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Nostri
2008-11-03, 04:39 PM
So, I want to play/run a D&D type game (so mid to high medieval fantasy and with high adventure elements thrown in) but I don't want to use d20. Actually I don't want to use any version of D&D (but that's a rant for elsewhere). I've been perusing a copy of Mongoose's Runequest and that looks good but I was wondering if anyone else played something other games that they'd be willing to suggest to me. Thanks in advance all.
~Nostri

kc0bbq
2008-11-03, 04:48 PM
So, I want to play/run a D&D type game (so mid to high medieval fantasy and with high adventure elements thrown in) but I don't want to use d20. Actually I don't want to use any version of D&D (but that's a rant for elsewhere). I've been perusing a copy of Mongoose's Runequest and that looks good but I was wondering if anyone else played something other games that they'd be willing to suggest to me. Thanks in advance all.
~Nostri
How gritty or rules intensive do you want it to be? How much of the fluff will be generated by you? If you want it narrowed down you'll need more info than just not-D&D/not d20. There's actually a lot of systems that work well, but a little more is needed to nail down *good* suggestions.

For short games I like to strip out the fluff from Over the Edge. I've used it for many genres from 30s pulp. It's not very intrusive and rules light. I've seen Godlike's one roll system used in much the same way. Going farther down that area, Amber Diceless works wonders for a minimal rules system. To the other end are Earthdawn, GURPS, and anything Rolemaster in terms of increasingly rules heavy.

You have a little more freedom if you're willing to generate your own fluff, though.

Kantur
2008-11-03, 04:58 PM
I'd also like to add HARP (High Adventure Role Playing) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Adventure_Role_Playing) to that list.

I can't comment much on it, having only played a one-shot adventure and not owning the book, but I definetly enjoyed the game. I'm sure there'll be posters here with more experience of it if you have questions that the wiki artical doesn't answer, or in general. It also seems to be reasonably cheap on amazon.

Nostri
2008-11-03, 05:06 PM
Ah okay, this should take the vagueness down some. I'm planning on making most all of the fluff myself but if there is fluff built into the rules or some tidbits I like I'll steal them. As for how rules intensive I'm looking for something with about the same coverage as d20. Hope that helps.
~Nostri

Beleriphon
2008-11-03, 05:14 PM
Ah okay, this should take the vagueness down some. I'm planning on making most all of the fluff myself but if there is fluff built into the rules or some tidbits I like I'll steal them. As for how rules intensive I'm looking for something with about the same coverage as d20. Hope that helps.
~Nostri

Mutants and Masterminds Second Edition. Its based on the normal d20 system, but it deviates enough that it doesn't feel the same in play, but is similar enough to make learning easy.

Admittedly its a superhero RPG, but due to its point based construction you can use if for anything you like really. If you check the Atomic Think Tank you can see many, many fantasy builds.

Matthew
2008-11-03, 05:15 PM
You have probably made a good choice with RuneQuest; if you wanted heavier than D20/3e I would have said RoleMaster, HarnMaster, or GURPS. If you wanted something lighter, I would have said something like Savage Worlds or maybe even Ars Magica, but the latter is fairly setting dependent. Alternatives include Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, True20, and maybe A Song of Ice and Fire or CastleMourn.

Hal
2008-11-03, 05:29 PM
I've enjoyed Savage Worlds. Even gives you a reason to break out that lonely d12.

Satyr
2008-11-03, 05:58 PM
Gurps would be onme option, especially if you use the Dungeon Fantasy expansion. Dungeon Fantasy is mostly based on D&D, but uses the Gurps Rules and makes character creation much faster than normal, if you want to.
If you are looking for the game to replace all other games, Gurps is worth a try, but it is not for everyone - the game is based on the idea that people don't need too many regulations and can think for themselves and offfers tons of options. It is up to the Gamemaster or the group to fiilter them, and the almost excessive supply with options, fine adjustments and gaming styles can be a bit overwhelming.

All Flesh Must Be Eaten + Dungeons and Zombies: All Flesh Must Be Eaten and the other Unisystem games are something like the product of a romantic night between Gurps and D20... it is a very solid system with similar (but not nearly) the flexibility of Gurps. And Undeads en masse. Not only Zombies, but almost anything undead can appear in a game and the very flexible zombie creation kit allows you to build as many monsters as you want.
All Flesh Must be eaten is similarly flexible as Gurps, but does not include the same sheer mass of options. It is therefore easier for new players but does not offer the same amount of freedom and personal adjustments. It is still a very well-made game and in the Fantasy set-up a complete valid replacement of D&D for grittier settings. I made conversions for Midnight and Dark Sun into AFMBE, and I believe that the system is much better suited for the settings and works equally better than the original D20 rules.

Pendragon is a fantastic games based on the Arthurian Tales. iT is a game with a strong focus on chivalry and most of the PC's are probably knights. The game has a nice approach to character traits and morals in the game and if you paly the full campaign (from the reign of King Uther up to the death of Artus), you will probably finish the campaign with other characters than you started; while your original knights founded a dynasty and rose in rank, you can olay his heir later in the game.
Pendragon is a very specific game with a narrow focus on being a knight, doing heroic stuff, beating the Saxon invadors back into the sea, etc. Withn its focus, the game works extraordinarily well, so if you are interested in a game of high chivalry, courtly love and Arthurian mythology, I can really recommend it.

Harnmaster is probably the grittiest fantasy game around. The world of the game seem only to consist of mud and blood and combats are deadly realistically, up to the point were it becomes hard to die directly from injuries while you slowly bleed to death. With the right group, this is a very mature game with intriguing fights where everay roll will contribute to the suspense - in a not so well suited group it can easily become a slgihtly sadistic about slicing people (and amputating their genitalia, which is probably impossible in any other game).

