Action-Horror/Urban Fantasy [NWoD/Others]

[Sir_Mopalot]

So I'm working on a game I'd like to run, quite possibly here on the forums. I'm planing on an urban fantasy genre, kinda like the show Supernatural or the X-Files. I'm thinking about finding a new system for it. Some of the options I've been considering include:
The Cortex-powered Supernatural RPG
The FATE-powered Dresden Files RPG
Hunter: The Vigil
As a last resort, I've run similar games in d20 modern before.
So what do you think? Anyone experienced in the systems who can speak to their quality? Anyone interested in being a part of the game concept?

[One Tin Soldier]

WoD is quite good at this sort of thing, as is Dresden Files. Both have preset settings, though, which is something to take into account. (though WoD is a bit more malleable than the dresdenverse)
I've never played the supernatural rpg, so I can't speak to that. A lot of your decision depends on what ratio of action to horror you want, how squishy you want the pcs to be, and how crunchy you like your systems.

[Bastian Weaver]

How about Chill?

[comicshorse]

Or Delta Green ?

[Grinner]

Anyone interested in being a part of the game concept?

Having had the opportunity to watch a couple of episodes of Supernatural recently, yes. Very much so. :smallbiggrin:

[Thane of Fife]

Hmm. Not one of those systems, but most iterations of Unisystem are Urban Fantasy games: Witchcraft, Buffy, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, etc. And Witchcraft is free. Plus, the game comes in Classic and Cinematic varieties, for meeting your desired level of grittiness.

I've been running Buffy with it and it works great. Fairly quick, but decently 'crunchy,' easy to learn, and so on.

[Sir_Mopalot]

@Thane: So you'd say that Unisystem is a good system? What in your opinion makes it good?

@Scotchland: Awesome! Out of curiosity, is it the setting in particular or just the general theme? I've run a lot of this type of game, and the road-warrior monster hunters is one of the best set-ups for a game set in the modern day that I've run into.

Comicshorse, Bastian Weaver, what do you like about those systems? I've never heard of Chill, and Delta Green I only really know as MIB meets H.P. Lovecraft.

And yeah, tin soldier, I agree. I guess part of the point of the thread is to get a gauge on what level action vs. horror most people enjoy. I've run games where FBI agents in sports cars had 200 mph gun battles with 80 foot tall walking junkyards, and I've run games where no-body was over 11 years old and one of them got impaled by a possessed teddy bear wielding a coat-hanger sword. I love the entire genre, so I want to get a feel for what people here online like best. The way I categorize it is roughly thus:

D20 Modern is a very cinematic system. I like it a lot more than most people on these forums, but I will concede that there are some game types it does very poorly without a lot of house-rules.

I don't really have enough experience with FATE or the Supernatural RPG to know where they fall on the sliding scale.

Hunter is a pretty dark world, but how dark and gritty it is in practice depends a lot, in my experience, in how you as a Storyteller construct the opposition. In comparison to the other kinds of characters in the NWoD Hunters are incredibly squishy and heal very slowly. Enemies that can take advantage of that are incredibly dangerous, as are enemies who can outnumber, or even equal the PCs.

I admit that Hunter with the details sandpapered off is what I'm leaning toward, but I want to hear from at least a full group's worth.

[Thane of Fife]

@Thane: So you'd say that Unisystem is a good system? What in your opinion makes it good?

My experience with it is mostly with Cinematic Unisystem by way of Buffy, so keeping that in mind:

1. The mechanics are really easy and unobtrusive. 1d10 + Attribute + (Skill or Attribute). Try to beat 9. The more you beat it by, the better. Being able to mix-and-match skills with attributes makes this really flexible, and it's all very distinct, so it's normally very easy to ID what the proper roll is for a situation, which keeps the game moving.

2. Padded out in the right places. Most skills work very well with the basic "# of Successes" system, and you get a pretty good idea of effectiveness just from that. But stuff like fist-fighting, magic, fear, and chases (you know, stuff where you might want more detail in an urban fantasy game) gets the extra detail. Punching somebody is different from kicking them or choking them or delivering a baseball bat to the crotch. Magic can go horribly wrong - or horribly right! It all feels very action movie.

3. Drama points. These are great representations of plot armor. As such, they're more Urban Fantasy than Horror, but they're set up to be really useful without dampening the "Oh crap" feeling. When the monster would rip your guts out and you spend a DP to "I think I'm okay," it keeps you alive without diminishing the "Dang, that thing would have killed me in one hit." Plus, they help balance characters. If one person wants to play an elite soldier and someone else wants to be a housewife, the game is set up so that they can both be useful members of the group, despite the soldier probably being better at everything. It just works.

All that said, I would not use Cinematic Unisystem for an actual horror game, though Classic Unisystem would probably work fine, but I think it's pretty good at the action thing.

[Sir_Mopalot]

What's the crucial difference between classic and cinematic? If it's too complicated to explain here, that's fine, I'm just curious.

[Thane of Fife]

What's the crucial difference between classic and cinematic? If it's too complicated to explain here, that's fine, I'm just curious.

Well,

1. Classic has far more skills. Pistols, rifles, heavy weapons, etc might all be different skills in Classic; in Cinematic, they're all under Gun Fu.

2. Drama Points: I don't think that they're used in Classic.

3. Classic is more detailed. It has pools of points for stuff that you wouldn't track in Cinematic, like stamina and magic points. It also increases the randomness - a gun does almost constant damage in cinematic; in Classic, it's variable.

Basically, Classic is grittier. I'd say use Classic for straightish horror, and Cinematic for something with heroes rather than just protagonists.

I believe both games are semi-available for free. Witchcraft is Classic Unisystem, and free, and the BBC has sort of a quickstart (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/buffystuff/roleplaygame/rules/index.shtml) for Buffy, which is Cinematic, so you can sort of check that out, too, though it's not particularly convenient.

You could probably get better answers at RPG.net.

[Grinner]

@Scotchland: Awesome! Out of curiosity, is it the setting in particular or just the general theme? I've run a lot of this type of game, and the road-warrior monster hunters is one of the best set-ups for a game set in the modern day that I've run into.

The general theme. Just rehashing Supernatural wouldn't be too much fun.

On the subject of Unisystem, there is a Unisystem game, WitchCraft, which could serve well with a few slight modifications. For one, make magic more expensive to learn or disallow Essence Channeling.

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

I quite like World of Darkness for urban fantasy, be it whimsical or horrific. One doesn't need to use the canned setting; the system is flexible enough for any kind of urban fantasy.

[Sir_Mopalot]

An honest to goodness recruitment thread is up here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13128510). It's a party and you're all invited.