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If you could adapt a book (or series) into a game to in, what show or shows would you choose?

1. What book(s) or book series would you most love to play in as a game setting? [b]And why?](Stand-alones and series are both welcome!)

Example genres people often enjoy:
• Science Fiction – Dune, The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin, Ender’s Game
• Fantasy – A Court of Thorns and Roses, Earthsea, The Name of the Wind, Daughter of Blood by Anne Bishop, Thomas Covenant series, Sorcerer's Son by Phyllis Eisenstein
• Supernatural/Gothic – The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton, most books by Stephen King,
• Teen/YA – The Hunger Games, Twilight, Percy Jackson, Six of Crows
• Superheroes and Powers – Renegades by Marissa Meyer, Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, Starter Villain by John Scalzi
• Campy, Dramatic, or Offbeat – Good Omens, Ninth House, Castle Perilous, Xanth

*note I included authors for the ones I was not sure would be known by title/character alone.

Some great ideas there Gryphon, but I'll argue about Thomas Covenant. To my dying breath, I'll keep saying that that was the worst series I've ever read (I read 6 books, don't know if there are more). Such a pathetic main character. I kept thinking he'd turn the corner. Nope, sucked to the very end.

There are more books in that series- but I really enjoyed the world quite a bit, it was very original.

Agree with Niv!

I liked the Joel Rosenberg series about the D&D gaming group from our world that got transported to a fantasy world. Don't recall the name. It was good until he killed off Karl, the main pc. After that it went downhill IMO.

Guardians of the flame

Yes, thanks.

While I did like the Thomas Covenant books they were not that great... and I did not read books 7, 8 or 9. Zeim and Miales, I loved the Guardians of the Flame too, but I agree, once Karl was dead it just seemed to lose a lot of the attraction and went in a different direction than was promised in the first few books.


Science Fiction books: HHmm I usually read semi-sci-fi books. So Warlock in Spite of Himself. Dune. Also I know this would be difficult and probably be hard as a game... the Dragonriders of Pern. LOVED those books. Dreampark would be fun, and I think easy to do as an RPG.

Fantasy. Hhmm end of the world fantasy: the Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole. The Steerswoman books by Rosemary Kirstein, Greenrider by Kristin Britain. Villains by Necessity! Loved that one! The Valdemar books by Lackey. The Book of Swords by Saberhagen.

Supernatural/Gothic? Anita Blake series, definitely. The Dresden Files. The Magicians. Bride of the Rat God (yes it is a real book) by Barbara Hambly. Of course any Lovecraft book! The Darkest Powers series by Armstrong, or her books set in the Otherworld (Bitten, Dimestore Magic, etc.).

Teen/YA. Hhmm Gossip Girl! Loved the Percy Jackson books, and I think a game where the Players are children of the gods would be fun! The Vampire Academy books or the Morganville Vampires would be fun!

Supers: Going with some comic books as well: Gen13, or The Elementals. Fun premises for supers! Darkest Minds books. Not that many superhero books out there that I can think of, sorry! Oh wait! DULL BOY! A group of kids who have to pretend to be ordinary.

Campy: You mentioned both Castle Perilous and Xanth, two favorites I think could make some FUN games! Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

I will add my own YA to Mina's list. Cassandra Clare's Immortal Instruments series.

Barbara Hambly, she did the Dark series I think? Loved those. Never heard of Bride of the Rat God

I liked her other books Gypsy, but Bride of the Rat God was just FUN.

Chrysanda Flamande was the sultriest vamp of the silver screen in Hollywood, California, in the year 1923. Then an elderly Chinese gentleman warned her that a trinket she'd worn in her last movie had marked her to be the bride of an ancient devil-god of Manchuria. Now the Rat God is stalking closer, and Chrysanda is discovering that there's no mousetrap big enough to keep her from being dragged unwilling to the altar!

Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch

I joined the Fallen London Kickstarter, don't know if the two are related in someway, but the mechanics and game world are pretty intriguing.

Rivers of London - waiting to be read. Heard good things. And thanks for the review Mina!

Oh and thank you for the book recommendation. Bride of the Rat God on my tablet and started reading it yesterday.

Nice! Let me know what you think!

It is rolling along, and has good flavor. A few pages in, one night. As I mentioned I like her writing and this one is a bit more fluffy, which is fun.

Some great ones already mentioned (Anita Blake, Dresden, Earthsea, Book of swords, Gen13, Valdemar)
I mean ok it's already a game (But so is Dresden) Amber obviously

A few others I'll throw out with no particular attempt to classify Genre

True Game series by Sherri S Tepper
Hollows series by Kim Harrison
Meredith Gentry books by Laurell K Hamilton
Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs
Dark Hunter books by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Vampire Huntress books by L. A. Banks
Otherworld books by Kelley Armstrong
Incarnations of Immortality or Apprentice Adept by Piers Anthony
Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey
Thieve's World anthology edited by Robert Asprin
Foundation series by Isaac Asimov

As mentioned - kind of difficult to think too many superhero books that would be different from existing games but something like "Books of Magic"/Tim Hunter stories could be interesting, but I'm not sure how that would work into a game/multiple players

I did love Thieves World and the associated novels when I read them years ago. Of course, Foundation.

Me too!

Of course Foundation was a great series of literature but I am not sure I see how it can work as a game setting? No one can play Daneel/Hari and beyond that it seems like it would just be a game set in a future spacefaring universe. I suppose the party could be agents for Hari, but still that seems a bit tenuous.

Well ... you =could= use it as a 'setting' and do a game that follows some of the 'side' issues. Of course, that would mean more work for the GM <weg>

I hadn't thought about it much - but I was thinking like MikeD was saying. Basically things like having players as merchants/traders during that period of expansion of the Foundation (Last stages of the first book), or perhaps playing as the 'secret Psychohistorians' during the Mule line (or other lines) trying to figure out how to manipulate 'history'.


Again - hadn't thought about trying to play Foundation itself as a game, just the idea of the setting/story elements going on around what the players. <shrug> Maybe it wouldn't work.. just random thoughts.

With the right GM, it could be a great setting. But it would, I suspect, take a lot of work :-/