LibraryOgre
2008-11-03, 06:20 PM
Palladium Fantasy Role-playing Game. Solid rules-set that takes adaptation well.

Tsotha-lanti
2008-11-03, 06:23 PM
RuneQuest is great. (Don't listen to grognards who tell different. After 15 years of kitbashing my game, I'm happy to have supplements again, even if I don't run Second Age.) Just be sure to get the revised edition (the free SRD is) or the .pdf update for the core book, because the core resolution mechanic got a needed overhaul.

Unisystem is great; WitchCraft is a free example of it. It can work for just about any sort of game.

Pendragon rocks, too - it's a very unique game, since you're supposed to play more than one generation of heroes. The mechanics are cool, and I love the ability to use passions and personality traits for task resolution.

Knaight
2008-11-03, 06:47 PM
Fudge. Hack n' Slash and Over the Edge were both made with it and work fairly well for fantasy, or you just use normal rules, cinematic it up, and swipe one of the magic systems. Personally I use modified four by five(online) for magic, simultaneous combat for combat, the standard wound track, and five point for character creation. Its like Gurps in that it offers a huge amount of options(damage alone: hit point, wound track, wound overflow, mid min max, toughness save, and various hybridizations.), and expects you to choose the ones you like, it just rules light. The basic rules are free online, and there is just a huge amount of stuff for it (Fudge draws tinkerers to a ridiculous extent.)
Its right here: www.fudgerpg.com

kbk
2008-11-03, 08:59 PM
Okay, you don't want to use any version of DnD? Does that mean you don't want to use open source materials, or similar rules? That would exclude say Sword and Sorcery.


Savage Worlds can provide a fantasy game. I have a number of supplements form Pinnacle that have gear and monsters and other things that would fit the system. Its an open system w/o classes that involves both cards and dice to play.

Tyrrell
2008-11-04, 10:38 AM
For the same coverage as D&D I'd choose Hero system with its Fantasy suppliment because you can design anything with it and do it in a way that seems sensible to me. So if you like to tweak the capabilities of your NPCs, PCs and setting with flexibility and precision Hero System is a good choice.

A game I played a demo of once and was fantastically impressed with is Riddle of Steel. The system encourages players to get in to their roles better than any other system I've played (which is lots, including Burning wheel a game often given the same accolage). Characters have a set of attributes to define what is important to them, such as bravery, loyalty to the king, hate for their rival and so on. When a character takes an action designed to further one of their traits they get a bonus to the roll, also working to embody these traits is the only way that characters can advance. So if you want a system to push the personality traists and view points of the characters then Riddle of Steel is a good choice (it also has the best melee combat system ever).

My favorite game ever is Ars Magica it is very capabe of doing high fantasy. However it is a game about wizards who gain power through hard work and study. Characters do not advance by adventuring they advance by reading, crafting, and performing experiements on the material gained through their adventures. This means that charactrer advancement happens ove rthe course of in-game years and you can't run a story that only lasts one or two years and include any significant character "leveling". The game is set within a mythical analoge of medival Europe moving it to a differnet setting would be somewhat challenging if that setting did not include an analoge of the medieval christian church. On the other hand it has the best magic system ever. So if you're ok with having a story that plays out over decades, wizard charcters that are more powerful than other characters, and a setting that has a strong monotheistic aspect, then ars magica would be a good choice because it has the best magic system and in many ways the most fun advancement system ever.

Raum
2008-11-04, 11:09 AM
So, I want to play/run a D&D type game (so mid to high medieval fantasy and with high adventure elements thrown in) but I don't want to use d20. Actually I don't want to use any version of D&D (but that's a rant for elsewhere). I've been perusing a copy of Mongoose's Runequest and that looks good but I was wondering if anyone else played something other games that they'd be willing to suggest to me. Thanks in advance all.
~NostriWhat are you looking for in a game? What style of play do you prefer? Are there any particular facets of the game you want to ensure are supported?


Ah okay, this should take the vagueness down some. I'm planning on making most all of the fluff myself but if there is fluff built into the rules or some tidbits I like I'll steal them. As for how rules intensive I'm looking for something with about the same coverage as d20. Hope that helps.
~NostriSounds like you want a system without the setting, that's easy with some systems but may require work with others.

Here are a couple systems to consider:
- Savage Worlds (http://peginc.com/downloads.html) is a pulp / heroic style system (takes some tweaking to do gritty) which plays very quickly compared to D&D 3.x. It's fairly balanced and allows for socially oriented characters to affect combat. It also has a lot of conversion support (http://savageheroes.com/conversions.htm), including 'Dungeons & Savages' for D&D style games. It doesn't have the quantity of spells D&D does nor will casters have access to as many spells as a D&D wizard. It's also a classless system with characters' abilities based primarily on the edges (think feats) they choose.

- True20 (http://true20.com/) is an obvious derivative of d20 but still worth mentioning because it plays very differently. It's grittier (no hit points, you make a Toughness save against damage), has fewer but more flexible spells (each is a feat, characters get one feat per level), and only has three classes. The only die used is a d20.

- Unisystem uses hit points but they're derived from physical attributes so seldom advance. It does have classes but doesn't have levels. Witchcraft (http://www.edenstudios.net/witchcraft/index.html) (intended for modern supernatural / horror) is freely available from Eden Studios.

All three of the systems are generally considered medium crunch and some what lighter than D&D 3.x. Hope that helps.