Happy 810nicle Day, everyone! Been too long since we had one of these, so I decided to fix that! This is a thread for the discussion of Bionicle tabletop games, both in terms of the setting and the mechanics of it all. There are three links below, in order, Masks of Destiny, the Red Star Games site with multiple systems, including a war game one (among other things), and an in-development system called Kanohi & Cryoshell. If you’re familiar, what are the pros and cons of each one?https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kHy5h1wMyjFXOmV656zLruSphkAYpBPK?usp=share_linkhttps://www.redstargames.org/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nH2YLRWp4FHFwVcVo-lly6D0jm5c3-898rfTBDCzCgc/Thread Questions: >What was your favorite arc of Bionicle and why? And do you prefer G1 or G2, and again why? I’m a fan of the classic original Toa designs so it’s the original setting’s Mata Nui arc for me.>If you heard that they were making a Generation 3 of Bionicle, what would be your hopes for it? I’d like to see if the Generations exist in the same multiversal framework as each other, just imagine the crossover potential!
I never played a Bionicle TTRPG, whats it like? Is it anything like the old lego comics or more akin to the movies?
>>98483992Honestly instead of D20 based system I'd imagine Bionicle would work very well as a setting for Genesys. The way that system handles everything from magic to races with different power levels seems very well suited to Bionicle.
>>98483992but its 10.8
is there literally ANYTHING worth playing but red star games?
>>98484556Technically, they're the same story. The movies are just as canon as the books, and while I think Mask of Light at least got a novelization ultimately the story feeds back into the books, and they're pretty close in tone overall. People really like to overhype the books/comics as "Darker" or whatever and yeah maybe a bit, but like it's not that dark or gritty. It's still a kid's franchise.As someone who's both played and run Masks of Destiny (being one of the devs), I can say it really depends on how deep in the lore the GM is. If you're like me and your knowledge is the comics and movies growing up as a kid with the entire massive PDF that you can find online being something you read later in life, it's probably better to either run something in an alternate timeline (which is canon to bionicle as of the later years anyway) with an original team of heroes (the party) or pick one of the huge time skips in the timeline to plop your game into divorced from the "main story" as it were.
anything good get released or made for this bionicle day? crazy that like 5 or 6 years back o BIO day we got told we were going to get 2 full bionicle fan games. shit timeline.i remember in like 2002 or so maybe 2001 getting in trouble because a friend and i were using the bionicle alphabet to communicate in class. good times. wish i could go back.
>>98485172Americans.
>>98483992Besides other Lego properties like Hero Factory or maybe Ninjago, or something like Transformers or Warframe, what settings would work best for Bionicle crossover campaigns/stories in general? And what systems above would work best for such campaigns?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH-awoTLqU0Posting some TUNES to set the mood
>>98493295Bionicle is semi-famously part of the DC universe. It's always sad to me they didn't do anything more than a cheeky little nod. Even so, Toa with plant powers are sometimes referred to as Toa of the Green, like DC's Swamp Thing.
>>98483992Was looking in the archives and found this. So, what do you guys think of the various elements in Bionicle, and which would you prefer to play as and why, especially as a Toa? As for me, the idea of a Toa of Plasma sounds incredibly based, especially if it can cause trouble for the Makuta.
>>98497487I like the idea of a Toa of iron, especially as so many of the inhabitants of the setting and their tools are at least partly metal, so you could get up to all sorts of tricks with just that. Also forming and throwing spears of sharpened iron you just pulled from the floor/walls as a ranged attack is sick as fuck.
>>98497487I've made MOCs of Iron and Plant toa. Unsure what I'd tackle next. I do have a purple mask to try Voriki but not a lot of other purple parts.
Toa of Sonics seems like it has lots of possibilities. Knock the other guy's mask off with a blast, and throw your voice to mess with friends and enemies.
Ran a Bionicle game in GURPS once. Everyone was a toa, right after the matoran civil war, and they were the guardians of a small group of matorans leaving Metru-Nui for a simple life on a remote island in Mata Nui.The players argued and butted heads the whole time, which was honestly perfect roleplay. Really captured the vibe.
