Persona

So I've been playing this game and having just finished it and noticing how different it, 3, and 4 all are in tone, I wonder what stories you could tell with Persona that would work well for a tabletop format.

Wow I'm a faggot, I changed the picture last second without changing the post to say I was playing Persona 5

I was thinking of running a Persona inspired game; thankfully, no one out of my group plays JRPGs at the moment, so I could just lift it 1:1.

Persona I think lends itself very well to a PbtA hack, what, with relationships and your arcana defining a lot of the character personality and powers.

I'd probably go with random char gen. Something like... draw an arcana, that gives you the generic theme of your (persona's) abilities and some personality traits, then you make up a complication by drawing a second arcana and inferring it in some way that forces your character to "put on a mask", or whatever theme we are working with.

It's okay, I think that could be inferred from your pick by those who know about 5.

I haven't played 5 yet, but there are a couple of homebrew systems for Persona around. Personally, they're all a bit crunchy, so I lean towards FATE for Persona games.

Monsters and Other Childish Things has always been my go to for this sort of hypothetical campaign. It's got the social aspect built right in.

Who is best girl OP?

Not OP but I'd say it's GUN

Man I would sure grab her by the grip zone if you know what I mean.

I haven't GM'da Persona campaign, but after reading Monsters and Other Childish Things I'd lean towards it as well.

I love the series, especially since Jung is one of my favorite psychologists, but Ive always been a bit worried about running an RPG based on it. The focus on the Wild Card and the nature of social links makes it feel like id have to designate one player as the "MC", and ive seen that work well and work terribly, both in the same game. A DMPC would be even worse, because then im just asking my players to help me fulfill my bad Persona fanfiction. Whats your idea for this problem OP?

Just don't have a wildcard. Have the benefits of social links manifest in a different way (making 22 distinct characters for players to build relationships with for gameplay benefits sounds like a shit way to play an RPG anyway)

> how different it, 3, and 4 all are in tone
topkek

No contest

Tone, huh?

Pesona is the weakest of the SMT series.

Fucking let's get some DDS, Nocturne, or Strange Journey up in here.

Devil Survivor 1 was also pretty good. 2, though - not so much.

Alternativly go the P1-2 route of giving everyone a limited wild card.

I had an alternative idea.
In addition to personal Personas, give characters a 'utility Persona' from a pool the party shares.
You can swap out your utility Persona, but they're much weaker and once you've picked one for the day, no-one else in the party can use the same one and you can't swap it out until the end of the day.
If you need to explain it, say it's party of the party's shared respect for one another or whatever.

I agree with this. Maybe give each character a couple of social links (aka relationships) which give them various bonuses based on their arcana and such.

As for PCs, give them a choice of arcana to guide what kind of character they are (maybe using the minor arcana as statistics - sword for aggression and fighting, coins for wealth and desire, cups for compassion and healing, and wands for passion and leadership)

Persona past 2 was weak shit. Persona and Persona 2 Innocent Sin/Eternal Punishment were the shit.

Strange Journey is good game idea very retro and to the SMT roots; legit crap story tho.

BUT WHAT ABOUT RAIDOU KUZUNOHA?

Eh, I don't mind 5 in that it's a lot more serious, the school bullshit is a lot less evident, and it's so fucking stylish I can't help but enjoy it.

And while I think the overall story of SJ was fairly weak, I do think that the characters were pretty good. They did a lot of work establishing each of them as moving to their respective sides, rather than just being lolchaos or lollaw

If we're talking about more recent SMT games, DS1 had awesome story and some of the better protagonist dialogue choices. It nailed the atmosphere of impending apocalypse and the chaos it would cause quite well.
Shame that most of the characters were mostly bland cut-outs, and even worse is that DS2 got worse, Persona-fying its plot and characters and overly simplifying the conflict, while adding nothing of substance.

Personally, I blame the addition of Social Links mechanics for turning the character aspect of Persona series (and DS2) into cancer.

Oh I don't hate P5, hell I'd even call it a top 10 on RPGs imo. Its just that its style and story and characters are surpassed overall by a game nearly twenty years its elder, Persona 2. Still better than P4 which I fucking loathed before it shilled the fuck out.

SJ was p cool. The characters didn't end up being pastiches of typical LAW/CHAOS fags like the guys from SMT4 were (seriously starting the game telling you 'HEY THIS ASSHOLES GOING TO BE A LAW/CHAOS FAG'?). I just hate its ferngully SAVE THE PLANET message.

DS1 is okay. DS2 is shit because it got 'BONDSBONDSBONDS' happy.

Marvel Heroic no joke.