I get it. You read a great sci-fi novel, or watch an amazing fantasy film, and you just want to live in that world. As roleplayers, we can do that through our hobby. So when you find that your favorite book, movie, and whatever media has been converted into a tabletop roleplaying game, naturally, you get pretty excited.
… then you get the actual game, and more often than not, it sucks on ice.
The thing is, in my experience, you don’t hate these games because of the setting or how it is portrayed. The problem is, you are trying to play in this setting through the lens of someone else’s rules or system. Take, for example, “The Witcher” TTRPG. I haven’t read the books, but came to be a fan through the Netflix series, and thus bought the game when it was available. It came from R. Talsorian Games, a company I trust, so of course I expected to like it a lot.
Turns out, it was disappointing. They tried to twist their home system (see “Cyberpunk 2013”, and its following games 2020 and RED) into this fantasy setting, and it works… sorta… but if you aren’t playing a Witcher, you are in serious trouble! So the setting is portrayed in an authentic manner, but the system just doesn’t work here in my opinion, and it ruins the experience. There is certainly fun to be had, but it isn’t what a “Witcher” fan would expect or want from a “Witcher”-based game.
Now this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, on rare occasions, you get a licensed TTRPG that knocks it out of the park. For example, “Star Wars 2nd Edition Revised and Expanded”, by West End Games. This game is a classic, providing smooth and entertaining gameplay with a very authentic “Star Wars” experience. There have been many “Star Wars”-based TTRPGs, but in my opinion, the only one that really feels like “Star Wars” is WEG’s 2nd Edition, and I love it! But considering how many licensed TTRPGs there are, this one is like finding a needle in a galaxy of haystacks.
So, what should one do, if they want to play in their favorite IP’s world/universe? Well, I would say it comes down to what you and your group are comfortable with. I know I rail against people trying to shoehorn every type of setting into “Dungeons & Dragons” 5th Edition rules, but in this case, if that is what works for your group, do it.
Yes, I know that sounds hypocritical, but hear me out.
What really matters here is having the most authentic experience you can, while keeping the gameplay as comfortable as possible, almost like light background noise, that doesn’t take away from the setting. So the best way to do that, in my opinion, would be to take your favorite IP’s new TTRPG, and homebrew it within an inch of its life! If that means keeping the core game as just a sourcebook for the setting, and otherwise using the rules from your favorite TTRPG, then do it. Whatever would make your gaming experience as comfortable as possible.
As an example of what I mean, I love the setting for “Shadowrun”, but the rules can be… Unfortunate. But there is a great cyberpunk game I love called “The Sprawl”, which has some unofficial, fan-made rules that help you emulate a “Shadowrun”-like experience. This is the best way to play in that setting, in my opinion, and I’d know. I have every official edition of “Shadowrun”, and they are all broken in one way or another. This fix was necessary, at least at my table.
The point here is this: Once you buy a game, you can play it however you wish. If that means tearing out all of the rules, and replacing them with your own, then so be it! Hell, if that means just making your own game set in your favorite IP’s world, you can do that, too… Just don’t try to sell it, that’s a great way to get sued.
