Are you the system that I'm looking for ?

[Vodahim]

Long story short : I'm not really knowledgable about rule's sytems outside of D&D (3.5, Pathfinder and 5e) and I'm searching for one that deals quickly with combats (preferably a D100 system with opposing checks in combats, but that's just a plus).

I'm a new DM. When I asked my friends what they are looking for in a TTRPG they responded by :
- Adventure
- Freedom
- Well written stories.

Nothing about rules, because they don't really want to bother themselves with it.

But I know that they find D&D 5e combat "boring" ? They like a good fight when it's needed, but cover, keeping tracks of modifiers, spell slots and everything make it tedious for them.
They never really played TTRPG before, minus some one shot that I runed for them, using D&D 5e rules.



I already read A LOT of things on how to be a better DM. But if you have an advice that isn't popular on internet, I would be glad to hear it too).

[SquidFighter]

Some OSR games might fit you fine.
Mothership for instance has a d100 system with a quick and dirty character building system and deadly combat. It's all in all a rules-light system that is all about opposed rolls with slight modifiers.
It is sci-fi horror themed, though.

[ngilop]

Mythras (http://thedesignmechanism.com/) is a d100 roll under and best part is the intro rules are free.

Rolemaster is a d100 roll over (and i assume spacemaster is too?)

Anima is likewise a d100 roll ove and is anime inspired.

Elric! is a simple d100 system with roll under (or so i have been told, not actually played this one)

There is also Open Quest which is going to be similar to runequest and mythras

Also.. try Magic World, if i remember correctly it is like a stripped-down version of Runequest and a stand alone generic fantasy game. (its been 7 or 8 years since I read the book)

revolution d100 ( or is it d100 Revolution?) is new and I have heard some pretty cool stuff about it. Class-less and lethal combat with a pretty cool thing in conflict rules, which is non-combat altercations.


OF all of these I recommend Mythras both because it is free (for the basic rules) and it is a very well thought out and amazing system. After that.. I would probably recommend Anima then RevolutionD100/D100 Revolution no experience but the reviews I have gotten are from peeps who i trust to give accurate opinions.

[Yora]

I think I know exactly what the players mean. d20 Systems like D&D 5th edition tend to have fights being pouring over a grid to consider a wide range of possible mechanical actions. There is a reason D&D typically treats combat and roleplaying as two different activities.

OSR games could be worth a shot. Many of them are still very much D&D, but combat is much simpler and faster, but also more unpredictable. If they really like the current campaign in general but are unhappy with the combat in particular, this is something that could work for them.

Going with something completely different, PtbA games have a very different approach to violent confrontations, with no mechanical distinction between being in combat or out of combat. FitD games in particular should be realatively easy to get into for players and tend to have more straightforward and less weird and exotic settings. Ironsworn is still a basic heroic fantasy game and might feel quite similar to players who haven't soaked in the generations old traditions of D&D yet. Blades in the Dark is another great one for campaigns about gangs of thieves in a fantasy world. And Scum and Villainy for a Space Opera take on the game.

I've recently started being fond of Year Zero games like Coriolis and Alien. A fairly simple system that gives me a really strong hunch that Blades in the Dark took a lot of inspirations from it. Combat rules aren't that complex, but the different options for gunslinging and the critical injury rules are set up for violent mayhem rather than fantasy chess. Not sure if there's a heroic fantasy version of it.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I've got you covered. (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/268061).

A while back I got sick of trying to find a good system that was rules-light, not tied to a specific genre, and free of narrative-based elements (like the ones Fate and Powered by the Apocalypse systems are built around) and wrote my own: STaRS.

The Simple TAbletop Roleplaying System has a very basic framework. A player character has 10 abilities, and everything is ability checks (which take the form of 1d10-roll-under-your-rank). Aside from how to track health, that's basically all a player needs to know. It would be nice if they understood the four actions and how damage modifiers work, but it's very easy for the GM to keep all that "behind the screen" if they want to. It's fast, straightforward, flexible, and easy to run.

(As a bonus, it's one of the only things I've ever seen that handles skill-based encounters just as well as it does combat ones)

[Waddacku]

Try Risus, maybe.

[Tanarii]

Maybe something PbtA? Depends how much you all want to have to improvise. "Well written stories" might rule that out. It's all about narrative mechanics, but those are heavily about players being able to play the story, not the GM writing a story for the players.



I've recently started being fond of Year Zero games like Coriolis and Alien. A fairly simple system that gives me a really strong hunch that Blades in the Dark took a lot of inspirations from it. Combat rules aren't that complex, but the different options for gunslinging and the critical injury rules are set up for violent mayhem rather than fantasy chess. Not sure if there's a heroic fantasy version of it.The Year Zero Engine resolution isn't all that complex, but it's even slower than 5e. Otherwise I would have recommended Forbidden Lands.

Blades in the Dark is PbtA isn't it?

[Duff]

You could also have a look at Pendragon
It's been a while, and a few version updates, but the combat tended to be short and not greatly tactical

[InvisibleBison]

Blades in the Dark is PbtA isn't it?