>>98499400Needs some transfers of the nuva symbol.>>98499410>The players argued and butted heads the whole timeEither some real knowers, or just uniquely suited to a Bionicle game. Did they ever form a Kaita?
>>98488197Closest things this year are the reskinning of one of those games (if only to avoid another C&D), a board/war game on Tabletop Sim, and a pretty hefty mod for Bionicle Heroes including an SDK.
>>98488197I saw a trailer for a very obvious Bionicle knockoff game called Rustbound. Seems neat.
>>98510709It's made by the people who were making a Bionicle fangame before Lego forced them to shut the project down, so they just edited the assets into a "similar but legally distinct" game that's pretty much a Bionicle AU.
>>98510829I always found that disappointing. There's even a comic heavily influenced I stumbled across called Afterman Chronicles. I hope it does well, but I can't give me monies to them out of fear of it being a grift or a scam.
>>98515327They were mentioned on the livestream this year on 810NICLE Day YT channel among other projects made by Bionicle fans that are not Bionicle (some of them are cringe IMHO).From what the creators say, they plan to go multi-media in the future, and some parts and masks will be avialable as STL files for patrons.There is a project called World of Colony that has similar themes, but instead of robots and cyborgs
>>98517113pic related is supposedly code for STL of the mask of MC of the Afterman Chronicles first issue (I haven't checked it)
>>98483992What are your favorite Kanohi outside of the big names like the Mask of Life or Mask of Time? I’m a big fan of the Mask of Flight, because why wouldn’t you want to fly, and it’s a big advantage.
https://biomediaproject.com/bmp/play/web-games/mnog/If you trust a random flash download.>>98519145For effect: KakamaFor aesthetic: Akaku
>>98519145I like Kanohi Kualsi, because of how it looks and because teleportation is just cool. And me having Toa Iruini as a kid made me biased towards it.
>>98517122Can you check and share the downloaded STL with us if the link expired, please?Not gonna lie Bionicle is an example of "no humans" settings done right. Yeah it had some human cultures, but it still did the no humans universe concept right. Mostly because they are cool mechanical robots that house some organics last I checked. I have the Makuta's Guide to the Universe somewhere where Matoro's thoughts were racing through his head somewhere.
>>98525142The link is validhttps://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-ridah-s-mask-bionicle-day-special-822996
>>98525142>Not gonna lie Bionicle is an example of "no humans" settings done right.And one with surprising depth to it considered it was made for kids. According to Bob Thompson the original summary of the lore circa 2001 was 70 pages long. Summary. IIRC years after his work with Bionicle someone asked him if he worked for Games Workshop, because the methods they ivented for keeping track of the lore were simmilar.>Yeah it had some human cultures, but it still did the no humans universe concept right.In a sense it is very human. It the world was inspired by Christian Faber having brain cancer. Some of Makuta's dialogue in the movies were connected to Bob Thompson's experience with his mother having a cancer when he was a child.I think Bionicle is well balance, it has a lot of deeply human aspects, but is non-human enough.
>>98523286Okay, cool design, and I love teleportation as well!
>>98525240Thanks anon!
>>98525529Yeah it is an odd paradox of no “humans” in universe but the non humans are still very human despite not being human.A very weird paradox for making settings for anything including ttrpgs.I guess it is more reasonable to say that bionicle’s setting is a better example of handling the “no human setting paradox” right?
>>98532650I would say in Bionicle doesn't feel like "everything is human but with strange faces and ears", but "those are not humans but have some deeply human characteristics and stories". I don't have anything more tangible to say, just vibes. To me the way everything isn't humanlike in appearance but robotic, love not being canon (lol), how living from day to day would look (everyone is weating a mask, eating is weird, no births), some aspects that you would expect from human society and life is hidden, absent or unexplained (how are Matorans created?) makes those creatures very distant from your typical human or mammal experience in the very basics of living, yet the spiritualism is very human or humanistic - the three Ds.I can't say that what I'll say necesarily follows logically, but maybe the right balance is simmilar to what we can see from animals, that they have different experience of living, but there are some profound similarities still. When I watch a documentary about animals or dinos my mind latches on those similarities (due to inherent tendency to anthropomorphise) which keep me engaged, yet those animals feel very alien.If that makes any sense.
