Looking For Light-To-Moderate Crunch Fantasy RPG

[JNAProductions]

Generic systems appropriate for fantasy works too.

Systems I already own/know:
D&D 4E
D&D 5th
Stars Without Number, Complete Version
Mutants And Masterminds
Worlds Without Number, Free Version
Risus

[Grod_The_Giant]

Savage Worlds? STaRS? Is there any particular game idea you're looking into?

[JNAProductions]

Savage Worlds? STaRS? Is there any particular game idea you're looking into?

Right now, nothing more than vague, half-baked ideas.

Gonna look at STaRS Lite right now.
What's Savage Worlds like?

[Razade]

World of Dungeon and the much fuller but imho not nearly as good Dungeon World. The former is a stripped down, one page, version of the latter and the latter is a PbtA with a lot of Dungeons and Dragons trappings.
The Index Card RPG.
Tiny Dungeon (which also has a lot of other Tiny - Genre games)
Knave
The Black Hack
Cairn
Mausritter
Tunnel Goons
Icon - By the same people that did Lancer so if you like post-4e games this is a big one for you
Ironsworn
Slayers, by Gila RPG
Troika
Miru: An Analog Adventure Game

[JNAProductions]

World of Dungeon and the much fuller but imho not nearly as good Dungeon World. The former is a stripped down, one page, version of the latter and the latter is a PbtA with a lot of Dungeons and Dragons trappings.
The Index Card RPG.
Tiny Dungeon (which also has a lot of other Tiny - Genre games)
Knave
The Black Hack
Cairn
Mausritter
Tunnel Goons
Icon - By the same people that did Lancer so if you like post-4e games this is a big one for you
Ironsworn
Slayers, by Gila RPG
Troika
Miru: An Analog Adventure Game

Can I get a brief summary of Knave, Ironsworn, and Slayers? Those are the ones that jump out, just based on the names.

Thank you, by the way, Razade! And you too, Grod!

[Razade]

You'd be better served, rather than me giving you a brief summary, just looking at their store page.

Knave (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/250888/Knave)

Ironsworn (https://www.ironswornrpg.com/)

Slayers (https://gilarpgs.itch.io/slayers)

[JNAProductions]

You'd be better served, rather than me giving you a brief summary, just looking at their store page.

Knave (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/250888/Knave)

Ironsworn (https://www.ironswornrpg.com/)

Slayers (https://gilarpgs.itch.io/slayers)

Fair-though I do appreciate it when I can get experienced eyes, rather than marketing pitches.

[animorte]

Fair-though I do appreciate it when I can get experienced eyes, rather than marketing pitches.
Marketing tends to sway in favor of the product.

Keeping this thread bookmarked because I've been seeking lighter crunch myself.

[Razade]

Fair-though I do appreciate it when I can get experienced eyes, rather than marketing pitches.

I can't give you that, I haven't played them and that wasn't part of the request. All I'd be doing is parroting what the marketing pitches say so I split the difference. If you want to know how they run, I know for sure that Ironsworn has APs out there floating around for it. Slayers probably does too. Not so sure about the others on the list.

[Alhallor]

Symbaroum (https://www.symbaroum.com/) is pretty good.

The interesting quirk of the system is that the GM never rolls a single die, that's all in the hands of the players.

(Very rough story) You're in a trailblazing colony after you're former lands got ravaged by necromantic magic energies and there is this forest FULL OF MAGIC AND OTHER USEFUL STUFF, but the elves that live they're really don't want you poking around in there at all.

You probably play adventurers who want to go in the forest.

Also basically all magic has a Curropting effect if you use it too much.

[ciopo]

I've heard good things about Fabula ultima (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/410108/Fabula-Ultima-TTJRPG). It0s selling point can be summed up as "it's ttjrpg". Rules light, narrative heavy, highly slanted in favor of cooperative gameplay. It's a rules framework with no ambientation setting tho, so webare of that

[Zuras]

What power level are you looking at, and how much optional depth versus the GM needing to rule on everything?

If you want the lightest possible D&D-like without committing to specific tropes, the Black Hack is great.

If you don’t mind a baked-in feel to the system, Beyond the Wall is great.