I'd say it's descended from PbtA. There's a lot of shared philosophy about how games should work, but the actual mechanics are notably distinct.

[Vodahim]

Does OSR stand for Old School Renaissance ? (I think yes, but if not, it wouldn't be the first time internet misguided me).

If I understand it correctly, Powered by the Apocalypse is a game first, but also a system for many other TTRPG that use the same system ?

SquidFighter ; Yora ; Tanarii - Actually I have no clue about what they're all about, but I'll do some research.
Hoping to find one game that is fantasy related, because horror and me don't mix well =p

ngilop - I was interested in Mythras after reading some of Olskool posts.
Do you (or anyone) recommend the Classic Fantasy module ? From what I understand, it propose classes (or something close) and let players be more powerful than with Mythras alone (which I'm not against, depending on how the classes are built).
I'll keep the other name somewhere and look at them later, Anima can definitly be for me, but at least 3 of my friends are ferociously oppose to anime.

Waddacku ; Duff : didn't take the time to look for them but I will.

Grod_The_Giant : Since it's a system, I'll check it right after Mythras.

Thanks to you all.

EDIT : I heared about Runescape. Should I look into it too ?
Also, I don't know how but someone, somewhere, talked about Runescape : Empire but I can't find this one (the connection at my current location suck and I give up maybe too quickly). It is a module that gives mechanics on how players can build their own guild, village or empire ?

EDIT2 : Concerning OSR, I find [URL="https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2020/04/lair-of-lamb-final.html?m=1[/URL].
As I start reading the dots connect : Old School Renaissance means that some people wanted to play with old school vibes as offered by AD&D for example ?
So, does every OSR games have death as a truly plausible outcome for every fight ?

[Jedaii]

Not sure what you mean by player "freedom". Freedom to do what and/or freedom from what?

[Tanarii]

Does OSR stand for Old School Renaissance ? (I think yes, but if not, it wouldn't be the first time internet misguided me).Yes. Most, but not all, have significantly simpler combat mechanics than WotC D&D and almost all have out of combat resolution no more complicated than 5e. But they tend to be very focused on old school themes like exploration. Not story driven adventure paths.


If I understand it correctly, Powered by the Apocalypse is a game first, but also a system for many other TTRPG that use the same system ?Apocalypse World was the first, then Powered but the Apocalypse are spin offs using many of the central resolution methods and narrative concepts. It's highly focused in the latter, and can take some getting used to for folks used to games like D&D.


SquidFighter ; Yora ; Tanarii - Actually I have no clue about what they're all about, but I'll do some research.
Hoping to find one game that is fantasy related, because horror and me don't mix well =pUnfortunately there aren't that many fantasy games that lend themselves well to a GM driven story adventure paths with lots of freedom to sandbox, while also having simple combat mechanics. Generally speaking, "well written stories" and "freedom" are in direct conflict.

That's why I was thinking PtbA. As understand it, it kind of ends up kind of being "explore this story together" with "freedom", with some narrative mechanics that let the players in effect play the story directly, instead of exclusively playing the character. But it's definitely not a written story at all, in fact you're supposed to NOT do anything like that as the GM. It's more like here's this starting situation, let's explore what happens to the world and characters together with a goal of making an exciting story to tell. Edit: I should be clear, I've only read stuff about AW and PbtA, not played it. But I read about it a lot because it's such a fascinatingly different concept to me.

[Thrudd]

Does OSR stand for Old School Renaissance ? (I think yes, but if not, it wouldn't be the first time internet misguided me).

If I understand it correctly, Powered by the Apocalypse is a game first, but also a system for many other TTRPG that use the same system ?

SquidFighter ; Yora ; Tanarii - Actually I have no clue about what they're all about, but I'll do some research.
Hoping to find one game that is fantasy related, because horror and me don't mix well =p

ngilop - I was interested in Mythras after reading some of Olskool posts.
Do you (or anyone) recommend the Classic Fantasy module ? From what I understand, it propose classes (or something close) and let players be more powerful than with Mythras alone (which I'm not against, depending on how the classes are built).
I'll keep the other name somewhere and look at them later, Anima can definitly be for me, but at least 3 of my friends are ferociously oppose to anime.

Waddacku ; Duff : didn't take the time to look for them but I will.

Grod_The_Giant : Since it's a system, I'll check it right after Mythras.

Thanks to you all.

EDIT : I heared about Runescape. Should I look into it too ?
Also, I don't know how but someone, somewhere, talked about Runescape : Empire but I can't find this one (the connection at my current location suck and I give up maybe too quickly). It is a module that gives mechanics on how players can build their own guild, village or empire ?

EDIT2 : Concerning OSRI find [URL="https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2020/04/lair-of-lamb-final.html?m=1[/URL].
As I start reading the dots connect : Old School Renaissance means that some people wanted to play with old school vibes as offered by AD&D for example ?
So, does every OSR games have death as a truly plausible outcome for every fight ?

