Dream Park: The Roleplaying Game is a role-playing game published by R. Talsorian Games in 1992. It was designed by Mike Pondsmith and was based on the 1981 novel Dream Park , which is itself about a live-action role-playing game amusement park. The player characters take on the roles of the players in this holographic game, simultaneously playing both the character and the character's alternate persona.
In 1981, Larry Niven and Steven Barnes wrote the novel Dream Park , which describes a murder investigation that takes place within a televised live action role-playing game (LARP) set in a holographic amusement park. In 1992, R. Talsorian Games published Dream Park, a 128-page softcover book by Mike Pondsmith with rules for a pencil-and-paper role-playing game based on the novel (making it a role-playing game based on a book about a role-playing game). [1]
The premise of the game is that the player takes on the role of a primary character who wants to LARP at Dream Park, a holographic amusement park. In order to do this, the primary character takes on the role of a persona for each session within Dream Park. Thus the player takes on two roles: the primary character, and the Dream Park persona being played by the primary character. The rule book has a basic rules section with a few short scenarios and more detailed advanced rules, as well as information on various types of genres and creating games. [1]
The rule book encourages the gamemaster to create Dream Park sessions that are mash-ups of various eras and genres. The sample adventure offered in the rule book, The Big Zombie Pirate Game, involves pirates, submarines and zombie dinosaurs. [1]
Character generation is two-fold: The player first creates a primary character, usually a fairly ordinary person. The primary character then creates a Dream Park persona that the primary character will use in the Dream Park game within the overall game. This persona can be one of several classes: fighter, thief, cleric, magic-user, loremaster, engineer, psychic, superhero, or multi-class (two classes). [1]
The Dream Park persona's in-game abilities are defined by ten skills that are rated from 1–4: melee weapon, ranged weapon, hand to hand (used for unarmed attacks), dodge, tinkering, athletics, knowledge, stealth, willpower, and awareness. The primary character also has 20 Game Points that can be spent on Dream Park options: magic spells, super powers, weapons and animal companions. [1]
Before the first Dream Park session begins, the primary character is taken on a tour of Dream Park, where several of the staff explain their job. The head special effects technician gives a behind the scenes look at how the special effects of the park work.
Dream Park sessions are set in one of four eras:
For an upcoming Dream Park session, the primary character can use any banked Game Points, as well as cashing in any unneeded equipment and optional abilities used in a previous Dream Park session, to buy new equipment and optional abilities that will conform to the era of the new session. So a fighter persona who had been a sword-wielding knight in a medieval Dream Park session might be an M1-toting GI in another session set in the mid-twentieth century. [1]
Skill challenges are resolved with a single six-sided die roll. The referee assigns a difficulty rating to the task. The player succeeds at the task if a die roll plus the Dream Park persona's relevant skill rating exceeds the difficulty rating of the task. [1]
Combat resolution is similar: An attacker rolls a single die, which is then modified by the relevant skill, distance, target size and visual impairment. The total must surpass the target's Dodge or Parry skill. Wounds are resolved on a table, although damage is reduced by the target's armor. A Dream Park persona who receives too many wounds and "dies" is removed from the Dream Park session; the primary character can be penalized Game Points by the referee, although the referee also has the option of making no Game Point penalty as a reward for enthusiastic role-playing prior to the persona's "death". [1]
In Issue 70 of Challenge , Dirk DeJong found that "Dream Park is an attractive, very glossy product. It's easy to play the basic game, and the fundamental concepts are swiftly grasped." However, DeJong found discrepancies between the rules and the original novels, especially the magic system, which he felt players might object to. He concluded, "Dream Park is a good concept, and well-executed. Gamers desiring different game realities, new challenges and little chance of permanent character death will love it. I look forward to the adventures." [2]
In the August 1993 edition of Dragon (Issue 196), Rick Swan admitted that "in small doses, this game can be a lot of fun." But he was unenthusiastic about it as an on-going campaign, saying, "The Dream Park game is not a serious simulation, nor is it suited for long-term play. The quirky premise sacrifices character development and strong narratives in favor of action and elementary problem-solving. Role-playing has little place in these cartoonish scenarios, and it’s unlikely that players will become attached to characters who change their skills as often as they change their clothes." [1]
In a reader poll conducted by the UK magazine Arcane in 1996 to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time, Dream Park was ranked 34th. Editor Paul Pettengale commented: "You can run a continuing character – the gameworld player - while playing in a string of scenarios, and even if you get killed your character isn't dead, just embarrassed or annoyed. The D6-based system is simple and the published scenarios are colourful." [3]
Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction role-playing game based on H. P. Lovecraft's story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos. The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium; it was first released in 1981 and is in its seventh edition, with licensed foreign language editions available as well. Its game system is based on Chaosium's Basic Role-Playing (BRP) with additions for the horror genre. These include special rules for sanity and luck.
