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View Full Version : Well I think I'm done, time for a new game, suggestions?



StickMan
2007-08-17, 10:01 PM
Well 4th edition is making me rethink how much I plan to keep giving wizards my money. I have an option here one way or another I'm buying a new game be it 4th edition dnd or something else. I have a number of issues with DND main one they are owned by wizards of the coast, which has proven time and time again to only want money and not really give a darn about what they are selling. First example lack of any editing in there books. Second example they make sure not to put out guide lines on how to make your own stuff using a system, that way you have to buy more of there books to get what you want.

I know there are role playing games that let you do things more freely and have a basic system. Most of these use points to keep things balacned and self made, this is what I think I'm looking for. I own Mutants and Masterminds and am impressed by it, it works but I want something that is not built just for super heroes. I looked at Gurpg and it seems good but I would like suggestions?

Drider
2007-08-17, 10:03 PM
[scrubbed]
1. call of cthulhu(only once in a while)
2. vampire, the masquerade

Nerd-o-rama
2007-08-17, 10:11 PM
I recommend D&D 3.5 Edition. Look at it this way, you'll never even have the opportunity to pay for new Wizards books after next May.

Starsinger
2007-08-17, 10:15 PM
[Scrubbed]
1. call of cthulhu(only once in a while)
2. vampire, the masquerade

On forums on a site owned by a game designer, is this really the best thing to say so openly? [No, it really isn't.]

Matthew
2007-08-17, 10:17 PM
That sort of comment usually gets scrubbed by a Moderator.

I would recommend:

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
Star Wars D6
West End Games D6 Fantasy/Space/Modern
Ars Magica
All Flesh Must be Eaten

or alternatively

Chess

Rob Knotts
2007-08-17, 10:23 PM
GURPS would be my best suggestion. 4th edition came out 3 years ago, already has plenty of supplements. With the two Basic Set books (Characters & Campaigns) and Magic (mostly spells, some options of alternate types of magic), you can emulate just about anything you want out of D&D. Powers would also be useful, it describes ways to format Advantages into more specialized or genre-specific powers (Chaos Mutations, Psionics, The Force, The Matrix, comic book Cosmic Power, etc).

Cybren
2007-08-17, 10:27 PM
I would recommend Powers over Magic if you plan on running more than fantasy. It is an overall more flexible system.

Raum
2007-08-17, 10:27 PM
I know there are role playing games that let you do things more freely and have a basic system. Most of these use points to keep things balacned and self made, this is what I think I'm looking for. I own Mutants and Masterminds and am impressed by it, it works but I want something that is not built just for super heroes. I looked at Gurpg and it seems good but I would like suggestions?What qualities are you looking for in a system? Are you looking for a system with a setting or separate? If you're looking for a setting also, what genre? Not real sure what to recommend without some idea of what you're looking for, but here's a few to consider: True20 is a lite d20, Wushu is close to as lite as you can get without going systemless, Spirit of the Century is an interesting pulp action game with some good mechanics, Artesia is a relatively new fantasy game with what seem like very detailed mechanics, Witchcraft (Unisystem) is a decent modern horror system...there's a lot of systems out there. Check out John Kim's Bigass List of Games (http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/encyclopedia/fulllist.html) for a much longer list.

Deepblue706
2007-08-17, 10:28 PM
Yeah, I think GURPS is a good idea. I actually like it more than D&D. The only problem with it is...well...everyone else plays D&D.

Rob Knotts
2007-08-17, 10:31 PM
Yeah, I think GURPS is a good idea. I actually like it more than D&D. The only problem with it is...well...everyone else plays D&D.Tonight on RPG Chef: Which Fourth Edition will reign SUPREME?

Zincorium
2007-08-17, 10:39 PM
Alternity!

...of course that will never again get more supplements, but there's a lot out there right now and it doesn't have any glaring weaknesses IMO.


Really it's very difficult to find a game that isn't out of print or constantly releasing new editions, the new World of Darkness stuff seems to be hanging fairly steady for the moment however.

Nerd-o-rama
2007-08-17, 10:43 PM
On a more serious note, consider Mutants & Masterminds. It's a superhero RPG, but is actually pretty easy to adapt to nearly any genre. Fantasy, modern mundanes, martial arts...the only thing I haven't seen done well in it is Humongous Mecha.