Yes, Old School Renaissance- most OSR games are more deadly than 5e, but also easy to make characters. They usually aren't meant to have absolutely deadly encounters every time, and there are also usually morale rules which result in the enemies running away or surrendering sometimes. Some of the OSR games presume that at low levels, you might go through a few characters before you get one that survives long enough to level up and be tough enough to last. There are not many mechanical character options or rules for anything other than exploring and fighting. The combat isn't complex, it can go very fast. Most of the OSR games are literally borrowing or even reproducing the Basic/Expert D&D system or sometimes 1e AD&D.
In my opinion, the best, most flavorful OSR-type game is "Dungeon Crawl Classics" - but it requires a certain mindset. The players are meant to each roll up a few random characters from a table, and then the GM sends them into a starter adventure where it is expected that a bunch of them will die, and then the players take the survivors and give them a level 1 class.
I'm not sure that is what your players would want, and you've got a lot of work to do as DM creating maps of dungeons, stocking them with monsters and treasure, unless you run published modules.

Powered by the Apocalypse are different games modeled after the system of "Apocalypse World", which is made for a post-apocalyptic Mad Max type setting. The design of this system requires that a pretty specific setting be baked into each game, so which one you'd want to try will depend mostly on if you like the setting and genre. Playing these games works best if everyone has a good idea about the genre conventions of the setting. Some of them are designed much better than others.

edit:ninjas. everywhere damn ninjas.

[Vodahim]

Hum.

I'm starting to better grasp the concept of OSR and PbtA, and why I liked D&D so much that I didn't really look anywhere else. Even when I keep finding flaws to the game, but those flaws are surely there because I want it to be something it isn't...

From what I think, those systems doesn't fit me. But I'll make my mind after I learned more about them.
It's at least promising !

For now I'll start to really delve into Mythras and Classic Fantasy and try it a little.
If my friends really don't want to play neither D&D nor this one (if adopted), they'll be free to find a system that they like and propose it to me.
It just come to my mind that I don't have to do all the work here.


- Adventure : they want to travel, for now far from our world. With me, into fantasy.
- Well written story : this one's on me, I failed them 2 times (when you don't have innate talent, you need to work).
But for this one I find a solution : starting with one shots and we'll see what comes next.
- Freedom : if they want to build a full functionning village into the dungeon they just cleared, I should let them doing it.
(That's why I asked about Runescape : Empire. At least one of them will 100% try to rule something but I'll make a new thread for this one).

[Bohandas]

Maybe Toon? That's pretty rules light in general, combat included

[Thrudd]

Hum.

I'm starting to better grasp the concept of OSR and PbtA, and why I liked D&D so much that I didn't really look anywhere else. Even when I keep finding flaws to the game, but those flaws are surely there because I want it to be something it isn't...

From what I think, those systems doesn't fit me. But I'll make my mind after I learned more about them.
It's at least promising !

For now I'll start to really delve into Mythras and Classic Fantasy and try it a little.
If my friends really don't want to play neither D&D nor this one (if adopted), they'll be free to find a system that they like and propose it to me.
It just come to my mind that I don't have to do all the work here.


- Adventure : they want to travel, for now far from our world. With me, into fantasy.
- Well written story : this one's on me, I failed them 2 times (when you don't have innate talent, you need to work).
But for this one I find a solution : starting with one shots and we'll see what comes next.
- Freedom : if they want to build a full functionning village into the dungeon they just cleared, I should let them doing it.
(That's why I asked about Runescape : Empire. At least one of them will 100% try to rule something but I'll make a new thread for this one).

You might want to temper their expectations about "well written story". That is sort of antithetical to "freedom to do anything". Create well designed scenario, where you know the world and the setting very well, know who the important groups and NPCs are, what they're trying to do and how they want to do it, know where the players can fit into the scenario. When the players start getting involved, you don't know what they'll do or how things will turn out once the dice start rolling - but you need to know how the world and the NPCs are going to react to what they do. If everything that you have happen makes logical and narrative sense, it will seem more like a "good story", even though you didn't plan it. The "well-written" part can only be the very beginning, the set-up, and when you prepare in between the sessions.

A good one-shot will have a scenario that is clear-cut, the players know very quickly where the adventure is going to happen and what they're meant to accomplish - like, they find out there's an artifact in a magical tower, it's a thing they want (figure out why they'd want it), tell them they have traveled to the tower to get it at the beginning of the session. Tell them everything their characters knew about the tower and the artifact, let them plan how they want to approach the tower, and get started. You have the tower's exterior and interior drawn, you know what sort of things are in the area, you have planned what's inside. It's full of tricks and traps and challenges that will test the abilities of their characters. Plan some exciting twists, and let the dice decide how things go.
One shots can't waste a lot of time having players fumble around trying to figure out what and where the adventure is and talking to random NPCs that don't matter...just start them right at the beginning of what you've planned. It's less about a "well written story", and more about a well-planned scenario where all the different parts make sense and you have explained the thing the players need to do in a way that makes sense to them and seems fun.

