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EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 07:33 PM
OK, for my birthday i got 75$ for Barnes and Noble. Now i only buy myself RPG books when i have a chance like this because i need to save my actual cash, so this is a big thing for me. However, i've bought most of the Main stream 3E books, and i feel like trying something new. So i want to buy a few intro books to new systems. For example in my cart if have teh 2E exalted main book. I want to know what other good system are out there, because i have limited money and an interest in new system so i figured i'd ask the people here

I'm thinking of the World of Darkness books, but i don't know what would be a good intro for either the old or the new

I would also be interested in any good third party 3E books.

So just let me know what kind of RPGs you'd recommend. Please go into some detail about the game itself.
Thanks
from
EE

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 08:09 PM
bump, i just want some general recommendations for Table top games
from
EE

Fax Celestis
2008-10-17, 08:16 PM
New World of Darkness is great--very straightforward, simple mechanics. It's a very solid system. The fluff from Old World of Darkness is better in my opinion, but the system is worse. Stay away from GURPS unless you love some rules--and it's my impression you don't. If you want a d20 variant, Etherscope is pretty awesome.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 08:18 PM
New World of Darkness is great--very straightforward, simple mechanics. It's a very solid system. The fluff from Old World of Darkness is better in my opinion, but the system is worse. Stay away from GURPS unless you love some rules--and it's my impression you don't. If you want a d20 variant, Etherscope is pretty awesome.

1) i have friends who play GURPS, so i'm not interested in that, except maybe some of hte source books which i heard are great
2) Does OWoD have a intro book by any change, i know the new one does
3) What is ethescope?
4) are there any very good specifics books from any game that have great fluff/background?
from
EE

Krrth
2008-10-17, 08:19 PM
It really depends on what you want. NWoD is fairly good. Scion isn't to bad, but it reminds me of exalted.]

If you don't mind whipping out a calculator, Hero System is fairly decent.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 08:20 PM
It really depends on what you want. NWoD is fairly good. Scion isn't to bad, but it reminds me of exalted.]

If you don't mind whipping out a calculator, Hero System is fairly decent.

Not Hero, i don't like math

Can you tell me waht Scion is, remember i don't know the details of most of these


And what is EarthDawn, does anybody know?
from
EE

Fax Celestis
2008-10-17, 08:21 PM
OWod does not have a core book the same way that NWoD does, which is one of it's downfalls.

Etherscope is what happens if you took Orwell's 1984, added V For Vendetta, and made it steampunk.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 08:24 PM
Damn, so what would be a good starting book for OWoD

Meh, i might check it out, but i want my limited money to count and i don't often play steam punk thanks through

I looked at this list here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_role-playing_games_by_genre
but they don't give very many details about the games sadly
from
EE

Fan
2008-10-17, 08:28 PM
Damn, so what would be a good starting book for OWoD

Meh, i might check it out, but i want my limited money to count and i don't often play steam punk thanks through

I looked at this list here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_role-playing_games_by_genre
but they don't give very many details about the games sadly
from
EE

I WOULD suggest starting with Old world of Darkness personally (Is my favorite system.) Mage is a bit complicated, but if you happen to like thme better than Vampire the Masqurade, or werewolf the Forsaken, or Changeling I would suggest going with that one.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-17, 08:30 PM
The Core 3 (Vampire, Werewolf, Mage) are enough to run pretty much anything you can think of in oWoD, though the subdivision books expand greatly upon the base, and the extras (Wraith, Hunter, Mummy...) can be a lot of fun.

nWoD can be run off of one book (two, if you want some starter villains), if you don't mind playing mortals vs. zombies or running a Call of Cthulhu-esque game. The neat thing is that the advanced races (vampires, werewolves, et al) are essentially templates put onto a human base. The only issue I have with it is that there are very, very few prestatted monsters and/or denizens of the night--the majority of them are expected to be created from scratch by the ST.

Krrth
2008-10-17, 08:30 PM
Not Hero, i don't like math

Can you tell me waht Scion is, remember i don't know the details of most of these


And what is EarthDawn, does anybody know?
from
EE
Scion has three books...Hero, Demi-God, and God.

You play the Child of a God fighting against the forces of destruction. As you get more powerful, the later books come into play.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 08:33 PM
hmmmmm, thats interesting, through i don't know if i can afford all that.


With Scion, can you go into detail if it isn't too much trouble? I just want to know more about the game in general
from
EE

Krrth
2008-10-17, 08:35 PM
hmmmmm, thats interesting, through i don't know if i can afford all that.