The Demented One
2007-08-17, 10:51 PM
Unknown Armies. Probably the greatest modern-setting game out there, and without the whiny goth vampires and werewolves to boot.

Yithian
2007-08-17, 10:52 PM
I have a few suggestions

1) World of Darkness, and its supernatural games - great, story oriented games. New supernatural game just came out, and from what I've heard, it's really great.

Vampire the Requiem (masquerade is the old version), is their flagship game, and has been developed incredibly well. I strongly advise it.

2) Exalted - Also by white wolf. It is the white wolf fantasy game, where players are essense-powered, superhuman heroes with the power to accomplish amazing things. Much more crunchy than WoD, but has great potential for good roleplaying as well. It is strongly similar to Eberron in the pulp-action atmosphere and cinematic style. Much of the fluff is very different from Eberron, however.

3) Scion - White Wolf game (surprising, no). The players play children of the gods from various pantheons in the modern world. They can develop great powers and abilities. It is very cinematic and similar (but not the same) as modern Exalted.

4) Shadowrun - A fantasy future universe where Magic has returned to the world. Now people are surrounded by both a wireless Matrix (think internet advanced 60+ years, with Magic). Very interesting, although crunchy.

5) Noblilis - don't like roll playing, this game doesn't have ANY rolls. NONE. It is a wonderful premise that is very difficult to explain. This wikipedia article does a good job (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobilis)

6) Iron heroes - a d20, very DnDish game. However, magic is volatile, and combat is more interesting. Curious if you want a break from the DnD classes and implications, but like the basic system.

7) Arcana Evolved - also like DnD, but with some flaws fixed, and diffirent classes. Very decent, but may be too similar to DnD for some.

Hope this helped,

Yithian

Rob Knotts
2007-08-17, 11:01 PM
I have a few suggestions

1) World of Darkness, and its supernatural games - great, story oriented games. New supernatural game just came out, and from what I've heard, it's really great.I'm tempted to buy the main book just to see how I could use the rules to work up a (non-Aberrant) low-powered, WoD-style superhero game.
2) Exalted - Also by white wolf. It is the white wolf fantasy game, where players are essense-powered, superhuman heroes with the power to accomplish amazing things. Much more crunchy than WoD, but has great potential for good roleplaying as well. It is strongly similar to Eberron in the pulp-action atmosphere and cinematic style. Much of the fluff is very different from Eberron, however.If I had the money, and any hope of finding more than the three players I know right now (see Deepblue706 above), I'd be running Exalted right now. One note on the style of the game: it's very much high-fantasy, but is also incorporates a lot of elements from Japanese, Chinese, and Korean fantasy, especially Wuxia and console RPGs. I see this as a plus, not a minus, but I thought it was important enough to point out.

Dairun Cates
2007-08-17, 11:07 PM
Do what I do. Buy systems tailored to a specific style of game with less splatbooks. When you want to play something else, try a new system. Due to the lack of splatbooks, you'll come out about even, but if you pick the right systems you may enjoy yourself a bit more.

Edit: An example being Mutants and Masterminds which really only needs like 2-3 of the books at most and is VERY playable with just the core book.

Rob Knotts
2007-08-17, 11:16 PM
Another good idea is to check your local used book stores and see what books are most plentiful. You're likely to see collections of everything from GURPS 3e & Exalted 1e to CoC or Feng Shui. When people decide to get rid of game books they often get rid of entire collections, and if it's not D&D they're more likely to dump stuff locally than go online.

Yithian
2007-08-17, 11:26 PM
I have a few suggestions

1) World of Darkness, and its supernatural games - great, story oriented games. New supernatural game just came out, and from what I've heard, it's really great.
I'm tempted to buy the main book just to see how I could use the rules to work up a (non-Aberrant) low-powered, WoD-style superhero game.

I am actually doing something similar right now. The characters are somewhat vigilante style, and my inspiration comes from the Alan Moore Graphic Novel "Watchmen". Here is the link, if you are interested: Modern Watchmen (http:/www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3053971#post3053971).





