PDA

View Full Version : Good RPG for gun-based campaigns?



DiscipleofBob
2015-06-14, 09:33 AM
Are there any good RPG systems that could run a game based on lots of guns and high-tech weaponry?

I have a world I'm considering trying out on the tabletop to help with world building it. Said world's influences come from things like Trigun, Borderlands, Desert Punk, etc. and I want the ability to create a lot of weird gadgets and BFG's and the like. I'm also looking for a system that's not extremely complicated to run or play. I realize that's subjective, I just want to not have to consult three tables and five sections of a book for a player to shoot a bad guy.

Any suggestions?

LibraryOgre
2015-06-14, 09:37 AM
I lean towards Savage Worlds. Good variety of weapons, with the powers allowing some neat customization. Fast to play, with some decent rules for gunplay that aren't terribly involved.

TheThan
2015-06-14, 05:31 PM
The Iron Kingdoms Roleplaying game (by privateer press) is primarily steam punk but it does take into consideration guns and how they affect gameplay.

it's Not D20 based. but it's still a very good system that is worth checking out.

dream
2015-06-14, 05:49 PM
Phoenix Command, but it's OoP.

GURPS and HERO system dig in pretty deep, probably more than any other systems still being produced, with the former being the less complex of the two.

But you can use just about ANY TTRPG for guns & gadgets. Question is; what level of lethality are you looking for?

Karl Aegis
2015-06-14, 05:49 PM
Terra the Gunslinger

You play with playing cards

SkipSandwich
2015-06-14, 08:03 PM
D20Modern is good if you and your group are used to running D&D 3.X as the system is nearly identical. However do be aware that the power level of characters are much lower then 3.5 characters, and combat tends to be fast and lethal due to Massive Damage thresholds being equal to a creatures CON score, any damage over that point and that attack becomes a Save-or-Die. Thankfully PC's also have Action points to re-roll bad saves, but they are a non-renewable resource except through level-up and DM Fiat under the RAW. D20Modern replaces Alignment with Allegience, a set of 3 concepts/organizations or people you hold as your motivating allegiance, listed in order of most allied to least allied.

True20 tweaks several d20 system rules with the intent of streamlining play and only requires a single d20 and no other dice. It uses an Injury/Wounds system like the Unearthed Arcana rules variant. It also has Action points but tweaks their use in several ways, each class has a core ability that runs off action points and there are clear rules for how to recover points that have been spent through the Virtue/Vice system that replaces Alignment. It uses a generic class system with class features replaced by feats and powers and may require some houseruling of classes if your players prefer a more traditional class system (rules for designing custom classes are included in the book). Another point is that there are chapters dealing with fantasy, modern, sci-fi and horror campains all in the core rulebook, no splats required.

DiscipleofBob
2015-06-14, 10:46 PM
Question is; what level of lethality are you looking for?

Nothing so lethal that a single gunshot would kill or seriously cripple a player. I'm fine with the usual hit point system.

DrK
2015-06-15, 01:42 AM
Spycraft by crafty games is good. Also has a fun dramatic conflict resolution for things like Chases,interrogation, hacking..

Maglubiyet
2015-06-15, 06:42 AM
How much granularity are you looking for with regards to weapon skills? Is every type of firearm a separate ability, are there classes of weapons (pistol, carbine, rifle, SMG, etc.)? Do you want lots of special tricks available, like Quick Draw, Shooting from the Hip, Rapid Fire, Sniper Aim, etc? Or do you want a single ability, Guns, to cover it all?

obryn
2015-06-15, 08:20 AM
I recommend Feng Shui 2 for some sweet gun-kata action. :smallbiggrin:

hifidelity2
2015-06-15, 08:34 AM
SpaceMaster is good for this (if you dont mind looking up things on lots of tables)

DiscipleofBob
2015-06-15, 08:47 AM
How much granularity are you looking for with regards to weapon skills? Is every type of firearm a separate ability, are there classes of weapons (pistol, carbine, rifle, SMG, etc.)? Do you want lots of special tricks available, like Quick Draw, Shooting from the Hip, Rapid Fire, Sniper Aim, etc? Or do you want a single ability, Guns, to cover it all?

I'd like for players to have plenty of customization options both in weapons and abilities. However, I don't want someone to be completely screwed if they happen to have invested all their points into one gun that's useless in a particular situation or something.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try tracking some of these down and see what works.

Knaight
2015-06-15, 12:46 PM
What RPG you'd want depends a lot on how you want to handle things and the specific feel you want more than just being modern. With that said, as we're just pitching games right now I'm adding Nemesis (http://www.arcdream.com/pdf/Nemesis.pdf). It's free (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/90427/Nemesis), it's good, it's a quick read, and it's a surprisingly crunchy system with a lot of meat to it.

Draz74
2015-06-16, 06:19 PM
Mutants & Masterminds. :smallsmile:

Telok
2015-06-16, 08:31 PM
Shadowrun, you can strip out the magic and matrix easily or leave them in.

Trekkin
2015-06-17, 06:18 AM
Shadowrun, you can strip out the magic and matrix easily or leave them in.

This is very true. Shadowrun has whole books dedicated to more things you can bolt onto your guns, or take off of your guns, or download into your guns, and so forth. We tend to run without magic and it works perfectly well as an ersatz cyberpunk genre.

(I should note that I once let them all play AIs loaded into sapient guns, because eveyone spent more time figuring out how to cram more dakka into their gear than they did actually building their characters. They ended up holding up gun stores for fancy bullets, because of course they did. Quoth the party face during the inevitable shootout, "Are they refusing our demands or just badly misunderstanding them?")

Mr. Mask
2015-06-17, 07:03 AM
Twilight 2013 might be worth trying, if you want something hardcore.