If they want to rule things, "Adventurer, Conqueror, King" is an OSR system that really emphasizes the kingdom-ruling part of the game that comes when you reach higher levels (that was a thing that used to exist in the D&D of the 80's.) But it is OSR, so has that gritty feel, simple characters with simple mechanics, not a lot of skills, and intended that characters be crawling in dungeons until they're level 10 or so. They can rule territory that they have cleared of monsters, build keeps and wizard towers, thief's guilds, gather followers and interact with other kingdoms, etc.

"Worlds Without Number" is another OSR fantasy game that isn't much different from the others in its core chassis, but you might want to look at a free pdf of it for its section on world building and creating adventures. There are tons of things there that can help a GM come up with ideas for their setting, both in prep for your game or on-the-fly when you need to improvise (like when the players want to go somewhere in your world that you haven't even thought of yet). helps you design kingdoms, towns and cities, organizations like the courts of rulers, crime gangs, religious groups, decide what sort of NPCs are there, design ruins and adventure locations. There's help for designing mysteries and investigation based scenarios and social encounters. It could really help with the world building and adventure designing process, even if you aren't using it for the game rules.
"Stars Without Number" is the counterpart system for sci-fi/science fantasy exploring a galaxy full of strange planets and aliens type game.

[Asmotherion]

VTM (Vampire the Masquerade) and the other World of Darkness Systems have a Fast and Creative Battle System. I'd suggest giving it a go, as to me, it sounds a lot like what you're looking for.

[Tanarii]

VTM (Vampire the Masquerade) and the other World of Darkness Systems have a Fast and Creative Battle System. I'd suggest giving it a go, as to me, it sounds a lot like what you're looking for.
World of darkness / white wolf is both more complicated and slower than D&D 5e.

[Easy e]

Why d100 roll under system?

You said yourself that the players are not interested in rules, but it seems like you are? Tell me more, as I am interested?

[Satinavian]

Well, there is the Astropia RPG.

While it was originally only meant as RPG intro for beginners, one could play it longer, it is fantasy and extremely rules light. It obviously doen't have modules though.

[Anonymouswizard]

World of darkness / white wolf is both more complicated and slower than D&D 5e.

It really depends on edition. nWoD really cleaned up combat and CofD streamlined the rules via making Conditions a thong, but they're still not the best I've seen.

Anyway, ideas!
-Those Dark Places: rules-light Industrial Science Fiction. Think Alien, characters have to deal with stressful situations and the long term Pressure of dealing with space travel. Everything is resolved with a d6 roll, checks are die+stat+skill and better weapons raise the ceiling on damage.
-Paleomythic: stone age fantasy propped up by a really simple d5 dice pool system. Characters have defined areas of expertise but nowhere near the sheer number of abilities of D&D, and the game is set up to be relatively open. Don't let 'stone age' fool you, most PCs will be smart and competent people with access to a wide range of athletic and survival skills, and some will even have magic (whether that's rituals, summoning spirits, or the ability to enter the spirit world). Combat is relatively simple and abstract, and by no means has to be focused on.
-Ryuutama: a Japanese game about characters in a fantasy world going on journeys. Classes are more about what your character does for a living, magic is more focused on utility than combat, and combat itself is JRPG inspired (so nothing more complex than 'front line Vs back line'). It'll be much more wholesome by default than many games, but that can be customised by creating the kinds of towns and world that you want.
-Unknown Armies: a game where the PCs are people who have turned to the occult to get what they want. In a world that's falling apart at the edges, where magick is based on obsession, and where sanity is mostly optional your PCs will either stand battered and bruised but triumphant, or be run over by a bus because they pissed off an Urbanomancer two days ago. The system is a simple d100 deal, combat is quick and lethal enough that the chapter discusses six ways of avoiding it before giving the rules, the magick oozes with flavour in two different varieties, and the sanity system forms the core of the characters.

[Yora]

Having though more about it, I think World Without Number really is a game that should be looked into. There is a free pdf that costs nothing but the time to read it. It's very big, but most of os various tools that GMs can use to create settings and adventures. The game rules themselves are quite compact and only a small portion of the full page count.

WWN is a heroic high fantasy game just like D&D, and it uses a framwork of oldschool D&D that has been completely overhauled and cleaned up, and several elements added that are very familiar to people who have played 3rd or 5th edition. It's still the same six attributes, hit points, Armor Class, character classes, character levels, and so on.
For a group of players who generally like D&D but find the combat tedious, I think this would really be the option that would be easiest and quickest to get into. You would be able to continue an already running campaign with this. Which I don't think wouldn't work with other games that have a drastically different approach to what a campaign even looks like.

On the flipside, if the players are eager to try out something completely different instead to see what else RPGs can be like, Worlds Without Number wouldn't be much of a change.

[Vodahim]

I have Vampire The Masquerade 20th anniversary edition on my library !
But never thinked about running it, and no DM, so I only read the lore at the time.
I'll get into it as soon as I return home.