With Scion, can you go into detail if it isn't too much trouble? I just want to know more about the game in general
from
EE
Well, what did you want to know? It's uses the same system as other WW games. You only need the first book. The others were released, but are not necessary for game play.

Beleriphon
2008-10-17, 08:37 PM
You can try Mutants and Masterminds Second Edition. Its much less math heavy than HERO, but still allows very open ended character creation. I personally prefer it to all other game systems, and there are books in the works to support fantasy game play in addition to its assumed superheroes.

Its great, you can do super spies, superheroes, normals, anything really. It is an effects based system so the description you give to an ability is as important as the way you resolve that abilities mechanics. For example fireballs, Cyclops' optic blasts, magic missile and a thrown rock all use the same "Blast" (ranged damage) with different descriptions and modifiers.

I'd recommend the core rules, and Ultimate Power (a book dedicated to building powers, basically an expansion of the core rules fifth chapter).

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 08:50 PM
Well, what did you want to know? It's uses the same system as other WW games. You only need the first book. The others were released, but are not necessary for game play.

What is the content? I like games with background and detail


I know M&M, but i'm not going to buy it because i can play it at a friends, but it is a great super hero system

Does anybody know what in nomine is?
form
EE

Matthew
2008-10-17, 08:50 PM
How about Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay? Familiar and different at the same time with a very cool setting and not all that much on the math part of the rules front.

Other options include Savage Worlds (a light system for fastpaced gameplay with no specific setting), Shadow Run (quite a detailed system, you probably already know about the setting), Conan D20 (okay it's D20, but it's rather good), Traveller (I am told the most recent version is not the best version, but I understand that it involves significantly less math), and Ars Magica (given that you are looking at WoD, you should probably look at this as an alternative).

Of course, there are many more options (and I have here mainly gone with games that strike me as reasonably different from D&D), but it depends what you want from a new system.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 08:58 PM
what i want is

1) Fantasy, in the traditional sense. Preferable in its own world with a more medevil level of tech but that isn't an absolute
2) cool back ground, interesting content, good world and niffty in depth design.
3) I don't mind if it is D20, but i want to be at least unique in its system,
4) A niffty over arching theme
5) Detail
from
EE

Krrth
2008-10-17, 09:05 PM
I'm AFB right now, but I'll tell you what I remember.

Scion is modern day. It has fantasy elements. One of the intriguing ones is that reality tries to fit your use of powers in a classic archetype....such as lover, traitor, sidekick, and so forth. Humans around you can get shoved into that role, willing or not.

Your powers are based on your parent's portfolio. You spend points in these portfolios to get abilities.

In Nomine is a game about the war between Heaven and Hell. You play an angel or a demon, and depending on your actions you can switch allegiances.

You can gain power by tying yourself to an aspect of creation. Anything from water, to death, to baseball. It doesn't matter. However, if the aspect you embody is destroyed....so are you. There can be only one angel and one demon of any given aspect, although sub-aspects are allowed. (Demon of Death is served by the demon of murder, who is served by the demon of explosives, who is served by the demon of suspiciously short fuses....)

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 09:07 PM
IN nomine sounds really cool, i'm into that pseudo religionous stuff, what is a good starting book?
from
EE

Cainen
2008-10-17, 09:08 PM
Take a look at Tri-Stat - the core book's free.

And WFRP sounds somewhat like what you're looking for.

Matthew
2008-10-17, 09:12 PM
what i want is

1) Fantasy, in the traditional sense. Preferable in its own world with a more medevil level of tech but that isn't an absolute
2) cool back ground, interesting content, good world and niffty in depth design.
3) I don't mind if it is D20, but i want to be at least unique in its system,
4) A niffty over arching theme
5) Detail

Sounds like you might enjoy Ars Magica; rather than me ramble on about it, though, you can just go and download a free pdf of the fourth edition and see for yourself: Ars Magica (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=AG0204).

Krrth
2008-10-17, 09:18 PM
IN nomine sounds really cool, i'm into that pseudo religionous stuff, what is a good starting book?
from
EE
I've only played it a little, but I enjoyed it. Fair warning, it is modern day. Here's a link to the homepage, it has a list of all the books.

Wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GURPS_In_Nomine

Main Site http://www.sjgames.com/in-nomine/

JupiterPaladin
2008-10-17, 09:20 PM
Well I'm not sure exactly what type you would like, but I came across a random, kinda strange tidbit on the net while surfing a similar topic. It seems like a dark and gritty setting, with some strange extra stuff. It's located here:

http://www.donatebytes.com/fatal.pdf

It seems that they included similar stuff like the BoVD and the BoEF, but I'm sure you can skip that stuff if you don't like it. There was another I heard about for higher powered games called SenZar, but I've not found it free anywhere and do not have extra cash to spend on that right now.

