Hi! Grok fan here -- out of curiosity, what are some of the inspirations for the game? I'm interested in reading/watching the influences for games before I run them, and I figured it'd be cool to pair this off with some media. The science-fantasy angle reminds me of Warhammer 40K, Shadowrun may be an interesting match, and there are a few books that gave me a similar vibe (Hyperion and Ring World)
Thanks for reaching out!
I'm including an Appendix N in Grok 2E for exactly this reason :)
Since the world is pretty different depending on where you are, I think it's best to think of influences or inspiring media based on the domain of the world. Here's a short list:
The Simulacrum
- Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis
- Judge Dredd by John Wager, Et al.
- Johnny Mnemonic directed by Robert Longo
- Brazil directed by Terry Gilliam
- Paranoia by Greg Costikyan, Et al.
- Neon City Overdrive by Nathan Russell
The Hovering Isles
- The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett
- Time Brandits directed by Terry Gilliam
- Planet of the Apes directed by Frnaklin J. Schaffner
- Nuemenera by Monte Cook
- Electric Bastionland by Chris McDowall
The Wastelands
- Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
- The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson
- Planet of Adventure by Jack Vance
- Zardoz directed by John Boorman
- The Adventures of Baron Munchausen directed by Terry Gilliam
- Slumbering Ursine Dunes by Chris Kutalik
- PunkApocalyptic by Robert Schwalb
The Underworld
- Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky
- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
- Mindwarp directed by Steve Barnett
- Completely Unfathomable by Jason Sholts & Paul Wolfe
Fantastic, I'm glad I asked --- and looking forward to further Grok material!
I got my copy off of Exalted Funeral a little while ago and I think the art cards are a really nice touch, and so is the fleshed-out character creation sheet. I really like the game as is (it's inspired me to get involved with 2400/1400 as well), so I'm curious about what the vision for 2E will be. I'll keep an eye out for further news :)