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MrNobody
2017-08-09, 11:30 AM
Hello everybody!!!

These days a friend of mine (usually far from rpg and other kinds of TT games) has shown great interest in rpgs and asked me to run an adventure for her.

Since it's her 'first time' i wanted her to choose the setting so she can be more in tune with the game. She chose XIX century, London.

No problem for the plot, but i cannot find a suitable system.
I need a game that is:

- Rules lite;
- Suitable for XIX century London;
- NOT STEAMPUNK
- rules lite (round 2).

Can somebody help me?? Thanks!!!!

Stan
2017-08-09, 11:58 AM
Savage worlds is medium to light crunch and can handle 19th century though it's not aimed directly for it. There are lots of settings - I don't know if any of them cover this time and place.

Call of Cthulhu could work. The basics are easy to grasp. You find a relevant skill on your character sheet and try to roll under the number beside it. There are add ons for 19th century price lists and tech and I bet London is covered. You can alter or ignore Mythos aspects to fit the campaign. Here's a pdf link of the latest quickstart version of the rules (https://www.chaosium.com/content/FreePDFs/CoC/CHA23131%20Call%20of%20Cthulhu%207th%20Edition%20Q uick-Start%20Rules.pdf), which might be all you need.

There's also FATE, which is fairly simple, comes in different flavors, and has two free versions.

There's also ultra light games, with 1-2 pages of rules, which can be too little for some new players, and it more seat of your pants for DMs.

gkathellar
2017-08-09, 12:17 PM
Late regency period, huh? You're going to want carriage chases, devastating social inequality, inept government, carriage chases, the fruits of colonialism, abundant nepotism, devastating social inequality, the financial decline of the landed nobility, and carriage chases.

FATE is often a good fit for something specific like this. I'll second it.

Edit: Don't forget the fog! The fog was startlingly awful, and there are some great descriptions of it from writers who experienced it (Dickens in particular). By all accounts, it was yellow.

Khedrac
2017-08-09, 12:45 PM
Cthulhu by Gaslight is aimed at 1890 and probably isn't what you are looking for, but the one thing it isn't is steampunk...

inuyasha
2017-08-09, 12:50 PM
For flexible systems not yet mentioned, there are GURPS and the Cypher System. GURPS is a bit crunchy, but you might want to check those two out.

Stan
2017-08-09, 01:21 PM
Cthulhu by Gaslight is aimed at 1890 and probably isn't what you are looking for, but the one thing it isn't is steampunk...

Yea, the only rpg I can think from from the 1st half of the 19th century is In Harm's Way which is about fighting in naval battles in the Napoleonic wars which probably wouldn't be a great fit.

There are some western rpgs, which focus on late 19th century old west. The tech would be a bit off and the flavor would quite off.

Castle Falkenstein is covers adventuring gentlemen but it's Victorian and steampunk.

I'm curious about the 1830 bit - maybe they want the rpg equivalent of a a comedy of manner? That would call for a much different game but there might be ones that fit.

Knaight
2017-08-09, 02:17 PM
I need a game that is:

- Rules lite


For flexible systems not yet mentioned, there are GURPS and the Cypher System. GURPS is a bit crunchy, but you might want to check those two out.

I'm thinking GURPS doesn't fit, and Cypher is flexible but still pretty genre focused. Fortunately, Fudge is basically GURPS but vastly lighter, and it will work great for this.

Anonymouswizard
2017-08-09, 04:15 PM
As as been said Fate can do this easily (as long as you like it pulpy), and Fudge (Fate's parent) is more traditional and leaves out the complexities of Aspects.

Savage Worlds could also do this, but is more combat focused. Still a lovely little pulpy system, and easy to learn the basics of.

If you're willing to go into fantasy, Victoriana may be worth looking into. It's a fantasy 1856 (I think 1867 in 1e and 2e) with D&D style wizardry and races (with some nice touches, like orcs being good mechanics), as well as more 'witchy' conjuring for the lower classes. It is Steampunk, but that can be relatively easily removed (I'm going to be running a version without Steampunk marvels when I get the chance), and the rules are kind of complex with simpler 'Queensbury Rules' on the forums. But a nice little game.

I'd avoid GURPS, it'll do it very well but is rather complex/large. It's amazing, but it takes a lot of work.

I'll have a think and see if I can come up with any others.

Magic Myrmidon
2017-08-09, 05:13 PM
Savage Worlds has been mentioned multiple times, but I will add that SW has a setting called Rippers. It's about monster hunters in Victorian England.

The latest version is in 1890 or so, so it's not perfect, but pretty dang close.

Anonymouswizard
2017-08-09, 05:20 PM
Savage Worlds has been mentioned multiple times, but I will add that SW has a setting called Rippers. It's about monster hunters in Victorian England.

The latest version is in 1890 or so, so it's not perfect, but pretty dang close.

Only 33 more years out of date than Victoriana :smallwink:

Magic Myrmidon
2017-08-09, 05:32 PM
Eehhh. I'm no history major. :p

Wartex1
2017-08-10, 08:36 AM
There's a really old RPG that might be what you're looking for called Maelstrom.

Anonymouswizard
2017-08-10, 08:52 AM
Eehhh. I'm no history major. :p

Oh, of course, it was a joke because 'only thirty five years out of date' is not exactly a good way to pick your setting :smalltongue:

Of course, Rippers might not be suitable because of the focus on monster hunting and rippertech.

Maclay
2017-08-10, 02:31 PM
Ghosts of Albion is a Cinematic Unisystem game primarily set in London in the 1830s. The book includes detailed information about life in London in the 1830s and the history leading up to that point. If you are familiar with the likes of The Dresden Files or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, just take away 200 years and you're in about the right place. The key character archetypes are spell casters, vampires, fae and ghosts, but the system is capable of handling 'normies' or even custom creations.
It might be a little bit heavier than you're looking for, but I would not say overly so. The core mechanic is 1d10 + modifiers with a target of 9 (generally) but higher is better.

Stan
2017-08-10, 05:12 PM
Ghosts of Albion is a Cinematic Unisystem game primarily set in London in the 1830s...

Nice catch! I hadn't heard of this game but cinematic unisystem is pretty good and the basics aren't that hard.

MrNobody
2017-08-11, 04:54 PM
Thanks everybody for helping me!

Games like FATE and FUDGE were already taken into account but others like Savage Worlds and Ghosts of Albion are really nice additions!


I'm curious about the 1830 bit - maybe they want the rpg equivalent of a a comedy of manner? That would call for a much different game but there might be ones that fit.

No commedy of manner, it would be a pulpy one-shot: one night to stop a conspiracy against the crown!


Autumn 1830, London: the monarchy is frail since George IV died that summer but the successor, William IV, is yet to be crowned.
Meanwhile, in continental Europe, the revolutionary wave of that year strikes France and Belgium,
spreading chaos and raising dissent in nearby countries.
In England dissent is silent, but someone plots in the darkness: Napoleon (WASN'T HE DEAD?!?!?!?!?)
has escaped his prison and wants to seize the empire of his mortal enemy (that tried to poison him during his exile) to come back as 'the Emperor' and enter as a winner in Paris once again. Is the someone that can stop him? Can this be done in only one night?

Knaight
2017-08-12, 04:09 PM
Thanks everybody for helping me!

Games like FATE and FUDGE were already taken into account but others like Savage Worlds and Ghosts of Albion are really nice additions!

On Fudge: There's an existing complete build that's only a few decades late for this and can be moved forward easily, and it's from the actual Fudge publishers - Terra Incognita. It's a pick up and play game, where base Fudge is exactly not that.