|
Yeah, my group did Zeitgeist and I liked it a lot. Ended up accidentally making a character that fit the Epic plot perfectly.
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2018 22:27
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 9, 2024 22:16 |
|
|
My D&D group is considering a new campaign and we're in the market for a sci-fi system. Desired goals: Moderate crunch (we've been playing 5E happily for over a year), a space-opera sort of tone, and ideally a relatively light metaplot - so Star Wars might work, but Fragged Empire might not.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 12:49
|
|
|
Stars Without Number? You mentioned Star Wars and it would work pretty fine too if you removed it from the setting and either reskinned or completely eliminated Force-using careers/specializations.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 13:08
|
|
|
Nessus posted:My D&D group is considering a new campaign and we're in the market for a sci-fi system. The Elite Dangerous RPG is (no poo poo) the best RPG I've ever read. It just does everything right, and the universe is such a completely generic cypher you can add or skin it however you want
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 15:03
|
|
|
Drone posted:Stars Without Number?
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 15:12
|
|
|
Nessus posted:if the SW system worked well I might just propose we do a SW game. Are the laser sword monks badly done, super OP, or is it just that everything else could be trivially refluffed? On the whole, SWN Psychics are more complicated and weaker than a Jedi would be. Also there's no laser swords, but adding them in is just a matter of reskinning what's there already.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 15:14
|
|
|
Nessus posted:if the SW system worked well I might just propose we do a SW game. Are the laser sword monks badly done, super OP, or is it just that everything else could be trivially refluffed? Jedi aren't overpowered in FFG Star Wars, and in several cases high-exp non-Jedi just straight-up outperform them. It's a good system but most certainly doesn't cater to everyone's tastes. I meant you should drop Jedi more because everything else is easier to reskin in a different setting.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 15:18
|
|
|
Instead of just re-skinning Star Wars, you could always go with the setting-agnostic version of the rules, Genesys, and add/subtract from there.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 17:54
|
|
|
Nessus posted:if the SW system worked well I might just propose we do a SW game. Are the laser sword monks badly done, super OP, or is it just that everything else could be trivially refluffed? Edge of the Empire is "star wars minus Jedi" and it's near- perfect
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 18:04
|
|
|
Yo, anybody know any fantasy systems that handle low magic settings without devolving into shitfarmers running through hardcore, grim 'n gritty fantasy Vietnam? So I'm thinking about running a campaign for some friends at some point in the future. For some reason I had gotten it into my head that I should run 5e since most of the people I'd be playing with are familiar with it but I feel the system needs some major tweaks to be less broken. One of the big things I tried to address was how ubiquitous and mundane magic in D&D tends to be: Spells and magic items being super powerful and readily available within the world is something that's pretty much baked into the actual mechanics of the game, beyond a certain level magic items provide necessary bonuses for players to be effective and spells increase exponentially in power as they increase in level and are, for the most part, the most mechanically consistent thing in the game and rarely present drawbacks or behave in unexpected ways. In the middle of trying to hack the game to suit my needs I turned around and said "Wait, why am I doing this again?" and realized it would probably be easier to find a system that better suited the type of world which I wanted to run. So that brings me to you fine folks. Here's my criteria: -Supports a fantasy setting. -Mechanics that suit a world in which magic does exist but is not a part of everyday life. I want magic to be something mysterious, exotic and potentially dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. -None of this grim and gritty, players are going to die at every turn and wounds take months to heal. Just because I'm looking for low magic doesn't mean I don't want the players to be awesome heroes. -Preferably something with a crunch level comparable to D&D or 13th Age (Which is also a great system but, again, a bit too magic focused for what I'm looking for) -Also a bonus: A wide variety of playable races (I am easily bored of Elves and Dwarves and want some more exotic choices thrown into the mix) Anyone know anything that could suit my needs?
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 21:02
|
|
|
KingKalamari posted:
game designers like shitfarmers a lot so there is surprisingly little for you. I'm going to be a cliche and suggest Shadow of the Demon Lord, although you're going to cut back on the grimdark stuff (which isn't hard, start people at level 1, skip the insanity/corruption stuff and don't use the horror or weird dick stuff much). There's also a fantasy version of the sci-fi game Fragged Empires called Fragged Kingdoms which should work, although you need both books.