Thanks a lot for all the recommendations about OSR settings. I note them all in my little notebook, but it'll take time before I cna check them all =p

Easy e - I love rules. I love crunching numbers and even if I'll maybe never play 3.5 again, I still optimize concepts for fun.
It's just that I never really tried to look outside of D&D. (I still have some memories for Warhammer 2e and Shadowrun 4e).
Why D100 (under) because it's what the game they saw on twitch used and I thinked that maybe it'll make things easier for them, but really I don't care.

I talk to them again, and after a session of hard questionning (truly a legendary battle) they really want a system that include :
Some stats, some progression for their characters and how to resolve hit/damage.

Because they find rules boring and just want to have the story without having to care about travelling distances, movement in combat, partial cover, full cover, modifiers and so on.

They won't have it. Because I can't run a game without rules. I'm terrible when it comes to balancing things on the go.
But I'll try to make up for it by having the rules in my head and run things smoothly without them knowing there are rules.

What I need to do (I think) is being more open minded when it comes for things that aren't in the rules like : letting the monk add 1dX to damage after he jump from a table to kick the bad guy from above. If he suceed on an acrobatic check, but maybe not waste his turn and make him prone if he miss the check, only on a critical fail.
That's why I find the "degrees of success" and Action Point really interesting.

EDIT : I'll definitly check WWN too ! (Just need time...)

[TaiLiu]

Long story short : I'm not really knowledgable about rule's sytems outside of D&D (3.5, Pathfinder and 5e) and I'm searching for one that deals quickly with combats (preferably a D100 system with opposing checks in combats, but that's just a plus).
One reason combats take so long, especially in D&D 5e, are numbers. The fewer characters in combat, the faster combat takes. If you have too many players, 5e combat will absolutely be boring. And even one or two more players can be a significant increase in boredom.

[Grod_The_Giant]

But I'll try to make up for it by having the rules in my head and run things smoothly without them knowing there are rules.

What I need to do (I think) is being more open minded when it comes for things that aren't in the rules
STaRS is good at both those things!

Your players will only ever have to roll ability checks, sometimes with a modifier--but it's easy (and tbh kind of automatic) to just say "roll Physique" or "roll Wits with a +2 bonus." And because it's a roll under system, they'll instantly know how they did.

As for improvised actions... STaRS has an explicit "at-hoc modifier," and four generic actions: you're either attempting to Overcome the challenge, Aid an ally, or Complicate an enemy's life. Anything your players want to try fits easily enough into one of those categories. And because the system makes no distinction between "combat" and "nonconbat" numbers, you're free to allow any sort of stunt without worrying about imbalance.

[Vodahim]

Ok so, I downloaded the Mythras Imperative. I read it, and I get hooked.

But I don't know what edition of Mythras I should get.
And I didn't find much other than brief mentions of them.

I find a post that sold me Classic Fantasy really well. And I intend to get it too, if that weight on my options.

[Corsair14]

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay uses the opposed d100 tests for combat and any other person to person interaction. Combat is quick and lethal which promotes more role play over combat since dying or getting your arm chopped off or shoulder dislocated tends to limit ones activity in the short term. Character creation is actually a ton of fun with a lot of options.

[animorte]

I’m just here keeping tabs on this excellent thread full of great ideas. I have been playing TTRPGs for nearly 10 years, but I haven’t played many different ones. I didn’t make the request but I appreciate everyone’s input anyway.

A fair amount of our table top time actually goes to our wonderful collection of board games.

[Vodahim]

Corsair14 - Have you a prefered edition for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay ?
I remember playing 2e back in the days.

[Thrudd]

Here's something I don't think you mentioned and nobody has asked about yet: Were you playing D&D with miniatures or a virtual tabletop or any sort of physical/visual representation of the battlefield for combat? were you playing with tactical combat or only theater of the mind, and how do you prefer or intend to play in the future?

D&D combat can be very confusing, especially for new players, if you're using theater of the mind, because there are so many specific rules that depend on knowing the exact position of characters relative to each other and the pieces of the environment.

If you and your players are thinking about combat more in cinematic terms, like an action scene in a movie or TV show, rather than as a strategy or tactical challenge, then you may want to check out systems that deal with action more in a cinematic manner, without using firm numbers and rules for stuff like distances and time and position.

The one I'm familiar with is called "Feng Shui: Action Movie Roleplaying" - although really you should look at "Feng Shui 2", the improved sequel, since the improvements to the system make it much better than the original. It is intended for literally running games that are like action movies or TV shows, mixing genres of Hollywood and Hong Kong style movies - but it can take place in all sorts of settings and genres, the rules about what characters can do are very loose and it's easy to flavor things in different ways. It is intended to have players describe things in the coolest way possible and feel like action movie heroes. Rules for gun fighting action, martial arts/melee weapon action, sorcery, monster/supernatural creature/mutant powers, future tech like cybernetics and genetic engineering, car/vehicle chases.