Savage Worlds is also great as a light game that also has a bunch of setting specific rules you can use if desired. It’s pretty fast and loose, lots of fun if you like exploding dice and don’t have issues managing the meta-currency economy. Definitely the best game if your d20s are feeling full of themselves and you want to give all the other dice sizes some love.

[LibraryOgre]

Right now, nothing more than vague, half-baked ideas.

Gonna look at STaRS Lite right now.
What's Savage Worlds like?

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/261539/Savage-Worlds-Adventure-Edition?affiliate_id=315505) (the current edition; earlier ones are fairly compatible) is largely skill-driven, with characters defined by choices of "Edges" and "Hindrances", as well as skill choices.

If I want to play a fighter, I need to have a decent Strength (melee weapon damage), Agility (governs how easy it is to improve Fighting and Shooting), and Vigor (how easy it is to shrug off wounds). My edges are going to focus towards the combat edges that make me a better fighter, like Frenzy, which lets me make extra attacks without penalty.

If I want to play a Wizard, I need the Arcane Background: Wizard edge, and a good Smarts, since the Smarts skill governs my Spellcasting ability. I can play with a low Smarts, but it will be hard to increase Spellcasting.

Dice rolls are usually rolling skills against a TN of 4. Important characters (PCs and important NPCs) are called "Wild Cards" and roll their skill and a d6, taking the better of the two. Dice explode ("Ace" in SW speak), so you might roll a 10 on a d4 (4, 4, 2). If you beat the TN by 4, you get a "Raise"... some sort of bonus effect. A common one is, if you get a raise on a combat roll, you get an additional d6 of damage.

Advancement is "milestone" style; the GM declares that you get an advance, which can be spent on skills, an Edge, improving an attribute, or removing or reducing a Hindrance. After a certain number of advances, you go up in Rank, which opens additional Edges to you.

The Fantasy Companion (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/416768/SWADE-Fantasy-Companion?affiliate_id=315505) is out, as well, to specifically add options to fantasy games, but I find you can run a good campaign straight out of the main book.

[AdamSpeg]

BFRPG is pretty good, LoTFP too if you want something with more character.

[Grod_The_Giant]

What's Savage Worlds like?
LibraryOgre covered the mechanical core pretty well; the key point I'd add is that the way combat works--especially with exploding dice--makes the whole thing very, very swingy. The actual number written on your character sheet for health is deceptive; hero points (referred to as "bennies") are so vital for surviving a fight that you might as well start building a new character if you run out before you've taken down most of your enemies.

I ran the Savage Worlds version of Deadlands for a few months, and by RAW all three players had died at least once before the campaign petered out. They weren't prolonged deaths, either-- the gunslinger took three bullets to the chest and dropped in a single attack, and the voodoo priest was swallowed by a sea serpent. Hell, in the very first session, a random baddie managed to chuck a stick of dynamite into the train car where the players were sheltering, and if they hadn't all spent bennies to soak the damage that would have been a TPK right there.

Don't get me wrong, it's a fun system that plays nice and fast; you'll just get a lot of unpredictable results.

[TaiLiu]

Look into Fellowship. It’s a PBTA game about gathering the peoples of the world together and stopping a rising evil. It’s influenced by media like LOTR. Arguably it’s the best system for doing a LOTR-like campaign.

[Marcloure]

13th Age mixes some modern concepts with the tactical combat and builds of D&D. Worth a look at least, and there will be a second edition coming soon™.

[Anonymouswizard]

LibraryOgre covered the mechanical core pretty well; the key point I'd add is that the way combat works--especially with exploding dice--makes the whole thing very, very swingy. The actual number written on your character sheet for health is deceptive; hero points (referred to as "bennies") are so vital for surviving a fight that you might as well start building a new character if you run out before you've taken down most of your enemies.

Or, you know, armour and cover. Using them can drop you from taking five Wounds a round to one. I don't think I ever spent a Bennie on a soak rollwhen playing (although I did to get rid of Shaken).


I ran the Savage Worlds version of Deadlands for a few months, and by RAW all three players had died at least once before the campaign petered out. They weren't prolonged deaths, either-- the gunslinger took three bullets to the chest and dropped in a single attack, and the voodoo priest was swallowed by a sea serpent. Hell, in the very first session, a random baddie managed to chuck a stick of dynamite into the train car where the players were sheltering, and if they hadn't all spent bennies to soak the damage that would have been a TPK right there.

