Rulesets

[Nightshape]

Hey, I'm looking for some suggestions for rulesets for games myself and my group can play.

 

Currently have, Shadowrun, D&D 3.0, Pathfinder, and Traveller.

 

So yeah, I'm open to anything suggest away.

[Walsingham]

Hey, I'm looking for some suggestions for rulesets for games myself and my group can play.

 

Currently have, Shadowrun, D&D 3.0, Pathfinder, and Traveller.

 

So yeah, I'm open to anything suggest away.

 

My two favourites have always been Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (c1980s version), and Cyberpunk 2020 . In both bcases because the mathematics of the rolls are straightforward, and easy to understand. In particular the former makes munchkinning very VERY difficult.

[Raithe]

Mutants and Masterminds works quite well. 2nd Edition was rather brilliant for being able to adapt to pretty much any type of setting you wanted with a little thought. It might be geared around the "Superhero" concepts, but it flips to sci-fi / fantasy / modern spy or whatever pretty darn easily once you get your mind around the system.

 

They have released a 3rd edition recently, but I haven't really had much of a look at that.

 

On a sidenote, DnD 3.5 did tidy up a few of the flaws in straight 3.0.

[Nightshape]

The group are actually more keen on playing 4th ed than 3rd ed D&D, so it looks like we may go with that. I'm not that fussy really, I have 3rd and 4th Ed now.

 

I went shopping and picked up Shadowrun 4th edition too.

 

I think we're going to try some single shot sessions with pre-gens to decide.

 

Has anyone played Runequest 2nd ed? Is it anygood?

[Raithe]

The group are actually more keen on playing 4th ed than 3rd ed D&D, so it looks like we may go with that. I'm not that fussy really, I have 3rd and 4th Ed now.

 

I went shopping and picked up Shadowrun 4th edition too.

 

I think we're going to try some single shot sessions with pre-gens to decide.

 

Has anyone played Runequest 2nd ed? Is it anygood?

 

,, I shudder at 4th Ed D&D.

I'm just one of those few who really can't stand it. I mean, I love the art they've put in the books it's totally shiny that way. But the whole system just.. yeah.. really rubs me the wrong way for some reason.

[Nightshape]

The group are actually more keen on playing 4th ed than 3rd ed D&D, so it looks like we may go with that. I'm not that fussy really, I have 3rd and 4th Ed now.

 

I went shopping and picked up Shadowrun 4th edition too.

 

I think we're going to try some single shot sessions with pre-gens to decide.

 

Has anyone played Runequest 2nd ed? Is it anygood?

 

,, I shudder at 4th Ed D&D.

I'm just one of those few who really can't stand it. I mean, I love the art they've put in the books it's totally shiny that way. But the whole system just.. yeah.. really rubs me the wrong way for some reason.

 

I don't really see any real issues with it, its less complex in some respects, and its a revamp, but frankly it just seems another step along - I suppose Pathfinder is 3.5e taken a bit further.

[Raithe]

I don't really see any real issues with it, its less complex in some respects, and its a revamp, but frankly it just seems another step along - I suppose Pathfinder is 3.5e taken a bit further.

 

There was just something about it that I could not get into. How much more its focused on hack and slash, push the mini's to highlight combat zones.. It just didn't feel as if it was geared to do that much out-of-combat rpg'ing.

Maybe if I'd waited until the plethora of books were out rather then just the core books I'd have seen more, but it just didn't feel like the wide variety of options were there. It just gave a vibe more like "WoW at the table" then something to have fun roleplaying with.

 

Maybe I just got spoiled by 3.5's ability to mix classes as you levelled, and picking feats to really tailor a character for more then just combat. >shrugs< It's hard to put a finger down and say "This! This is why I hate it!" but after reading the core books and giving it a little kick around, it just did not gell in a pleasant manner.

 

Beyond the art. Man there was some damned good art in those books.

[Nightshape]

I don't really see any real issues with it, its less complex in some respects, and its a revamp, but frankly it just seems another step along - I suppose Pathfinder is 3.5e taken a bit further.

 

There was just something about it that I could not get into. How much more its focused on hack and slash, push the mini's to highlight combat zones.. It just didn't feel as if it was geared to do that much out-of-combat rpg'ing.

Maybe if I'd waited until the plethora of books were out rather then just the core books I'd have seen more, but it just didn't feel like the wide variety of options were there. It just gave a vibe more like "WoW at the table" then something to have fun roleplaying with.

 

Maybe I just got spoiled by 3.5's ability to mix classes as you levelled, and picking feats to really tailor a character for more then just combat. >shrugs< It's hard to put a finger down and say "This! This is why I hate it!" but after reading the core books and giving it a little kick around, it just did not gell in a pleasant manner.

