Help me find a good fantasy RPG

poshniallo

Hi

This is a spin-off from the D&D 4e thread, where I was whinging about the path D&D has taken. :P

Anyway, I'd really like to buy a fantasy RPG which:

Has rules/mechanics for role-playing/moral choices/storymaking, not just combat.

Has a fairly generic setting so that players don't have to know much to play.

Has a simple combat system but one that allows for some choices (e.g. fighting defensively, heroic charges)



Exalted was suggested to me, but I think the backstory is too complicated and it's still too combat-focused (don't get me wrong, I like combat, but I'd rather have 10 short fights built around 'word-based choices' than 1 long fight that's all about maths)

Pendragon 5e sounds interesting, but the reviews said it's good for a regular group, and I'm looking for the generic style as it's good for casual occasional play.

Any ideas?

delroland

Savage Worlds is the closest you are going to get to your vision of the perfect fantasy RPG.

Casual play is the antithesis to a complex ruleset, and it seems you want both. Since you don't have a regular group, casual play becomes the more important goal, and that indicates a simple ruleset. Savage Worlds is just that, and the setting is modular (as generic as it comes), so once you are familiar with the mechanics of the system, you can run any type of game you want: cyberpunk, fantasy, horror (Lovecraftian or zombie/ghost), supers; whatever you want.

I'm sorry if it seems that I am pissing in your cornflakes, but a lot of what you ask for contradicts itself. Good stories are formed by creative gamemasters; if you want a ruleset to generate stories for you, play Talisman or HeroQuest or Descent or any of the RP-themed boardgames. You ask for a simple system with choices, and that usually makes it no longer a simple system. You want depth, but you want a casual, generic system, which is the exact opposite of depth.

Really, frankly, boardgames may be a better choice, and there are a lot of really good ones out there.

poshniallo

delroland wrote: »

Savage Worlds is the closest you are going to get to your vision of the perfect fantasy RPG.

Casual play is the antithesis to a complex ruleset, and it seems you want both. Since you don't have a regular group, casual play becomes the more important goal, and that indicates a simple ruleset. Savage Worlds is just that, and the setting is modular (as generic as it comes), so once you are familiar with the mechanics of the system, you can run any type of game you want: cyberpunk, fantasy, horror (Lovecraftian or zombie/ghost), supers; whatever you want.

I'm sorry if it seems that I am pissing in your cornflakes, but a lot of what you ask for contradicts itself. Good stories are formed by creative gamemasters; if you want a ruleset to generate stories for you, play Talisman or HeroQuest or Descent or any of the RP-themed boardgames. You ask for a simple system with choices, and that usually makes it no longer a simple system. You want depth, but you want a casual, generic system, which is the exact opposite of depth.

Really, frankly, boardgames may be a better choice, and there are a lot of really good ones out there.

Thanks for your advice - I'll check out Savage Worlds.

I don't think I'm explaining myself well, though. I think good story can come from the GM, but the best RPGs have mechanics that help you do that - for example the White Wolf games have parts of the character sheet which are about a character's personality and ethics. Mechanics like 'acting in line with your character archetype gets you willpower/xp' help storymaking. When I say 'simple' I meant simple-ish combat rules and a simple world.

Cheers though.

SageinaRage

I think you want Gurps, or Hero, or any other generic system which includes personality traits, or quirks and flaws, that kind of thing.

I personally prefer Hero, but it is in no way simple...unless you go for a straight heroic game, without all the powers. I guess you should check out Fantasy Hero, and whatever the corresponding Gurps book is, I don't know.

poshniallo

I've been doing some reading (someone in the other thread suggested trollbabe, and that span out into other games) and FATE sounds very interesting.

Does anyone know it? It's by Evil Hat productions, apparently.

Ars Mysteriorum

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay just got renewed by Fantasy Flight Games. It has a simple system anyone can get into and a fantastic setting with great background information and detail.

Plus, criticals that send limbs flying. How fun is that?

