Re: A Naruto-esque game, but with less shounen
In reply to zeone3000 (msg # 10):
Eh, pretty much, yeah. There are a lot of things I like about Naruto, and/or think could make for a cool adventure setting. And the first few arcs, where trickery and distraction were valid tactics, not just there to buy time to build up Rasenflatulence Mark III. Which, yeah, is less shounen tropes.
If we're going to be mystical ninjas, I'm not against some larger than life threats. Like Orochimaru before the time skip. An overpowered and slippery threat, sure, but not invincible and not capable of flattening a city in a single jutsu. And motives beyond evil, conquest, or genocide.
As for ranks and starting points, I'm not sure I entirely agree with what you're saying. There is something to be said for starting as genin and building up. But it does tie into how fast advancement is, how fast time passes, and what kinds of missions there are.
I like how you put it, more grounded in the universe. There are times Naruto comes across as an early JRPG, with maybe a couple dozen defined locations where things happen, and no NPCs who live anywhere else. I'd like it to come across that the ninja villages are just a small, if important, part of the world.
In reply to Sir Swindle (msg # 11):
Hmm, that's an interesting house rule. And I'm a HERO guy at heart. But it strikes me as a little too crunchy for Naruto. And my other go to, FATE, is not crunchy enough.
In reply to Sir Swindle (msg # 11):
I'll try and take a look later.
As for using Shadowrun (5th, I'm not going to learn 6th unless I absolutely have to), it does have some things going for it. But it would require a fair bit of modding. Shadowrun magic is vastly different from Naruto magic. And the qualities would need overhaul, too.