 

Beyond the art. Man there was some damned good art in those books.

 

Considering some of the people I'm playing with it'll be a good thing.

 

Its worth viewing all the PHB's they've an interesting concept which kind of reminds me of dual classing, where you mix up two classes togeather, you loose some stuff as a result obviously.

 

Pathfinder is a fairly nice alternative to 3.5e considering that it has the blessings of seemingly both. That said, I found multi-classing to be pretty broken, I understood why it was somewhat cool.

 

I'm still waiting on PHB 2, what I did like though, is the race's and classes that I've seen on offer in PHB 1 + 3.

 

If I'm honest though, I doubt I'd choose D&D or Pathfinder if I wanted to be more RP than Hack and slay. Shadowrun, and Traveller, both of which I've some experience with, are far far better. Those whom are rather new to it, PnP gaming that is, do enjoy all the different dice.

[Tale]

I really like what 4E has. This may largely have to do with it being the only system I have books for. I'd be playing it now if my groups didn't fall apart for unrelated reasons. I may be the reason for one of those, but the other two are not my fault!

[Nightshape]

I really like what 4E has. This may largely have to do with it being the only system I have books for. I'd be playing it now if my groups didn't fall apart for unrelated reasons. I may be the reason for one of those, but the other two are not my fault!

 

That's the problem with gaming groups, politicing and childishness.

 

I am slowly getting my head round what 4E offers and I have to be honest, while its a different angle I'm not certain its a bad one.

[Raithe]

Yeah , politics and such within groups can be a pain.

The guy who tended to enjoy being a DM for my old group basically refused to look at anything that wasn't traditional western fantasy. So trying to get him to experiment with other systems or settings was always a bit of a drag. That and he loved "low-level" type of stuff, so no matter how long you played in his campaigns, he'd keep treating the characters as if they were zero-level dweebs and when you started reaching the point where it was natural for characters to have influence in the world.. he'd get tired and want to start another campaign.

 

The other guy who would DM from that group tended to get a bit whimsical at times..and his sister was one of the players. So we'd tend to find she'd corner him for some one-on-one rpg time for her characters when no-one else was around.. which can get a little annoying.

Especially when you have evil campaigns where everyones ready to backstab each other..

 

 

But yes, I think I still stand with Mutants and Masterminds 2nd Edition as one of the more fun and flexible systems that I've played around with.

[Nightshape]

Yeah , politics and such within groups can be a pain.

The guy who tended to enjoy being a DM for my old group basically refused to look at anything that wasn't traditional western fantasy. So trying to get him to experiment with other systems or settings was always a bit of a drag. That and he loved "low-level" type of stuff, so no matter how long you played in his campaigns, he'd keep treating the characters as if they were zero-level dweebs and when you started reaching the point where it was natural for characters to have influence in the world.. he'd get tired and want to start another campaign.

 

The other guy who would DM from that group tended to get a bit whimsical at times..and his sister was one of the players. So we'd tend to find she'd corner him for some one-on-one rpg time for her characters when no-one else was around.. which can get a little annoying.

Especially when you have evil campaigns where everyones ready to backstab each other..

 

 

But yes, I think I still stand with Mutants and Masterminds 2nd Edition as one of the more fun and flexible systems that I've played around with.

 

Well I'll be sure to take a look at mutants and masterminds 2nd edition at some point.

 

Heh, I've had some funny old situations, I can't tolerate people who act in a ridiculious manner though. I played with this one guy, who would just kick off and have a tantrum whenever an evil character did something evil.

 

Thing is his character didn't know about it at all, but he'd rant and rant and rant, he was full of poo mostly, and couldn't keep a character alive for more than a session or two.

 

It was fairly pathetic to be honest, he's quite the poorly man really, but it was after three weeks of him basically saying "I'm going to roll a paladin, cast detect evil, then kill your character" that we said screw it and quit the group, but to be honest that was just a small percentage of the issues we'd had with this guy.

 

Backstabing etc... Is fine! You just have to realise that its nothing personal, and obviously related to character development, if anything actually playing evil characters well is a sign of maturity. That said, I've always drawn the line at RP'in seriously perverse stuff, i.e. Rape or Kiddie fiddling etc... I just think that is bizzare and unrelated to anything of worth.

 

I am partial to say a cruel mage torturing and tormenting some poor soul in an effort to deepen his understanding of the arcane. Its like a mad scientist doing human experiements, and thats fine.