>>98519145Personally, one of my favorites is the Mask of Shielding. Just love me a force field.
>>98519145I always gave the Akaku a bunch of vision-based powers like piercing illusions and identifying weak points so I thought it was really cool. But then Kopaka was always my favorite.
>>98483992What is your favorite Bionicle era, both in general and in terms of setting a campaign in and why? I’m nostalgic for the Mata Nui island arc, personally.
>>98544233Everything past the Toa Nuva is basically non-canon to me. It's interesting and even enjoyable at some points but it conflicts too much with the original setting for me to want to use it in my headcanon. The "everyone used to live in a magitek metropolis but then they forgot, and the Turaga aren't actually elders they're former Toa" in particular just completely fucks over the flavor for me.
>>98483992>What was your favorite arc of Bionicle and why?I have the most nostaliga for Toa Metru/Hordika arc because that's where I started as a kid, but Mahri arc is one that Impressed me the most with its story and aesthethics back then. Also Ice Jesus Matoro.> do you prefer G1 or G2G1 simply because I didn't spend time with G2. I had no problems with G2 being its own setting, but the first impression was that G2 was to safe and had too little lore. But that was a decade ago, maybe I should learn more and reevaluate G2.>If you heard that they were making a Generation 3 of Bionicle, what would be your hopes for it?You meant realistic hopes or the wildest dreams?What I would pray for is for Bionicle to have grand narratives and mysteries. Kids deserve those.IIRC Christian Faber published some concept art with Mask of Time in recent years, and I was intrigued by a posibility of a trip through ages of Bionicle with some time shenanigans.That is probably my wildest dream.Also as far as I know, isn't there a second half of Vahi in G2? Maybe some crossing over between G2 and G1 timelines could be cool.
>>98483992Just learned that these games and this thread existed, this is a blast from the past! Quick question, besides the systems listed by OP, what other systems would work well for a Bionicle game and why?
>>98549560I don't know what to answer for bionicle games because the ones closest to me just want to play DnD or the big wargames like the Warhammer.So for wargames I'd just have to say miniature agnostic ones. I don't know of any actual Bionicle wargames.But are those models prints with transparent resin? Or an old Bionicle board game like Bionicle Adventure Game: Quest For Makuta?
>>98549560Okay, I need those ASAP!
>>98483992What are the most important things to remember when doing a Bionicle campaign, be it as a player or as the one running it?
>>98483992How would you use the Brotherhood of Makuta in your games, and what are your feelings on the Makuta in general? My favorite Makuta is the OG Teridax, gof to respect a schemer like that! What about you?Also, which of the Bionicle systems has the best options for playing either a Makuta or a related option like a Rahkshi?
>>98544233The Metru Nui arc really captured my attention.
>>98545264What about your opinion of G2?
>>98485172>we get two Bonkle daysSweet.
>>98567958Indeed! The more Bionicle the better!
>>98488216Um, a lot of us are American.
>>98483992What would you change about the Bionicle setting if you had the chance? I read a Bionicle x RWBY crossover series, starting with a story called Destiny’s Divide, in which the Rahi can sexually reproduce, so the Makuta don’t have to manually create more constantly, which never made sense to me, there can be, say, the occasional female Ko-Matoran, since their gender is entirely mental anyways, and the Makuta can replenish their numbers, among other changes. All of which I feel are good ideas and plan on including in my own take. What about you?
>>98578524>the occasional female Ko-matoranThe Great Beings would have a meltdown that you dare mess with the stability of their creations, they are all male or female by design you fool! I do find it really funny how awful the Great Beings are actually, from believing in biological-determinism and genetic programming (to remove/restrict free will) to gender biasing the elemental powers due to ignoring the actual mental state of their creations (the first Toa of Psionics). Also everything related to the Elemental Lords. Oh and the serial killings. Thanks Velika, very cool.As for adding something, I recall a fan story from years ago that had Mata Nui, as he repairs the world, gift the Matoran the ability to reproduce via Kaita Fusion so that they could continue to exist without him/his body fixing them, basically temporarily mixing two matoran together in an attempt to pool their elemental energy to make a third. Interestingly, only the Matoran could do this - not Toa or Turaga - so it made the calling to become a Toa Guardian even more prestigious but difficult. Whilst not something to have around at all times, depending on in-universe time period, it could be useful/interesting.
