12 thoughts on “‘Video Killed the Radio Star.’”

  1. Depends on your sensibilities and what you mean by “all the bands sound like this”, but a fair amount listenable synth-pop came out of the early 80s.

    .

    The entire Age of Plastic album is actually pretty good, if you like “Video Killed the Radio Star”. (Their followup album Adventures in Modern Recording is sadly forgettable, tho.)

    .

    The two main guys actually joined up with Yes to record an album (Drama) which is… well, I’ll just say I like it and leave it at that. Check out Tempus Fugit from Drama if you’re curious.

    .

  2. I suppose you have a couple of options for an 80s-themed RPG setting. The first would be a world that had advanced to the asthetic/technological level of the 80s, perhaps with magic replacing some of the 80s tech. Perhaps a magic-powered Commodore 64, and things like that.

    The second would be a more conventional world that had its development arrested by the emergence of magic. Something like Rifts or Shadowrun. You could just do an 80s themed Shadowrun campaign and save yourself a lot of extra toil.

    I suppose a third possibility would be an alternate world that had absorbed 80s’ American culture. Imagine breakdancing as a form of battle magic…that sort of thing.

    1. That third possibility is literally illustrated in the webcomic Erfworld.

  3. As a clueless Pre-teen in the 80s I attempted to run a game with a running soundtrack of 60s pop music (beach boys motown and the like)- a love of which my father had instilled in me.

    My players were…less than enthusiastic.

  4. I’m recalling a certain mission in Alpha Protocol.
    If you’ve played it, you know the one.
    .
    (The game had a great setting, great characters, a great story, flawed gameplay, and boss battles that weren’t even remotely fair.)

  5. Hmmm. Perhaps a Fallout type scenario, only instead of the war happening in a future-ized ’50s, it happened in the ’80s. Lots and **LOTS** of trigger events, and many of the scenarios were gamed out, so resources should be easy to find …
    .
    Mew

  6. Urban fantasy, 80s vibe? Wouldn’t that just be sparkly vampires and teen angst? I seem to recall that being done already.

  7. Not even remotely sounding like the Buggles, but Rob Zombie as an actual “sallow-eyed Fiend of Fiends”? I’d be on board.

Comments are closed.