[Nepenthe]

Well, I can heartily recommend Spycraft 2.0, it's a superb modern RPG. There's a new, streamlined & improved edition coming out, probably by next GenCon, but even the current edition is well worth checking out. I've also bought a bunch of Corporation books from DrivethruRPG over the past few days and it seems to have the atmosphere down pat - not sure about the mechanics, yet...

Edited December 27, 2011 by Nepenthe

[Nonek]

Personally i'd just make your own ruleset, rely on the playing and players to refine it and use the old dm's 50/50 rule when in doubt. There's always something egregious in any ruleset that doesn't gel with your campaign or personal preferences, so just do a little bit of extra paperwork and make something which you won't end up hating.

 

Cool kennings.

[Walsingham]

Personally i'd just make your own ruleset, rely on the playing and players to refine it and use the old dm's 50/50 rule when in doubt. There's always something egregious in any ruleset that doesn't gel with your campaign or personal preferences, so just do a little bit of extra paperwork and make something which you won't end up hating.

 

Cool kennings.

 

Totally agree.

[Drowsy Emperor]

Talislanta 4th edition, easily obtainable via Noble Knight.

 

Best rules ever with a setting that puts most other epic fantasy to shame. And all in one book. Also, original pdfs made available free by the creator on the official website.

 

Print and play.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I personally like the Palladium system, Rifts and Heroes Unlimited in particular. I would give those a try. GURPS is also worth checking out.

[aluminiumtrioxid]

Massive wall of text incoming.

 

Savage Worlds is worthy of its slogan - it really is fast, furious and fun. Also, there are some quite interesting ones among its worlds.

 

While I love 4E D&D, I also think it has nothing to do with D&D. On the other hand, Hackmaster (the new edition) is an excellent retroclone. It has a beautifully flat power curve (you gain a hit die every odd numbered level, but can reroll the one gained at the previous level at every even-numbered one; mages and clerics gain new spell levels at every level), an excellent combat system (there are no turns, weapon speed determines the frequency of attacks - but on a critical miss or a critical defense roll, the defender gains a free attack, so low weapon speed is not such a hindrance; also, the damage dice penetrate, meaning you can reroll the highest results - so any hit can be lethal), and great mechanisms for classes (such as the completely tailor-made cleric classes and the luck points of the rogues). The world is rather boring, but the point of retroclones is to encourage you to tinker, so I don't think it's a huge problem.

 

Dragon Age RPG has a retroclone-ish vibe, too. The setting is limited (it's Thedas, after all - some interesting issues, but rather bland because of the restrictions inherent in low-magic settings), but the system itself is great. The combat stunts are an excellent idea - it spices up fights, yet allows for a speedier playstyle than 4E because of their random nature. Also, the DM can allow the players to execute custom stunts (the modules seem to support it anyway), thus encouraging player creativity. The official modules are of superb quality, by the way (although the fights are extremely lethal). Definitely worth a try.

 

A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplay has the same issues as DARPG - the setting is very limiting. But the system has beautiful points: generating a House (a noble line, that is), body parts freezing off, the whole defeat/wound system, etc. Worth checking out, and definitely a must for fans of the series.

 

Fate is also a great generic system for narrativist games, especially because it encourages roleplaying mechanically by rewarding you when you get into trouble because of your character's traits. The Dresden Files RPG uses this system, for example.

Over the Edge is rather nice, too, with its surrealistic setting and similarly roleplay-oriented system.

 

I almost left out my favorite one: Eclipse Phase, "a roleplaying game of transhumanist conspiracy and horror". It's extremely professional, with a setting somewhat reminiscent of Iain M. Banks' Culture novels, Dan Simmons' Hyperion, and, to a lesser extent, Neuromancer and Mass Effect. It's absolutely amazing, and it's completely free. The only drawback is that the setting requires a level of commitment to understand completely. But it's totally worth it. Here's a review.

 

If we're mentioning horror, we should talk a bit about Kult. The most visceral, Clive Barker-ish setting ever. It's also Clive Barker-ish in other ways, but saying anything more would be spoiler. The system is not so good, however, and I have concerns about the long-term playability as well.

Whispering Vault is similarly horror-oriented, but with a more straightforward, monster-hunting attitude. It's a great toolbox, but heavily dependent on the GM's creativity (although the modules are generally great, and outline the game's concepts beautifully). Highly recommended for those who like to tinker a bit (the system can be a bit clunky at times).

 

Also, the new World of Darkness has to be mentioned. It's an improvement in every way compared to the old one. The system is solid, a lot better than in the previous incarnations. The writing mainly gets rid of the pretentiousness plaguing oWoD (and stigmatizing the players in certain circles). And the worlds and concepts of certain monsters have improved in some ways.

