Pony Gaming Roundup

June 16, 2012 4:20 PM

Shards of Equestria is a set of 270 fan-made Magic: The Gathering cards based off of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. (made by MeFi's own XQUZYPHYR, via Projects)
Savage Worlds of My Little Pony (PDF version recommended, requires Savage Worlds game system books) is a roleplaying game based on the show, using Pinnacle Games' Savage Worlds system. Notable for its tenent against violence, which punishes characters who pursue violent solutions to problems.
MLP: Roleplaying is Magic (PDF) is another roleplaying game using a custom system.
MLP: Clash of Realities is a miniatures combat game played on computer. Game system plugin for Lackeyccg. Setup instructions
MLP: Fighting is Magic is a slick-looking, upcoming fan-made fighting game. Demo videos: Applejack test, general demonstration, Fluttershy is not OP
Ponykart is an upcoming, fan-made Mario Kart-style driving game. Demo video.
My Little Investigations is an upcoming, fan-made Phoenix Wright-style investigation adventure game. Playable demo.
Cutie Mark Crusade is also a work in progress, and a more traditional adventure game. Playable demo. Demo video.

There are two MLP-inspired MMORPGs in the works, Legends of Equestria (demo video) and MLP Online.
Finally some random things: Canterlot Defender, Dash, Brony Minecraft Server.
For more MLP fun, check out Equestria Gaming.

posted by JHarris (41 comments total)

You know, I'm still a little disappointed that the network turned down my pitch for "My Little Pony: Friendship is an Entirely Explicable Social Phenomenon".
posted by jcreigh at 4:24 PM on June 16, 2012 [6 favorites]

dang, I totally got beat to Savage Equestria. though I was aiming more for a Friendship is Dragons feel.
posted by AngelWuff at 4:28 PM on June 16, 2012

Don't forget Mine Little Pony
posted by empath at 4:34 PM on June 16, 2012

*cries*
posted by jonmc at 4:44 PM on June 16, 2012 [2 favorites]

I invoke Rule 34. I've seen MLP pr0n flash files. (And wanted to scrub my eyes afterwards.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:46 PM on June 16, 2012

I invoke Rule 34.

/r/spaceclop
posted by empath at 5:01 PM on June 16, 2012

"My Little Pony: Friendship is an Entirely Explicable Social Phenomenon"

If you could pack the explanation in a MetaFilter comment, I'd appreciate it.
posted by fleacircus at 5:01 PM on June 16, 2012

If you could pack the explanation in a MetaFilter comment, I'd appreciate it.

Have common interests and don't be an asshole. Sadly the classical conditioning that MLP provides in this area only works in a limited scope.
posted by Talez at 5:21 PM on June 16, 2012

*cries*

I'm gonna tolerate and love the shit out of you
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 5:26 PM on June 16, 2012 [2 favorites]

Sorry jonmc, I did try to wait until I had as much to post as possible before hitting the Submit button.
posted by JHarris at 5:26 PM on June 16, 2012

Surprised you didn't mention this previous post.
posted by emjaybee at 5:31 PM on June 16, 2012

WANT MY LITTLE INVESTIGATIONS WANT

though kinda sad that voice acting auditions are already over because my Dick Gumshoe (Femshoe) cosplay is awesome. (like that has anything to do with voice acting?) anyway. YAY POST, definitely stuff here I'll be stalking.
posted by nicebookrack at 5:40 PM on June 16, 2012

Argh. I was just trying to put together a post about Bronycon: The Documentary, but couldn't quite figure out a way to start it. Now I have to wait a bit so we don't go into pony overload (or make jonmc cry more).
posted by zbaco at 5:43 PM on June 16, 2012

OOMG OMG! I didn't realize that Shards was the doing of a fellow Metafite! XQUZYPHYR, I LOVE YOU!
posted by strixus at 5:51 PM on June 16, 2012 [3 favorites]

Chocolate Pickle, it exists sure, but a lot less of the fandom is centered on it than, from what I hear, the furries.

As for explaining why ponies have hit it big, I wrote something about it on Everything2. In summary:

A particular article appeared on Cartoon Brew shortly before Hub started up called "The End of the Creator-Driven Era in Animation," that posited that Lauren Faust, one of Cartoon Network's darlings before they drove off much of their cartoon talent, joining up with Margaret Loesch's network signaled an end to the rather awesome period that TV cartoons had been enjoying, from Ren & Stimpy through to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Loesch had before been known for heading Fox Kids, and a particularly mercenary approach to selling kids shows tied to toy lines.

The rather apocalyptic article attracted some attention from 4chan, where they decided to watch the show and witness the fail. But the show was actually very good -- Faust had taken a property no one had ever expected anything substantial from and polished the turd to a fine lustre.

They were smitten. And when the really good episodes began (for example, look at Suited for Success -- you don't see full-on Sondheim numbers on TV very often, nor so many flat-out celebrations of the artist's life) the pastel horses sunk their hooves in deep. And because it's something that's really really good that others discount out of hand, there is kind of an air of being in the know in the community, of being privy to secret knowledge. 4chan and Something Awful's early irrational purges of pony content caused them to make their own sites, nucleation points around which the culture could form, and form it did.