2) Exalted - Also by white wolf. It is the white wolf fantasy game, where players are essense-powered, superhuman heroes with the power to accomplish amazing things. Much more crunchy than WoD, but has great potential for good roleplaying as well. It is strongly similar to Eberron in the pulp-action atmosphere and cinematic style. Much of the fluff is very different from Eberron, however.
If I had the money, and any hope of finding more than the three players I know right now (see Deepblue706 above), I'd be running Exalted right now. One note on the style of the game: it's very much high-fantasy, but is also incorporates a lot of elements from Japanese, Chinese, and Korean fantasy, especially Wuxia and console RPGs. I see this as a plus, not a minus, but I thought it was important enough to point out.

What you say is true about the Japanese/Chinese/Korean/Wuxia elements. Although I am usually not a huge fan of such things, Exalted uses them in ways so that they do not become corny or silly.

There are some amazing cinematic sequences you can do with the game though. I can not say that I like all of the crunch, but I can not see such an action oriented game having a simple mechanic for combat. If you master it, however, it may begin to seem much simpler.

White Wolf has put out a lot of well written supplements for Exalted and the setting is both flexible and diverse.
I have always wanted to play the game, but my group has never been interested, which is a shame.

I highly recommend it to all who enjoy action oriented fantasy.

Yithian

Rasumichin
2007-08-18, 08:44 AM
As usual, i also highly recommend anything by Eden Studios.
AFMBE was allready mentioned, but they,ve got a whole bunch of other great games.
WitchCraft, for example, is a really great game about occult groups in a present-day setting, and they are actually generous enough to give it away for free :

http://www.edenstudios.net/witchcraft/index.html

(please note that this is a legal download by the publisher himself, so don't scrub this post, please).

AFMBE and the like use the same base mechanics, so this might be a good way to take a first look at the system.

If you can still get the -now out of print- Buffy RPG, which uses a streamlined and definetely improved version of these rules, go and buy it.
It's just fabulous.


I'd also suggest buying Shadowrun, which has always been one of my favourite games, but since the license is, as WotC, owned by Hasbro, this might not be an option for you if you are actually boycotting them.

The Glyphstone
2007-08-18, 08:47 AM
Maybe give Kobolds Ate My Baby a try?:smallbiggrin:

bosssmiley
2007-08-18, 08:47 AM
That sort of comment usually gets scrubbed by a Moderator.

I would recommend:

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
Star Wars D6
West End Games D6 Fantasy/Space/Modern
Ars Magica
All Flesh Must be Eaten

Second all the above.

Also Pendragon
Shadowrun and/or Earthdawn
Fading Suns (for the flavour, not the mechanics)
Call of Cthulhu, Runequest and any of the other BRP games are good too
Hong Kong Action Theatre
Mage (if you can get the right players)
L5R or 7th Sea
There is No Spoon (http://www.steved.org/rp_rules_tins.html) :smallcool:

That reminds me, must play "Exalted" sometime...


or alternatively

Chess

*pffft* Chess is so borkened! Put a queen vs a pawn one-on-one - it's the D&D mage-vs-fighter problem all over again. And the bishops don't have any divine casting abilities. And the Persians totally gimped the king in their 9th century patch...

Purists play either Draughts (point-buy gamers) or Backgammon (random generators)

StickMan
2007-08-18, 01:00 PM
Well first I have Mutants and masterminds and I love it, so that one is covered.

Second and this is a bit off my original topic but is there like a Gurps of Table top games. Something that has rules to make your own stats for minis?

Pauwel
2007-08-18, 01:35 PM
I second Warhammer Fantasy, Shadowrun and Ars Magica.

Were-Sandwich
2007-08-18, 02:24 PM
Try Arrowflight by Deep7 games. Its got a good central mechanic that everything else works off, skill-based semi-freeform magic, a familiar-yet-different world, with political intrigue, and elves with guns.

Flawless
2007-08-18, 02:45 PM
For goode olde fantasy: Stormbringer 5th edition. It's by Chaosium and uses roughly the same game mechanics as their CoC. You can play with just the core book but there are supplements for the Corum and Hawkmoon settings which are nice.

HidaTsuzua
2007-08-18, 03:21 PM
If you're willing to put in the work and thought, the Hero system is a great system. It does a good job at most playable genres though some do require thought (such as how strong should defenses be against offense?). Splatbooks deal with genre and most book space deals with elements of the genre and how to run with that genre so even in later editions they will be useful. The rules are solid and transparent. You will have to work, but the end result is worth it (since you'll have rules for your setting as you want it).

