Good Systems for Modern day/Future RP [Rules Lite]

[Kaun]

...and don't say GURPS.

I was looking at my library the other day and i realized i don't have a system i like for running Modern day or Futuristic (near or far) games.

I like my systems lite to medium when it comes to the crunch.

What i have tried;

GURPS - i have a love hate relation ship with this game and after many years i have decided we are better off apart.

Storyteller - while i like the system i don't love it.

Shadowrun - I love shadowrun but the system is to heavy for my tastes.

Starwars D6 - I tried this via a Mass Effect hack and i didn't really enjoy it so much but it could have just been on the account of poor GMing.

Anyway, i would love to hear any suggestions. Preferably games that are still in print.

[ManifestPR]

Fate Accelerated Edition (FAE) - it's lite, free, and leans towards storytelling more than anything else. I really like it and it works wonders for one-shots you can make characters in a second or simply make them as you play the game. Also if you ever want to upgrade for longer campaigns that need more rule clarifications you can simply shift over to Fate Core without any hassle.

[Knaight]

Try Fudge. It was written by a GURPS writer, who was not a particular fan of the amount of crunch in the GURPS rules. Fudge is every bit as capable a system, and lighter to boot. Plus, the core rules are free.

Another option would be to use Nemesis. Nemesis is the horror incarnation of the ORE rules set, a free game that is less than 100 pages long. However, the engine is seriously capable, the horror elements can be easily removed (being essentially optional anyways), and it's a fairly deep system despite it's simplicity.

[Drakeburn]

Have you tried D20 Modern and D20 Future?

[Raum]

Have you looked at Unisystem (Classic or Cinematic), Savage Worlds, and Cortex yet? They're all in the medium range and have slightly different focuses. Each also has at least one modern setting.

[The Rose Dragon]

There are several systems that fit your criteria in my library, but the problem is that since nearly all those games are horribly niche, your criteria might be a bit too broad.

Regardless, it would be amiss if I didn't start with Unisystem. It doesn't come as a generic version anywhere, but All Flesh Must Be Eaten is as close as it comes, while Witchcraft, a less generic Unisystem game, is available for free on RPGNow.com.

There is also Anima Prime (which works best with some kind of supernatural element, so might not be to your taste), Spycraft (not a personal recommendation, and might be too heavy for you, but it's there), FATE, Tri-Stat dX (again, not a personal recommendation), Mutants & Masterminds and True20, which are all either generic or semi-generic games that can handle modern and/or futuristic games. Anything else, I would need to know more about the kind of game you want before deciding to recommend them or not.

[erikun]

HeroQuest 2nd edition and Fudge/Fate/Fate Core are my recommendations for generic systems, and all stay towards the light side. Fudge, Fate, and Fate Core can be found free online, although HeroQuest is still something you'd need to purchase.

[Kaun]

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Fate Accelerated Edition (FAE) - it's lite, free, and leans towards storytelling more than anything else. I really like it and it works wonders for one-shots you can make characters in a second or simply make them as you play the game. Also if you ever want to upgrade for longer campaigns that need more rule clarifications you can simply shift over to Fate Core without any hassle.

Interesting... How heavy its FATE itself? While i do run some one shots i would want a system that can handle a longer campaign.

Spoiler

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Try Fudge. It was written by a GURPS writer, who was not a particular fan of the amount of crunch in the GURPS rules. Fudge is every bit as capable a system, and lighter to boot. Plus, the core rules are free.

Another option would be to use Nemesis. Nemesis is the horror incarnation of the ORE rules set, a free game that is less than 100 pages long. However, the engine is seriously capable, the horror elements can be easily removed (being essentially optional anyways), and it's a fairly deep system despite it's simplicity.

Cheers i started looking at Fudge after your post and i will try and track down Nemesis as well.

Have you tried D20 Modern and D20 Future?

To my understanding these are both out of print so i avoided them, am i wrong?

