I need a new game system

[nysisobli]

I have been playing 3rd edition, for going on 6 years. I am starting to get a little bored with it, as it just ends up being the same thing, no matter what character i play, or group i play with. Any suggestions on a game i might like?

[kamikasei]

What do or don't you like?

Mutants and Masterminds is a good system.

You might also consider 4e, AD&D, OD&D, Exalted, nWoD, oWoD, FUDGE, FATE, SotC, GURPS, RIFTS, World of Synnibar, FATAL...

We kind of need more information to go on here.

[AstralFire]

Going out of d20 bounds:
Exalted
Savage Worlds
GURPS
Spirit of the Century
Burning Wheel
Anima
Old and New World of Darkness

are all games I've heard often praised

Staying within d20:
Mutants and Masterminds
Star Wars Saga

have some familiar rules to D&D 3 players while still providing a bit of a change in tone and balance.

And there's of course the option of older/newer editions of D&D.

[Lysander]

Try Risus. Very fun game with light rules. Almost a "making the rules up as you go along" sort of experience that lets you play any class or person you could conceivably imagine.

Plus, it's FREE! http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/risus.htm

[Kylarra]

What do or don't you like?

Mutants and Masterminds is a good system.

You might also consider 4e, AD&D, OD&D, Exalted, nWoD, oWoD, FUDGE, FATE, SotC, GURPS, RIFTS, World of Synnibar, FATAL...

We kind of need more information to go on here.

Hah.


I'd suggest Paranoia for good fun times.

[Krrth]

There's also the HERO system, Dark Heresy, and any number of others. It really depends on what you are looking for.

[The Demented One]

I'm going to throw in Exalted, which is what I switched over to when I hit a 3.5 rut. There's also Weapons of the Gods, an awesomely over-the-top kung fu game set in a mythic version of Ancient China, Unknown Armies, a modern occult game that beats out all competition, and REIGN, which follows the same set of essential fantasy tropes as D&D but with a fresh setting and an elegant core mechanic. Then there's Sea Dracula, where the players are talking animal lawyers who resolve cases via dancing. Real life dancing.

[Kurald Galain]

I'd suggest Paranoia for good fun times.

Absolutely!

Also, Werewolf, Exalted, and Call of Ctulhu.

[NPCMook]

What do or don't you like?

Mutants and Masterminds is a good system.

You might also consider 4e, AD&D, OD&D, Exalted, nWoD, oWoD, FUDGE, FATE, SotC, GURPS, RIFTS, World of Synnibar, FATAL...

We kind of need more information to go on here.

-THE **** IS WRONG WITH YOU SUGGESTING FATAL!?

Everything else though is okay... I'll add in Shadowrun, SWSE, Traveller, CthulhuTech...

Seriously... I'm disappointed in you suggesting that... you need to make amends.

Edit: I'll just leave this little gem here

[technophile]

Deadlands (classic or d20) is a great time, loads of atmosphere. Hard to find anyone else to play with, although if you already have a local group you could try it with them.

[AstralFire]

He suggested RIFTS and Synnibar. Pretty sure he was joking by the end of that.

Whereas you suggested a system where you can die in character creation and I'm not sure if you were joking.

[NPCMook]

I meant Mongoose Publishings recent edition, no longer can characters die at creation... However they can be horribly mamed...

To be honest I like Traveller soley for the character creation aspect its so interesting and random

[kamikasei]

-THE **** IS WRONG WITH YOU SUGGESTING FATAL!?

*shrug*

It's conceivable the OP would find it to his liking. That's how little information about his tastes we have to work with.

[Swok]

Since we have little to go on, I'm going to second Mutants and Masterminds. It's deceptively flexible, and I personally vastly prefer it to GURPS.

[Fax Celestis]

Everway. <_<

[lesser_minion]

Well, you could look into True20, Exalted and Ars Magica - they all do something at least somewhat different to 3rd edition. Oh, and WitchCraft.

[Jack_Banzai]

Everway. <_<

There's a blast from the past!

Ummm, my group flits between 4e, SW Saga, and Dark Heresy, and we really couldn't be happier. We'll also be playing the new Shadowrun 20th Anniversary edition. They really cleaned up the book, reorganized and much less annoying than the 4th edition core book.

[kc0bbq]

Og: The Roleplaying Game.

The only problem is you pretty much have to be a Thinking Caveman if you're playing solo.

[Doc Roc]

How about the ever excellent Savage Worlds? Core book is cheap, game is elegant, your local hobby shop can order it.

[Tyrrell]

If you just ask for a suggestion of a game you might like, then everyone is only going to shill their favorite game. Give us a little more to work with. What do you want to see your characters do? What don't you like about D&D?

But as far as shilling my favorite game: Ars Magica is by far the greatest game ever conceived by humankind. You owe it to yourself to pick up a half dozen copies.

[Renegade Paladin]

I like the Epic RPG system, myself. It's not very widespread, but it's very well put together.