>>98581422>I recall a fan story from years agoDo you remember the name please?
https://www.patreon.com/cw/AftermanChronicles
>>98584908I actually do, it was Nova Orbis. Wow, started all the way back in 2013...
>>98483992Red flag franchise
>>98557160Absolutely not, in my Bionicle there is no Teridax. There is only THE Makuta. >>98578524Bionicle lacking sex and romance is one of the best things about the setting tbqh. I've noticed it's the really weird types who feel strongly about wanting it. That said, I think it would be okay for Matoran not of the core established six types to have mixed sexes if it made sense thematically.
>>98590989Considering Matorans are literally asexual beings (they don't reproduce naturally, and don't even have the concept of sex) male and female for them really just comes down to cultural reasons. So if some Matoran society has some division between distinct subgroups based on societal roles, like one type are crafters and the other traders, it might make sense to culturally label one group as male and the other female.
>>98483992The talk of Bionicle fan works has got me thinking, what are some others that you’d recommend besides the ones already listed? And what ideas would you take from them for your own stuff, be it original Kanohi, new elements, new regions, alternate reality concepts, etc.? Especially for crossovers.
>>98590989Shame. Teridax is an awesome name!
>>98545264This is crazy to me as a person who's first bionicle exposure was the movies (Metru Nui) first, and then the books. The books were most of my literature until I started reading stuff like A Wrinkle in Time at 10, and I still read them up to the point they were still on the planet of Aqua Magna, although I did read a bit of the post stuff and had Bara Magna sets I didn't like the setting lorewise as 'bionicle' >>98544233I think a campaign rescuing Matoran from Metru Nui (Like a Plant-Karzanhi campaign like one of the GBA games) would be pretty good.
>>98578524I remember my RWBY phase and I still like it but it was always a guilty pleasure to me. Shame what happened to RWBY. And the voice actors seem to be a bit weird nowadays. I don't mean it in the grifter way either. RWBY crossovers always made me happy. The absurdity being attempted makes it endearing and then it loops back to being enjoyable in a good way even though it sounds bad.>>98499410>Matoran civil warIt was established in lore that Takanuva had traveled across different universes. One where Matoro didn't put on the mask in time, and one where Toa became tyrants. The multiverse wasn't handled that badly to me. But the foundations for different scenarios already exists. >>98585361I'm a bit "averse" to Marvel Cinematic Universe stuff mostly because I don't like the fans that take it too far, but I hope Afterman Chronicles does well.
>>98497487Let me post an idea. To rearrange the elements it's important to decide whether the light/shadow dichotomy has to be fundamental to the essence of Bio-nickel.If not, then we can do the following:>PlasmaFireLightningLight? - the above generate lightPsionics? - nervous impulses are chemicals reactions and "lightning"Plant? - I'm stumped>AirAirSonicIce? - A/CLightning? - lightning is a meteorological phenomenon>WaterWaterIce? - ice is the trivial name of solid waterSonic? - sonar>EarthEarthStoneIronShadow? - most solid material are opaque and lead is opaque to radiation>If the the dualism is absolutely (= seperately) elementary (= pun intended) we only need to subtract them from Plasma and Earth. Other than that I feel the element of plant-life belongs to the element Life. Despite all this I'm well aware the stone/earth and ice/water splits are what made the setting magical.
>>98483992What are some Bionicle concepts/characters that deserved more focus, and have you ever done anything with them? For me it’s Kraata-Kal, just imagine this guy ss the villain of a campaign, seeking independence from his masters, causing trouble for the heroes in the process.
