Favourite RP system...

[Kosmopolite]

To play, to GM, story-wise...

Basically, I've been RPing for a little over a year now, and my group cycles from system to system relatively regularly. I was thinking some time in the future about DM/GMing my first campaign, and I was wondering which systems you guys liked and why. :)

[clockwork warrior]

i like to play arcana unearthed, which is a d20 game created by monte cook. i like it cause its different, and to me it seems that a lot of the "cheese factor" ( now to be refered to as the cf) is greatly lessoned

as far as the setting for it, it could be better, its very vague but its pretty easy to work with, and i like how its all new races/classes

[Dark Knight Renee]

As a GM I usually just go with interactive narrative or freeform PbP, and aside from one rules-lite D&D game, I play entirely system-less.

As far as actual game systems go, I've only ever used D&D and Star Wars d20 (haven't tried Saga yet). Neither of them is good enough to qualify as an actual favorite.

[Lord Tataraus]

From a setting point of view: WARS RPG
From a one-shot, beat-the crap-out-of-stuff point of view: Mutants and Masterminds 2e
From a change of pace point of view: Cyberpunk 2020
From a good ol' classic point of view: D&D 3.5, preferably PbP

[triforcel]

My favorite would probably be DnD, solely because that's what I'm most familiar with. I played a couple of Star Wars campaigns, but didn't enjoy it that much. Though I do enjoy the occasional game of a GURPS or BESM like system.

[Nerd-o-rama]

I'm most comfortable with D&D Third-and-a-Half, but in an objective sense, Mutants & Masterminds Second is probably the best system out there in all technical respects; if nothing else, it's the most versatile for the least amount of work (Steve Jackson, I love you, but your game is just too damn complicated.)

[Kurald Galain]

Anything by White Wolf. You can't beat that fluff!

[Kosmopolite]

I've heard a little about Shadowrun, too. Any thoughts on that?

[Lord Tataraus]

I've heard a little about Shadowrun, too. Any thoughts on that?

Meh, I've looked into it. Personally, its not my thing. Cyberpunk 2020 is basically the same sans magic and more focus on cyberwear. So I prefer Cyberpunk, but Shadowrun is supposed to be really good, just not my thing.

[Winterwind]

I don't think anyone around here has heard of my favourite RP system, which would be a postapocalyptic RPG called DeGenesis, currently only available in German, but being translated into English right now.

It takes place in what remains of Europe and Africa after a meteor shower has struck Earth and wiped out most of the civilisation, bringing about a new ice age - the Arctic ice has engulfed the North Sea, while Africa has a moderate clima now.
Together with the meteor came something else - the Foulness, a kind of fungus which began to spread from the many craters, causing insanity and mutation amongst the people who came into contact with it: Slowly, mankind begins to mutate into its own worst enemy, the psychonauts, who sway in midst of the Foulness to melodies only they can hear, merely parts of a hive mind, possessing terrible powers.
Meanwhile, mankind has begun to rebuild in the ruins, shattered into a myriad tribes and organisations. Africa has flourished to the dominating power and begun raiding Europe for the remaining artefacts of the elder civilisation and slaves to work in the oil fields, while Europe clings desperately to its once glorious past, stalking through the ruins.
Another threat: shortly before the Eschaton, the end of the former world, a powerful organisation has scattered bunkers around the world, with the elite of the elite frozen in a cryogenic sleep to wake up when the time is right and rebuild what was lost, while a crew of loyal servants guard their century long slumber. But in the long time the servants have grown inbred and superstitious, praying to the Sleepers as if they were gods, whereas the cryogenic sleep has erased most of their memory - when they awaken, they are but empty hulls, ready to absorb the insane ramblings of their servants about world domination, and still equipped with the mighty technology of the elder civilisation.
And these are but a few of a myriad further metaplots.

So, why do I like this one most? Let's see...

It has a fascinating background: Lots of organisations and cultures all intertwined with each other. Secrets and foreshadowing of greater things happening without anyone having the greater picture. And it tells the tale of both mankind's grimmest hour, with dangers everywhere, and its most glorious moments, when hope and will for survival triumph against the odds. And there are few heroes or villains - but many very, very human beings...

