

Star Wars isn't sci-fi

Thanks for your contribution to the thread, dumbfuck.

Star wars isn't sci fi, sci fi isn't popular, dumb fuck. The reason none of these reach star wars popularity is because sci-fi is for losers.