Inspirational Fiction

[mapineda68]

Does anyone have a list of movies/books/comics/etc. that could provide inspiration for running a Nightbane game?

[Zenviscaype]

Does anyone have a list of movies/books/comics/etc. that could provide inspiration for running a Nightbane game?

Someone referred a movie on Facebook. Can't remember the movie. Had a similar premise of the RPG.

[Mr. Jays]

Nightbreed

[Warwolf]

Does anyone have a list of movies/books/comics/etc. that could provide inspiration for running a Nightbane game?

A dedicated list? No. I only ever compiled one for inspirational music (years and years ago). However, pretty much anything with a horror/urban fantasy or dark superhero vibe to it tends to hit at least some of the notes. Stuff like Ghostrider, The Crow, Hellraiser, Dark City, Daywatch/Nightwatch, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Constantine, Legion, Boogeyman, Dog Soldiers, American Werewolf in London/Paris, Silent Hill, John Carpenter's Vampires, etc. Even more sci-fi focused properties like X-files, They Live, and the Matrix Trilogy get at the whole "war in the shadows" and "secret invasion" concepts. You might try Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series and various King and Koontz novels (Twilight Eyes being one of my all-time favorites). None of them quite capture everything that Nightbane is, though, which is one of the reasons I love writing it.

[Zenviscaype]

Does anyone have a list of movies/books/comics/etc. that could provide inspiration for running a Nightbane game?

A dedicated list? No. I only ever compiled one for inspirational music (years and years ago). However, pretty much anything with a horror/urban fantasy or dark superhero vibe to it tends to hit at least some of the notes. Stuff like Ghostrider, The Crow, Hellraiser, Dark City, Daywatch/Nightwatch, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Constantine, Legion, Boogeyman, Dog Soldiers, American Werewolf in London/Paris, Silent Hill, John Carpenter's Vampires, etc. Even more sci-fi focused properties like X-files, They Live, and the Matrix Trilogy get at the whole "war in the shadows" and "secret invasion" concepts. You might try Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series and various King and Koontz novels (Twilight Eyes being one of my all-time favorites). None of them quite capture everything that Nightbane is, though, which is one of the reasons I love writing it.

Man that's a cool list. I love Nightvane and a great story of changing back and forth.

[Rogerd]

Daywatch/Nightwatch, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Constantine, Legion, Boogeyman, Dog Soldiers, American Werewolf in London/Paris, Silent Hill

Daywatch / Nightwatch is one cool setting, and in fact i would also add Everlasting rpg to this list; which fits the bill.
The Reverie being very similar to the Gloom in DW / NW books.

In fact I would also add Doctor Who, particularly the Family Blood episode where the Doctor traps one of the family in the corner of every mirror.
EDIT: Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel.

[Blackwater Sniper]

Transformers, Max Payne, Mad Max, Alien, Mortal Engines, Pacific Rim, Planet of the Apes (insert any monster), Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow, Hunger Games, 12 Monkeys, Avatar, Star Wars, Dredd, Sharknado, Blade Runner, Escape from New York, and Red Dawn

Some of those are more Rifts-centric, but I got caught up in the moment.

[GlitterKnight]

I’m very inspired by 80s/90s anime when it comes to Nightbane. Dark themes, hyperviolence, a hidden world just behind the surface. Faceless goons in suit who show up to brutalize innocents and get messily slaughtered for it. When Nightband punch a human, their head should explode into gore. Lots of obscure magical lore and psychic powers.

Demon City Shinjuku
Wicked City (really leans into the body horror of the setting)
Go,u Midnight Eye (you migt notice I love the works of Yoshiaki Kawajiri)
The Guyver (my favorite and a huge inspiration. Nightbane is basically a tokasatsu rpg, but everyone designs their own bizarre monster form)
Bao the Visitor
Devilman and Devilman:Crybaby
Blood+ (You can include a lot of modern vampire and vampire hunter stuff like this)

I haven’t seen it yet but Chainsaw Man also seems a strong contender.

[Zenviscaype]

Is there any new updates on this discussion? Is there a chance of an update on the Nightbane world?

[Zer0 Kay]

The Howling, Puppet Master Series, Demonic Toys, Subspecies, Hideous, Primevals, Doll Graveyard

[Zer0 Kay]

I’m very inspired by 80s/90s anime when it comes to Nightbane. Dark themes, hyperviolence, a hidden world just behind the surface. Faceless goons in suit who show up to brutalize innocents and get messily slaughtered for it. When Nightband punch a human, their head should explode into gore. Lots of obscure magical lore and psychic powers.

Demon City Shinjuku
Wicked City (really leans into the body horror of the setting)
Go,u Midnight Eye (you migt notice I love the works of Yoshiaki Kawajiri)
The Guyver (my favorite and a huge inspiration. Nightbane is basically a tokasatsu rpg, but everyone designs their own bizarre monster form)
Bao the Visitor
Devilman and Devilman:Crybaby
Blood+ (You can include a lot of modern vampire and vampire hunter stuff like this)

I haven’t seen it yet but Chainsaw Man also seems a strong contender.

But everyone knows that Splicers are BioBooster Armors.

[rabidpigmy]

I've been thinking about this a lot since I've been reading the material earnestly in prep for a game for once. Here are some thoughts on various inspirational materials and possible sources that creators might have used:

I second the Demon City and Wicked City animes! I feel like these definitely can be used for a lot of Nightbane ideas, whether for Nightbane or for demons/deevils in your game.

Wicked City, especially, for cities in the Nightlands, as I feel like they depict a "city" overran by creatures constantly hunting humans (or, doppelgangers) and how they cope.

The Nightmare on Elm Street series for inspiration regarding dreamlands, especially Drean Personae, Dream Demons, Dream Makers, and Living Nightmares.

I might also throw in the Phantasm series. (Is the Tall Man a Nightlord with a ton of avatars and the Red Planet could be a depiction of the Nightlands?? Or an evil Astral Lord? Perhaps an Astral Entity that took over a host?)

Torturians are essentially Hellraiser cenobites, psychics dragged into dark dream realms and tortured and warped by the Nightlords and their minions.

Puppet Master puppets could be Dream Ghouls or Demonlings. This goes for Child's Play, too, really.

Montebanks are Time Bandits, except hostile for some reason. (They're super one-dimensional and I'd probably run them a bit less stabby-stabby and more cavalier/selfish.)

It may not be a 1:1, but I feel like Life Force was a great movie for getting an idea for vampires since it goes for the otherworldly vampiric entities.

Oh, and in Geo Immortals and mystic tongs in Chinatown?? Kinda shouts Big Trouble in Little China to me. I mean, just toss in Mystic China material for a good measure while you're at it.

Some day I'd love to hear what movies/books inspired elements of their settings from the various creators.

[Snicker]

The Suffering, an action-horror video game from 2004, has some parallels with Nightbane. It takes place in a prison that is suddenly overwhelmed by nightmarish monsters. The main character must fight his way out, aided by his unexplained ability to transform into a powerful monster whose form varies based on the player's position on the game's morality system. It's not a perfect analogue, but it can definitely provide inspiration for an adventure, particularly for chaotic events like Dark Day.

Actually playing a twenty-year-old video game just to inspire your Nightbane game is probably impractical for multiple reasons, but there's plenty of gameplay footage on YouTube, and you'll get the gist of it pretty quickly. If you're truly strapped for time, the prologue of the sequel (The Suffering: Times that Bind) provides basically the whole experience in microcosm. Actually, the sequel might be an even better inspiration for Nightbane, since it takes place in an urban environment, but I know less about it so I can't be sure.