>>98605365Tren Kron is such a cool 'eldrich horror beyond all comprehension' because it's just a fleshy meat thing and that absolutely mind breaks anything that looks at it.It also funny that for being played at an unknowable malicious entity it's not particularly evil, it's just bored and not allowed to do anything.It's the perfect set up for a neutral third party quest giver offering you boons if you let it make things a bit more interesting but not fully commit to evil.
>>98581422The funniest thing and most interesting thing about them was they weren't mad scientists - they hated being roped into the squabble of their "lessers" and outsourced the government and warfare to their creations until they literally - actually - ripped the planet two new holes.
>>98553889The toa very rarely win under their own power. A lot of Bionicles is the Toa just scraping by, a last minute power up, or them actually losing but then getting help from an outside force. A lot of modern ttrpgs make it decently difficult to actually lose an encounter or character unless your DM is being particularly difficult but a bionicle story should always feel like the hero's are on the back foot making the best of a shitty situation.
>>98610583I am scared to verify the authenticity of that post. If it is real then I now know what it feels like to get truth nuked. >A lot of modern ttrpgs make it decently difficult to actually lose an encounter or character unless your DM is being particularly difficult but a bionicle story should always feel like the hero's are on the back foot making the best of a shitty situation.That may be really helpful for just about any TTRPG situation. But I'm not entirely sure. Maybe just letting the players know ahead of time is always the best.
>>98600696It's not bad, but "The Makuta" is way cooler, and it diminishes the big bad by making him a whole species, of which he is far from the strongest, no less.>>98593594A proper DC crossover never materialized when it should have, back when they were publishing the comics. Even to this day I kind of want to see Tahu shake hands with Batman, as much as Big Two capeshit has become passé.
>>98487920They should designed Lesser, Noble, and Great variants for every single Kanohi in addition naming the latest ones.
>>98593594The old reliable has been Toa of Sonics as a citation for "precedent" of Toa of elements outside the original six elements so go nuts. I think Lego wanted that with their selling of Rahi kits that just so happened to have differently colored masks on them. Was pretty smart business wise as I think some kids bought those just for the masks. Combiner sets were smart too.>Bionicle X RWBYBionicle benefitted from autism like RWBY but the original Bionicle had a good ending even with some holes in it. RWBY got butchered and somehow worse than being guilty pleasure tier.
If one wishes to get into Bionicle, where does one start? This (https://crosswiredgeeks.com/biologicalchronicle/) site seems the best resource I found after a while, but I think it's a fan novelization of everything (not that I hate the idea). Are there better places to consume the story? Feel like I need a dot hack flowchart to hunt down everything.
>>98624442>If one wishes to get into Bionicle, where does one start?Play the Mata Nui Online Game.https://biomediaproject.com/bmp/play/web-games/mnog/This sets the tone for the series.If you like that, read the DC comics and watch Mask of Light. If you find yourself wanting more Matoran adventures specifically, there is the less well regarded MNOG2, and some GBA games.
>>98497487>>98498183>>98498223Recently I have found out that Homestuck is still very much active and theorizing about classpects is still very much flourishing. Are there TTV threads dedicated to the analysis of the elements and powers of the Matoran Universe? I will attempt one right now.>>98603490Let's add to this.>fire/iceOpposites. Fire and ice elements are used for manufacturing, repairs, and heating and cooling devices.>stone/earthDensity of solid materials: hard and soft solids, respectively. Stone may represent hard surface areas where everything happens while Earth represents deep or hidden infrastructure such as tunnels, underground power lines, and repositories.>air/waterDensity of fluids? Different chemical reactions require different phases of matter. Transport can be slow and heavy via water ways or quick if light via air travel, and undersea currents, cables, and submarines also likely fall under the purview of the former. In addition to trade of wares, both goods and bads, reconnaissance is greatly done flying.
>>98624442Thanks, I wasn’t familiar with this site!
>>98631273No problem. I looked through the site a little and found comics as well. It says it also contains videos. I'll play the games and follow the order as >>98624645says, but I now think cross-wired geeks might be more complete than I thought initially.
>>98494296How would you define Bionicle music?
>>98483992Hey, what are your favorite Rahi and why? I love the Kanohi Dragon because, well, dragon! What about advice for creating original Rahi species?
