The Bakken Petroleum System is largely acknowledged as the first large-scale unconventional oil target in the modern U.S. energy renaissance. For nearly twenty years companies have been searching for similar opportunities in other basins with decidedly mixed results. Unfortunately, a number of characteristics that combine to make the Bakken a prolific oil producer also make it unique, including the lack of large scale tectonic deformation, ideal source rocks and maturity over a massive area, laterally consistent stratigraphy, a strong mechanical roof on the system, private ownership of minerals and a collaborative regulatory environment. In this talk we will identify how the lack of even one of these characteristics has prevented many potential prospects from taking off and how developing technology has compensated in some cases to unlock less ideal deposits. A number of prospective plays are identified along with the technical hurdles that must be overcome before they can be developed economically.