Players are encouraged to try "stunts", which lets them attack and also accomplish something else at the same time. It might be a fun game to look at, if you want a more lighthearted action game, especially if you want to come up with stories that work like a movie. It works great for one-shots, which can turn into ongoing games, where every time you play it's like another episode or sequel. It's got advice how to plan your adventures and "episodes", and how things to advance things even if the players "lose" a fight, good advice for designing cinematic type stories and running the game.

There is a built-in setting called the "chi war" and an introductory adventure which includes a way for characters from every sort of time period and genre to be mixed together, doing crazy stuff and even moving between genres/dimensions. But you can decide the game takes place just in one specific setting/genre and only have characters that belong there. Once you understand the system, it is pretty easy to come up with new character archetypes and mix different abilities, or even make up your own. It's a very simple system to play, very fast, everyone only needs 2d6 (that look different from one another). No tracking of ammo, or weight, actions cost something like action points called "shots" (like in a movie) that are tracked on a chart you can draw or print out to put on the table, so everyone can see when they will be acting and who is acting next. Doesn't use opposed checks in combat, but you can take action to defend yourself and increase the number needed to hit you by spending 1 shot.

[Easy e]

Most RPGs that are not D&D clones, D20 systems, Gurps, or Heartbreakers will do what you want, so it is more of a question of what kind of themes and settings you want to play in.

[HidesHisEyes]

Long story short : I'm not really knowledgable about rule's sytems outside of D&D (3.5, Pathfinder and 5e) and I'm searching for one that deals quickly with combats (preferably a D100 system with opposing checks in combats, but that's just a plus).

I'm a new DM. When I asked my friends what they are looking for in a TTRPG they responded by :
- Adventure
- Freedom
- Well written stories.

Nothing about rules, because they don't really want to bother themselves with it.

But I know that they find D&D 5e combat "boring" ? They like a good fight when it's needed, but cover, keeping tracks of modifiers, spell slots and everything make it tedious for them.
They never really played TTRPG before, minus some one shot that I runed for them, using D&D 5e rules.



I already read A LOT of things on how to be a better DM. But if you have an advice that isn't popular on internet, I would be glad to hear it too).

I recommend Dungeon World (and its rules-lite little cousin World of Dungeons), although it may take a bit of practice before you grok it. It’s VERY unlike D&D, especially 3.5. Combat is much faster and cinematic rather than tactical. It does rely on a lot of improvisation and flexibility, and will make your life hard if you try to run it the same way you’d run D&D.

Otherwise there are about a squillion OSR games that emulate D&D in its early days when combat was both faster and more deadly (lots of these games treat combat as something you want to actively avoid). Dungeon Crawl Classics is a very popular one. Maze Rats and Into the Odd are the ones I’ve played and would recommend.

And there’s Risus, which is VERY rules-lite and has a fun combat system which again is more narrative than tactical.

And there are tons of other options out there. Those are the ones that jump to mind for me.

EDIT: oh and none of those I mentioned use a d100 I’m afraid. Somehow I’ve ended up never actually playing a d100-based game.

[HidesHisEyes]

Most RPGs that are not D&D clones, D20 systems, Gurps, or Heartbreakers will do what you want, so it is more of a question of what kind of themes and settings you want to play in.

And yeah this is absolutely true in my experience. My answer was based on an assumption that OP was after something broadly D&D-esque in its premise and setting (or generic enough to be used for that, in the case of Risus).

[HidesHisEyes]

That's why I was thinking PtbA. As understand it, it kind of ends up kind of being "explore this story together" with "freedom", with some narrative mechanics that let the players in effect play the story directly, instead of exclusively playing the character. But it's definitely not a written story at all, in fact you're supposed to NOT do anything like that as the GM. It's more like here's this starting situation, let's explore what happens to the world and characters together with a goal of making an exciting story to tell. Edit: I should be clear, I've only read stuff about AW and PbtA, not played it. But I read about it a lot because it's such a fascinatingly different concept to me.

It is exactly what you describe here and I’d highly recommend it. Dungeon World is my favourite rpg. It does take a while to get your head around though, very different assumptions from D&D.

Sorry for the multiple posts.

[Vodahim]

Here's something I don't think you mentioned and nobody has asked about yet: Were you playing D&D with miniatures or a virtual tabletop or any sort of physical/visual representation of the battlefield for combat? were you playing with tactical combat or only theater of the mind, and how do you prefer or intend to play in the future?

I'll play IRL with one group and virtually with an other.
The first group (IRL) is easy to handle. They don't know anything about TTRPG and have zero expectation about it other than having a good time (we actually have a regular meeting to play tabletop games already).
The second group (virtual) is less compliant, principally because I'm the one who wants to get them to play. They are okay to join, but they expect some quality. And they don't like maths - at least while they're playing.

Until now, I played combat in D&D as tacticals challenges. But I'm open to anything.
I also used maps with square for every combats (IRL or virtual). But once more, I'm okay to try theater of the mind.