Matthew
2008-10-17, 09:23 PM
Well I'm not sure exactly what type you would like, but I came across a random, kinda strange tidbit on the net while surfing a similar topic. It seems like a dark and gritty setting, with some strange extra stuff. It's located here:

FATAL (http://www.donatebytes.com/fatal.pdf)

It seems that they included similar stuff like the BoVD and the BoEF, but I'm sure you can skip that stuff if you don't like it. There was another I heard about for higher powered games called SenZar, but I've not found it free anywhere and do not have extra cash to spend on that right now.

*Head Desk*

JupiterPaladin
2008-10-17, 09:28 PM
I'm sorry, I haven't read all of it or anything, just a quick skim. Did I miss something? Oh god, it's not like Pokethulhu or something is it? I hate Pokemon :smallmad:

Thane of Fife
2008-10-17, 09:32 PM
FATAL is often regarded as the worst RPG of all time. It is occasionally referred to as the 'Date-Rape RPG.'

If you haven't seen what's wrong with it, you probably haven't read it closely enough.

Krrth
2008-10-17, 09:33 PM
I'm sorry, I haven't read all of it or anything, just a quick skim. Did I miss something? Oh god, it's not like Pokethulhu or something is it? I hate Pokemon :smallmad:
....all I can say is...roll for Anal Circumference.

Matthew
2008-10-17, 09:35 PM
I'm sorry, I haven't read all of it or anything, just a quick skim. Did I miss something? Oh god, it's not like Pokethulhu or something is it? I hate Pokemon :smallmad:

Heh, heh. No, it's just unfortunate that you have come across it in all innocence. :smallbiggrin:

I think Swordguy has played it successfully, but it is widely known as one of the worst roleplaying games ever created, which is to say nothing of its rather lurid content. There are a series of reviews and rebuttals out there somewhere, but perhaps it is sufficient to say that FATAL is synonymous with the worst kind of purile pseudo intellectual game design.

Lord Tataraus
2008-10-17, 09:55 PM
Well I'm not sure exactly what type you would like, but I came across a random, kinda strange tidbit on the net while surfing a similar topic. It seems like a dark and gritty setting, with some strange extra stuff. It's located here:

http://www.donatebytes.com/fatal.pdf

It seems that they included similar stuff like the BoVD and the BoEF, but I'm sure you can skip that stuff if you don't like it. There was another I heard about for higher powered games called SenZar, but I've not found it free anywhere and do not have extra cash to spend on that right now.

Wait...are you serious? Do you realize what that...that....blasphemy is?!

To the OP: I would personally suggest NWoD. I really like the system and the fluff is great, its really up to personal preference whether you like the OWoD or NWoD fluff, but most will agree that both are very good. I personally like Hunter: The Vigil best in the series, but Werewolf comes a close second and I use Vampire mostly for enemies and NPCs.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 09:57 PM
Ok, what books would be best (i know very little of the details about the setting)

And FATAL? Oh gods, oh gods oh gods oh gods
from
EE

Krrth
2008-10-17, 10:03 PM
For NWoD? You need the core book, and whatever "Monster" (vampire, werewolf, mage, changeling, promethean, or hunter) that you want.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 10:09 PM
For NWoD? You need the core book, and whatever "Monster" (vampire, werewolf, mage, changeling, promethean, or hunter) that you want.

damn i wish i had more money, two books just to play?
form
EE

Krrth
2008-10-17, 10:12 PM
damn i wish i had more money, two books just to play?
form
EE

Erm....you CAN play with just the core book. The system is set up to be modular...each "monster" book runs off the same mechanics...which are in the main book.

On the other hand, once you have those two books, you can play to your hearts content and never buy another book. You probably *will*, because WW has done a good job of targeting splatbooks. Armory is one of my favorites.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 10:14 PM
Erm....you CAN play with just the core book. The system is set up to be modular...each "monster" book runs off the same mechanics...which are in the main book.

On the other hand, once you have those two books, you can play to your hearts content and never buy another book. You probably *will*, because WW has done a good job of targeting splatbooks. Armory is one of my favorites.

what can you do with just the core book? IS it just the rules and you just add the other books to it, or can it work on its own?
from
EE

Krrth
2008-10-17, 10:15 PM
The core book has all the basic rules. However, if you just use that, you're a vanilla mortal. No powers, no nothing. It does have merits, skills, equipment, and character generation.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 10:16 PM
not even monsters for the basic mortal to fight?