Have you looked at Unisystem (Classic or Cinematic), Savage Worlds, and Cortex yet? They're all in the medium range and have slightly different focuses. Each also has at least one modern setting.

I have read Savage worlds but i am still yet to play it. Unisystem and Cortex i am unfamiliar with.

Spoiler

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There are several systems that fit your criteria in my library, but the problem is that since nearly all those games are horribly niche, your criteria might be a bit too broad.

Regardless, it would be amiss if I didn't start with Unisystem. It doesn't come as a generic version anywhere, but All Flesh Must Be Eaten is as close as it comes, while Witchcraft, a less generic Unisystem game, is available for free on RPGNow.com.

There is also Anima Prime (which works best with some kind of supernatural element, so might not be to your taste), Spycraft (not a personal recommendation, and might be too heavy for you, but it's there), FATE, Tri-Stat dX (again, not a personal recommendation), Mutants & Masterminds and True20, which are all either generic or semi-generic games that can handle modern and/or futuristic games. Anything else, I would need to know more about the kind of game you want before deciding to recommend them or not.

Hmmm fair bit to sift through their, i will look at Unisystem. As for what style of game i intend to run, none as yet, my library is just lacking in that section. I would be open to good future or modern games with an interesting setting as well.

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HeroQuest 2nd edition and Fudge/Fate/Fate Core are my recommendations for generic systems, and all stay towards the light side. Fudge, Fate, and Fate Core can be found free online, although HeroQuest is still something you'd need to purchase.

Heroquest 2e can do modern and future well? I will take a look at it.

Thanks for all your suggestions guys.

[Drakeburn]

To my understanding these are both out of print so i avoided them, am i wrong?

Are they? Have you checked your local game stores?

Or Amazon or Ebay?

Either way, there are online System-Reference-Documents (SRD for short).

Google it up and check them out.

[Knaight]

Interesting... How heavy its FATE itself? While i do run some one shots i would want a system that can handle a longer campaign.

FATE is actually based on Fudge, being a somewhat heavy incarnation of it. Given that you've already looked into Fudge, that should give you an idea of how it works.

[Zavoniki]

I would recommend Cortex. It's fairly easy to make characters and learn the system(basically you have a Stat die for each Stat and a Skill die for each stat. When a roll is needed the GM asks for Stat+Skill. You roll each die and add them together) and has pretty good damage/injury rules. It has some problems, in that it's pretty hard to add Magic or Psionics or something similar to the system without a lot of house-ruling to the point that your pretty much homebrewing something, but if all you want to do is run a Modern/Future game or even Sci-Fi without Psionics/Magic/Special Stuff, it can handle it pretty well.

[Kaun]

@Drakeburn: That is the idea i generally got from threads about the systems but i could be very wrong.

@Knaight: Cool. I will keep going through FUDGE and then decide if i should look into fate from there.

@Zavoniki: Sounds interesting, i will add it to the list. Is it a system with a pre made setting or is it a just a generic rule set?

[Zavoniki]

@Zavoniki: Sounds interesting, i will add it to the list. Is it a system with a pre made setting or is it a just a generic rule set?

The Cortex rules set is Generic but an earlier version was used in the Serenity RPG and I believe it also the system behind the Battlestar Galactica RPG.

[Raum]

Interesting... How heavy its FATE itself?

The core rules are light but some of the implementations are on the heavier side of medium. Even the heavier implementations are all about how you interpret and apply freely made traits. Use Fate if you want a game heavily invested in rules to modify the narrative.

I have read Savage worlds but i am still yet to play it. Unisystem and Cortex i am unfamiliar with.

Try Savage Worlds if you want a heavy emphasis on action. Cortex is superficially similar to SW but combines attributes & skills (SW doesn't) and has more of an emphasis on modifying the game narrative. Unisystem is d20 with no levels and using a d10...kind of. ;) Hard to capture a game's essence in a sentence or two.

Hmmm fair bit to sift through their, i will look at Unisystem.

Witchcraft is free, it's an urban fantasy setting with a variety of organizations/conspiracies vying for different goals.