If you're willing to just accept whatever the GM says and not question the setting/rules, any of White Wolf's systems (especially WoD) will work. They are well-known even if it's unclear how an session should go or how the setting works. They also are fairly simple and quick to play. However much like tic-tac-toe, their ease of play are a cover for fundamental issues. If you don't care or are using them for light use (talk to Bob and ask him how his night's been), it'll work. You might also be able to buy old WoD or Exalted books on the cheap.

Shadowrun 4th edition is similar to WoD in terms of advantages and disadvantages. If you don't question why bother with wireless when crazy powerful script kiddies are about or how even worst-case it's easier to steal cars than shadowrun, it's a great setting with favor to spare. Some like third edition more due to its wider in scope, very heavy crunch system.

Legend of the Five Rings is a very nice samurai & magic setting. I haven't used 3rd edition, but it seems nice. 2nd edition is unplayable without a skill+trait k trait houserule. 1st edition is nice but does suffer from min-max problems (not anymore than 4th edition Shadowrun or most WoD games but it's there). However, once my friends and I finish our writeup of L7R (a heavily reworking/merging of L5R and 7th Sea systems), I'll post it up (I can send you the rules via PM/email but setting and gameplay suggestions haven't been written up besides adventures). L7R is a great system for NPC interactions, but is set for a specific style and setting (the L7R rokugan and talk to NPCs and influence them in a meaningful way style of gameplay).

Or make your own. Making your own RPG is always a good experience especially if pay attention to RPG design rather than "throw ideas together and Rule 0 to keep it together."

My best advice is to hunt down used RPG books either in used game stores or online. They're generally half-off new prices so you don't have too much to lose. Buying pdfs or damaged copies straight from the company wouldn't be too bad of an idea either. You can also get systems that have been discontinued this way (such as original Deadlands, various LotR games, and Earthdawn).

Matthew
2007-08-19, 07:48 PM
Second all the above.

Also Pendragon
Shadowrun and/or Earthdawn
Fading Suns (for the flavour, not the mechanics)
Call of Cthulhu, Runequest and any of the other BRP games are good too
Hong Kong Action Theatre
Mage (if you can get the right players)
L5R or 7th Sea
There is No Spoon (http://www.steved.org/rp_rules_tins.html) :smallcool:

That reminds me, must play "Exalted" sometime...

Yeah, they're all pretty good. I would also add Harn Master and Conan D20, now that I come to think of it.


*pffft* Chess is so borkened! Put a queen vs a pawn one-on-one - it's the D&D mage-vs-fighter problem all over again. And the bishops don't have any divine casting abilities. And the Persians totally gimped the king in their 9th century patch...

Purists play either Draughts (point-buy gamers) or Backgammon (random generators)

Bah! You're playing the wrong edition. You want to play Old School Chess, where the Queen could only move 2 Squares Diagonally.

Damionte
2007-08-19, 08:21 PM
If you're willing to put in the work and thought, the Hero system is a great system. It does a good job at most playable genres though some do require thought (such as how strong should defenses be against offense?). Splatbooks deal with genre and most book space deals with elements of the genre and how to run with that genre so even in later editions they will be useful. The rules are solid and transparent. You will have to work, but the end result is worth it (since you'll have rules for your setting as you want it).

If you're willing to just accept whatever the GM says and not question the setting/rules, any of White Wolf's systems (especially WoD) will work. They are well-known even if it's unclear how an session should go or how the setting works. They also are fairly simple and quick to play. However much like tic-tac-toe, their ease of play are a cover for fundamental issues. If you don't care or are using them for light use (talk to Bob and ask him how his night's been), it'll work. You might also be able to buy old WoD or Exalted books on the cheap.


I feel the same way about both Hero system and WoD/White Wolf. With pretty much the same opinion of how the game feels and plays. I haven't played Shadowrun since 3rd edition so I can't comment on that one.

3.5 Dugeons and Dragons is pretty good too. A few logic holes in it, and there are some balance issues but thier not as bad as in some other games out there. Plus it's familiar and you won't have trouble finding players for it, since most people understand D&D.

Bassetking
2007-08-19, 08:47 PM
Let me add "Dogs in the Vineyard" and "Spirit of the Century" to the list.