What monster do you prefer? I kinda like the fey
from
EE

TRM
2008-10-17, 10:22 PM
Dark Heresy. It isn't quite fantasy (it's set in the Warhammer 40k universe, you play as inquisitors working for the holy emperor); but the system looks good from what of it I've read (I have the book, but have yet to play). It's d% and very gritty, highly lethal, with lots of room for gore—or pretty much what you'd expect from a Warhammer 40,000 game.

I second Mutants and Masterminds, and will also throw Big Eyes Small Mouth into the ring for consideration. BESM is Tri Stat (I think—again, I've read it some but haven't played; and when reading through a book I usually skip the core mechanics) with an emphasis on playing like an anime; which isn't traditional fantasy, but it's a different system and good fun.

@the FATAL poster:

A review (http://atrocities.primaryerror.net/fatal.html)
And the rebuttal (http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/FATALReviewRebuttal) provided by the author of FATAL.

enjoy.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 10:26 PM
meh, i know DH is a good system, but just not up my alley, i don't like tech/magic mixes like that very much
from
EE

Draco Dracul
2008-10-17, 10:27 PM
Mutants and Masterminds 2e, open ended character building, enough skills, feats, and powers to support virtually any character consept you can imagine. It is a heavly moddified d20 system and only requries one book to play.

I should tell you that Mutants and Masterminds has no base setting. Also, it has little in the way of hard fluff (partly because it is a classless system), but it has many example characters and examples of different thing you can do with the various powers as well as segestions for a few different campain styles.

TRM
2008-10-17, 10:28 PM
meh, i know DH is a good system, but just not up my alley, i don't like tech/magic mixes like that very much
from
EE
Yeah, that's the impression I got from your earlier post; I just wanted to throw it out there in case you didn't know about it and wanted to change your mind.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 10:29 PM
M&M is a good system, but i've already played it and i have friends who have the books, i really just want to try some new take on the whole traditional fantasy genre sort of thing
from
EE

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 10:30 PM
Yeah, that's the impression I got from your earlier post; I just wanted to throw it out there in case you didn't know about it and wanted to change your mind.

No, i've seen it in the store and my friends play warhammer, so i know its a good game in its own right, thanks for mentioning it through
from
EE

Krrth
2008-10-17, 10:43 PM
They give some basic monsters, but they don't use the same rules at the other books. It's basically a make it up as you go.


It's a tossup between mage and changeling. Both are fun. Changeling has a much different feel. If you want real fantasy, that's the way to go.

Vikazc
2008-10-17, 10:48 PM
Im a big fan of the Rifts system, but it uses a great many books, though only the core book is considered necessary. It takes a special kind of player though.

Someone mentioned shadow run, which while good, I prefer Cyber Punk, which is a similar but non-magic game. Just my 2 pence

elliott20
2008-10-17, 10:48 PM
I'm not as familiar with games with built in fantasy settings so my suggestions are probably not the best. In my experience though, the fate system 2.0 (book is free online) is pretty numbers light. The system has mechanics that encourages a lot of narrative focus.

If you're not too stuck on the fantasy genre, you can try their 3.0 version of the game, spirits of the century, a pulp 30's style game where you play characters like Indiana Jones or the Shadow or such. Or, if you're into Sci-Fi, Starblazer is the sci-fi equivalent for the Fate 3.0 system. Plus, the system is light enough you can mod it easily to fit into just about any genre you want. I've used it to run my own kungfu game, a cyberpunk game, and a samurai game. (my cyberpunk game actually incorporated all three elements) If you're not quite sure, the Spirits of the Century book is also available online for free. note that you only need one book to get a game going for any of these.

I also have played the Burning Wheel system, which is a little easier than 3.5 but is far more focused on social mechanics than anything else and it does a wonderful job. So, if you're into games that has fairly intricate social mechanics, Burning Wheel is your game.

For Burning Wheel, there are three games that come to mind. There's the standard Burning Wheel, which is their generic fantasy game. There's Burning Empires, an epic sci-fi game where you struggle against not just your fellow human, but also an alien race that threatens to destroy humanity. (Chokeful of flavor, that one) There's also Mountain Witch, which is a Japanese samurai style game using the BW system. Also good stuff.

I've also played a bunch of other games but I think most of those are too indy for most people here.