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2018 00:16
|
|
|
Shadow of the Demon Lord tones down magic items (no +1 swords, a character might find 2-3 items with minor magical effects their entire career) but it's still heavily reliant on magical character classes / paths. Plus most of the enemies are supernatural. It's also a fairly lethal system at lower levels, with (relatively) fast and simple character creation for a D&D-like to compensate for the fact that characters will die if it's played RAW. Tuxedo Catfish fucked around with this message at 00:23 on Jul 3, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2018 00:20
|
|
|
(And if you're actually looking for that kind of highly lethal game, Torchbearer is just straight up better.)
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2018 00:39
|
|
|
KingKalamari posted:
I would suggest Savage Worlds tbh. It's not super lethal at all, very fast character creation and very fast gameplay/combat with just the right amount of crunch, and the best bit is there are about 10,000 settings for you to choose from, or the tools to make your own up. Magic being rare? Then it is. The game is designed to not rely on magic being there or not, more of an optional extra. As for settings with Savage if you don't want to put in the leg work to make your own, Beasts and Barbarians is good, Fading Suns, or the Savage world of Conan are all pretty neat.
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2018 00:50
|
|
|
Wrestlepig posted:game designers like shitfarmers a lot so there is surprisingly little for you. I'm going to be a cliche and suggest Shadow of the Demon Lord, although you're going to cut back on the grimdark stuff (which isn't hard, start people at level 1, skip the insanity/corruption stuff and don't use the horror or weird dick stuff much). There's also a fantasy version of the sci-fi game Fragged Empires called Fragged Kingdoms which should work, although you need both books. [quote="Tuxedo Catfish" post="485748316"] Shadow of the Demon Lord tones down magic items (no +1 swords, a character might find 2-3 items with minor magical effects their entire career) but it's still heavily reliant on magical character classes / paths. Plus most of the enemies are supernatural. It's also a fairly lethal system at lower levels, with (relatively) fast and simple character creation for a D&D-like to compensate for the fact that characters will die if it's played RAW. [/quote] I've actually been looking into SotDL and Fragged Kingdom prior to this and am actually really eager to get a chance to try both of them out. My only concerns with these two are: I'm worried Fragged Kingdom's tactical battlefield mechanics will be a bit too complex for my players and I feel like I'm not familiar enough with the system to compensate for that. 2. Also concerned that the heavy metal tone of the SotDL rulebooks (Even if I'm repurposing the system for a less grim setting) might turn off some of the players. Either way they both might be worth looking into now that you mention it. PMush Perfect posted:(And if you're actually looking for that kind of highly lethal game, Torchbearer is just straight up better.) It's funny because I was actually just looking into Burning Wheel/Torchbearer a bit before I made this post. I actually really like a lot about Torchbearer and it's actually a system I wouldn't mind running or playing for another group. Spiteski posted:I would suggest Savage Worlds tbh. It's not super lethal at all, very fast character creation and very fast gameplay/combat with just the right amount of crunch, and the best bit is there are about 10,000 settings for you to choose from, or the tools to make your own up. Magic being rare? Then it is. The game is designed to not rely on magic being there or not, more of an optional extra. As for settings with Savage if you don't want to put in the leg work to make your own, Beasts and Barbarians is good, Fading Suns, or the Savage world of Conan are all pretty neat. I've actually played Savage Worlds before and, while a fine system and suggestion, it somehow just didn't scratch the right itch for me when I played it in ways I don't think I can articulate.
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2018 03:34
|
|
|
Dark horse recommendation: Spellbound Kingdoms
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2018 03:51
|
|
|
Wrestlepig posted:don't use the weird dick stuff much Mods subtitle this thread plz
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2018 07:19
|
|
|
KingKalamari posted:I've actually been looking into SotDL and Fragged Kingdom prior to this and am actually really eager to get a chance to try both of them out. My only concerns with these two are: I'm worried Fragged Kingdom's tactical battlefield mechanics will be a bit too complex for my players and I feel like I'm not familiar enough with the system to compensate for that. Fragged books, if nothing else, are exhaustively cross-referenced so it's really easy to look up rules. I haven't played Kingdom, but in Fragged Empire, at least, the combat rules aren't quite as complex as they look at first and the worst part is counting out range squares and recalculating bonuses when stat damage happens. A note about Fragged Kingdom, which you might already know: even though things that the characters perceive as magical are out there, none of it is actually magic (except maybe enchanting/psionics and the All-Power, depending on if you draw a distinction between magic and psionic stuff). Most if it is just supertech from the Fragged Empire times that nobody understands anymore and so treats as magical. It's also why druids in Fragged Kingdom are kind of terrifying--they're using Nephilim plague stuff. One thing you could also try is D&D 4e, take out the overtly magical classes, and use the special bonus progression rules from 4e Dark Sun so your group isn't reliant on magic items. You'd still end up with a fairly high-powered game where the characters are superheroes, but the way that the game makes sure that each role is represented among each power source means that you're not mechanically reliant on magic. Or, if you're willing to do some reskinning (especially for having playable races be a mechanical thing), Strike! is a good option. Harrow fucked around with this message at 14:20 on Jul 3, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2018 14:17
|
|
|
So, after some looking into, I am actually really liking the mechanics of Shadow of the Demon Lord and believe I will be using it! Thanks all for the recommend. I just have one mild question/concern before I dive too much deeper: I'm a little wary of the fact that DCs are always fixed at 10 given what I've seen of the other mechanics as I'm worried it makes tasks too easy at higher levels even with the Boons/Banes system in play. I'm coming heavily from a PbtA background so I tend to try to incorporate failed rolls and checks as opportunities to introduce complications into the narrative and am worried that the fixed DC is going to hamper that too much. Is this a case where things work out differently in actual play and/or the mechanics work out differently than how I've imagined them from reading the rules? How easy is it to succeed on Challenge Rolls vs, say, D&D or other D20 based games?
