I nearly fell off my chair when I read the rpg.net thread on MRQII and Matt stated they had thought of using the MRQII rules for a Sharpe game.
I am very partial to this idea (or at least a Napoleonic supplement).
Points I'd like to make;
I think point ii) above will obviously be the crunch point. Would such a line sell enough to justify the development costs? I would argue that it may not be a big burner, but if done well, it could be a slow steady burner that would be worthwhile in the long run. An actual Sharpe license would be rather expensive I imagine, but its 'product recognition' would be huge (I would argue it's much bigger than the likes of A Song of Fire and Ice, Conan, Elric, Babylon 5, but not as large as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek).
What are others thoughts on this? Would you want to and can we convince Mongoose that this would be a worthwhile area to develop?
I am very partial to this idea (or at least a Napoleonic supplement).
Points I'd like to make;
i) The MRQII/Wayfarer system seems to be eminently suitable to adapting to this era/style.
ii) Although not as large an audience as fantasy, sci-fi or horror, the Napoleonic era is still very recognisable to shoppers, easy to research for developers, and clearly demonstrated as a rich source of adventure fiction.
iii) The competition is either indie (Duty & Honour/Beat to Quarters), very small company and production values (In Harm's Way) or very old-school (Privateers and Gentlemen). Either that or it's a generic system with a single supplement (GURPS/Age of Napoleon).
iv) It lends itself to very easy expansion; core rules, cavalry supplement (e.g., Matthew Hervey novels), artillery supplement (a unique area not yet explored in literature/rpgs), naval supplement (e.g., lots and lots of authors/novels), campaigns supplement (history, maps, timelines, equipment, etc.), adventure/missions supplement(s) (from historical through to artistic license).
v) It could cross fertilise some miniatures rules (a planned area of future expansion for Mongoose), although granted there are already 1001 different Napoleonic rules sets out there.
vi) A good set of black-powder core rules can lead to other eras (e.g., American Civil War) or even fantasy hybrids (e.g., Gemmel's Rigante novels).
vii) Lots of public domain artwork from old sources plus lots of living artists working in this genre (e.g., Osprey books lead the way)
I think point ii) above will obviously be the crunch point. Would such a line sell enough to justify the development costs? I would argue that it may not be a big burner, but if done well, it could be a slow steady burner that would be worthwhile in the long run. An actual Sharpe license would be rather expensive I imagine, but its 'product recognition' would be huge (I would argue it's much bigger than the likes of A Song of Fire and Ice, Conan, Elric, Babylon 5, but not as large as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek).
What are others thoughts on this? Would you want to and can we convince Mongoose that this would be a worthwhile area to develop?
