PDA

View Full Version : Final Session and Beyond



Sonofaspectre
2008-03-03, 03:18 AM
So in two weeks, our group is finishing our long running campaign. It has been filled with death, love, marriage, kids, resurrection, gods, glories, martyrs, the works. Everyone really enjoyed themselves.

But I as the DM cannot start another DnD game immediately after that to save my life. I'll have a heartattack, I swear.

So I thought I would bring it up to you guys. What would be a fun new game to play, in maybe a new system, maybe not. Or what are just some really fun systems that don't play like DnD 3.5. Any and all suggestions/opinions are wanted.

Titanium Dragon
2008-03-03, 03:20 AM
Depends on what you're after.

Alternity is VERY different from D&D, if you're interested in a sci-fi (or modern) type campaign setting. Its realism level is self-described as "cinematic realism"; one bullet won't kill you, but two will probalby injure you pretty severely and the third will drop (but generally not kill) you, though it depends on the technology level of the campaign. It is pretty easy to pick up and plays fairly differently from D&D; it isn't a breakable system and is quite a bit of fun. Downside is it is out of print; it came out in the late 90s and was made by TSR/Wizards of the Coast, but you should be able to find the books if you look for them.

You could always play Paranoia, which is something of a joke of a game but can be fun if your players have no idea what it is about.

Kizara
2008-03-03, 03:28 AM
So in two weeks, our group is finishing our long running campaign. It has been filled with death, love, marriage, kids, resurrection, gods, glories, martyrs, the works. Everyone really enjoyed themselves.

But I as the DM cannot start another DnD game immediately after that to save my life. I'll have a heartattack, I swear.

So I thought I would bring it up to you guys. What would be a fun new game to play, in maybe a new system, maybe not. Or what are just some really fun systems that don't play like DnD 3.5. Any and all suggestions/opinions are wanted.

Star Wars?

Revised core plays a bit like 3.5 DnD, but SAGA doesn't.

Behold_the_Void
2008-03-03, 03:41 AM
I've always wanted to try Shadowrun, I hear good things about the system and the setting is interesting.

Rachel Lorelei
2008-03-03, 03:42 AM
So in two weeks, our group is finishing our long running campaign. It has been filled with death, love, marriage, kids, resurrection, gods, glories, martyrs, the works. Everyone really enjoyed themselves.

But I as the DM cannot start another DnD game immediately after that to save my life. I'll have a heartattack, I swear.

So I thought I would bring it up to you guys. What would be a fun new game to play, in maybe a new system, maybe not. Or what are just some really fun systems that don't play like DnD 3.5. Any and all suggestions/opinions are wanted.

That depends--what are you looking for? Something high-concept and beautiful? Nobilis. Something that's rollickin' pulp? Spirit of the Century (http://zork.net/~nick/loyhargil/fate3/fate3.html). Something focused on being Awesome? Give Exalted a shot if you don't mind high-crunch, or go for the more-obscured Weapons of the Gods.

Nebo_
2008-03-03, 03:43 AM
Revised core plays a bit like 3.5 DnD, but SAGA doesn't.

Yes it does, it plays very similarly to D&D.

Attilargh
2008-03-03, 04:13 AM
Star Wars?

Revised core plays a bit like 3.5 DnD, but SAGA doesn't.
Eh, it kinda does. The bones of the system aren't all that different, even though the characters and options might be. You're still rolling d20 to hit, various other dice for damage, spending precious minutes agonizing over whether to move there and take an AoO, or try to use Acrobatics for tumbling and so on.

My personal recommendations would be the new World of Darkness, both Warhammers and Legend of the Five Rings, depending on what kind of setting you would like.

NWoD (new World of Darkness) is a modern-day game of mostly supernatural horror, where characters a built on a classless point-buy system and all rolls handled by rolling an amount of dice equal to the appropriate Attribute and Skill and looking up how many come up eight or above. Combat is fast, deadly and usually a Bad Idea, especially if you're still a mortal. And, well, that's pretty much it.

The Warhammers, on the other hand, are about either adventuring in a grimy crapsack of a fantasy world (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay), or a grimy crapsack of a science fantasy universe (Dark Heresy). Very random character generation with careers that are sort of like classes, especially in Dark Heresy. Rather gory, fast-paced action with a good chance of death. Characters going crazy also probable, possibly due to using magic (or psychic powers). Roll d100 under your attribute to resolve tests. Extensive metaplot, but status quo is God.

