TV Shows for Inspiration

inspiration

#1

I thought we could have a list of TV shows that can be easily harvested for ICRPG adventures. Only rule is that they should be somewhat easy to obtain. Netflix, Hulu, pay-wall shows are fine, but no reccomendations for shows from 1987 that are no longer findable.


#2

Name: The Dragon Prince
How to watch: Netflix
IMDB: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt8688814/
Wider political backstory and a party type fantasy quest. Low/no magic humans and high magic elves in a cold war. Dragons and interesting beasts aplenty.


#3

Name: Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash
How to watch: Crunchy-Roll
IMDB: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5341430/
A more slow-paced ā€œisekaiā€ story, where the party actually consists of non-heroes that really struggle to even take a single lone goblin down. Plays out like a typical rpg campaign with a strong focus on party character relations and sweat (blood) and tears earned progression.


#4

I could see Firefly being a great model for a low/no magic sci-fi adventure. Get a crew together on a junker ship, pulling odd jobs and evading the law. Itā€™s a classic episodic adventure model.


#5

I think this would qualify for the list. Was a decent adventure.

Stardust (2007)

Stardust Poster

Trailer

In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that heā€™ll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.


#6

I used a lot of firefly influences when I ran my spelljammer game last year. It was super fun!


#7

Name: Castlvania
How to watch: Netflix
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6517102/
If you enjoy vampires and other similar terrors of the nightā€¦ :vampire:

Name: Altered Carbon
How to watch: Netflix
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2261227/
Futuristic/Sci-fi/Cyberpunk ICRPG style! I let my players create several characters (ā€œsleevesā€) at the start of the game that they can transfer their ā€œcortical stacksā€ or consciousness into if they can successfully make the transfer before their current ā€œsleeveā€ dies or unless their ā€œstackā€ is permanently destroyed without a backup. :computer:

Name: Bright
How to watch: Netflix
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5519340/
Not a TV show per se, but I think the mix of modern world and middle earth fantasy is awesome! :elf:


#8

I totally agree that Bright was awesome. It didnā€™t get great reviews by the general public but as a source of game inspiration and world building that movie is a gold mine!


#9

True Detective on HBO has really affected my games lately. A mix of police procedural, film noir themes, political intrigue, and Lovecraftian horror is what the show offers up and it is pretty inspirational for RPGā€™s.

Also the film version of Odd Thomas with Anton Yelchin is quite good for modeling an impending doom scenario.


#10

Name: Almost Human
How to watch: Not sure where. Show was cancelled.
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2654580/
A simple sci-fi show, where the advent of new technologies ā€˜altered the criminal landscapeā€™, resulting in the police to reinforce their numbers with androids. There is a certain ā€˜Blade Runnerā€™ feel to it, though less dystopian in its setting. Good for those not so far future campaigns that want a ā€˜clean dystopianā€™ feel.

Name: Valkyria Chronicles
How to watch: Crunchy Roll
IMDB: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1444117/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4
Started off as a PS3 game then turned into an anime. Itā€™s a neat take on World War 2 (Europa instead of Europe; Gallia instead of Gaul or France. Iā€™m just guessing here). It focuses on Squad 7 as they battle against the Autocratic East Europan Imperial Allianceā€™s forces, a la Band of Brothers. Good focus on some characters, their way of thinking and prejudices. The series is a good example of how you can have your players fight specific battles of a war. Their successes and failures can then determine future missions.

Name: Band of Brothers.
How to watch: Not sure where.
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185906/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Speaking of Band of Brothers. Itā€™s Band of Brothers, Nuff said.


#11

I have pulled a lot from Merlin
Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu
IMDB: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1199099/

High fantasy setting where magic is illegal and most of the adventures take place in and around a single location.

It inspired a campaign in which the players lived in a castle in a forest and each adventure was about protecting their home.