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2018 02:38
|
|
|
I'm not sure if SotDL's skill challenge system is exactly on track mathematically with recommended DCs vs. player skill values in the various versions of D&D, but the fact that it's a fixed value means you don't have to come up with that poo poo on the fly, and the bounded values mean that you can have both differentiation between different characters in what they're likely to succeed at, but also not have a situation where for one player success is 100% guaranteed and for another something is completely impossible. You also can and should freely apply extra boons or banes to tasks that are meant to be especially easy or difficult. The first boon or bane is an average increase/decrease of 3.5 on the roll, the second is a total of 4.47, three is 4.96; put another way, the first is worth 3.5, the second is worth about 1, and the third is worth about 0.5. You don't necessarily need to know this to run the game, but it helps!
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2018 02:47
|
|
|
For more context: a well-optimized 1st level character will have one stat of 13, and the rest typically between 8-11. With no boons or banes, that's about a 70% chance of succeeding in a check on your strong attribute, and somewhere between a 45% and 60% chance of succeeding on your weak ones. That's plenty of opportunities for narrative complications, but high enough that PCs shouldn't feel clumsy or incompetent. A boon from a relevant profession kicks that up to about 88% for main attribute and 63% to 78% for other attributes. Hitting level 3 gives you two attribute increases of one point each (equivalent to 5% increases in likelihood of success) and level 7 gives three increases of one point each. So a truly legendary character doing what their background and their adventuring career have prepared them for will succeed nearly every time, but that's a long time coming and kind of the point. An optimized Goblin or one of the non-core book ancestries can kick the numbers up a little higher than that, but usually only in specific stats. The Transmuter master path passively boosts all attributes, allows you to transfer 2 points out of one of your base stats into another each time you rest, and the associated Alteration tradition of magic gives you a ton of attribute-boosting buff spells, which as you might expect breaks this whole system over its knee, but Transmuter players have to pay the price of taking the most boring master path in the game so it all evens out. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2018 02:56
|
|
|
RULESET: Lite to Normal SUPPORT: Anything but having to chargen every random mook CHARGEN: Anything SETTING: Universal to Established Looking for a good system to run a bronze age heroic fantasy game. Jason and the Argonauts, the Illiad, Hercules punching a lion, that sort of thing. Gods being meddling busy-bodies and Minotaurs patrolling, but not everyone casting fireballs. I'm fine with reskinning ans some light rules tweaking, so the setting doesn't have to be a perfect match. My group really enjoys Blades in the Dark, and tolerated 4e DnD if that helps.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2018 13:23
|
|
|
Captain Theron posted:RULESET: Lite to Normal There is absolutely no way there isn't a Savage Worlds setting book for like $10 that isn't set in a Swords & Sandals world. Hell, it's probably called Swords & Sandals.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2018 15:37
|
|
|
Elizabeth Mills posted:There is absolutely no way there isn't a Savage Worlds setting book for like $10 that isn't set in a Swords & Sandals world. Hell, it's probably called Swords & Sandals.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2018 16:38
|
|
|
Sword and savage sandals
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2018 19:13
|
|
|
Captain Theron posted:RULESET: Lite to Normal Agon? Also by John Harper.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2018 19:17
|
|
|
Angrymog posted:Agon? Also by John Harper. Agon looks great, thanks!