But it's not enough to just have a good show. Because MLP:FiM IS just a show, but there are better shows out there that don't attract anywhere near this kind of popularity. I think part of it is a reaction against the hyper-macho lifestyle projected upon heterosexual men by beer commercials, action movies, sports culture and, perhaps not coincidentally, the culture of male-heavy message boards like 4chan and Something Awful, which been ripe for popping for decades, just waiting for something incredibly contrary for guys to fixate upon. That probably played into the somewhat-confrontational nature of early message board pony culture -- tweaking people's noses with cute and sparkly cartoon horses. And even now, pony culture gets a lot of mileage out of the juxtaposition of pony with typically profane internet memes.

My own reaction is positive generally, but from mixed motives. There is a lot of WTF in it for me, but it's a great show anyway, and I can't express how sick to death of those things the culture has told me I'm supposed to like. So for me, it's kind of all those things mixed together into a generally fun little ball. There is clop out there sure, and gory stuff like Cupcakes, and the trolls of course, but that's true of literally everything on the internet. Pony is harmless fun, and because there's so little really harmless fun out there, it's become outsize large, and is verging on social phenomenon. We should have seen something like this coming, in retrospect, when Rickrolling hit the big time a couple of years ago, which isn't really all that great a joke when you think about it but for a brief, glorious moment was everywhere. And I think the world's continued shock that bronies exist is the greatest driving force keeping the fandom together -- really, there's no reason why we shouldn't be allowed to like it, so there's a strong motive to just tell the world to get bent.

Who knows how long it will last, but for the moment at least, hail Celestia!
posted by JHarris at 5:58 PM on June 16, 2012 [21 favorites]

emjaybee, it had honestly slipped my mind. And anyway, this post shouldn't be considered the entirety of pony-based gaming, it's an extremely fertile fandom and there's new projects springing up all the time.
posted by JHarris at 6:01 PM on June 16, 2012

There is clop out there sure, and gory stuff like Cupcakes...

What's "clop"? And what does "gory stuff like Cupcakes" mean?
posted by jcreigh at 6:08 PM on June 16, 2012

Don't ask about Cupcakes!
Bad fanfic memories...... rising.....!

(There is also a video of Cupcakes. Don't watch it.)
posted by Mezentian at 6:13 PM on June 16, 2012

"Clop": A pony version of "wank," basically stories about ponies fucking. Rule 34 and all, but I think the general opinion in the culture is AVOID.
"Cupcakes": An infamous work of fanfiction from the early days of the fandom, in which Pinkie Pie snaps and dismembers her friends and makes them into baked goods. It is extremely gory and universally known about by bronies, more now as a warning than anything else.
posted by JHarris at 6:15 PM on June 16, 2012

Oh, it's out of the box now.....
Cupcakes: The Movie.
posted by Mezentian at 6:16 PM on June 16, 2012

Alas, it appears that link has been taken down for copyright violations.
This one is working and in glorious HD.
posted by Mezentian at 6:21 PM on June 16, 2012

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!?!?

Er, um.. oh, sorry. What I mean is, what a fascinating glimpse into a subculture in which I do not take part and find interesting despite it being mostly in a language foreign to me and my tastes.

I keed... Excellent post. Thanks!
posted by hippybear at 6:35 PM on June 16, 2012

Alas, it appears that link has been taken down for copyright violations.
This one is working and in glorious HD .

This is why you shouldn't take bath salts and watch the cartoon network.
posted by empath at 7:10 PM on June 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

Don't knock it till you've clopped it.

I got into the show very recently, and I went in with low expectations. But the characters are so well defined and relatable, the plots so heartfelt... In a way it's a very patient show. It takes a very simple story and strolls through it for 22 minutes. Adventure time, another excellent cartoon, does way more complicated stories in 11. MLP also has a brilliant cast, where you can find different parts of yourself in different characters. There's also something so wonderfully... Asexual about it? Gender is totally irrevevant in an lovely, inexplicable way. It's basically all about fucking the patriarchy.

In conclusion, Equestria is a land of contrasts. Thank you.
posted by Rinku at 7:26 PM on June 16, 2012 [11 favorites]

Metafilter: Don't knock it till you've clopped it.
posted by Mezentian at 7:55 PM on June 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

And this has been sent to all the bronies on my twitter, or at least the ones I could remember.
posted by Canageek at 8:08 PM on June 16, 2012

Those are magic cards I would actually pay money for. (Fun game, too pricey)
posted by furiousxgeorge at 9:38 PM on June 16, 2012

FOREVER!
posted by ignignokt at 10:24 PM on June 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

While the show certainly fucks the patriarchy (I'm still working on my head-canon of how Celestia moved Equestria from a straight-up matriarchy to an egalitarian society, but that is just a fanfic project), it is not quite asexual - Best Pony™ Rarity flexes her obvious charms a little too often for that.