>>98624442>>98624645https://wallofhistory.com/Wall of history is great, because you play MNOG, read novels, web novels and comic books, alternating between them one chapter a time. The story in the "main route" is presented semi-chronologically. The differences in events between media exist and it can be immersion breaking to some people. I would recommend checking out MNOG first.Just now I checked, and they changed "main route" of reading. It used to be more MNOG focused, now it seems to have ditched MNOG... which sucks.It is still possible to play MNOG on the site, but you have to navigate the site, so playing it on BioMedia Project first might be preferable.
>>98642519>>98624645Thank you, Anons.
>>98641254Does Keetongu count? Because I loved him in the movie.
>>98483992How have you used energized protodermis in your Bionicle campaigns? Do you have any advice for doing so? And what system has the best rules for it/a set of rules that can be easily modified for that please?
>>98483992Who’s your favorite canon Toa and why? And how do you incorporate them into your games? I was planning a SM game with Golden Armor Tahu, because just the idea is awesome!
>>98653932>>98647925>>98641254>>98636248>>98631777how have you been doing this every day for eight years straight
>>98654467Not sure why you're replying to >>98631777
>>98483992Tell me, gathered friends, does Masks of Destiny yet live? I believe I was part of the first test playgroup, but it was disbanded due to unfortunate circumstances.
>>98641254For me it's the humble Fikou. Just look at him.>>98653932I've always been a Kopaka man. Starting with DC Bionicle #1 made sure of that.
>>98499400Nynrah Exo-Toa.61 (one) Toa in the body.1 (one) Matoran in the head.
>>98483992I had a lot of fun playing Bionicle Heroes when it came out, and I was always excited to see that that Jaller and the other Matoran had 'grown' and become toa, so Voya Nui holds a special place in my heart. Yo Yo PirakaI'm not sure what I would want Lego to do with G3. Maybe get a video game greenlit since they robbed us earlier. Either that or hope that the figures are amazing
>>98483992Redstargames is a bunch of wads. My brother worked for them as a writer and they unfairly booted him for being a bit too neurodivergent to another neurodivergent person.
>>98497487Ice for me, Kopaka was always my favorite.
>>98656410Oddly adorable.
>>98578524The thing about Rahi is very strange because we get a few explicit statements of Rahi eating eachother, and I think I recall references to things like fishers or hunters among matoran, the baraki are also always eating stuff, which seems implausible if they dont reproduce. My headcanon is that there are some mostly organic rahi that do reproduce in some way, or maybe there is some bespoke way the makuta developed to automate rahi creation.
bump
>>98675992Maybe a mix of both, depending on the species?
>>98483992After Teridax and/or the other Makuta, who is your favorite Bionicle villain? I was a sucker for Roodaka in the Visorak movie!
>>98684522I loved her too!
>>98648348How do the systems handle it exactly?
>>98483992How do you find groups for these games?
>>98675992IIRC Matoran (and, presumably, Toa) can absorb nutrients through their hands. Rahi eat more typically. There's some latter day lore about destroyed Matoran returning to a Red Star to be repaired, but I don't know much about that, maybe it has something to do with the supply of Rahi.>>98684522I preferred Sidorak, in a world of edgy tryhard villains a cartoonish bumbler was a lot of fun.
>>98702670Serious question Bumpfag, have you ever played a game with an actual group?
>>98702782Oh yeah. Sidorak was hilarious. Shard he died.
>>98702782>IIRC Matoran (and, presumably, Toa) can absorb nutrients through their handsYes. Renaissance VFX in his reimagining of the story uses this bit of fluff, and herds of rah Mahi produce excess of meat that is cut by Matoran and ground into a paste. Matorans put the paste onto their arms or dip their hands in it to eat it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWm8ZyDwj1g
>>98483992Bionicle deserved better than to be canceled mid-story. If you’ve ever done a continuation campaign, what ended up happening? I need ideas for my own attempt.
>>98483992We need a Discord for Bionicle RPGs. Or at least better ways to find games.
>>98708727There’s definitely the insane Great Being to deal with.