Lord Tataraus
2008-10-17, 11:05 PM
what can you do with just the core book? IS it just the rules and you just add the other books to it, or can it work on its own?
from
EE

THe core book has everything you need for the basic Human mortal and it has rules for the most basic ghost/spirit antagonists in addition to Human antagonists. For some people I guess it works, but it is truly just a very solid foundation and nothing much beyond that. However, any one monster book is more than enough for tons of varying campaigns with the vasts amount of customization available. I run games with only the core and the monster in question and nothing else and it works out great.

As for which monster book to go with, I'll give you a bit of a review of each. First a complete list:

Vampire: The Requiem
Werewolf: The Forsaken
Mage: The Awakening
Changeling: The Lost
Promethean: The Created
Hunter: The Vigil


Vampire is the most well known of the series and one which I have and enjoy. I like it, but its not my favorite, mostly because its just not right for my group. Vampire games are usually political intrigue though you can play other styles, the fluff leads more to political intrigue than any other style. Really, there isn't much to say about it, its basically what you expect from Vampires, political manipulating creatures of the night with mystical powers to beef them up even more. Personally, I use it more for NPCs and villians than anything else.

Werewolf is one that everyone gets caught off guard with. The first step is think of everything you know about Werewolves...got it? Ok, now forget everything except the significance of silver and their savagery. Werewolves are not human with some virus, that's Vampires. Werewolves are born, not made. I like this system the most aside from Hunter because they are the most combat oriented and they offer a very wide variety of plot hooks because they mess around with the spirit world and the material world. This is definitely one system I suggest and I think the fluff is very well done, though a lot of people do get a bit turned off because it is so different from traditional Werewolves.

Mage is the most complicated of the main series, magic is more balanced than in OWoD, but its still very complicated and confusing. This is also the most controversial fluff-wise between OWoD and NWoD, a lot of people don't like the new fluff. As for the system itself, it is very good, but is a lot to swallow. I don't have much experience with it so that's all I can really say.

Changeling is one of the more popular secondary series and one you might be more interested in. Changeling's premise is basically that the players are people who were stolen from their lives and replaced by a fetch (fae who look and act like you, living your life) while you were trapped in the fae-world (can't remember the name at the moment). You have recently gotten back and are without a normal life, and to make matters worse, you aren't truly human anymore, but rather have become a type of fae. So you fae powers and can go between the material and fae worlds and try to take your life back as the fae try to control you.

Promethean is a really interesting game where the players are basically golems built from corpses, think the Frankenstein monster. Actually, the Frankenstein monster is one of the types of Promethean (there are 5 I think). The basic premise is that you are trying to live normal lives, but there are a large number of drawbacks not least of which is the fact that staying in one place for too long literally destroys the surrounding area (the Sahara desert was presumably created by a Promethean trapped in a tomb for 5,000 years). I haven't played, but it is pretty interesting.

Hunter is, as I mentioned before, my favorite series. There are two reasons for this, firstly Hunter is the best introduction into the World of Darkness because the whole point is the players are regular Humans who have discovered they are not alone and they are trying to fight back, but in the mean time they are learning about the real world around them. My current group has never played WoD before and they are basically learning the world with their characters. The second reason I like it so much is that it makes mortal humans viable by giving them Endowments - artifacts, holy powers, technology, among other things to give a bit of an edge, but most importantly tactics. Tactics are the only thing that really gives the Hunters a second chance, normally they wouldn't last a minute against any of the creatures of the darkness, so the Hunters need to have tactics as players and the mechanical tactics of actual maneuvers to earn their way and they truly feel like they earned it.

Well, there are my reviews, I hope they help.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 11:10 PM
thanks a lot, that explains a lot about the game. I think i'll either get changling or hunter, thanks for making that clear. I saw a roman game with vampires, is that OWoD or NWoD?
from
EE

Krrth
2008-10-17, 11:13 PM
thanks a lot, that explains a lot about the game. I think i'll either get changling or hunter, thanks for making that clear. I saw a roman game with vampires, is that OWoD or NWoD?
from
EE
Could be either. Did it say Requiem(NWoD) Masquerade (OWoD)?


Edit: If you want fantasy, go Changeling.

Neon Knight
2008-10-17, 11:14 PM
Savage Worlds? More info here. (http://www.peginc.com/)

It's a flexible, fun, rules light system that you can use for a variety of play styles.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 11:14 PM
Could be either. Did it say Requiem(NWoD) Masquerade (OWoD)?


Edit: If you want fantasy, go Changeling.

I don't know, i'll have to check. there are two roman vampire books?

yeah i think i'll go changeling
from
EE

Krrth
2008-10-17, 11:18 PM
With all the various splatbooks? Yes, yes there are. Did it happen to say Dark Ages?

