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Egiam
2010-01-13, 08:28 PM
As the title suggests, I am searching for a new RPG system to use. Here is my experience:

-A few years of 3.5 DND. I am a highly proficient dungeon master with this system, if I may say so.

-Several adventures of 4.0. Didn't really like much about it, except the streamlined combat system.

-GM'd one Risus adventure. It goes without saying that it is too simple of a system. Loads of fun though...

-A few months of NWOD Hunter/mortals.



I am looking for a new system to try out. Here are a few ideas:
-NWOD changeling
-The burning wheel? What the heck is it?
-Pathfinder RPG
-Shadowrun


A few things I would like (but not necessary):
-I tend to prefer more gritty games (DND 4.0=fail) (NWOD=win). The willpower system used in NWOD is a great alternative to a gazzilion hitpoints.
-I tend to prefer games with slightly shorter combat scenes.
-I think that I would like to mostly stay away from bog standard Tolkienesque medieval fantasy. I am an Eberron fanatic. Would shadowrun do this for me?
-If would like to suggest a game, I would highly appreciate an example of an adventure (WIMPY EXAMPLE: Party members are mercenaries, hired by baron to hunt down bandit king that has stolen the Macguffin. They find the bandits lair, and dungeon crawl until party finds the object. The end), to get a sense of how the game roles. (cheap pun intended)


Thanks in advance!

Kaun
2010-01-13, 08:35 PM
Shadowrun sounds like it would fit all your needs.

Plenty of mission esc stuff here- http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showforum=20

Gnorman
2010-01-13, 08:41 PM
Seconding Shadowrun.

Imagine a Dwarven gadgetmaster and demolitions expert teaming up with a cyber-enhanced Troll bruiser and motorcycle ace. Throw in a slick Elven negotiator with wicked aim and a sniper rifle and a Human occult detective, street smart and able to negotiate the criminal underworld. They all meet a mysterious contact in a crowded bar and are sent off to deliver an important package to a well-established businessman. Seems like easy money. While cruising down the main highway, they're ambushed by a crowd of flamethrower-toting orcs on Jeeps, intent on running them off the road for good. They escape and manage to get to the warehouse, where they find their contact dead and corporate cops surrounding the place. They sneak/fight/talk their way out and track down the SOBs who set them up. The entire adventure ends with an elaborate infiltration mission (likely including some virtual reality security dodging), an epic firefight with the servants of a mysterious secret society dedicated to the resurrection of an ancient evil, and a gigantic explosion. The party just barely escapes in time, collects their fair share of credits, and reconvenes for the next mission.

Now set this all in neo-modern Seattle and include dragons, yetis, aztec serpent gods, werewolves, vampires, and all other manner of mythological creatures playing buddy buddy with super corps and the Biggest Brother you can friggin' imagine.

It's lethal, dark, and gritty. Most runners don't survive their first mission from Mr. Johnson. Combat is short and sweet and extremely deadly. The dice are easy to deal with, no overcomplicated roles. The character creation system encompasses such a wealth of archetypes and ideas that you can create almost quite literally any character you can dream of.

Behind D&D, Shadowrun is my favorite system. It's cyberpunk instead of the steampunk you seem to enjoy, but it's SOMETHING-punk at least.

Mando Knight
2010-01-13, 09:20 PM
GURPS does everything.

jmbrown
2010-01-13, 09:21 PM
-The burning wheel? What the heck is it?

Another fantasy RPG system although the game's playstyle requires as much story input from the players as it does the GM. Some players, especially those coming from systems where the GM is basically god and narrator, have trouble adapting to it.


-I tend to prefer more gritty games (DND 4.0=fail) (NWOD=win). The willpower system used in NWOD is a great alternative to a gazzilion hitpoints.

GURPS. Out of all the RPGs I've played it requires the most input from the GM in order to create a fully functional game but he has absolute control over nearly every function. By default rules the game is pretty deadly.

Alternatively if you're looking for a swords and sorcery feeling, try Riddle of Steel which claims (and succeeds I might add) at creating the most realistic melee fighting system. Conan by Mongoose publishing is based on the D20 system meaning you'll have an easy time getting into it, and it focuses on melee combat with spellcasters being brooding people physically twisted by the dark power they mess with. My favorite concept about the system is how your wealth essentially resets after every adventure because during your off time you spend everything partying.


