Or, something along those lines: A school of Wizards. What age would you start the characters? What sorts of wacky challenges would you throw at em? What kinds of characters would be appropriate? And, what system would you use, and how would you adapt it?
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"This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet" -King Lear, 3.4
Personally, I'd just clumsily and inappropriately apply the Harry Potter tropes to an Exalted game.
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Actually, Jared Sorensen made a barebones system here, but I've never tried it nor does it look particularly satisfying. If you really want the feel of the books, I'd suggest something very rules lite, where the magic effects could be flexibly created on the fly. I seem to recall Donjon having an interesting take on this, which you could adapt without going with the game's rather unconventional narrative system.
As for the other stuff, it really depends on what you want to do with it. I could see doing a faithful translation of the books or some kind of horrendous parody, where the characters are magical terrorists fighting against the SAS, or part of a brainwashed Elder God cult, or a shadowy government agency a la Neon Genesis Evangelion.
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-DK Currently Running: Exalted 2nd - Heroic Mortals, 3:16 Currently Playing: Planescape (3.5)
I think I'd make it more of a school drama, and less of an adventure game set in a boarding school. If using the Harry Potter setting, I'd set it five years before Philosopher's Stone; if using Exalted and setting it in the Heptagram, I'd set it a couple decades before the Empress' disappearance.
I think I'd use a Fate/Spirit of the Century-ish system ... as I think it lends itself pretty much to storytelling from a child's perspective, which is what you might want to do. I don't know how to handle magic yet (I don't know the Fate rules here), but the aspects would be great to translate the general features of Harry and his pals.
Maybe I'd go for magic as stunts ... or simply use the different school subjects as skills that tell you how qualified you are with that certain kind of magic?!
Regarding the setting I think I'd put my game several years before the first appearance of Voldemort ... would be easier to set up great stories that don't interfere with the Potter-metaplot. But maybe you could also get it inbetween the Voldemort appearances ...
First off I'd be looking for a magic system with set spell lists where improvised magic was very hard (as this fits the way magic is described in the books). GURPS with the apropriatye optional rules tweaks springs to mind.
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RPG Stuff: GURPS Exalted, plus Exalted second edition character sheets and charm-cards, and a pdf of Kasumi's combat 201 with a Battlewheel tutorial.
First off I'd be looking for a magic system with set spell lists where improvised magic was very hard (as this fits the way magic is described in the books). GURPS with the apropriatye optional rules tweaks springs to mind.
I would say that I definitely agree that this is the way the magic is presented and that GURPS would model it very well but I also don't think that you would actually want to run it with the magic system as it is described in the books. The stuff in the books is far too...plot-based for my tastes honestly (i.e. you learn a new spell this term, it will be the only new spell you ever use, or that anyone else ever uses until you learn another new spell).
I'd say GURPS would make a good setting for playing a game where you're members of the Ministry of magic, teachers, or 'magic grad students' but at the level the books seem to operate on it honestly doesn't seem like GURPs does much for me. Playing low-point value mages isn't much fun in my experience (or perhaps more correctly mid point value mages who are not allowed to start with any spells).
My instinct would be a system that does the opposite, allows improvised magic from the player's point of view by accepting retroactive learning, "I studied this in my spare time", or even just randomly trying Latiniod phrases. Something like Zorcerer of Zo might work, replacing the 'cost/catch' system with a requirement to have already learned the particular incantation the character is attempting which may in turn require the character to spend hero/learning points (none if it is given by the GM, 1 or so if the character is taking an appropraite class or has access to appropraite sources, 2 if the character has to make up their own way, then an equal amount of learning points to 'cement' the spell).
Hi, if you are searching for free game systems I think to Ars Magica the Fourth Edition is free. But if you would like small effort to run a campaign in our era you can use Mage The Awakening. This book use the storytelling system from World of Darkness and it is very good. I've prepared a campaign for my group using this system; they are playing in a Magic Academy, without age bounds (you can Awake yourself as a Mage at every age). My players try to live with this new powers, fighting against supernatural things and common troubles.
Personally, I'd just clumsily and inappropriately apply the Harry Potter tropes to an Exalted game.
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Dude, "Jorj" rocked. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have ended up as a necromantic bone puppet if JK Rowling had been writing the series, but you never know. Maybe that was her first draft.
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Actually, Jared Sorensen made a barebones system here, but I've never tried it nor does it look particularly satisfying. If you really want the feel of the books, I'd suggest something very rules lite, where the magic effects could be flexibly created on the fly. I seem to recall Donjon having an interesting take on this, which you could adapt without going with the game's rather unconventional narrative system.
As for the other stuff, it really depends on what you want to do with it. I could see doing a faithful translation of the books or some kind of horrendous parody, where the characters are magical terrorists fighting against the SAS, or part of a brainwashed Elder God cult, or a shadowy government agency a la Neon Genesis Evangelion.
For setting, I was thinking let the players invent their own school of magic as you go. Would Esoterrorists be helpful here? The Harry Potter books are pretty mystery oriented, and I am awful that coming up with mystery plots. I also kind of want to set it in some crazy modern day (but not earth) fantasy setting.
I wouldn't mind the parody either though. Maybe some sort of Fair Folk/Demon school? Where "magic" is actually shapechanging, summoning demons, and giving yourself creepy powers (what's a game which has lots of creepy superpowers?). This is kind of where I was trying to go with Mnemnon Talek, but it didn't totally work out. (not talking actual Exalted here, but another setting with some force analogous to the Wyld.)
I agree with the idea of a static spell list, but it would have to be a really well done spell list. Just ripping it out of the SRD is not going to cut it. I feel like you'd need some pretty broad flexible spells for players to mess around with, and a lot of training montages.
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"This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet" -King Lear, 3.4
Re: How would you run Harry Potter?
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