Actually, was it this?http://secure1.white-wolf.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=902

kbk
2008-10-17, 11:25 PM
Well, lets see:

Someone's already drawn your attention to White Wolf. They do quality stuff and have awesome fluff. They develop their setting and story first, and have straightforward rules for it. Still, as someone who played OWOD I've found the transition to the new series difficult. If you really do want to get the setting stuff for OWoD, get it in the cheap and used. In NWoD you have a lot of options: the savage werewolves, the damned Vampires, the transcendent mages, and I'm sure there are some more.

Call of Cthulu is classic. Rules are simple, and the setting is king. It's all about horror and insanity. Very intense roleplaying with very graphic and fun violence.

Lastly, I love Savage Worlds: Deadlands. I am original Deadlands player, but I have to admit they really streamlined the world with the Savage Worlds aspect. Its horror + western. There are Hucksters who are like mages, except they get their magic by playing a game of poker with a demon and betting portions of their souls. Mad Scientists who use demonic Ghost Rock (Coal that screams when you burn it!) for their contraptions, and native shaman who champion true spirits.

EvilElitest
2008-10-17, 11:25 PM
With all the various splatbooks? Yes, yes there are. Did it happen to say Dark Ages?

Actually, was it this?http://secure1.white-wolf.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=902

oh yes, thanks
from
EE

Krrth
2008-10-17, 11:27 PM
That means it's Requiem. Incidentally, make sure to check out the WW site. It breaks down the books by creature line. Makes it easier to figure out what you want.

horseboy
2008-10-18, 12:23 AM
And what is EarthDawn, does anybody know?
from
EEOh yeah, I know, course I'm a FASA fanboy.
For starters you can't buy ED at B&N. Hard copy is only available through Lulu.com.
Here's the pug (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0YBOYyK1Cc) review.
Here's their Free stuff (http://www.earthdawn.com/index.php?categoryid=19&p13_sectionid=4) section. Kaer Tardium is a beginning level introductory type adventure. It's a little bit combat heavy, but a good introduction.
Earthdawn has the greatest race in any RPG, the t'skrang. :smallcool: (See avatar)
The setting is great. It actually makes sense. Though FASA always did REALLY well with settings.
mechanics wise, it's a hybrid class-classless system. It know I know, but it works. You increase levels (or circles as they call it) by increasing the talents involving your discipline (Class). So in that way it's kinda like Elder Scrolls. You're free to invest in skills not relating to your discipline, they just don't count twords advancement.
Typical ED character I used in a pbp:

Kit'et'eretck Vastral Jiltra Sesslakai
K'stulaami Tail Dancer Circle: 4
Height: 5'11" Weight: 190 Age: 20 Eyes: blue

Physical Description: Thin build, Single Crested. His main coloration is a Russet reddish-gold with sky blue spots.

DEX: 16 7/d12 * Defenses: Armour: Weight Movement:
STR: 16 7/d12 * Physical: 9 Physical: 6 Lift : 160 Combat: 32
TOU: 15 6/d10 Spell: 9 Mystic: 5 Carry: 320 Full: 64
PER: 11 5/d8 Socal: 11
WIL: 10 5/d8 Unconscious: 54 Death: 66 Wound: 10
CHA: 16 7/d12 * Initiative: 5/d8 Blood: 4

Racial: Karma: Current: 25 Max 25 Dice: d6
Tail Attack d12

Circle 1
Acrobatic Strike: Disc 4/7/11 d10+d8 Strain: 1
Karma Ritual: 4
Melee Weapon: Disc Action 4/7/11 d10+d8
Gliding: Disc 4/7/11 d10+d8
Unarmed Combat: Disc Action 4/7/11 d10+d8
Avoid Blow: 4/7/11 d10+d8 Strain: 1
Circle 2
Durability: 4
Maneuver: Action 4/7/11 d1+d8
Taunt 4/7/11 d10+d8
Circle 3
Tail Dance: Disc 4/7/11 d10+d8 Strain: 1
Air Dance: 4/7/9 d8+d6 Strain: 1
Circle 4
Tail Weaving: Disc 4/7/11 d10+d8
Winning Smile 4/7/11 d10+d8

Skills:
Botany: 1/5/6 d10
Climbing: 2/7/9 d8+d6
Etiquette: 2/7/9 d8+d6
Flirting: 2/7/9 d8+d6
Flower Arrangement 3/7/10 d10+d6 (Artisan)
Politics: 1/5/6 d10
Read/Write Language: 1/5/6 d10 (Thoralic)
Speak Language: 3/5/9 d8+d6 (Thoralic, T'skrang, K'stulaami)
Swimming: 1/7/8 2d6
Conversation: 1/7/8 2d6