-I tend to prefer games with slightly shorter combat scenes.
Burning Wheel has a cinematic approach to combat, uses no tactical movement, and resolves actions quickly. Savage Worlds is a generic system like GURPS with fast combat although it's more cinematic and less deadly. Dogs in the Vineyard is another game with cinematic but fast combat although it's not as deadly.


-I think that I would like to mostly stay away from bog standard Tolkienesque medieval fantasy. I am an Eberron fanatic. Would shadowrun do this for me?

Burning Wheel is closer to Tolkien-esque fantasy than D&D is so you probably won't like that. Mouse Guard, based on a streamlined version of BW, is a pretty unique game that takes place in a conservative, political fueled domain where mice try to function and survive in the harsh wild. Think of a realistic Redwall with a healthy dose of political strife. Dogs in the Vineyard is about as far from the standard RPG fantasy tropes as you can get and it's one of the more unique RPGs I've played period.

Savage Worlds works with any kind of campaign you can build it around but its system definitely sways towards the swashbuckling/pulp action style adventures like Indiana Jones and Buck Rogers. If you liked Eberron's adventure style then Savage Worlds is a good system that matches it.

Finally, AD&D 2E plays a lot different than 3E. It's deadlier (0hp and you gone, buddy), has faster combat, and definitely suits the lower-powered games like Eberron.


-If would like to suggest a game, I would highly appreciate an example of an adventure (WIMPY EXAMPLE: Party members are mercenaries, hired by baron to hunt down bandit king that has stolen the Macguffin. They find the bandits lair, and dungeon crawl until party finds the object. The end), to get a sense of how the game roles. (cheap pun intended)

GURPS and Savage Worlds can be built into any campaign or setting you want. GURPS is a simulationist system meaning it focuses on realism over abstraction. Savage Worlds has the heroes battling multiple mooks (similar in design style to 4E's minions) and the combat system is so fast and flexible that it allows players to hire helpers and control them in battles. A good analogy: GURPS is Daniel Craig as James Bond and Savage Worlds is Roger Moore as James Bond.

Dogs in the Vineyard takes place in a 1850s era American west. Mormonism (or as the game describes it "The Faith") established itself breaking off from the evil sinners in the east. You're one of God's Watchdogs who protects the Faithful, ousts sinners, and exorcises demons. You perform mundane tasks like delivering mail, delivering and naming babies, stomping sin before it goes out of control, and performing exorcisms. Each adventure takes place in a town where someone is about to sin (or has sinned) and the situation is slowly revealed before you. All encounters are played through a system of betting and raising dice until someone decides to give in.

A typical situation might be a wife who's angry at her husband because his second wife (yes, polygamy is practiced) is getting more attention. Her pride turns to anger and her anger becomes sin (murder). If the dog doesn't stop her, she will murder the second wife. The dog can begin by talking her down; if this doesn't work it can escalate to a fight and dogs do have the right to execute sinners. Alternatively you could visit the husband and make it clear what he's doing wrong. He could agree but this could earn his animosity (and the player can take him as a future relationship) or his son could discover what his father was doing and thus create an adventure the next time the Dog comes through town.

Mouse Guard puts you in the role of a group of mice tasked with protecting the scent border (keeps out predators), delivering mail, marking trails, and escorting mice as they perform their duties. The game spans two turns: the GM's turn and the players turn. The GM describes the current situation. The player then takes that situation and turns it into a story while rolling dice to determine if dangerous actions succeed.

This topic here has a better description of gameplay than I could sum up. (http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/270216-mouse-guard-anyone-2.html) Read the post by Novem5er on the previous page and his post on combat.

Burning Wheel is the system Mouse Guard is based on. BW assumes a typical fantasy setting but there's a campaign setting called Burning Empires which is kind of cyberpunkish.

Epinephrine
2010-01-13, 09:51 PM
Going to voice a vote for GURPS as well.

The default setup is pretty deadly, the game is generally gritty, fights can be remarkably fast in terms of rounds, though can drag if both parties are defensive. Great skill system with skills defaulting to one another, and a ton of flexibility. Oh, and only d6s need apply.

Plus, you can check out the system by looking at GURPS lite, the free 32-page pdf. It covers the general rules to show how the game works.

http://www.sjgames.com/GURPS/lite/

Kaldrin
2010-01-13, 09:57 PM
GURPS does indeed do everything fairly well. It does do cinematic fantasy very well too. The only drawback is the higher the point total the more a new GM will have problems with it. There are a lot of options that might confuse. It's ideal for starters for things like realistic spy thriller, old west, low or no-magic fantasy, etc... all around 100-150 pts. I've played in and run many types of games with that system and it's my favourite go-to for any kind of genre that other games don't do very well.