Golden Heroes is a superhero role-playing game that was originally written and published on an amateur basis in 1982. Games Workshop then published a more complete version in 1984. It was written by Simon Burley and Peter Haines and was illustrated by a group of artists who were working for 2000 AD at the time.
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making regarding character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines.
Cyberpunk is a tabletop role-playing game in the dystopian science fiction genre, written by Mike Pondsmith and first published by R. Talsorian Games in 1988. It is typically referred to by its second or fourth edition names, Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk Red, in order to distinguish it from the cyberpunk genre after which it is named.
Heroes Unlimited is a superhero role-playing game written by Kevin Siembieda and first published by Palladium Books in 1984. The game is based upon the Palladium Books Megaversal system and is compatible with other games that use the Palladium system.
CyberGeneration is a follow-up to the R. Talsorian's Cyberpunk 2020 role-playing game. CyberGeneration was originally published as a supplement for Cyberpunk, but later re-released as a fully featured game in its own right under the title CyberGeneration Revolution 2.0. It is set in the year 2027, 7 years after the events in Cyberpunk 2020. The game's timeline doesn't correspond with that of the later third edition of Cyberpunk, which makes no mention of any of its contents or setting elements.
Castle Falkenstein is a steampunk-themed fantasy role-playing game (RPG) designed by Mike Pondsmith and originally published by R. Talsorian Games in 1994. The game is named for a legendary unbuilt castle in the Bavarian Alps. Players play the roles of gallant adventurers who take on quests of intrigue and derring-do in the spirit of Victorian adventures such as The Prisoner of Zenda.
Dream Park is a 1981 sci-fi/murder mystery novel written by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes set in a futuristic amusement park of the same name. It was nominated for the 1982 Locus Award and later expanded into a series of cyberpunk murder mysteries: The Barsoom Project (1989), The California Voodoo Game (1992), and The Moon Maze Game (2011). The books describe a futuristic form of live action role-playing games (LARPs), although the term was not in use when the original novel was published. The novels inspired many LARP groups, notably the International Fantasy Games Society, named after a fictional entity in the book.
Feng Shui is a martial arts-themed role-playing game, designed by Robin Laws, published first by Daedalus Entertainment and now by Atlas Games. The game shares its setting with the collectible card game Shadowfist. The system is simple, with most detail being in the game's combat system. Combat is made to flow quickly, moving from one action scene to another very quickly. It was inspired and based on Hong Kong style action movies. The characters begin at a high level of skill, as appropriate for protagonists in the source films.
Aftermath! is a role-playing game created by Paul Hume and Robert Charette and published in 1981 by Fantasy Games Unlimited.
Dark Conspiracy is a near-future horror role-playing game (RPG) originally written by Lester W. Smith and published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1991. Several newer editions have been published.
James Bond 007: Role-Playing In Her Majesty's Secret Service is a spy fiction tabletop role-playing game based on the James Bond books and films. It is designed by Gerard Christopher Klug and was published by Victory Games, a subsidiary of Avalon Hill. The game and its supplements were published from 1983 until 1987, when the license lapsed. At its time of publication, it was the most popular espionage role-playing game.
Michael Alyn Pondsmith is an American roleplaying, board, and video game designer. He is best known for founding the publisher R. Talsorian Games in 1982, where he developed a majority of the company's role-playing game lines. Pondsmith is the author of several RPG lines, including Mekton (1984), Cyberpunk (1988) and Castle Falkenstein (1994). He also contributed to the Forgotten Realms and Oriental Adventures lines of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, worked in various capacities on video games, and authored or co-created several board games. Pondsmith also worked as an instructor at the DigiPen Institute of Technology.
Conspiracy X is a role-playing game (RPG) originally released by New Millennium Entertainment in 1996, and since revised and released by several publishers including Steve Jackson Games and Eden Studios, Inc. In all versions, the setting posits that aliens are insiduously taking over the world, reminiscent of The X-Files.
Bushido is a Samurai role-playing game set in Feudal Japan, originally designed by Robert N. Charrette and Paul R. Hume and published originally by Tyr Games, then Phoenix Games, and subsequently by Fantasy Games Unlimited. The setting for the game is a land called Nippon, and characters adventure in this heroic, mythic, and fantastic analogue of Japan's past.
Cyberspace is a cyberpunk role-playing game published by Iron Crown Enterprises and using a somewhat modified version of their Spacemaster ruleset.
Monster of the Week (MOTW) is an urban fantasy-horror tabletop role-playing game developed by Michael Sands. It was first published in 2012, and a revised edition was published by Evil Hat Productions in 2015, who have since published the game and its supplemental materials. The game was inspired by villain of the week television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, and The X-Files.
Sages & Specialists is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1996.
Judge Dredd: The Role-Playing Game is a science fiction role-playing game published by Games Workshop in 1985. A second edition was published in 1989.
Bubblegum Crisis is a near-future cyberpunk role-playing game published by R. Talsorian Games in 1996 that is based on the anime television series Bubblegum Crisis.