Don't get me wrong, it's a fun system that plays nice and fast; you'll just get a lot of unpredictable results.

Wow the horror setting known for having overpowered combat options kills characters easily! This is a shocking discover!

The exact lethalness of SW depends a LOT on how many attacks an enemy can put into a PC, alongside availability of armour. Deadlands Reloaded pretty much ends up in the most lethal combination possible with relatively rare armour, stupidly overpowered rules for fanning the hammer which make single action revolvers deadlier than full auto weapons, and a horror focus causing the supernatural to tend towards the powerful. Something closer to D&D style fantasy is going to be much less deadly, and I believe the new edition of Deadlands significantly nerds the setting-specific combat options (particularly fanning the hammer, which requires an Edge in addition to outputting less hits).

[False God]

I regularly use World of Darkness for "generic modern fantasy". Use Human or Hunter for any assortment of non-magical, non-monster; and Mage for any assortment of magical non-monster. Restrict magic types to get the appropriate feel of Clerics/Druids/Wizards if necessary.

It's pretty flexible when it comes to power level, though as with a lot of fantasy, magic-users can basically do anything while even though mundanes can achieve impressive feats, they still can't teleport or shapeshift or turn back time or whatever.

However, guns are pretty gosh darned good at killing, which is why I go back to the system on the regular. It's difficult to find a system where HP and gun damage hits that sweet spot.

There's a lot of printed content, but I generally consider making a human(which is where I start everyone) pretty idiot-proof and can typically be achieved simply by handing them the character sheet. After that it's just d10 dice pools of ability score + skill ranks to try to do stuff.

I've also run it as generic medieval fantasy, but the lack of guns and modern melee combat options really restricts non-magicals & non-monsters. Although if you're not running any normal humans in the party, its fine.

[Anonymouswizard]

I regularly use World of Darkness for "generic modern fantasy".

Honestly I'd recommend Chronicles if Darkness over World, simply because the rules actually work (even WoD5, which stole a lot from CofD, runs into issues if run as presented). It also has IMHO by far the better Hunter game (Vigil 2e does all Reckoning 2e does and let's characters join organisations), as well as a couple of cool lines that WoD just packs. Although it's also worth noting that CofD2e (the one actually called CofD) went all in on the 'handing out XP to encourage storytelling conventions' idea.

WoD has much, much better lore and atmosphere, but as a generic game I think CofD would do better because of the solid rules.

Sadly CofD is getting very few releases now, either because Paradox is trying to kill it so it won't compete with WoD or because Onyx Path is focusing on the properties it owns.


It's also potentially worth looking at the other properties Onyx Path makes games for, particularly Scion (modern myth as opposed to WoD/CofD's horror focus, play the child of Horus and kick some butt!) and Exalted (somewhere between myth, anime fantasy, and high level D&D). Scion is the least Crunchy game OPP has ever done, with characters' main powers once they start becoming Legends being freeform 'Marvels' and details like character wealth handwaved via the three Paths you design at the beginning. If the party needs a fast car all of a sudden see if anybody decided to be a Millionaire Playboy, Trust Fund Kid, or Successful CEO.

Exalted meanwhile is traditionally crunchy, but the new Exalted Essence is supposed to be a lot less so. I'm not familiar with it, but there are those on this forum who are, so maybe they'll be able to give a decent pitch.

[False God]

Honestly I'd recommend Chronicles if Darkness over World...
I'll be honest, I only own one edition of the game and I just call it "World of Darkness". *checks books* I'm pretty sure it's actually CofD, but I just call it WoD.

[Anonymouswizard]

I'll be honest, I only own one edition of the game and I just call it "World of Darkness". *checks books* I'm pretty sure it's actually CofD, but I just call it WoD.

If it's a blue book with World of Darkness on the cover then yeah it's CofD1e. I just thought it was important to bring up as 2e had the name change and an all round buff to the supernaturals (although a nerf to Hunters, who don't have the option of ridiculously cheap powers anymore).