I'll also throw in Champions/Hero for comic book supers or, for a little off-the-wall fun, Toon.

Ozreth
2010-01-13, 10:57 PM
I say check out Shadowrun.

Knaight
2010-01-13, 11:07 PM
Tossing in a vote for Fudge. Like GURPS it is a generic system, unlike GURPS you don't need to buy a Sci-fi book, a Fantasy book, a Spagetti Western book, and a Shoujo Anime Romance book. Although the last one exists compliments of a third party company.

heavier than Savage Worlds it is fairly quick, can be very deadly (I have never seen a system where getting ganged up on is more detrimental. Basically combat uses opposed rolls, and you must beat the rolls of everyone against you to hit anyone against you, while any who beat you can hit you. At a penalty that gets nasty fast.), and is a smooth elegant system that you can run without the book. At the same time, it can do some simulationism well. Basically, it is like GURPS, but lets you cover even more. GURPS breaks down in any game where Strength, Agility, Toughness, and Perception are not valid attributes. You could run a game in Fudge covering aspects of spirituality battling over the mind of someone.

A note on fights. They are not turn based, and with everything simultaneous they move very quickly. Still, there is some tactical level, and if you use the Stances option then there is high versatility. However, it requires sensible GMing. A lot is covered, but it is assumed the GM can make judgment calls.

Tinydwarfman
2010-01-13, 11:12 PM
As the title suggests, I am searching for a new RPG system to use. Here is my experience:

-A few years of 3.5 DND. I am a highly proficient dungeon master with this system, if I may say so.

-Several adventures of 4.0. Didn't really like much about it, except the streamlined combat system.

-GM'd one Risus adventure. It goes without saying that it is too simple of a system. Loads of fun though...

-A few months of NWOD Hunter/mortals.



I am looking for a new system to try out. Here are a few ideas:
-NWOD changeling
-The burning wheel? What the heck is it?
-Pathfinder RPG
-Shadowrun


A few things I would like (but not necessary):
-I tend to prefer more gritty games (DND 4.0=fail) (NWOD=win). The willpower system used in NWOD is a great alternative to a gazzilion hitpoints.
-I tend to prefer games with slightly shorter combat scenes.
-I think that I would like to mostly stay away from bog standard Tolkienesque medieval fantasy. I am an Eberron fanatic. Would shadowrun do this for me?
-If would like to suggest a game, I would highly appreciate an example of an adventure (WIMPY EXAMPLE: Party members are mercenaries, hired by baron to hunt down bandit king that has stolen the Macguffin. They find the bandits lair, and dungeon crawl until party finds the object. The end), to get a sense of how the game roles. (cheap pun intended)


Thanks in advance!

May I suggest FATAL?
Sorry, that was my sadistic side talking.

In all seriousness though, GURPS will do whatever campaign style you feel like, and do it better than any d20 system. Shadowrun is awesomesauce cool flavor, but it doesn't work for fantasy. Also, GURPS is realistic, and therefore more gritty. but if you feel like playing with rule of cool, you can do that to.

Tinydwarfman
2010-01-13, 11:16 PM
Tossing in a vote for Fudge. Like GURPS it is a generic system, unlike GURPS you don't need to buy a Sci-fi book, a Fantasy book, a Spagetti Western book, and a Shoujo Anime Romance book. Although the last one exists compliments of a third party company.

heavier than Savage Worlds it is fairly quick, can be very deadly (I have never seen a system where getting ganged up on is more detrimental. Basically combat uses opposed rolls, and you must beat the rolls of everyone against you to hit anyone against you, while any who beat you can hit you. At a penalty that gets nasty fast.), and is a smooth elegant system that you can run without the book. At the same time, it can do some simulationism well. Basically, it is like GURPS, but lets you cover even more. GURPS breaks down in any game where Strength, Agility, Toughness, and Perception are not valid attributes. You could run a game in Fudge covering aspects of spirituality battling over the mind of someone.

A note on fights. They are not turn based, and with everything simultaneous they move very quickly. Still, there is some tactical level, and if you use the Stances option then there is high versatility. However, it requires sensible GMing. A lot is covered, but it is assumed the GM can make judgment calls.

OH NOES! A gurps hater! <insert flame here>!
I disagree, but am too tired and lazy to do so. Maybe tomorrow morning...

