Toying with the idea of running a game in the Persona series

>>52674618
GURPS, obviously.

>>52674618
Why not full MegaTen?

>>52674753

Because I don't know what that means. I'm kind of new to this franchise.

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>>52674768
>Because I don't know what that means

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>>52674793
I laugh at this meme, but after some introspection I have come to realize I am that guy

Friends made me play Persona 4 years ago, and play Persona 5 now and all I could think of both times was:

>Why is this so unnecessarily quirky?
>Why are colors exploding in my face
>I wanna chose the fate of humanity after the End instead of which vapid high school girl I'm going to date
>my feet hurt
>I'd rather be replaying Nocturne yet again

If you really want to aid recommend looking into Persona 2 instead. Post-reboot Persona sucks fucking ass in comparison.
Actual Shin Megami Tensei is also a much more interesting universe

Well, ideally I'd be doing my own thing, not based on any of the individual games just using the trappings of the universe (tarot cards, collective subconscious, etc). the P5 splash was just the easiest one to grab off google.

>>52674982
And you're not going to properly understand the universe unless you look into the first game and the 2 duology. 3 onwards is incredibly watered down.

>>52674947
This

I'd do some research into the mainline SMT series OP, even if you don't end up playing any of the games I feel like you can get a much more satisfying setup for worldbuilding by just reading wikis for games like SMT II,III, IV, Strange Journey etc. than with Personas 3-5

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I mean, is it really that necessary to deep dive into the lore? It seems like most of the time the characters don't even really know what's going on, just that they have to dispense justice or something.

>>52675886
If you intend to RUM the game?
Yes.
Players don't need to know the deeplore, hell it's arguably better if they DON'T, but the GM absolutely should, as understanding it will help you nail the proper "feel" to things.

>>52674946
>noctenyearolds thinking their opinions matter

>>52676114
Alright, fair enough.

Still looking for opinions on what the best system would be.

>>52674618
I don't think the school life aspects of Persona would work well in a tabletop game. Just homebrew a setting that borrows ideas from around the Shin Megami Tensei series. while you're at it homebrew some rules for negotiating with demons and make sure they are erratic an unreasonable. A true Megaten experience is paying a demon $200 and letting it beat the shit out of you only to lose interest and walk away.

>>52674946
I think Persona 4 is a decent game but it's too damn cheesy. I'm glad Persona 5 brought the series closer to the main line games.

>>52674618
Best system to make any sort of smt game is anima

Personas in particular can be handled using familiars or just an elaborate drawback/fluff for regular abilities

>>52674618
People are probably gonna recommend you shit like GURPS and Anima without thinking about what a huge waste of your time trying to clobber any of those systems into a decent approximation of a Persona game would be.

Personally, I'd probably go with a system that is relatively soft on the mechanical side. Something like FATE would work. Dogs in the Vineyard might be interesting, too. But that might mean playing pretty fast and loose with the mechanical effects of different personas, which is maybe too far from what you were thinking? I don't know.

Monsters and Other Childish Things is probably a better middle ground. Maybe a system like Tenra Bansho Zero, too? Hard to say—that realm's not really my area of expertise.

If nothing else, I'd recommend you look at a little indie game called Bliss Stage. The way that it intertwines the characters' relationships with their mechanical power level is extremely interesting, and might offer you some good inspiration for how to implement social links.

>>52674618
What you really ought to clarify is which aspects of the Persona series are most important to you, 'cause that'll definitely affect how you build / run your game.

Like, I could just as easily see Persona being done as a combat-heavy hack of D&D 4e that emphasizes its most video-gamey qualities or as a character-driven Hillfolk campaign where the monsters n' shit are just narrative tools to heighten the drama.

Both of those would probably be pretty fun—and there are a whole slew of other possible permutations between those extremes—but we don't really know what you're looking for, so...