It's focussed on atmosphere instead of mechanics: It has the most fascinating ratio between setting/atmosphere and mechanics I have ever seen in a system - I'm not sure whether the mechanics part is even as long as one sixth of the fluff. That's quite the opposite of a mechanics focussed game like, for example, ShadowRun.
Also, the fluff consists for a great part out of stories, in-character descriptions and more, all designed to enhance the atmosphere. I have never seen an RPG even approximately as well written.

It has lots of metaplot: Like I said, all over the books there are hints at things happening in the background, hints that, if put together, lead to a rather frightening picture, when menaces partially thousands of years old begin to surface, or when one begins to understand a tiny part of the diabolic plans of the Sleepers' masters. And yet, the descriptions are never so definite as to stiffle a gamemaster's creativity - quite the opposite, they enhance it and inspire new ideas instead.

It has a great system: The system is, as previously stated, very short, yet highly flexible. It's skill- and experience based (as opposed to class- and levels), it is simple, and it both allows for a lot of character progression and succeeds at keeping the characters more or less human at all times.

It's fast: One of the fastest systems I have ever seen. This becomes especially apparent in combat - where other systems often need half an hour or more for the resolution, DeGenesis usually needs only ten minutes.

It has the right degree of lethality: Usually one can assume to survive one hit. But not much more. This makes for a system where characters don't die arbitrarily because of a freak chance hit, but is lethal enough to be more or less realistic and to make combat an appropriately dangerous choice.

Its free: At least, the core book is - completely downloadable for free from the publisher's website. The idea is that the people shall see how the system is for themselves, and decide later on whether they want to buy the book in paper form, or any supplemental books (which are strictly not necessary for play, given that they contain mostly metaplot and further setting informations, rather than rules)

It takes place right where I live: Well, more or less, at least, but a few of the old cities have survived and, usually, have a background somewhat related to the real cities (I was rather amused when I learned that the place of my birth, Wroclaw, actually still existed - and anyone who is somewhat familiar with Polish history will understand why I was amused all the more when I learned it was now under the control of an enigmatic figure calling himself the Piast )

The English website would be here, by the way, and even contains a download of a document with a short introduction, quick start rules and an adventure (which, unfortunately, I deem a rather poor representation of what DeGenesis is like).

Yes. I love that system.
(My avatar is more or less taken straight out of the core rulebook, by the way, of course after stickification)


EDIT:

I've heard a little about Shadowrun, too. Any thoughts on that?

Oh, so you're rather interested in recommendations, rather than personal reports then?
Okay, sorry for all the above then.
As for ShadowRun, it is a fairly nice system and a rather interesting world - especially if one likes grim and gritty - it is rather focussed on mechanics though.
I can't say anything about the 4th edition (the current one), but the 3rd one was recommendable.

It offers a lot of character options, it has usually huge cities as a background, allowing for a setting rather similar to our own, except everything has gotten more extreme - the abyss between rich and poor has grown, violence, drugs and intimidation rule the streets, while the better parts are controled by ruthless corporations, cold and soulless.
The system does a good combination of making characters quite powerful (even from the beginning), leaving them lots of place to evolve to, and yet remaining deadly and enforcing being careful at all times.

[Kosmopolite]

Not just recommendations, no, I'm genuinely interested in everyone's opinions (and the one you talked about sounds pretty cool), though I am also interested in what people would recommend.

[Winterwind]

Well. aside from DeGenesis (when it finally comes out in English, but I have no idea how long that might take) and ShadowRun, another system I could recommend would be Call of Cthulhu, if you like Lovecraftian horror, that is.

It has rather simple and fast rules as well, allows for just about any (human) character imaginable, and, well, it is Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, which I deem a supremely fascinating setting. Of course, that requires players who want to be scared to death.
It is fairly well written and does a pretty good job of making the mythos stories playable - characters do indeed suffer under the unconceivable horrors they are confronted with, yet (unless the gamemaster wants otherwise) can hold together for as long as the story/campaign is supposed to be. Perfect balance of terror and fun.