Most RPGs that are not D&D clones, D20 systems, Gurps, or Heartbreakers will do what you want, so it is more of a question of what kind of themes and settings you want to play in.

For now, I'll go with a fantasy setting (like classic D&D setting).
It could be heroic fantasy or more old school but it'll be fantasy.



Anyway, I'll sell it like : "I have a scenario. I have characters that you can pick. Who wants to play TTRPG for one afternoon ?"
And try D&D, and try Mythras, and try OSR and after all of this, if they're still here, ask them what they prefered.

I thank you all greatly. I have a lot to read.

[olskool]

You could also have a look at Pendragon
It's been a while, and a few version updates, but the combat tended to be short and not greatly tactical

PENDRAGON is Chaosium's interesting take on the Big Yellow Book's (BRP) predecessor Worlds Of Wonder (aka WoW). Originally it was a D100 system, but there are D20 Roll Under versions as well. In the combat resolution, you and any opponent try to roll under your respective skills ...WHILE... rolling HIGHER than your opponent does. The fighter who rolls the highest WITHOUT ROLLING OVER THEIR SKILL RATING wins. Doubles on the D100 are Criticals and Doubles OVER the Skill rating are Fumbles. PENDRAGON was the first game Chaosium made that used Passions to augment Skill Ratings. If something you were Passionate about (ie had a Passion Rating in it) could be of influence, you would roll for that Passion and augment the Skill you were using accordingly.

The D20 mods were easy as every pip on a D20 corresponds to 5% of a percentile skill. So if you had a 65% Skill Rating, that became a 13.

[Mutazoia]

So this is where I usually recommend WEGs Star Wars D6 rules. It's fast and easy to learn, you have your skill check vs opposed skill check, quick combats, and easy character generation. Pick a template, modify it to taste, and you're up and playing in just a few minutes.

If you don't necessarily want to do Star Wars, there are the OpenD6 rules that will let you run pretty much anything you can imagine with the same freedom that comes with the D6 ruleset.

However, if you have your heart set on a D100 system, then my next recommendation would be Top Secret S.I. It's a little bit crunchier than the D6 option, but then most things are.

[Tanarii]

It is exactly what you describe here and I’d highly recommend it. Dungeon World is my favourite rpg. It does take a while to get your head around though, very different assumptions from D&D.

Sorry for the multiple posts.I used to think that it was interesting adaption of ptbA to dungeoneering. But unfortunately from what I've read, Dungeon World just shows that PtbA style play and dungeoneering/adventuring site exploration don't mix at all, that you lose all the best parts of either and are left with a pile of the worst of both. And that you're far better off using a retro clone for it. (Keeping in mind that even with 5e D&D, it appears to rarely be used for dungeoneering/adventuring site exploration.)

Interestingly, if you compare AW with MYZ, AW appears like it can hold it's ground on the post-apocalyptic front. Because AW is seems to be about the politics within the survival community and the external threats that come to the community. And MYZ is about getting out of the community and exploring the dangers of the zone, despite paying lip service to politics within the community. (MYZ might as well be a retro clone.)

[Easy e]

So this is where I usually recommend WEGs Star Wars D6 rules. It's fast and easy to learn, you have your skill check vs opposed skill check, quick combats, and easy character generation. Pick a template, modify it to taste, and you're up and playing in just a few minutes.

If you don't necessarily want to do Star Wars, there are the OpenD6 rules that will let you run pretty much anything you can imagine with the same freedom that comes with the D6 ruleset.

However, if you have your heart set on a D100 system, then my next recommendation would be Top Secret S.I. It's a little bit crunchier than the D6 option, but then most things are.

Plus, the WEG d6 section about how to run a game is GOLD! I recommend every GM for any game read this section.

[Corsair14]

@Vodahim- Specifically 4th edition for warhammer FRPG. All the source books are still good but you need to do some conversion on the rules themselves between 2nd and 4th. 4th is also very well supported with a ton of stuff available.

[Mutazoia]

@Vodahim- Specifically 4th edition for warhammer FRPG. All the source books are still good but you need to do some conversion on the rules themselves between 2nd and 4th. 4th is also very well supported with a ton of stuff available.

Warhammer is VERY crunchy and I would not recommend it in this instance.

[Socksy]

VTM (Vampire the Masquerade) and the other World of Darkness Systems have a Fast and Creative Battle System.

I'm sorry, could you remind me how initiative works, rules as written, in Vampire the Masquerade?

And how dodging/parrying works (in the context of RAW initiative)?

And what happens if you take Lethal damage if you already have bashing damage?

And whether or not you get to soak Lethal from bullets as a ghoul, and if so, when? :smallconfused::smallwink:


Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay uses the opposed d100 tests for combat and any other person to person interaction. Combat is quick and lethal which promotes more role play over combat since dying or getting your arm chopped off or shoulder dislocated tends to limit ones activity in the short term. Character creation is actually a ton of fun with a lot of options.

WFRP was my first thought too. It's pretty great, has a higher power feel than the futuristic 40k games, and is 1d100 roll under (except a couple of things, I think initiative is d10+dex mod).