Gear:

Weapons:
Dagger: 2d6 Ch'tard Blade: d10+d8 Flowing Blade: d12+d8

Thread Item:
Ring Rank 4 +2 Spell Defense, +2 Social Defense

Armour:
Blood Pebble (Purple)
Ferndask

Gear:
Back pack, Bedroll of Comfort, Flint & Steel, Torch, Waterskin, Large Sack, Traveler's Garb, Wealthy Traveler's Garb, Trail Rations 1 week, Climbing Kit, Firefly Chalk (x5), Lantern Light Quartz, Tent, Whetstone, Artisan Tools
LP: 210
LP Total: 20000
Silver 16 Copper 8
Kit’et’eretck:
“The river loves you”. Jiltra was a child of an especially infertile couple. They sought to invoke the river in an effort to have a hatchling. Unfortunately it wasn’t the river that answered. It is a bitter irony.

Vestral:
A niall known for their novelties.

Jiltra:
“Time quickly” or “Lightly” implying an ability to float away.

Sesslakai
“House of the Spirit Wind” his aropagoi

Jiltra was born in a small town on the shores of Lake Ban. He hatched on 5/22 1496TH

His chaida was a farmer who grew several of the vines and reeds for the rest of the niall. He taught young Jiltra about many of the different plants in the area, as well as how to grow and care for them.

During his kaissa it was seen by a riverboat captain from V’strimon. Luckily she knew of the k’stulaami and the great house of Sesslakai. She agreed to take Jiltra for a khamorro. After his time of deck scrubbing he was deposited to the Sesslakai. He enjoyed his home. They were happy to have him. They taught him how to control his gliding and his discipline. He was groomed to become a “Deathwing”, a herald to announce to the world of the existence of Sesslakai and a home available to the k’stulaami.

Jik’harra: He is worried that he won’t be able to every make it back home.

Kiatsu: To conquer his Jik’harra he will stay away from home as long as he can.

P’skarrot: He has taken a lot of gear to try and be ready for whatever he could think of. He also tackles every quest with relish and zeal.

Kyaapas: He as taken the command of this Shivalahala to leave his home as his kyaapas. He’s not particularly happy with having to leave, but it is the will of the Shivalahala that he does this. Still, he is enjoying meeting new people and has established contact with a few new villages, making it all worth while.

Triumphs of note:
He aided in the repelling of a Theran vidette attempting to make slaves of his new family.
He helped kill a wyvern that had come into the area.
Came to the aid of a young k’stulaami who had been branded as “horror tainted” because of his k’stulaa.
Was a part of an honour guard for dignitaries from Sesslakai to V’strimon and didn’t make a fool of himself.
He removed a harpy pack from the area.
Established contact with a group of Pale Ones in the mountains.

Satyr
2008-10-18, 04:40 AM
Things that weren't m entioned here but are worth a look:

Pendragon. A game of Arthurian knights, chivalry and adventure. It is quite limited in its focus (you play a knight, most of the time, and other characters are less important and not really commendable), but within its focus, it works very well. It has one of the more intersting alignment systems, where every character 13 complementary personality traits such as Chaste/Lustful, Forgiving/Vengeful and Temperate/Indulgent that defnie the character and his knightly virtuses.
The other more interesting trait of the game is, that if you play a full campaing from the very beginnings under King Uther until the death of Artus, you will probably play more than one character and eventually found your own dynasty, collecting fame and fiefdoms and play the heir of your original character.
And if you buy it, get Bernard Cornwell's Warlord trilogy as well. One of he best renarration of the tale of Arthur I know and a great inspiration for the game.

Harnmaster Harnmaster is probably the grittiest Fantasy game around and it is mean. In this game, every single combat can cripple you or kill you, if you are stupid or badly equipped or just unlucky. It is actually quite difficult to die, but easy to be clobbered into a state of helplessness, while you are slowly bleeding to death.
I love this game - in small doses. It is one of the more realistic Fantasy games around (not realsitic in the sense of "there is no magic" but in the sense of " if it works in the real world in a certain way, it will work very likely the same way in Harn") and has a nice background overall. And one of the strangest Orks I have ever seen in a game (they are humanoid marsupials that live in states like bees).