All of the above refers to the d100 version, not the d20, which I don't know, but have heard about that it is supposedly quite a lot worse.

[ReproMan]

I'm gonna go a different direction here and say D20 Modern. It's got a user-friendly system, it's tied to well known core mechanics, it has abundant material and errata, and, considering it's taking place now in the real world, adventures take on a whole new level of integration and interactivity.

DM: You see two men with masks sneak quietly into the alley behind the coffee shop.
Player: The Tullys on 6th and Commerce?
DM: That's the one.

Besides, there is no other system that can leave players with more instances of wondering, "...Y'know, that might... actually... work... Dude, get the car. We're going to experiment."

:)

[Winterwind]

You get that kind of integration and interactivity with any system set in or close to the real world - ShadowRun, Call of Cthulhu or the World of Darkness accomplish that just as well, if the world is interpreted accordingly.

[Bosh]

I've gotten very tired of D&D, I think I'm mostly going to stick to FUDGE/Fate/Spirit of the Century from here on out, much more elegant, simple and RP-friendly system than D&D in my experience.

[drawingfreak]

I hear that Simpler System is all the rage these day. Eh?

Self promotion aside...I've been more into D&D and d20 modern because they aren't as strictly tied to a story as the White Wolf and Shadowrun games are. Lots of freedom.

[Bassetking]

I've gotten very tired of D&D, I think I'm mostly going to stick to FUDGE/Fate/Spirit of the Century from here on out, much more elegant, simple and RP-friendly system than D&D in my experience.

Oh sweet god, Spirit of the Century. This. Yes.

The character creation process has a built-in system to ensure party interaction and backstory, The players pertinent abilities are used just as much by the DM as the players, players are actively encouraged through game mechanics to present the DM with plot-hooks and character-issues, it's founded on the concept of Pulp-Novel heroes, it's elegantly simple, and designed for character interaction over combat wargaming....

*Deep Breath*

Oh, Look... an SRD...
http://www.faterpg.com/dl/sotc-srd.html

Seriously. I encourage everyone here to try this game. It is .... Brilliantly written, and masterfully executed.

[Stormcrow]

I hear that Simpler System is all the rage these day. Eh?

Self promotion aside...I've been more into D&D and d20 modern because they aren't as strictly tied to a story as the White Wolf and Shadowrun games are. Lots of freedom.

What kind of Shadowrun have you been playing that's "tied to a story" its less tied to a story than any of the D&D settings. Unless you mean tied to the "The world was normal then magic happened now its awesome" story in which case yes, the ties are rigid and unbending.

[0oo0]

A game that has always interested me greatly, but I have never been able to actually play is Dead Inside. From reading through the book, I love the concept, love the setting,love the focus on roleplaying your character. The premise is wonderful. The mechanics seems simple and fast.

I own the book, but have never felt up to the task of GMing a game, because of my general lack of experience in that field, and the fact that none of the other people I play with have it.

[Bosh]

Oh sweet god, Spirit of the Century. This. Yes.

The character creation process has a built-in system to ensure party interaction and backstory, The players pertinent abilities are used just as much by the DM as the players, players are actively encouraged through game mechanics to present the DM with plot-hooks and character-issues, it's founded on the concept of Pulp-Novel heroes, it's elegantly simple, and designed for character interaction over combat wargaming....

*Deep Breath*

Oh, Look... an SRD...
http://www.faterpg.com/dl/sotc-srd.html

Seriously. I encourage everyone here to try this game. It is .... Brilliantly written, and masterfully executed.

Yup, what he said. I'm current working on a Game of Thrones hack for Spirit of the Century that'll throw out the pulpy-ness and add big handfuls of grit, while still trying to keep ahold of all the stuff that makes SotC such an amazingly-awesome game. Its the first rules book I've read in a loooooong time that made me sit up and think "wow, I never even thought of doing things that way before, that makes so much sense and deals with a problem I've been having for a while."

[MrNexx]

Palladium. My heads been pretty deep inside Rifts the past few weeks, and I've got more to come on that...