Vampire (the Requiem) remained largely the same, it's only a more streamlined and coherent version, and focuses on local affairs instead of an all-out war. The power level definitely decreased, but instead of the Generations determined at character creation, the characters have a stat called Blood Potency, which can (and, most likely, will) be increased during play. (OK, it was a possibility in VtM, too, but more like a theoretical one for most parties.) Heavily recommended.

Werewolf (the Forsaken) got a lot better, in my opinion. Instead of the tree-hugging hippies of the previous generation, we get badass, ferocious hunters and supernatural investigators (ironically though, the combat potency of the characters has decreased - not that I mind, WtA got boring quite easily because you controlled an absolute killing machine). Absolutely in the "must play" category, even though the Gift system can be horribly broken (the tiers sometimes look like: useless, useless, useless, AWESOME McAWESOMESAUCE, useless - except that in some rare cases, the awesomene one can be any tier, or may be completely missing).

Mage (the Awakening) is a curious one. I feel it has a heavier focus on the global than any other line. The setting is also somewhat of a setback compared to Ascension, I think. But the core magic system is awesome. A lot better than Ascension's. Recommended with a grain of salt.

Changeling (the Lost) has seen the greatest improvement, and has the strongest horror vibe. Truly "a roleplaying game of beautiful madness". I could rant about it for a long time, but instead, here's a review. I'd say a must play, but it's only marginally easier to play than Wraith, and that doesn't help much. A must read though. Then decide what to do with it (the core book is great for decoration purposes, too).

Hunter (the Vigil) got a massive revamp, too. Essentially, you can play with it mainly the same way you could with the previous one, but the fans hate it regardless. Because of the factions. Well, they're tools - use them or leave them as you see fit. Personally, I think it's better than Reckoning, but still a mediocre game (just like Reckoning). NWoD has a lot better options for playing humans. (Even without the specifically human-themed stuff).

They've got rid of Wraith (it was bordering on unplayable, anyway - although a great read). Instead, we have Geists (it's actually reminiscent of Demon, but with a death theme... can be good, only skimmed through it though) and Prometheans (the Unplayable Game of the nWoD line... basically Frankenstein's monsters on a quest to obtain mortality - interesting concept, but most GM's are no Avellone).

 

I generally don't like oWoD much, but Orpheus was a great line. Basically a campaign + setting + system, all in one. It's completely ready-to-play, you just have to DM it. Also kudos for being a lot more playable than Wraith, despite the setting.

 

And last, but not least, the Warhammer 40k line. They are radically different, but each line is excellent in what it aims to do. I'd not waste time with introducing the setting itself, you must have heard of it (it's a gaming forum after all).

Dark Heresy is basically Call of Cthulhu with balls of steel - the players are members of the Holy Ordos of the Emperor's Inquisition, and hunt the heretic, the xeno and the daemon. The mortality rate is pretty high, but it's extremely versatile both because of the nature of the enemy (you can play it as pure hack & slash or pure investigation & intrigue, or any shade in-between) and the nature of the Imperium itself (the culture, tech level, etc. of individual planets can differ wildly). If you have no aversion of the setting (you're playing Catholic Space Nazis, after all), it is definitely a must play.

Rogue Trader is ideal for sandbox campaigns. It has an entirely different focus than Dark Heresy (also, the Catholic Space Nazi aspect can be toned down pretty much, since you play at the fringes of the Imperium). It's basically a merchant/pirate/whatever you want it to be game set in SPEHSS. Hard to balance, though (the players can quite easily become capable of extreme carnage, even without calling in orbital strikes).

Deathwatch lets you play Space Marines (or SPEHSS MEHREENS, if you've been introduced to the setting by Dawn of War 1). As a genetically engineered super-soldier, the game is purely about killing xenos and is quite open about it. I don't like it very much, but it's excellent at what it does regardless (although lacks the tactical depth of D&D 4E).

Only War is in beta, but I'm completely blown away. It combines the frailty of the Dark Heresy characters with the hack&slash of Deathwatch. An excellent game (if you don't mind dying a few times for the glory of the Emperor, and have an appreciation for gallows humor [that part is heavily GM-dependent though]).

Finally, Black Crusade is about the heretics and Chaos worshippers. Read through it, but I don't have an actual play experience. I think it's even harder to get right than VtM on the side of the Sabbath. Requires a rare kind of both player and GM. Looking forward to playing it.

 

If any of these interests you, feel free to ask about them.

[JayDGee]

My Suggestion S.L.A. Industries. Dark setting imagine if Judge Dredd worked for a Corporation instead of the law.

[JayDGee]

Another suggestion Little Fears. You play as children fighting to keep hold of your innocence and you battle the things in the dark.

 

get the atmosphere right and this can be the scariest game you will ever play/run