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2018 09:12
|
|
|
Anyone have a suggestion for a d100 game? I'm aware of Warhammer but I'm looking for something more setting agnostic. I've also looked into Runequest but I'm looking for something more modern.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2018 01:43
|
|
|
MrTargetPractice posted:Anyone have a suggestion for a d100 game? Basic Roleplaying is d100 isnt it? Have you looked into that? It's the basis for most Cthulhu games, which you can steal rules updates liberally from. Edit: derp just saw you said you'd looked at Runequest which was original Basic. It's updated but wholly the same in the latest Cthulhu (7e) with a few modern changes (pushing rolls, spending luck etc) could still be worth looking at.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2018 01:58
|
|
|
My friends and I are looking for a better system to play under but I’m afraid I don’t really understand the parameters in the OP as I’ve only played 5E and don’t have anything to compare it to. We tried the starter campaign of D&D 5E and had a lots of fun, but got a bit bogged down with levelling up, counting things, writing lots of things down, remembering how many spells we were allowed to cast and things like this. Also we found the combat was a bit long and at times boring (being forced to kill trash mobs you know pose no threat got a bit tedious after a while). Our DM is happy to write his own stories but we'd like to work within a framework that is more story-based and perhaps more decision based, rather than what feels like a computer game with all the stats and skills. We definitely had the most fun when we were coming up with ways to approach a puzzle or a room, rather than going through the rigmarole of combat and levelling up.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2018 23:57
|
|
|
Are there any grid based tactical systems that are good with occasional pop or p as try vs party combat?
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2018 01:05
|
|
|
The DPRK posted:My friends and I are looking for a better system to play under but I’m afraid I don’t really understand the parameters in the OP as I’ve only played 5E and don’t have anything to compare it to. What sort of genres are you interested in? You want to stick with traditional fantasy, or are you open to other types of games?
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2018 01:26
|
|
|
We’re open. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2018 07:58
|
|
|
The DPRK posted:We’re open. Then let me propose Monster of the week. It leans hard into Buffy/Supernatural style TV/books, but does it in a way that everyone has power, not just the Slayer. Also, it does a neat trick where the big bad is invincible until you discover it's weakness, which sounds like a thing your players want to do. It's also cheap and easy as hell to run
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2018 08:22
|
|
|
I always shill Spelbound Kingdoms to anyone looking for an offbeat game
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2018 11:36
|
|
|
The DPRK posted:My friends and I are looking for a better system to play under but I’m afraid I don’t really understand the parameters in the OP as I’ve only played 5E and don’t have anything to compare it to. Since you guys basically want just about anything that's not too rules-heavy, you're going to get a bunch of people just recommending what they like, so here's my recommendations in no particular order. These are all rules-light in some way or another: Feng Shui 2: this is a game that's designed to emulate 90s action movies, 70s kung-fu flicks, and Hong Kong Blood Opera films. You pick an archetype from a fairly long list (like maverick cop with a Magnum, old kung-fu master, junkheap cyborg or enlightened crab) and you fight to protect reality against power-hungry factions that are trying to conquer it all in four different time periods (the present, 7th century China, 19th century China, and the post-apocalyptic wasteland that is the end of the 21st century). The rules emphasise being creative in combat much more than they care about anything else, and are fast and loose outside of combat as well. Apocalypse World 2e: this is the second edition of the game that started the whole PbtA (Powered by the Apocalypse) rules system. In terms of tone, it's like a cable TV soap opera version of Mad Max (or something like Jericho, if that rings a bell) - everyone plays a character in the post-apocalyptic world that may or may not be allied, and drama is generated when characters clash over their needs and desires. The concepts behind GMing PbtA games are somewhat unique (this won't be as much a problem if you guys are coming to RPGs totally blind since you don't have the bad preconceptions) and are explained by this book, so it's a good place to start for PbtA in general. Fiasco: this is a GM-less system designed for one-shot games where you make up stories that are like Coen Brothers films in terms of structure - like Fargo or Burn After Reading, where everyone is sort of bumblingly, incompetently trying to screw every other character over. It's not a roleplaying game like you might traditionally expect - there aren't any classes or things to fight. Think of it more as a set of rules to formalise improvisation and telling stories of this one particular type. Technoir: this is a game that's very focused on emulating hardboiled cyberpunk fiction like George Alec Effinger's Marid Audran books, or William Gibson's Bridge trilogy. Everyone plays a character in a cyberpunk world - anyone from a corporate bigshot to a mercenary street samurai to a courier just trying to get by - who