Goodnight.:smallsigh:

Egiam
2010-01-13, 11:52 PM
Thanks guys! This is really helpful.

How does the length/complexity of fights compare from shadowrun to DND?

Kaun
2010-01-14, 01:09 AM
Thanks guys! This is really helpful.

How does the length/complexity of fights compare from shadowrun to DND?

If you players are smart the fights dont last long at all. If the players are stupid they last even less time.

Like any game if they find them selfs in stalemate things can drag on a bit but in Shadowrun time is always against the players.

DJDizzy
2010-01-14, 03:07 AM
I reccomend you go check out pathfinder since it is the natural progression from 3.5 (4th edition *grumble*), There is an online SRD here: www.d20pfsrd.com and while the books are somewhat expensiever than your average 3.5 book, you only need to buy 2 of the books since the core rulebook is a DMG/PHB combined. One of the biggest complaint about this is that at first glance it looks to be exactly like 3.5: all the races, classes, magic items, inventory, combat and skills seem to be the same, but they are not, they have changed for the better imho.

Anyway, go take a look at it because if you like 3.5 you should like pathfinder even better, now if only I could get my group to play pathfinder myself (they are rambling about it being DnD so "why should they bother if its the same"

Satyr
2010-01-14, 03:44 AM
In Shadowrun 4, the whole rule system is a lot clumsier and less elegant while also less exact than three dimensional scaling in the previous editions, and especially the combats show it. If people don't know what they do, or the defenders just roll very good, combats can become tedious. If everybody knows the rules, and has the basic tactics at hand, they can be over very quick. Shadowrun is not a very gritty game, though, and it happens way too often that you shoot somebody right between the eyes... to cause a light wound. Especially if the target is a troll, and you use for any reasons a light gun. If you want to go for a gritty game, Cyberpunk beats Shadowrun. It also has the general better rule mechanisms, but no elves, dragons, or

Otherwise I would just add my praise to the greatness that is Gurps, but it would feel repetitive in this thread by now, so I try to come up with a few alternatives. Just one thing: You don't need any book but the two core books of Gurps to play pretty much any setting you probably can come up with. The various splat books are good, as in a benchmark of quality and research, but they tend to be written a bit dry and they are by no means mandatory. There are a few which are absolutely beautiful books (I particularly like Martial Arts and Thaumatology) who offer lots of additional cool stuff, but you really don't need them.


-I tend to prefer more gritty games (DND 4.0=fail) (NWOD=win). The willpower system used in NWOD is a great alternative to a gazzilion hitpoints.

The grittiest game I know is Harnmaster. It is really brutal when it comes to injuries, up to the point where it becomes actually difficult to cleanly kill somebody, while it is quite easy to cripple someone, or get a nasty gangrene because of an actual superficial injury It's fun in all its cruelty, and people will instinctively try to avoid combats f they possibly can.
Alternatively, there is the Unisystem, which a) you can extract from the free Witchcraft book (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=692&it=1)download and b) are very easy to houserule. They are mostly a combination of a more realistic D20 system (without classes, and levels) combined with the Gurps-typical point system. The rules aren't as exact as Gurps, but very comfortable. I use this as a replacement system for the D20 settings I like, when I want bother to cope with the D20 rules I don't like, and it works very well and gives the setting a nice, more plausible turn towards realism.


-I tend to prefer games with slightly shorter combat scenes.

In combination with the preference of grittier games, you should probably stay away from the overtly abstract combat system, which can also be very fast, but usually achieve this through a lack of depth and tension. The result are fast, but boring combats. Savage Worlds is a´n archetypical example of this approach.
On the other side are games who are brutal in their more realistic approach to the rules. Combat turns usually take a bit longer to resolve, but it is often very easy to eliminate a threat with one good hit. Gurps works this way, Unisystem has tendencies towards this, Shadowrun is somewhere inbetween.


-I think that I would like to mostly stay away from bog standard Tolkienesque medieval fantasy. I am an Eberron fanatic. Would shadowrun do this for me?

Not really. The fantasy elements of Shadowrun follow the standard fare of fantasy, with a few flavorful adaptations and changes, but in essence it's Elves, Dwarves and Orcs in (Cypber)Space! There are a few original ideas here and there, and the take on the different fantasy species is different enough to not be a total copy, but basically it is highly standardised.


