Any Rules-Heavy Systems Focusing on Tactics?

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

Right now, I'm looking for a deep, rules-heavy RPG system focusing on tactical combat with lots of character creation options and deeply strategic game-play for a mixed tech-level gladiator game I plan to run. Any suggestions?

[valadil]

Uh. GURPS. It's the most rules heavy game I've played. It does mixed tech. I'm not sure it's as strategic as you'd like, but that can probably be handled with optional rules.

[Knaight]

Burning Wheel or Riddle of Steel would both work. Of these, Burning Wheel is probably the better system, with the Fight! combat system being of incredibly high quality. It has a feel much closer to actual combat than D&D, and even a simple 1 on 1 duel involves heavy tactics.

[Kaervaslol]

FantasyCraft

Combat example: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?...0th-Level-Mage

[DukeofDellot]

I'd second GURPS... it's overwhelming at first as a GM, and oddly simple to play (if you have character templates set up), but when you get down to it, it can get rather tactical.

Targeting and wounding limbs is built into the core, for example. There's good reason to go into defensive (When you get hurt, you're off balance and probably won't hit them until you regain stance. If you're opponent has a gun, you'll want a wall between you and him.) You never have to "just attack"... though doing so is a viable option.

Typical action: You could All-Out Attack (double) with the first being a sweeping blow and the second targeting their sword arm so that they're on the ground and can't get up. That way your All-Out Attack effect of having no defense doesn't kick you in the nads... unless you miss. All you need is a few points into the Axe skill and enough strength to use a greataxe.

[Xefas]

Seconding Burning Wheel, although with the warning that your players will definitely need to familiarize themselves heavily with the system beforehand. It doesn't have "character sheets", so much as "8-page character pamphlets".

Character "Sheet" from the Burning Wiki.

[dsmiles]

Rolemaster/H.A.R.P. is pretty rules-heavy, and lends itself well to tactics.

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

Uh. GURPS. It's the most rules heavy game I've played. It does mixed tech. I'm not sure it's as strategic as you'd like, but that can probably be handled with optional rules.

I don't very much like GURPS.

Burning Wheel or Riddle of Steel would both work. Of these, Burning Wheel is probably the better system, with the Fight! combat system being of incredibly high quality. It has a feel much closer to actual combat than D&D, and even a simple 1 on 1 duel involves heavy tactics.

Sounds good.

FantasyCraft

Combat example: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?...0th-Level-Mage

Hmmmm... I'll check it out.

Rolemaster/H.A.R.P. is pretty rules-heavy, and lends itself well to tactics.

Okay. Also sounds good.

[warmachine]

GURPS. A rules system with optional rules and expansions by the oil tanker load, including combat rules, can handle mixed tech and has so many character creation options, it's a job to strip out the ones that don't apply to the campaign. It's a perfect match to the requirements you gave. You're gonna have to explain what you don't like about GURPS so others can match a system to what you really want.

[hamlet]

Second for Rolemaster.

It's insane, absolutely insane, with the charts. And will drive someone with a PHD in advanced mathematics up a tree. But all said, it's not a bad system at all. You'd be well advised, though, to have a co-DM on hand just to handle flipping through charts and finding out all cross references while you are busy actually running things.

Believe it or not, HMB (new Hackmaster game) is pretty decent for tactics. You have to know what you're doing and how to position yourself, or you'll die a horrible death as somebody rips out your spleen and feeds it to you. It's not terribly rules heavy at this point, though. Give it another year.

[Knaight]

Take a look at the basics of Burning Wheel combat. Then realize that this doesn't even include the interactions between scripted action, which is handled with the Fight! matrix. Note that that links to a download page, which means you have to find the Fight Grid Explicit entry.