[Gourtox]

Sta Wars Saga Edition. That's the only one I play so Ii can't say anything else, but SAGA is very fun.

[Artanis]

I'm going to suggest BESM, simply because it hasn't been mentioned yet.

[Zuki]

Whereas you suggested a system where you can die in character creation and I'm not sure if you were joking.

While that may be the thing Traveller is most known for, it's not actually all that likely. As I understand it, you create a Traveller character by going through a sort of lifepath sytem where they enter the empire's mandatory military service in some form or another, you gain a couple perks from it (a promotion, some new skills, wealth, social contacts, etc.) You have the option to retire more-or-less whenever you want and stop playing the chargen 'game,' or you can keep going until you've got a really badass 60-something year old retired Admiral as your PC.

I suspect death in PC creation is partially an artifact of keeping things from getting too silly, as the longer you keep rolling for toys, the more likely you are to 'die'.

Will update this post as soon as I can think of some cool RPGs that haven't alraedy been mentioned. Will second Burning Wheel, a lot of people that get burned out on DnD really like it. Will second Spirit of the Century, becuase I love it. Will mention Starblazer Adventures, because it's basically Spirit of the Century, but with IN SPAAAAAAAACE. Anima is cool if you've got the right kind of group or players. It's a bit hard to learn 'cause the book isn't well organized, but if you just want to be silly and pretend you're in a J-RPG video game, it's fun.

Mouse Guard is cool. Inspectres is like playing Ghost Busters as a franchise. All Flesh Must Be Eaten, Witchcraft, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG all use Unisystem as their base, which seems pretty flexible and cool. Dread is a horror RPG system that uses Jenga blocks to create tension at the table. Dogs In the Vineyard is a slick little indie RPG where you get to play travelling gunslingers in the West, travelling from town to down and meting out justice and law as you see fit.

I don't think I've seen anybody suggest Shadowrun yet. Or Earthdawn! Earthdawn's neat. It's a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting (with a fantasy-style apocalypse), that takes a lot of the classic Dungeons and Dragons tropes and turns them on their head or gives them really interesting reasons to exist. It also has Sky Pirate as a playable class. And swashbuckling dinosaurs, tiny flying pixes, honor-bound noble trolls, and giant rock men with communal memory as playable races along with humans, orks, dwarves, and elves. There's also a new game line coming out by the same people that's like Earthdawn, but with the setting tweaked and the mechanics presented in a 4th edition dungeons and dragons style. It's called...Age of Legends, I think?

[Dust]

If you like the d20 system, then I add my vote to look into Mutants and Masterminds. Strongly. d20 Call of Cthulhu is excellent as well, if you like the mechanics but just want a completely new change of pace.

And to stay the hell away from FATAL.

[Artanis]

Oh! I forgot Heavy Gear. Heavy Gear and Jovian Chronicles are great if you want vehicles of any sort, especially mecha.

[Doc Roc]

I don't think I've seen anybody suggest Shadowrun yet. Or Earthdawn! Earthdawn's neat. It's a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting (with a fantasy-style apocalypse), that takes a lot of the classic Dungeons and Dragons tropes and turns them on their head or gives them really interesting reasons to exist. It also has Sky Pirate as a playable class. And swashbuckling dinosaurs, tiny flying pixes, honor-bound noble trolls, and giant rock men with communal memory as playable races along with humans, orks, dwarves, and elves. There's also a new game line coming out by the same people that's like Earthdawn, but with the setting tweaked and the mechanics presented in a 4th edition dungeons and dragons style. It's called...Age of Legends, I think?

I... I thought only I remembered Earthdawn.
You know that Shadowrun and Earthdawn

Spoiler

Show

are in the same world, neh?

[Krrth]

I... I thought only I remembered Earthdawn.
You know that Shadowrun and Earthdawn

Spoiler

Show

are in the same world, neh?

Technically,

Spoiler

Show

So is Battletech.

Yes, I know it's an April Fool's joke. Still....

[erikun]

X-Crawl is an amusing diversion if you want to stick with the 3.5e rules but want to play something different. d20 Modern is a slightly cleaner (in my opinion) version of the same rules for 3.5e, and comes with its own free SRD online. Muntants and Masterminds is an excellent variation on the d20 system - players will be familiar with the stats and rules, but the system itself has been overhauled enough to give a LOT of different options.

World of Darkness is a decent core setting, and can be easily expanded upon with either the WoD additional books or books like Vampire and Werewolf. The "old" World of Darkness books didn't have one core rulebook; the books like Vampire: The Masquerade and Mage: The Ascension were designed to be played seperately. Most WoD tend to be grim horror, though, which may not be what you're looking for. For a similar system without the grimness, take a look at the Epic Wuxia Exalted or the Epic Modern Heric Fantasy Scion.

....I think that's a good start, at least until we hear back from the OP on his game preferences.

[Decoy Lockbox]

You could try Minimus for ultra rules-light or Riddle of Steel for a bit more heft. Or Mouse Guard...I heard it won a bunch of awards.