gets embroiled in a big cyberpunk conspiracy and has to get out there and find out what's going on. The game has city playbooks that provide contacts for players and plot elements, which you use to randomly generate the conspiracy as the game is going on - it's a really clever system that absolutely nails it thematically. GUMSHOE: this isn't one game, but the name of a system that is shared by several games. The draw of this system is that it's really built around investigating and solving mysteries - the player characters all have various investigative skills (like forensics or scientific specialities) which let them automatically find clues instead of having to roll to search. Unlike Technoir, the GM still has to actually plan their mysteries, but there are quite a lot of pre-published adventures for the system if you don't have the time to do this. The various games that use this system include Ashen Stars (space opera mercenary lawmen who go around solving crimes for profit), Mutant City Blues (police detectives in the special police unit responsible for investigating crimes committed by superpowered individuals), or Night's Black Agents (burned spies trying to fight back against the Illuminati, who are actually vampires). The One Ring: if you have any Middle-Earth fans in your group, they'll probably really enjoy this. This is a game that is entirely about playing heroes who are standing up to Sauron in the few years leading up to the events of the Lord of the Rings. Its rules are very focused on trying to replicate the feel of Tolkien's books - for example, every "adventure" in game terms is followed by a period where the characters go home for winter to rest, pipe-smoking and riddle-making are important skills, and there are detailed rules for travelling. This is probably the rules-heaviest game on the list but it's still much lighter than D&D, especially when it comes to combat (which you're not expected to engage in nearly as often as in D&D). Monsterhearts 2: this is another PbtA game, so I recommend at least reading Apocalypse World before you try your hand at this. Everyone plays teenagers in high-school with all the drama that implies, except on top of that you're also monsters (the beautiful but manipulative rear end in a top hat is a vampire, the dark and brooding guy with anger issues is a werewolf, the goth girl who keeps to herself is an actual witch) with all the fighting/giving in to your nature/urges that implies. The game is very queer-friendly and very open about being so (the author is queer). Warbirds: this is a game about being fame-hungry mercenary fighter pilots in a world where a bunch of Caribbean islands were torn from Earth by a mysterious storm at the start of the 19th century, and now float in a vast, empty sky in another world. The characters are all pilots belonging to the Guild, which is a mercenary company with a monopoly on cutting-edge fighter planes. You fight sky pirates, slavers and fascists while enjoying the celebrity lifestyle of Guild pilots and jockeying with each other for social standing. Lemon-Lime fucked around with this message at 13:02 on Jul 9, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2018 12:26
|
|
|
Thanks for your replies everyone, especially Lemon-Lime for your long write up. Much appreciated! So far my list of things to put to the group and look into learning is as follows: Blades in the dark Monster of the week Lasers and Feelings Spellbound Kingdoms Apocalypse World 2e Fiasco The One Ring Still in the research stage so if anyone has any other games to recommend I'd love to hear from you! Perhaps another point to add, I have 2 groups that I play with: One is an IRL group that meets around a table, the other is a group made up of members from the IRL group and members from far away and we play on Roll20. This is ambitious, I know, but if there is a game that can run seamlessly between the two groups so one session informs the other (let's say for example how Game of Thrones has the things that are happening in King's Landing and things that are happening across the Narrow Sea) that could potentially be a really interesting system for us.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2018 12:52
|
|
|
We're leaning towards Dungeon World, as it has a lot of the themes and settings of D&D we've enjoyed but with the PbtA system that looks to keep both the story and combat free-flowing and exciting. I've read this already which looks like a good intro to the game: http://www.curufea.com/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=roleplaying:dw:dungeon_world_guide_pdf_version_1.2.pdf Does anyone have any counter argument, or indeed any tips for getting started?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2018 22:07
|
|
|
Dungeon World commits a bunch of design mistakes in the course of chasing after the D&D feeling that makes it a pretty mediocre PbtA game, but in a total vacuum it's still a pretty decent game, and it's good if you want to play D&D but with looser rules. The guide you've read is great, but I would still recommend reading the GMing section in Apocalypse World because it's much better at explaining how PbtA works than the DW book is.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2018 22:12
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 9, 2024 22:16 |
|
|
Dungeon World occupies a middle ground between D&D and Apocalypse World that in my experience works pretty well, but apparently also has some baggage from D&D itself. I recently GMed for the first time using Dungeon World and enjoyed it, but others may have a better explanation than I on its drawbacks.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2018 22:15
|
|