Now if I could only PLAY.

[namo]

Amber DRPG. Diceless but not completely free-form. It's generally about intrigue, but it can be strategical/..., almost whatever you want it to be. The rulebook is only available on pdf now - though it may be republished at some point.

The first step is to read the excellent series of books (by Zelazny).

Now if only I could play...

--
I played Shadowrun twice - it seemed nice, but not so dramatically different from D20 as to make me say "wow".

[Winterwind]

I played Shadowrun twice - it seemed nice, but not so dramatically different from D20 as to make me say "wow".

Really?
That's quite a fascinating point of view, may I ask what caused that impression? ('cause it hardly can have been the mechanics, given that the check resolution system is completely different (and relies on rolling (Skill Value)d6), there are no hit points, no Vancian magic system, no levels, no classes and the entire thing is purely skill-based)

[namo]

Really?
That's quite a fascinating point of view, may I ask what caused that impression? ('cause it hardly can have been the mechanics, given that the check resolution system is completely different (and relies on rolling (Skill Value)d6), there are no hit points, no Vancian magic system, no levels, no classes and the entire thing is purely skill-based)

I shouldn't have said it - I knew someone somewhere would pounce on it.

Drop the comparison with D20 : my point is, the mechanics didn't wow me. Which doesn't mean that they're bad either. Mmh, now I kinda feel like playing it again, just to see if I judge it differently (it was a few years ago).

In any case, leave your dice behind and go play Amber.[/fanatic speech]

[Foolosophy]

Deadlands Classic.


Wierd West and Hell on Earths are really inspiring settings for me and the Deadlands Classic ruleset has exactly the amount of complexity I want while giving my players and me enough room to experiment and roleplay.

[jameswilliamogle]

DnD 1st ed. w/ only the 3 core books. Yep... but nobody I know plays it, so 3.5 is ok.

I also like the 90's Cyberpunk 2020 from Talsorian... only got to play it a few times. I don't like Shadowrun; I never got into Star Wars (blasphemer, I know).

Call of Cthulu, with a good GM, was really, really interesting, but the system wasn't that great.

[Winterwind]

I shouldn't have said it - I knew someone somewhere would pounce on it.

I'm not pouncing, I just wondered how you arrived at that conclusion, 'tis all.

Drop the comparison with D20 : my point is, the mechanics didn't wow me. Which doesn't mean that they're bad either. Mmh, now I kinda feel like playing it again, just to see if I judge it differently (it was a few years ago).

Ah, I see - and it's a view I can perfectly understand, if not confirm due to never having played D20. I suppose all mechanics-heavy systems are somewhat alike - if not in the realisation of the mechanics then at least in the underlying philosophy.

In any case, leave your dice behind and go play Amber.[/fanatic speech]

I'm playing completely freeform half the time already, so there aren't that many dice to be left behind anyway.

[WhiteHarness]

GURPS.

The Riddle of Steel.

Burning Wheel.

I'll give my opinions on each later.

[hamlet]

DnD 1st ed. w/ only the 3 core books. Yep... but nobody I know plays it, so 3.5 is ok.

I do. Well . . . 2nd edition with the three core books, but still . . . We are out there . . .


As for systems, I feel I must put in my daily plug for Arduin. Go over to www. arduin.com and read all about upcoming developments. Even if you only glance at it, the World Book of Khass is really really REALLY good (if'n you ignore spelling and editing errors, but we're working on it, honest).

Other systems to recommend: Shadowrun 3 (it's complicated, but not hard to learn), Call of Cthulhu d100, 7th Sea the original roll and keep system, WEG Star Wars, d6 Fantasy (Weg game just like Star Wars), GURPS, and Hero.

Hell, I'm just gonna go ahead and recommend that you try anything that isn't D20 since D20 is saturating everything and must die a slow and horrible death.

[PnP Fan]

For Playing: Mutants and Masterminds.
For Dming: DnD
For DMing at Conventions: DnD
For Fantastic Fluff: White Wolf
For Change of Pace: Mechwarrior (very simple system, easy to learn, quick playing if you have an experienced DM)