Why is there no Flash Gordon RPG?

[Hand of Evil]

Back in the old days (1977), there was Flash Gordon and the Warriors of Mongo but from that time foward, have not heard any thoughts of it as a RPG. This is kind of surprising to me as it has all the elements of making an interesting game. It seems some of it part of the public domain.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I haven't looked into FG's copyright status per se, but remember, it has been used as recently as just 7 years ago by Sci-Fi Network, and supposedly there is a new Fox movie in the works.

But there are games out there that would work for it just fine. Spaceship Zero springs to mind, and with some work, a reskinned version of Space:1889 (any edition) would probably do the trick as well. I even incorporated elements of it into a campaign I ran in HERO.

 

[Morrus]

Rocket Age from Cubicle 7 covers that genre very well. Definitely worth looking at.

 

[Umbran]

Flash Gordon was first published in 1934. It should still be covered by copyright until 2029, I think.

But, while there have been some more or less recent forays into it... I don't think Flash is really in the public mind - the property is nostalgic, rather than current. How many game designers out there have actually *read* a significant run of original Flash Gordon? Probably not many. So, how many are likely to try to make a game for it?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Personally, FG was always a fave. I watched the serials on late-night TV, and the cartoon on Saturday mornings.

The 80's movie with the Queen soundtrack has been a must-watch on TV since I saw it in theaters. One of the great all time pulp/Sci-Fi characters of all time.

That damn Sci-Fi series may have killed it, though...hope the Fox movie marks a return to greatness.

 

[RevTurkey]

Slipstream for Savage Worlds is pretty close too

 

[BigVanVader]

Because he's just a man. He can never fail.

 

[trancejeremy]

I don't think Flash Gordon is all that popular anymore. Nor has he really been since probably the 1950s. The movie bombed 35 years ago, the Sci-Fi TV series bombed.

And while certain aspects of it are public domain (one of the Flash Gordon serials), I'm not sure how that translates into creating a derivative work.

Look at Conan - by every right it should be public domain since the author died in 1937 unmarried and childless, but somehow a company in Sweden claims the copyrights on it.

 

[fjw70]

This thread has inspired me to look into doing a Flash Gordon style science fantasy setting for D&D 5e.

 

[amerigoV]

Slipstream for Savage Worlds is pretty close too

Seconded - and I would say "Spot on!"