Another advantage of CofD is it's varied historical settings. cWoD did a 'dark ages' version of every line plus a handful of other eras (IIRC 1600s Europe and late 1800s Vampire and Werewolf). CofD went broader from day one, and also has the excellent Dark Eras line where they cover ideas all the way from Neolithic times to I believe the 1980s. Actually the Neolithic setting is considered a bit of a highlight for diving into the early days of both werewolf and mage existence and showing that their history isn't entirely accurate, and if you do want a vaguely medieval fantasy Changeling has both an Arthurian and swashbuckling France era.

[False God]

If it's a blue book with World of Darkness on the cover then yeah it's CofD1e. I just thought it was important to bring up as 2e had the name change and an all round buff to the supernaturals (although a nerf to Hunters, who don't have the option of ridiculously cheap powers anymore).

Another advantage of CofD is it's varied historical settings. cWoD did a 'dark ages' version of every line plus a handful of other eras (IIRC 1600s Europe and late 1800s Vampire and Werewolf). CofD went broader from day one, and also has the excellent Dark Eras line where they cover ideas all the way from Neolithic times to I believe the 1980s. Actually the Neolithic setting is considered a bit of a highlight for diving into the early days of both werewolf and mage existence and showing that their history isn't entirely accurate, and if you do want a vaguely medieval fantasy Changeling has both an Arthurian and swashbuckling France era.

*checks book again* yeah thats it.

I haven't actually given much of their ancient setting material a look. I'll take this as a good recommendation to do so.

[Pauly]

Barbarians of Lemuria is low crunch, and older editions are free to download. For more Conan-esque games than high magic.

For pure Conan there is Mongoose publishing’s Conan RPG. That’s more medium crunch.

[Anonymouswizard]

*checks book again* yeah thats it.

I haven't actually given much of their ancient setting material a look. I'll take this as a good recommendation to do so.

Honestly I'd mostly recommend it if you like histrorical settings. And don't start with the full Dark Eras book, it's pretty dang big.

[Thane of Fife]

I'm a big fan of the Freeform Universal game (generally going by the unfortunate but memorable FU). It's a very light, generic RPG. It's better for shorter games, though, as there isn't much room for character advancement (though I think the designer's blog has mused on the idea a bit).

The basic mechanic to do something is that a question is posed, you sum up things in your favor and things against you, they cancel each other out, and then you roll some number of dice and keep either the best or the worst. This tells you if the answer is Yes, No, Yes and, Yes but, No and, or No but. Simple, elegant, and plays quick.

On the meatier side, Pendragon is pretty much my favorite RPG. It's made for King Arthur, and is designed strongly for that, but I've used it for other settings where all of the characters are knights. I think the traits and passions tend to produce very interesting characters, and I just like the basic system besides.

[DammitVictor]

I won't pass up an opportunity to promote Barbarians of Lemuria as my go-to pick for rules light (pick up and play) "generic" fantasy, though it's more like Conan or its namesake, Thongor, than high fantasy pseudomedieval D&D fantasyloaf. There's a swashbuckling version called Honor + Intrigue which I don't have as much experience with-- but I'm backing the Kickstarter for the Tome of Intriguing Options and its Blasters + Intrigue space opera genre rules.

You roll 2d6 (by default) and add your -1 to +5 attribute and your 0 to 5 (combat) Technique or Career. The real genius of the system is Careers, which include most of what D&D would call classes (or races), backgrounds, and skills and can be trivially changed for different settings or genres. I've used this system for everything from Dark Sun to Mario and He-Man to DooM.

[thorr-kan]

I'll buck the trend and second Tiny Dungeon. I have only read the Tiny d6 games, but there's a wealth of material for any genre. I've done some character building though for a few, including Tiny Dungeon (see links in sig). It might be lighter than you want.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Deadlands Reloaded pretty much ends up in the most lethal combination possible with relatively rare armour, stupidly overpowered rules for fanning the hammer which make single action revolvers deadlier than full auto weapons, and a horror focus causing the supernatural to tend towards the powerful. Something closer to D&D style fantasy is going to be much less deadly, and I believe the new edition of Deadlands significantly nerds the setting-specific combat options (particularly fanning the hammer, which requires an Edge in addition to outputting less hits).
Touche. I knew that the supernatural encounters were deliberately deadly, but I didn't realize that the mundane stuff is also affected so heavily. How does something like a modern game straight out of the core rulebook work? I imagine armor is still pretty rare, at least compared to classic fantasy.