The Shadow of Yesterday. A storyteller game. More interesting for people who are moe interested in the personification and acting of their characters and the development of plots than in beating a lot of helpless monsters into oblivion. It has also a very mysterious background with traditional fantasy mixed in, but with an own twist to it. The game as a whole is more focused on the narrative than the mechanical solution of problems.

If you are looking for a D20 game, try:
Midnight Midnight is mostly like D&D, but with certain differences - the magic works very different, the characters have an additional set of abilites they gain per level (the so called heroic paths) which gives the game a feeling of Gestalt light (without the cheese and the abuse) and magic items are rarer and therefore mjuch more interesting and defining for the character.
The setting is similar to the Lord of the Rings but with enough own ideas to not look like a complete rip-off. And the Dark Lord has won. There was the Final Battle, and the good guys were shattered. Now, the armies of the Dark Lord (called the Shadow, nnot very imaginative, I know) have occupied the land, subjugated the humans, enslaved the halflings, laid siege on the remaining dwarfs and elves and turned the gnomes into treacherous collaborateurs.
It is both an intersting subversion of the more regular D&D, and a fascinating setting.

Off topic:

FASA always did REALLY well with settings.

With the exception of those games where they forgot the research, like the time when they made Henry Ford the inventor of the car...

Kurald Galain
2008-10-18, 05:01 AM
damn i wish i had more money, two books just to play?

Well, if that bothers you, note that all the OWOD systems require just a single book to play.

Also, if you haven't already, try Paranoia. It's awesome.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-18, 12:32 PM
Vampire: The Requiem
Werewolf: The Forsaken
Mage: The Awakening
Changeling: The Lost
Promethean: The Created
Hunter: The Vigil


You forgot Ghost Stories, which appears to be setting a foundation for a Wraith rewrite.

(Wraith: The Great War is my favorite oWoD setting EVAR.)

EvilElitest
2008-10-18, 08:54 PM
Things that weren't m entioned here but are worth a look:

Pendragon. A game of Arthurian knights, chivalry and adventure. It is quite limited in its focus (you play a knight, most of the time, and other characters are less important and not really commendable), but within its focus, it works very well. It has one of the more intersting alignment systems, where every character 13 complementary personality traits such as Chaste/Lustful, Forgiving/Vengeful and Temperate/Indulgent that defnie the character and his knightly virtuses.
The other more interesting trait of the game is, that if you play a full campaing from the very beginnings under King Uther until the death of Artus, you will probably play more than one character and eventually found your own dynasty, collecting fame and fiefdoms and play the heir of your original character.
And if you buy it, get Bernard Cornwell's Warlord trilogy as well. One of he best renarration of the tale of Arthur I know and a great inspiration for the game.

Harnmaster Harnmaster is probably the grittiest Fantasy game around and it is mean. In this game, every single combat can cripple you or kill you, if you are stupid or badly equipped or just unlucky. It is actually quite difficult to die, but easy to be clobbered into a state of helplessness, while you are slowly bleeding to death.
I love this game - in small doses. It is one of the more realistic Fantasy games around (not realsitic in the sense of "there is no magic" but in the sense of " if it works in the real world in a certain way, it will work very likely the same way in Harn") and has a nice background overall. And one of the strangest Orks I have ever seen in a game (they are humanoid marsupials that live in states like bees).

The Shadow of Yesterday. A storyteller game. More interesting for people who are moe interested in the personification and acting of their characters and the development of plots than in beating a lot of helpless monsters into oblivion. It has also a very mysterious background with traditional fantasy mixed in, but with an own twist to it. The game as a whole is more focused on the narrative than the mechanical solution of problems.

If you are looking for a D20 game, try:
Midnight Midnight is mostly like D&D, but with certain differences - the magic works very different, the characters have an additional set of abilites they gain per level (the so called heroic paths) which gives the game a feeling of Gestalt light (without the cheese and the abuse) and magic items are rarer and therefore mjuch more interesting and defining for the character.
The setting is similar to the Lord of the Rings but with enough own ideas to not look like a complete rip-off. And the Dark Lord has won. There was the Final Battle, and the good guys were shattered. Now, the armies of the Dark Lord (called the Shadow, nnot very imaginative, I know) have occupied the land, subjugated the humans, enslaved the halflings, laid siege on the remaining dwarfs and elves and turned the gnomes into treacherous collaborateurs.
It is both an intersting subversion of the more regular D&D, and a fascinating setting.

Off topic:


With the exception of those games where they forgot the research, like the time when they made Henry Ford the inventor of the car...

hey thanks a lot, i love midnight and i like your descriptions a lot thanks
i like the king author one and the girtty one
from
EE