Dawnstrider_Moogle
2007-08-19, 09:01 PM
I have to suggest Mutants & Masterminds as well. It's d20-based so it shouldn't be too much of a shift for anyone who already knows, and for someone who doesn't know, it's not that hard to pick up (although if you can find someone who knows, it helps a lot). And it's great super-heroical fun :p

Benejeseret
2007-08-19, 09:06 PM
For short term fun evenings, I suggest the following card games/systems.

Maybe not quite what you're asking for but very fun

1. Munchkin
2. Killer Bunnies
3. Cheap-@ss Games (sorry for swear...but that really is the company's name. Ones like "the lucky professor" are great)
4. Chrononauts
5. And of course....Order of the Stick cardgame

Tokahfang
2007-08-19, 09:32 PM
I'll second what a previous poster said - if you don't want to go to 4th, why switch to a new game at all?

I'm one of those fogies who is still playing 2nd ed, houseruled to flavor. The lack of being in print hasn't ever stopped us from finding a copy of a book we needed.

If you enjoyed playing 3 or 3.5 or whatever D&D you played before, you'll find you enjoy it just as much after the edition shift, plus your books will be cheaper to buy!

For our non-D&D style gaming, we use GURPS. Its a good game, backed by a pretty solid company. It does, however, require a clear vision of the game you want to run/character you want to play to work.

Sebastian
2007-08-20, 02:06 AM
Well 4th edition is making me rethink how much I plan to keep giving wizards my money. I have an option here one way or another I'm buying a new game be it 4th edition dnd or something else. I have a number of issues with DND main one they are owned by wizards of the coast, which has proven time and time again to only want money and not really give a darn about what they are selling. First example lack of any editing in there books. Second example they make sure not to put out guide lines on how to make your own stuff using a system, that way you have to buy more of there books to get what you want.

I know there are role playing games that let you do things more freely and have a basic system. Most of these use points to keep things balacned and self made, this is what I think I'm looking for. I own Mutants and Masterminds and am impressed by it, it works but I want something that is not built just for super heroes. I looked at Gurpg and it seems good but I would like suggestions?

witchcraft; (nice system, nice setting, downloadable free from http://www.edenstudios.net/witchcraft/

JAGS; a little rules heavy but with some really interesting settings that are worth reading just by themselves and with a little(?) work can be used with any system. (http://www.jagsrpg.org/)

Ars magica;, they made the pdf of the 4th edition freely downloadable some time ago, google for it.

and now from something totally different, Fate RPG (http://www.faterpg.com/) based on FUDGE, (another free system, google for it) it is quite different from D20 and C. but IMHO very interesting and , again, free.

or just go there http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/freerpgs/ and dig for more free rpgs than you can shake a stick at. Quality varies, like with most things on the internet, and there is a fair share of dead links, but you can find some real gems in there.

Sundog
2007-08-20, 04:04 AM
I'll boot for HERO. It can do anything GURPS can do, but (IMHO) better. Any genre, any setting, and it's both well supported (splatbooks for anything you might be interested in) and admirably self-contained (get the 5th ed revised mainbook and you're good to go).

Of course, like any generic it takes a little work to build a world and customize things. But the 5R mainbook calls itself "The Ultimate Gamer's Toolkit", and delivers.

Kurald Galain
2007-08-20, 10:37 AM
World of Darkness, hands down.

Also, Cyberpunk 2020 if you want something different. Or download any of the growing number of free homebrew systems on the Web.

Person_Man
2007-08-20, 11:27 AM
The "I won't play 4.0 because they're gouging me for money" argument is a very poor one.

Like 3.5, most of the core 4.0 rules will be free and legal on the internet. So you won't have to spend any money to play 4.0.

Or you can just illegally download all the books, which you can do now pretty easily. Furthermore, they plan to have digital version of every book available online through their website that you can unlock with a code when you buy your book. That means all you have to do is physically go to a bookstore and write down the codes you want. Or you can just have one account with all of your friends, and collectively pool all of your legal copies. Or you can have any friend who legally owns an online copy print it as a PDF file and them email it to you. So you probably won't have to spend any money even if you want access to all the supplements.

I think WotC correctly understands that thanks to technology, they're not going to be making much money from selling books. The real money is in peripherals, such as online subscription fees, miniatures, and licensing (video games and tv). The marketing department as Hasbro understands this, and so they're probably going to do their best to just give away the actual 4.0 rules, so that you play it and might have interest in buying their other stuff.


Also, I second chess. Probably the best game ever devised.