Echo

Ars Mysteriorum wrote: »

Plus, miscasts that send your limbs flying. How fun is that?

:^:

Carnarvon

Sounds like you want FATAL. When a game asks you to roll for nipple length, you know you have a winner.

Seriously though, Warhammer FRPG is awesome. It's not rules light, but it's definitely not rules heavy. I'd say it was rules efficient. The fluff is vast, but you don't really need to know any of it to enjoy the game.

delroland

Carnarvon wrote: »

Sounds like you want FATAL. When a game asks you to roll for nipple length, you know you have a winner.

When a majority of the game revolves around anally raping women, because they are all whores and secretly want you to/deserve it anyways, then you really know you have a winner.

Seriously, STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM FATAL. You will be a better person for it.

DaleKaleD

You should definitely check out Hackmaster, its based on the ruleset of 1st edition D&D, and heavily modified.

Super Namicchi

obviously the man is looking for a game like HYBRID

HYBRID anyone

HYBRID

...yeah it was a joke. to be honest, if you want a fantasy RPG, there's nothing wrong with DnD (any of the editions)

Especially since 4e is coming up and looks to be quite simple, although it lacks some of these 'game-enforced story elements'

I'd recommend Burning Empires, but unless you want to memorize a 600 page rulebook lest the game fall apart when you misapply a rule, it's probably not for you

Utsanomiko

The best part about HYBRID is that it doesn't use any dice or randomization.

And the rules include not only regular additions and errata but fascinating insight on socio-economic issues.

Draeven

Id throw in my hat for Warhammer. Its not combat heavy , because well a goblin can kill you . also the chr creatioin is pretty unique and indepth. It can be as random as you want or as straight as you want.

TomWhitbrook

I know this probably isn't what you're looking for, but I hear 4e has some sort of "Quest" mechanic coming in the DMG.

Also, WFRP or Dark Heresy. Rules medium, definitely big on awards for story and story related mechanics. Sanctioning side effects, anyone?

SageinaRage

Warhammer FRPG would be good, but it has NO social/rp/storymaking type stuff at all, except for the regular things like social skill rolls, about on the same level as D&D.

Majidah

"The Riddle of Steel" anyone? Though I admit it is a bit more rule-heavy, those rules are all in service of binding characters to important moral conundrums. The titular riddle I have always heard rendered as "What is worth killing for?"

Horseshoe

ArcanisTheImpotent wrote: »

obviously the man is looking for a game like HYBRID

HYBRID anyone

HYBRID

...yeah it was a joke. to be honest, if you want a fantasy RPG, there's nothing wrong with DnD (any of the editions)

Oh god, what the fuck?

The '80s Secret Wars storyline of Marvel Universe comics is used to create a set of equations that can explain the '86 MU TSR rpg & other popular rpgs into a concise set of equations or formulas which I refer to as the M-Theory for the '86 MU TSR role playing game, and this M-Theory is, also, used for & by other role playing games. This M-Theory that I just mentioned & will be talking about is the HYBRID role playing game, which is a sub-set or super-sub-set of all popular rpgs, and HYBRID rpg is compatible with the '86 MU TSR rpg, including and as well as being compatible with other rpgs such as HERO, GURPS, Primal Order RPG, Envoy System, Synnibarr, Mage-the Ascension, Dungeons & Dragons, TWERPS, Dr. Who rpg, Aberrant, MU Saga, BESM, etc. : HYBRID rpg is compatible with many popular past & current rpgs, but these similarities are by pure coincidence, sort of like ancient astronomers or engineers figuring out value of pi (3.14) indepdently of each other.

