Rusvul
2016-08-04, 12:01 AM
So, a few friends and I will be starting some sort of RPG group soon. We come from a bunch of different systems, and agreeing on one might be a bit tricky. I thought it would be a good idea to list and describe the systems I'm experienced or interested in. I'd like to represent the games clearly, succinctly, and accurately- plus I'm just curious what stands out about different systems to different people. Do the following descriptions make sense to anyone but me? Are there any things you would change to make them clearer/more accurate? Do you disagree with me completely? Any opinions welcome.
D&D 5e is a moderately complex fantasy RPG with a focus on combat and dungeon-crawling. A good balance is struck between simplicity and character options- each character still manages to feel unique.
D&D 3.5 is similar to 5e in many ways, but it is more complex and it is possible to build very powerful or very weak characters. Magic items are integral in character progression. Pathfinder is a refinement of 3.5 that streamlines the system slightly.
There is a particularly interesting setting called the Tippyverse where the eccentricities of the system are taken to their logical extreme. (Agriculture doesn't exist because food can be conjured, for example.) Playing around with that might be fun.
GURPS is an interesting ruleset. Very simulationist, character creation looks like it requires a lot of thought. I'm not sure how that translates into ease of gameplay, but it looks like fun.
Numenera is a weird sci-fi/fantasy setting set on Earth one billion years in the future. The unknowable relics of bygone eras are strewn everywhere, and the game's ruleset has a heavy emphasis on exploration. Mechanically the game is simple, it's more focused on storytelling than rules.
Savage Worlds is a setting-neutral system focused on wild, fast, and swingy gameplay. Characters are simple to create, but can feel a bit samey mechanically at low tiers if everyone plays similar archetypes. Combat is fairly random and lethal compared to other games.
Deadlands is an official Savage Worlds setting. It's a "weird west" setting, with cowboys and gunslingers and shamans and poker-warlocks... It's a unique blend of wild west, weird fantasy, and magicpunk.
Shadowrun is an 80s cyberpunk/fantasy setting with cyberninjas and street samurai as well as trolls and wizards and dragons. It's an unusual setting but I personally love it. The game is mechanically complicated and may take some learning.
Stars Without Number is a sci-fi setting somewhere inbetween science fantasy and hard sci-fi. The game is very sandboxy, if players don't make their own goals then nothing happens, but if the PCs are invested then great stories can happen. Mechanically it is based around a simplified AD&D 1e- There aren't a lot of character options but with the way the game plays you don't really need them.
D&D 5e is a moderately complex fantasy RPG with a focus on combat and dungeon-crawling. A good balance is struck between simplicity and character options- each character still manages to feel unique.
D&D 3.5 is similar to 5e in many ways, but it is more complex and it is possible to build very powerful or very weak characters. Magic items are integral in character progression. Pathfinder is a refinement of 3.5 that streamlines the system slightly.
There is a particularly interesting setting called the Tippyverse where the eccentricities of the system are taken to their logical extreme. (Agriculture doesn't exist because food can be conjured, for example.) Playing around with that might be fun.
GURPS is an interesting ruleset. Very simulationist, character creation looks like it requires a lot of thought. I'm not sure how that translates into ease of gameplay, but it looks like fun.
Numenera is a weird sci-fi/fantasy setting set on Earth one billion years in the future. The unknowable relics of bygone eras are strewn everywhere, and the game's ruleset has a heavy emphasis on exploration. Mechanically the game is simple, it's more focused on storytelling than rules.
Savage Worlds is a setting-neutral system focused on wild, fast, and swingy gameplay. Characters are simple to create, but can feel a bit samey mechanically at low tiers if everyone plays similar archetypes. Combat is fairly random and lethal compared to other games.
Deadlands is an official Savage Worlds setting. It's a "weird west" setting, with cowboys and gunslingers and shamans and poker-warlocks... It's a unique blend of wild west, weird fantasy, and magicpunk.
Shadowrun is an 80s cyberpunk/fantasy setting with cyberninjas and street samurai as well as trolls and wizards and dragons. It's an unusual setting but I personally love it. The game is mechanically complicated and may take some learning.
Stars Without Number is a sci-fi setting somewhere inbetween science fantasy and hard sci-fi. The game is very sandboxy, if players don't make their own goals then nothing happens, but if the PCs are invested then great stories can happen. Mechanically it is based around a simplified AD&D 1e- There aren't a lot of character options but with the way the game plays you don't really need them.