-If would like to suggest a game, I would highly appreciate an example of an adventure (WIMPY EXAMPLE: Party members are mercenaries, hired by baron to hunt down bandit king that has stolen the Macguffin. They find the bandits lair, and dungeon crawl until party finds the object. The end), to get a sense of how the game roles. (cheap pun intended)

Shadowrun: Reservoir Dogs, or if things actually do work out, Sneakers, with a few elements from the Matrix, the Aliens movies and Deus Ex.


What kind of genre / setting are you interested in? More like classical fantasy, or something more similar to the WoD? Horror?

Simba
2010-01-14, 03:57 AM
Shadowrun seems to be your bet. I used to play it a lot when editions 1 and 2 were out, but never since. Sad, I would love to play it again, even though I would have to borrow the rulebooks from a friend.

I wonder why lots of people hereabouts play GURPS, but noone mentions Hero Systems, a system that does the same thing as GURPS, just a lot better (imho). I played and DMed Hero Systems for years and it even has a more-or-less working magic system.

Satyr
2010-01-14, 04:24 AM
I wonder why lots of people hereabouts play GURPS, but noone mentions Hero Systems, a system that does the same thing as GURPS, just a lot better (imho).

I really think that there is little to no qualitative difference between Gurps and Hero. The two systems both follow a very similar approach, and come to a very similar results. Hero is a bit more rigid and consequent in this, Gurps does make more compromises to playability, but there is no significant gap in quality between these too; it is only a question of personal preference. Gurps has a few advantages though, resulting not from the actual game quality, but the overall higher popularity than Hero - it is easier to find players, the community is bigger and more active, things like that.
Hero is not a bad game, but a comparatively obscure one (showing once again that quality and popularity are two very different scales). I play both systems from time to time, but usually prefer Gurps because I really don't like the point buy structure of equipment. While it makes sense for characters, expanding it to items makes in practice bound very strongly to the character, and I am not to fond of that. It works the same way in Gurps if you want to, but it is not at all mandatory. I also think that Gurps is a bit more streamlined, but those are no quality issues, they are just preferences.


I played and DMed Hero Systems for years and it even has a more-or-less working magic system.

Yes, and Gurps has seventeen, or so, and they are all working as well. I don't think there is much you can do in Hero you can't do in Gurps, or vice versa.

dsmiles
2010-01-14, 05:03 AM
I haven't seen any votes for Rolemaster/HARP...:smallfrown:

NPCMook
2010-01-14, 05:33 AM
Shadowrun Mutants and Masterminds Call of Cthulhu CthulhuTech Star Wars Saga Edition Burning Wheel Legend of the Five Rings Dark Heresy Warhammer Fantasy Second Edition Warhammer Fantasy Third Edition Rogue Trader Traveller Little Fears Exalted Earthdawn Paranoia Fantasy Craft Eclipse Phase

Emmerask
2010-01-14, 06:46 AM
I haven't seen any votes for Rolemaster/HARP...:smallfrown:

I second Rolemaster (RMSS to be exact)

Totally Guy
2010-01-14, 07:48 AM
Burning Wheel is an excellent system. It distills drama and consequence into every decision, every action. It's built around pushing your character to see how far you are willing to go. Trial by fire. It's about hard questions and tough choices.

In Burning Wheel, the players drive the story by testing their character’s abilities. It can be resolved in a single roll, or decided in an extended conflict, social or martial. The GM doles out the consequences for failure based on what the player was trying to accomplish. You want to find a woodsman to guide you through the forest - make a circles test. If you fail he suspects thieves so he's shooting first and asking questions later. You want to get some gear - make a resources test. If you fail you can't afford it but your rival comes forward with the offer of a loan and a suppressed smirk. You want to convince your enemy to let your friends go - engage him in a duel of wits. Plan your argument well, because if you fail, he might just convince you to take the place of your friends in exchange for their freedom. You want that bastard dead? Escalate to a Fight! Take him out in a blow-by-blow melee. Don’t fail this time, though, because it might be your last. How far do you take it?

In Burning Wheel, the consequences for failure always lead to the next conflict. There are no dead-ends, well unless you were to get killed... The story told is about the path you take toward your goals. Whether the game is political, military, or a classic sword and sorcery adventure, it's all possible. You write your own Beliefs about what you want the game to be and Instincts that tell everyone how you can react. You advance your Skills as you test them and you earn Traits that describe how your character developed and was roleplayed.

Burning Wheel is on the gritty end of the spectrum, it does't presume any kind of universal character balance but anyone has a chance to kill anyone else even if it's a very small one.

