Tabletop RPGs That Should Become MMORPGs

The folks over at Ten Ton Hammer have profiled five tabletop RPG systems that they think would make “kick-ass” MMORPGs, including MechWarrior/Battletech, Babylon 5, Space: 1889, Deadlands, and Judge Dredd. I can’t say I agree with a few of them, but this needs to happen:

MechWarrior, the RPG based upon the BattleTech universe created by FASA, allows you to pilot 50-foot robots to smash your enemies! 50-foot robots! Not to mention that very few games boast the lore that BattleTech developed over its lifetime, with an extremely detailed timeline spanning generations.

If MechWarrior were a MMOG, there are five distinct factions that a player could belong to (Federated Suns, Kurita, etc.), and guilds could function as mercenary units, such as the famous Wolf’s Dragoons. While every player would pilot a Mech, their non-Mech avatar could choose from a variety of disciplines. They could be a hardened merc, a mechanical genius, an assassin who strikes from the shadows, a medical tech, or even a diplomat.

As for zones, each of the factions have their own homeworlds, plus there are a large number of planets in the Inner Sphere in which adventures could take place. There could be Mech-only zones, people-only zones, and mixed zones for the truly crazy. Future expansions of the game could highlight the cheesy Clans with their overpowered Mechs for the min/maxers and open up new zones, such as the Periphery.

Guaranteed day-one subscription from me if a true MechWarrior/Battletech MMORPG ever surfaces.