My new Cat RPG

[Matt Gwinn]

I just came up with a new rpg where you play cats.  It's a little like GURPS Bunnies & Burrows, but the system is completely different.  I'm not quite sure where I want to go with the tone of the game yet - I'm figuring ether Gothic Horror like the Movie "Cat's Eye" or something a bit more cartoonish like a Disney film.  I'd appreciate any input you may have.

You can see the rules at
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/skyrealm/cats

thanks, Matt

[Blake Hutchins]

Hi Eloran!

For inspiration on cat fantasy, I recommend Gabriel King's novels The Wild Road and The Golden Cat. There's also another called The Book of Night with Moon (I think that's the title, but don't hold me to it), and I can't recall the name of the author. There's also Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams, but that didn't work terribly well for me.

Best,

Blake

[Ron Edwards]

Hey Eloran,

You might like to know that there's another fellow on the Forge who's prepping an RPG based on cat player-characters.

Don't let that discourage you! I mention it to give you a heads-up, so you don't get startled by it. I expect that you and he will have a good time trading ideas, or, if you prefer, springing one another's work out for comparison later.

Best,
Ron

[Matt Gwinn]

Well, I've updated the game and added some new abilities, added a new classification and clarified a few things.  I think the game is pretty much ready to play.

I am still trying to deside whether or not I should give each of the personality traits a specific effect or just used them like Vampire used nature and demeanor like I currently have them.

Any input would be appreciated.

,Matt

[John Wick]

On 2001-06-05 18:14, Ron Edwards wrote:
Hey Eloran,

You might like to know that there's another fellow on the Forge who's prepping an RPG based on cat player-characters.

Wicked Press Release (mailed to distributors June 1, 2001)
Coming this Halloween from Wicked Press

CAT: A Storytelling Game of Fancy and Wonder

"Once upon a time, the King of the Cats beat the Queen of the Dogs for the right to rule the world. And cats have been protecting men from Things they can't see ever since."

As light as a Disney film, or as dark and dangerous as a tale from the pages of Grimm, CAT is a roleplaying game for players of all ages.

32 pages
$10

[Clay]

Blake,

The Book of Night With Moon is by Dorana Durgan.  It's a decent read, although she has a tendency to bash you over the head with her moral point. If you don't have a beef with the way the various Star Trek series do that, you won't be bothered by Ms. Durgan's work, since it is in the same style of beating.

[Gordon C. Landis]

"The Book of Night with Moon" that I'm familiar with (and if it's not the book Clay means, his description applies here as well) is written by Diane Duane.

[Blake Hutchins]

Thanks, Gordon. I dug the book out last night, and the one I meant is indeed by Diane Duane.

Best,

Blake

[Brassy]

Gayle Greeno's Ghatti's tales are a good read. Similar to your ideas from the Stephen King corner, but with less of a focus on warring against the supernatural and more against the darker side of human nature. I believe the human companions were called Seeker Veritas. Truth was treated as a many sided thing. It made a good read for me.

[Clay]

On 2001-06-07 15:46, Gordon C. Landis wrote:
"The Book of Night with Moon" that I'm familiar with (and if it's not the book Clay means, his description applies here as well) is written by Diane Duane.

Gordon,

You are indeed correct.  Doranna Durgan wrote a completely different series of novels. I confuse the two because Ms. Durgan recommended Ms. Duane's novels to me.  Doranna Durgan's novels don't have anything to do with cats, although they are a good read, and don't tend to involve bashing people over the head with her point.

[Jamie Thomas Durbin]

Right... The rules system looks good... I like it...

Still, one thing that bugs... setting, or lack thereof... where have you put the setting? or have you written it? if you haven't written it, what's meant to be going on in this world?

And, as a sidenote, I find Tailchaser's Song a damn fine "cat fantasy"... I saw nothing wrong with it, and in fact liked Tad Williams' approach to their mythology... still...

[Blake Hutchins]

I like a lot of Tailchaser's Song, actually, but I thought Williams lost the thread and focus of his narrative toward the end, weakening the resolution enough that I came out of the book feeling let down.  This criticism is one I'd extend to other work I've read by Williams.  He does great character development, but takes a long time to build to a climax that doesn't deliver very well.

[Jack Spencer Jr]

In the interest in saying *something* on the subject, whether or not is has any real substance....

My wife saw the movie Cats & Dogs and hated it.  Yes, the plot is lame but worse the dogs are the definate good guys while the cats are the definate bad guys.  Effectively they've alienated 50% of their audience or whatever percentage likes cats, anyway.

Something to think about.

I have a copy of Woof Meow by Game Systems, Inc.  where the players are cats and dogs.  Probably not the direction anybody is looking for in any of their games since it has a fairly traditional design, but there is a precidence for such games besides B&B.

Oddly enough, Woof Meow includes a magic system.  Silly.

[Clay]

Pblock,

Making cats the villians doesn't necessarily alienate half the audience.  My friends and I are all cat people, and our experience with the animals has led us all to conclude that cats are the logical choice for villians.  

As for a magic system in a cat/dog game, it makes perfect sense.  I have a cat who is capable of teleporting from the door to the center of the bed, and four of them who are absolute geniouses at invisibility.  Most dogs I know are also capable of eating absolutely anything, carrying on as if nothing was wrong, and then messily retrieving it for later use on the living room carpet.

[Jamie Thomas Durbin]

I actually laughed when I noticed cats are the villains... I am indeed a cat lover, and I say "HUZZAH!"... Cats are indeed the wonderfully evil SOBs I knew them to be all along... :grin:

See?

As to Tad Williams not being very good at story climaxes, I agree... but usually, the story itself compensates... For example, I'm *Entranced* by Otherland...