In that regard, it is interesting to see how Celestia, ostensibly the most powerful character in the show (she raises the Sun on a daily basis), is portrayed in some parts of the fandom, wiz. the existence of Trollestia (most plot is driven by Celestia messing with her subjects), Tyrantlestia (the ponies suffer under a Brave New World regime), and Molestia (Celestia messes with her subjects' plots). This for a character that is consistently portrayed as kind, considerate, motherly even, and with a sense of humor.

My pet theory is that this is just young males (the majority of the fan base) reacting against female authority figures in their own lives, but that is mere speculation. A big part of it is obviously also done just for lulz.

As for the… other parts of the fandom, the Rule 34 and grimdark stuff, [shrug]. The character design for the ponies is generally beautiful, and it is no surprise that that would be sexualized by some. Most of it is however expressed mainly, I would argue, as shipping, which given the strong characters is only natural. I'm actually more troubled by the puritan fans, who aggressively try to exorcise this part of the fandom - I know of no fandom where that particular project has gone well, and here certainly we should know to love and tolerate. The grimdark stuff? Well, it is not entirely my cup of tea, but there are hints of darkness in the show, e.g. Tartarus is canon, as are mass mind control, and addiction. That the fanfic writers would seek to explore these aspects is not surprising, and sometimes done to good effect.
posted by bouvin at 1:48 AM on June 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm actually more troubled by the puritan fans, who aggressively try to exorcise this part of the fandom

Hey, folks can do whatever they want with that stuff off in their own corners, but it's kind of annoying we can't have a thread about gaming without getting to Rule 34 in five posts. You could do that for virtually any subject (that's what rule 34 means) but, you know, people generally don't so there is no need to react to it.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 1:52 AM on June 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

My Nationalist Pony.

I do not advocate the views of My Nationalist Pony, but it is too weird not to share.

My friend is homeschooling her kids, and she doesn't believe in making them conform to gender roles. She has a little boy who is classically masculine in many ways - guns, monsters and fighting bad guys loom large in his worldview - but he loves the ponies.

His little friend came over and caught sight of his pony collection, and began teasing him. My friend overheard this and thought sadly, well, I tried, now he's going to get socialized to gender norms. But then she overheard this:

Neighbor Boy: My Little Pony! That's for girls!
Young Brony: (with dignity) If you don't like my ponies, you can go home.
posted by Surprised By Bees at 2:00 AM on June 17, 2012 [18 favorites]

furiousxgeorge:
but it's kind of annoying we can't have a thread about gaming without getting to Rule 34 in five posts
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely agree. I see that more with MLP:FiM than anything else (that is, the attempted trolling), but hey, whatchagonnado.
posted by bouvin at 2:13 AM on June 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

If you don't like my ponies, you can go home.
That's going in my profile.
posted by Wolfdog at 4:02 AM on June 17, 2012

(I'm still working on my head-canon of how Celestia moved Equestria from a straight-up matriarchy to an egalitarian society, but that is just a fanfic project)

The rules of succession didn't account for Luna getting banished to the moon for a thousand years. Compromises were made.
posted by LogicalDash at 9:38 AM on June 17, 2012

My second level Arcane Sorceress Unicorn with a pseudodragon familiar approves of this FPP.
posted by kyrademon at 10:22 AM on June 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

I haven't taken the time to look at any of the stuff that Wizards of the Coast is doing for D&D Next yet, but surely because WotC is owned by Hasbro, it'd be trivial for them to arrange an official crossover. They've certainly teased about it on April Fools in the pre-FiM era on multiple occasions.
posted by radwolf76 at 11:35 AM on June 17, 2012

*cries*

Oh jonmc, your tears are so salty sweet.

Here's a fan-made D&D sheet for the show's version of Windigos.

Friendship is Dragons is a webcomic that re-imagines the show as an role playing game session (similar to Darth & Droids.)

And... that's all I got. Very comprehensive post.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 12:12 PM on June 17, 2012

For anyone who likes the Battlestar Galactica board game, there's a set of Friendship is Magic characters here. They've all got their own character abilities, and those are pretty fun to play with, even if you're not a pony fan.

The best part about playing with these, though, is that people wind up saying things like, "Twilight Sparkle, you frakkin' toaster!" And in one game, when the person who was playing as Pinkie Pie became president, he insisted on being called "Chancellor Puddinghead."
posted by Katrel at 7:57 PM on June 17, 2012 [5 favorites]

And I was just about to go to bed. "Let's check the blue," I said. "What could someone have posted that could possibly keep me up in rapt fascination?"

Excellent FPP. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some plate armor to finish building for my Fluttershy costume....
posted by mikurski at 2:00 AM on June 18, 2012

Young Brony: (with dignity) If you don't like my ponies, you can go home.

I imagine this was said in the voice of Bobby from King of the Hill.
posted by JHarris at 10:47 AM on June 18, 2012

BREAKING: The Fighting Is Magic guys are doing a livestream right now demonstrating the game.
posted by JHarris at 3:24 PM on July 14, 2012