Help me pick a system! (Resolved)

[DeadManSleeping]

So, I've been thinking of running a game. I've kinda got some setting ideas I want to use, some game design things I want to implement, etc. I wish to call upon the power of the internets to help me!

So here's the things.

1. I have some elements that I want to be in the setting. Thanks to Skyrim, I've got a hankering for "Words of Power" being a big thing in the setting. Certainly not exactly like the Thu'um, but definitely invocation of power through a combination of sound and will and understanding. I would also like there to be at least one alternate source of magic (an idea I had was "blood magic" which dealt not only with the biological form, but also with the connections between living beings). In addition, it'd be cool if there was some fun doodady stuff for people who didn't want magic (or, at least, not spell-like things) Now, obviously, this can all be easily done with a bit of flavor sprinkles on D&D (seriously, I could do it myself and I'm not even a homebrewer), but since I'm shopping around for other systems, it's something additional to keep in mind.

2. I would like players of many roles and playstyles to coexist within a group. A brutish up-front hurtthingser can be in a group with a careful planner can be in a group with a social monkey can be in a group with I think you know where I'm going with this. I'm less talking "no linear warriors + quadratic casters" (though that's important too) and more talking "no 4e D&D where everyone's job is punching things". I've been noticing lately that Shadowrun actually does a pretty good job of this (though I admit it's partially an adventure design thing rather than a game design thing), but, y'know, it's pretty hard to extract from its cyberpunk setting.

3. I would like the system to not make me want to kill myself. While I have patience for somewhat arcane systems, pretty much none of the other gamers I know have that same patience.

Here is a list of systems I'm considering.
1. D&D 3.5. I am aware that it fails rule #2 spectacularly, but it's well-known enough to fit #3 and it fits #1 quite well as I mentioned
2. Strands of Fate. Does decently with all 3 categories, though it does not succeed spectacularly in any (well, maybe the 3rd, considering it needs to not have the weaknesses of "rules-lite").

Here is a list of systems I've rejected:
1. D&D 4e. If 3.x fails rule #2, then 4e fails so hard that the mere idea of it fitting, if rendered into visual form, would become a Youtube classic.
2. BESM. I tried a game in this, and it ended up encouraging "punch it hard", glossing over basically everything else.
3. GURPS. Just...GURPS.

I'll expand this list as you guys post with ideas.

[Anderlith]

Pathfinder, with a dash of Tome of Magic & Tome of Battle, restrict the mages a bit & force them to use the variant spellcasters in Tome of Magic & not Wizard & Sorcerer. You could try Warhammer Fantasy, although I suggest the old version not the newest version.

[hamlet]

Actually, 7th Sea, stripped of some of its fluffiness, would fit fairly well. You might have to rework the flavor to get rid of the swashbuckling stuff to suit your needs, though.

Otherwise, I can actually sorta kinda recommend Arduin Eternal for this. Or, actually, Arduin Compleat (yes, that's spelled correctly). They both have the alternate magic systems and the ability to support all types of play. Melee characters are completely realizable and there aren't, really, any "sub optimal" choices going on, though there are definately some more powerful than others. Do beware, though, that both have their quirks and neither is fully supported any longer. Arduin Eternal, in particular, can get quite complex. It learned a lot of lessons from D20, some would argue all the wrong lessons.

[Tengu_temp]

Mutants and Masterminds 2e or 3e should succeed where BESM failed.

[Tyndmyr]

Actually, 7th Sea, stripped of some of its fluffiness, would fit fairly well. You might have to rework the flavor to get rid of the swashbuckling stuff to suit your needs, though.

Beat me to it...works pretty well for these requirements.

Laerdom pretty much IS words of power...the kind of power where calling a storm down or hurling lightning bolts is entirely par for the course.

On the flip side, magic/melee is oddly balanced in its own way. Certainly nothing like 3.5.

[Knaight]

Fate 2 is much better at this than Strands of Fate, for a few reasons.
1) There are a bunch of options for magic, which works out well.
2) It is, overall, a much lighter system - but there is still enough there for it to be a fairly complete system, so it won't annoy people who favor rules heavy systems the way Risus or Wushu does.
3) It's actually more generic, and as such more adaptable.

You might also want to try Savage Worlds, which is a bit crunchier. It requires a little homebrew to get a blood magic system out, but it is really quite simple.

[DeadManSleeping]

Wherein I respond.

Thanks for the pointers, guys! I will address each system that I've had time to examine since I got these.

1. Pathfinder is D&D 3.x, really. It shares most of the same benefits and most of the same problems.
2. I've played Warhammer, and I really don't like how intensely limiting its class system is.
3. 7th sea is pretty cool, but divorcing it from the flavor then re-instilling my own flavor would take a ton of work that I'm not sure I'm up to
4. I tried running an M&M game once. There were two players who managed casual omnipotence/invincibility with like half their build points, and two who invested all their build in one schtick and couldn't do a thing with it. I'd rather not repeat the experience.

That's all for now. I'll be back later!

[Tengu_temp]

I tried running an M&M game once. There were two players who managed casual omnipotence/invincibility with like half their build points, and two who invested all their build in one schtick and couldn't do a thing with it. I'd rather not repeat the experience.

Well, it's a game that explicitly states that the DM should oversee character creation to make sure nobody is too broken, and the book warns you about problematic powers. If you have the "if it's in the book, it's allowed" approach, this game isn't really for you.

[Diskhotep]

FATE is a good choice, though you may also want to look at the PDQ system. The free download, PDQ#, is slanted toward a swashbuckling system since it is essentially the stripped rules of one of the setting books, but there are also fantasy and supers settings for it that are quite good.

Savage Worlds is also an excellent choice. It's quick to learn, surprisingly robust, and does a good job of balancing melee and magic types. It is great for cinematic settings.

[Knaight]

FATE is a good choice, though you may also want to look at the PDQ system. The free download, PDQ#, is slanted toward a swashbuckling system since it is essentially the stripped rules of one of the setting books, but there are also fantasy and supers settings for it that are quite good.

I suspect PDQ is too light for the OP. That said, it would probably work pretty well.

[GolemsVoice]

You could try Hellfrost, it's a supplement for the basic Savage Worlds system. Since you mentioned Skyrim, the setting is very northern/germanic inspired. You can play pretty much any kind of game, though thanks to the fact that big cities are rare, it's likely going to be a more rural thing, so if you're planning on running cloak&daggers style intrigue in the royal court, you're limited here.

Magic is strong, but not overly so, and can tax the player. It comes in many flavours, divine, arcane and songmagic, which would fit your theme of "words of power"

[paddyfool]

Another vote for Savage Worlds here.

[DeadManSleeping]

Okay, here is the second (and, bittersweetly, final) update.

Basically I was sitting paging through the systems while developing my ideas more, and I basically landed on a way to do things that Strands of Fate worked perfectly for.

Yeah, that was one of my original choices. But this thread (and similar lines of inquiry elsewhere) have exposed me to new systems that I really want to try sometime. So thank you all!