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View Full Version : DM Help What System Should I run for my Post Apocalyptic Atherpunk Setting?



StickMan
2016-06-25, 10:20 PM
I'm a long time table top roleplayer who really only has experience in a small number of systems. Those being DND, Pathfinder, Mutants and Masterminds and other D20 systems. Pretty heavily Pathfinder as of late. I'm looking to run a Post Apocalyptic Atherpunk Setting. At first I was thinking about running it as a Pathfinder Epic 8 game. But there are a lot of limits that game puts on things.

The setting I have in my head is about 80 years after a Cabal of Wizards accident release a Transmutation Plague on the world mutating a high number of the organisms of the planet. The players would be living in a fortified city one of the last few bastions of civilization they are aware of on a largely continent that had been colonized only decades before the Plague. I want to have a mix of magic, swords and energy throwers. In a city were magic was becoming common place and creating 19th century technology equivalents.

I want to focus on story more than mechanics, though I still want some. I recently went to Origins and did a mini tour of a few game systems to try some things out but I now I did not touch even a small fraction of systems that might be good. What I did learn from origins was that other systems have lots of traits that I like a lot.

-Systems that don't tie Skills to only one Ability.
-Allow players to do added effects for impressive effects of there choice.
-Give players some form of currency to add something to the story or add a bonus to rolls.
-Allow investing in skills to give added abilities with those skills.
-Don't force people into narrow classes.
-Use multiple dice often D6 or D10 as a core mechanic seem to have more consistent results than D20 systems.

I may still run this as a Pathfinder Epic 8 game. But I'd really like to look around a bit and see what other systems might be good. Please give me any suggestions you might have. Details on how the system works or any demos or good youtube video's would be nice.

SirBellias
2016-06-26, 12:19 AM
Hmmm. I'm writing this late at night, so bear with me.

The ones I can think of off the top of my head that may apply in this scenario:

Apocalypse world:
The tech level is a bit too high, but the system is definitely more story oriented than d20 games. There isn't a system to add bonuses to rolls, or a skill system really, but it might be work looking into.
Savage worlds:
I've only read this, but it looks like something that could easily encompass what you have in mind. It's built so it can run any setting, is the book is REALLY inexpensive, and it has a decent skill system, every dice except a d20, and a "currency" the players can use for roll bonuses, if I remember correctly. I'm AFB right now, but I'm pretty sure it hits a lot closer to what you are looking for. It's classless, too.

Pathfinder may still be your best bet, depending on how well developed you want the magic system to be, but these may be worth looking into.