And then there's Legend of the Five Rings for some fantasy samurai action. Exploding dice pools of d10, somewhat like in WoD. Large emphasis on honour and being properly samurai-ish instead of just flipping out and killing everyone. Flipping out is fast and deadly, yet again, just like in the Japanese sword flicks we all love. If not interested in flipping out, there is the option of courtly drama. Very extensive metaplot that actually does something.

Durendal
2008-03-03, 04:30 AM
If you want to stay close to DnD, I would wait for 4e to come out and then devise a game world that plays heavily with the changes from 3.x to 4e. Focus on the 3 power sources (martial, arcane, and divine), or emphasize the loosened alignment system (I heard somewhere that there are only the 5 chromatic dragons, but they're no longer all evil). Heck, with all the stuff that WotC has released up to now you could already start designing a new campaign.

It would be similar in the respect that its a DnD fantasy game, but the changes to the mechanics and fluff would offer up something new and interesting for both the players and DM.

Sonofaspectre
2008-03-03, 05:02 AM
Some are confused, so let me put it this way: in two weeks, the current game ends. I have neither the time nor the energy to have another DnD game ready to roll. I am looking for something different. 4e is not different. It is both similar in mechanics and is basically the same world we've been doing for the past year and a half.

I am not necessarily looking for non-fantasy, as well as not necessarily non-d20. I'm just looking for a new experience. Maybe as a one-shot or a short campaign. Then it'll be time to swing into our next storyline in DnD. I just want a breather from the same old same.

Fuzzy_Juan
2008-03-03, 05:25 AM
I suggest World of Darkness...either the old school Vampire the Masquerade, Werewolf the Apocalypse...(old world of darkness...books are very cheap now from used book stores), or the newer ones...NWoD...Werewolf: The Forsaken, Vampire: The Requiem, Mage: The Awakening...stuff like that.

The WoD games are d10 and don't play like DnD too much at all...the systems are very different, as is the playstyle typically. More gothic horror and mystery/intrigue depending on which game and the way your players decide to go about things...then again, if they do certian things, it can be quite like DnD just in modern day in a different system.

Shadowrun is also a great game to do.

kamikasei
2008-03-03, 06:24 AM
If time and energy are a concern, is it going to be feasible to play a whole new system? Well, in any case, let me suggest Vampire, since there's a PDF somewhere (I'll see if I can track it down and provide a link later) of an introductory adventure path with the basics of the rules and a few pre-made characters. Might be the simplest way to achieve both a different sort of game and a quick-and-dirty one-shot or short-term adventure.

Kizara
2008-03-03, 06:50 AM
Some are confused, so let me put it this way: in two weeks, the current game ends. I have neither the time nor the energy to have another DnD game ready to roll. I am looking for something different. 4e is not different. It is both similar in mechanics and is basically the same world we've been doing for the past year and a half.

I am not necessarily looking for non-fantasy, as well as not necessarily non-d20. I'm just looking for a new experience. Maybe as a one-shot or a short campaign. Then it'll be time to swing into our next storyline in DnD. I just want a breather from the same old same.

Honestly, give star wars revised core edition a shot. It's so much like DnD that aside from learning the vitality/wound point thing, how the skills work (largely identical unless you are a jedi, with some new skills for futuristic stuff) and checking out the new classes, you don't need to learn much. I mean, there is a decent amount to absorb if you really want to get into it (like the starfighter battle mechanics, or the vehicle mechanics) but I just suggest you handwave the complex stuff and enjoy the setting.
Pick up the Rebellion Era sourcebook as well if you want a bunch of great adventure ideas and some easy-to-digest metaplot info.

Pros:

-its Star Wars! Don't need to learn a totally new alien setting/metaplot.
-similar to DnD, uses d20, easy to pick up (very easy as a player not too interested in how to optimize)
-pretty balanced system IMO, better then DnD in this regard
-easy, fast-paced gameplay that is still heroic fantasy and doesn't involve your players dieing if they want to have fun and fight something. Its a bit more gritty then normal DnD, but nothing compared to other suggestions here.


Cons:

-its a similar mechanical system, so not as much of a change of pace
-you still have to learn some elements of the system, although 90% of things will be familiar already or instantly understandable (such as new races)
-star wars universe/metaplot can be intimidating. If you find it so, just set your campaign in one spot/planet thats not mentioned in the movies and just have sci-fi adventures there.

Hope I helped!