[MaryPoppinsYall]

Freedom.

Players think they want pure freedom. But, that is near impossible to actually DM. Not when telling an actual story. I like the term bowling bumpers. If you let things go too far sideways, the game ends up in the gutter.

[Anonymouswizard]

I'm sorry, could you remind me how initiative works, rules as written, in Vampire the Masquerade?

Roll something like Dexterity+Alertness, least successes announces their action first, then resolve from the character with the most successes downwards.

I see no issues with this system.


And how dodging/parrying works (in the context of RAW initiative)?

That depends, do you want to attack as well? In which case welcome to dice pool splitting! Or do you want to dodge more than one attack? Dice pool splitting! Did you take Celebrity? Then you can't dodge, because you just used all your actions for murdering.

At least you can cancel your action to dodge, if you're okay with doing nothing this round.


And what happens if you take Lethal damage if you already have bashing damage?

Nothing terribly difficult, as long as your health doesn't overflow


And whether or not you get to soak Lethal from bullets as a ghoul, and if so, when? :smallconfused::smallwink:

Ghouls can soak lethal?

Yeah, VTM was an utter mess rules-wise from 1e until 20th Anniversary. 5e is better, but the developers really want it to be Requiem. I mean I like Requiem, but that's why I own Requiem.

Do not look at the changes being made for W5. I can get behind every part of V5 if I have to apart from having the Lasombra in a bloody setting book for a city I'll never run in. W5 just looks like the designers aren't getting it.

[Tevo77777]

Wait so they want a system so simple, it makes Cogent look complex? No cover or flanking? No skills?

[Pauly]

Long story short : I'm not really knowledgable about rule's sytems outside of D&D (3.5, Pathfinder and 5e) and I'm searching for one that deals quickly with combats (preferably a D100 system with opposing checks in combats, but that's just a plus).

I'm a new DM. When I asked my friends what they are looking for in a TTRPG they responded by :
- Adventure
- Freedom
- Well written stories.

Nothing about rules, because they don't really want to bother themselves with it.

But I know that they find D&D 5e combat "boring" ? They like a good fight when it's needed, but cover, keeping tracks of modifiers, spell slots and everything make it tedious for them.
They never really played TTRPG before, minus some one shot that I runed for them, using D&D 5e rules.



I already read A LOT of things on how to be a better DM. But if you have an advice that isn't popular on internet, I would be glad to hear it too).

Focusing on Adventure, Freedom and Well Written Stories.

I recommend some of the older more established non-fantasy games.

In particular Traveler and Call of Cthulhu have some of the best written stories regardless of genre in RPG history. Both have fast paced combat, although both systems encourage players to use more non combat options in dealing with threats than D&D. Both have an extensive library of adventures to choose from.

Space 1889 does a great job on the setting, stories and support. I played it extensively back in the day despite the rules, because the setting and stories were so good. There has been a new edition published with a different engine which is supposed to be a huge improvement on the rules, but I haven’t played the hew edition.

Other systems I might have recommended I’ve mostly played with custom adventures.

[Anonymouswizard]

Assuming you're willing to write your own stories Scion 2e is a very solid way to get adventure and freedom. It's hard not to when your party consists of children of gods. The core rulebook, Origin, is relatively small and cheap, and dripping with flavour.

Mechanically it uses a system called Storypath which is a heavily reworked version of Storytelling, the system in Chronicles of Darkness/New World of Darkness. So it's a d10 dice pool, count successes kind of affair. But it's focused more on action than horror, so nobody's going to be doing more than two points of damage with a hit, instead you spend extra successes on Doing Cool Stuff. It also cuts out a bit of the cruft with a trimmed down skill list and the big powers being more of a DIY affair (although that's book 2). But with a bit of luck even Origin level characters can beat up gangsters with nothing more than their sword or prosthetic hand.

Just remember to pick the right parent to justify having an enchanted prosthetic hand.

The Trinity Continuum line focuses rules on a more pulp science fiction style, but it's the most rules heavy version of Storypath, and They Came From Beneath The Sea! is about emulating mid twentieth century alien invasion plots. Both might also be worth checking out

Although heck Chronicles of Darkness is worth checking out, it's like World of Darkness but it actually works. So much that WoD5e dropped it's own identity to force Vampire: the Masquerade and Hunter: the Reckoning to be bad ripoffs of Requiem and Vigil. In Hunter's case I mean 'aggressively focuses on the lowest tier of Hunter: the Vigil play, sidelining the organisations that gave support and powers, and abandons the Imbued who made Reckoning stand out in the first place'.

I think what I'm trying to say is that the various Onyx Path Publishing games are generally awesome*. Maybe I should pick up Exalted 3 at some point.

* Even Beast, which is incredibly problematic and needs a second edition just so the core stops white knighting abusers.

[Mutazoia]

Of course, you could always try "Amber Diceless Roleplaying." It is a narrative-based system so there really aren't any complicated rules for pretty much anything.