For a sample game I ran a mini-module called The Sword. Basically all it's just a set of four characters that each have a belief about a Sword. They've all adventured and finally found a big room with a sword. The whole adventure was just four character beliefs...

Normally a dungeon type game is all monsters and traps... here, no. It was just each of the players thinking it was "their quest". So there was a bit of action when they all wanted to take it. Then we used the social mechanics to play out an argument, it was a really fun way to showcase the abilities of the system to resolve such a crisis.

Skaven
2010-01-14, 10:02 AM
Just avoid Rolemaster.

There is nothing good about that system.

Emmerask
2010-01-14, 10:56 AM
Just avoid Rolemaster.

There is nothing good about that system.

Now I wonder what you think is so bad about rolemaster?
I liked it quite a lot although char creation was a bit of a pain ^^

bosssmiley
2010-01-14, 11:08 AM
A few things I would like (but not necessary):

I tend to prefer more gritty games (DND 4.0=fail) (NWOD=win). The willpower system used in NWOD is a great alternative to a gazzilion hitpoints.
I tend to prefer games with slightly shorter combat scenes.
I think that I would like to mostly stay away from bog standard Tolkienesque medieval fantasy. I am an Eberron fanatic. Would shadowrun do this for me?
If would like to suggest a game, I would highly appreciate an example of an adventure (WIMPY EXAMPLE: Party members are mercenaries, hired by baron to hunt down bandit king that has stolen the Macguffin. They find the bandits lair, and dungeon crawl until party finds the object. The end), to get a sense of how the game roles. (cheap pun intended)

In answer to your above requirements/desires:

WFRP,
WFRP,
WFRP, and
WFRP.

That is all.

(I am, of course, referring to the delicious "All-England Baldrickian Butt-Monkey of Fate RPG Open Contest Winner '86-'06" that is WFRP 1/2E. WFRP3 is a glorified Heroquest wannabe, not an RPG.)

Gentleman Bard
2010-01-14, 11:29 AM
Shadowrun is a good system. Character creation is fun, the world is flavorful and fairly simple to explain, although you have to be wary of your players. I've had a cybered-up troll with a maxed out Body stat. It's not pretty.

Grifthin
2010-01-14, 11:37 AM
Rogue Trader or Dark Heresy can be a hell of a lot of fun and nice alternative to d20 systems. We are actually playing Rogue Trader till next week still - makes for good playing.

dsmiles
2010-01-14, 12:36 PM
Now I wonder what you think is so bad about rolemaster?
I liked it quite a lot although char creation was a bit of a pain ^^

Not a pain at all, if you've ever played HoL...:smalleek:

Tyndmyr
2010-01-14, 12:45 PM
Pathfinder isn't really all that different from 3.5. It's decent, you might have some fun with it, but it won't be a dramatic change.

I suggest 7th Sea. It can be quite gritty depending on how you do it. It also tends to have shorter, but flashier combat scenes.

An example campaign would be a group of explorers out to dig around for artifacts. Some nice mix of fighters, casters, and hybrids of the two. Being classless, it's hard to define it that way, but the difference is important. Then you get into secret societies. It's not entirely unusual for everyone in the party to actually be working towards different ends, some of which are public, some of which are not, and the morality of each tends to be highly dependant on viewpoint.

You would, of course, stumble across very nasty things during the campaign, leading you to discover scary things regarding the past, the nature of reality, and the future, or imminent lack of one.

Kaldrin
2010-01-14, 10:02 PM
Tossing in a vote for Fudge. Like GURPS it is a generic system, unlike GURPS you don't need to buy a Sci-fi book, a Fantasy book, a Spagetti Western book, and a Shoujo Anime Romance book. Although the last one exists compliments of a third party company.

GURPS doesn't require that at all...

You absolutely only need 4th edition Campaigns, Characters and maybe Powers (if you want to build your own super heroic system). But, Powers is more of a mechanics guide to building power sets than a core book.

Edit: Actually you don't even need that. GURPS Lite is playable. It's just not complicated at all and will leave some people wanting more.

Kaldrin
2010-01-14, 10:05 PM
I wonder why lots of people hereabouts play GURPS, but noone mentions Hero Systems, a system that does the same thing as GURPS, just a lot better (imho). I played and DMed Hero Systems for years and it even has a more-or-less working magic system.

You should read what I said then. Hero isn't better or worse. What it is is more granularized than GURPS is. Honestly it only plays better if you require less simulation.

It plays super heroes very well, since that's it's original design intent.