What

The

Fuck

edit: oh jesus heaven he has a blog

RULE # 601: This is a tri-stat rpg [role playing game], by the name of Hybrid rpg, which (in my opinion) is the best in the world. I attempt to update it whenever i can, but the original version had FEW errors, [1 error per year], which i attempted to update without much success. So, hopefully, this blog will do for both my tri-stat rpg, HYBRID, & for me (its author) what the update could not do, since the host of my tri-stat rpg, HYBRID, was not keeping up with the updates, maybe, due to (perhaps) some comments i made that might have been misunderstood as racism, which was NOT meant to be racist, but i was only restating history or/& historical fact from what i've read about, in terms of what caused WWII & what caused the civil war in Yugoslavia, but i'll NOT go into that right now. The 1st blog will be an introduction to my tri-stat rpg, which is NOT based on BESM rpg, which [BESM rpg] might have gotten its ideas from my tri-stat rpg, NOR is my tri-stat rpg based on SAS [Silver Age Sentinels], either, which [SAS rpg] is based on BESM rpg, which is based on my tri-stat rpg, by way of circular timeline [THEORY], since there is no other explanation to the close similarities, since i came up with my rpg on my own, but my tri-stat rpg does NOT look entirely like BESM rpg; but, BESM rpg seems to have stolen bits & pieces of my rpg, as have a dozen other rpgs [seem to have] stolen bits & pieces of my rpg, by way of circular timeline [THEORY: only explanation i have for the similarities, assuming it is not coincidental]. Now, to get to the introduction to my tri-stat rpg, HYBRID, which has 3 main stats: LS for Life Span, DP for Default Psyche, & PL for Power Level, in that order. LS or Life Span is similar to Body in BESM rpg but LS is NOT based on Body of Besm rpg: i had originally had thought of using Body, Soul, & Mind but for whatever reason i had NOT used those 3 names: i had this idea years before BESM rpg ever came out [meaning I had this/these idea before BESM rpg was published, during the 1990s, between 1990 & 1999, when my tri-stat rpg was evolving: so, you know; and, it [my tri-stat rpg, is still evolving, but @ a slower pace than it used to, since i'm running out of new rules to write up for my tri-stat rpg, where the # of rules seem to increase @ rate of anywhere from 1 per week to 1 per month; but, the core # of rules is 1 per year; so, you know that the core # of rules takes much longer for me to think about than its manifestations]. But, i seem to getting sidetracked. To get back to the introduction to my tri-stat rpg, HYBRID : it also has a series of unit of magnitude which go by the name/symbol of C#, which usually have a range of between CA & C4, but it is NOT limited to only that particular range, for it can have CB as well as C5, which are almost never used, so it will rarely [if ever] be mentioned. The C# is based on a recursive equation, X^LOG10(X), which it seems most [all that i ever come across] seem to be based on this equation but this equation is NEVER stated directly, but is IMPLIED, but in form of a jig-saw puzzle, meaning each rpg is a piece to the jig-saw puzzle, with my tri-stat rpg being the largest set of pieces to this jig-saw puzzle, which is NOT to be confused with complexity, meaning Champions/Hero/Fuzion may be the most complex rpg, but it may, too, also, be based on my tri-stat rpg, along with Aberrant, DC, & '86 MU TSR rpg, & a host of other rpgs may have based their rpgs on my tri-stat rpg by way of circular timeline, but my recursive equation of X^LOG10(X) is NEVER directly stated in any rpg book: it is this equation, this recursive equation, X^LOG10(X), which determines point total in its various C# forms, where C# is point distribution for a particular point total @ C#, which has & uses another equation X^LN(X), which is NOT recursive [far as i know it] but is helpful in giving more/extra information about an object or/& character that the [main] recursive equation is NOT able to give: why i say that my idea, rules, theories, & concept have been stolen from me in the past from the future by way of circular timeline, before i had chance to come up with my ideas, as i was developing my tri-stat rpg in the 1990s, which by 1999: my rpg was 81% complete.

arc, i hate you so much because i'm compelled to read this, like a rubbernecker on the highway while there's a car accident and a hate crime happening at the same time.

elkatas

Echo wrote: »

Ars Mysteriorum wrote: »

Plus, miscasts that send your limbs flying. How fun is that?

:^:

I once accidentally beheaded my own character in RuneQuest. On the first turn of the battle. Great times.

Super Namicchi

Horseshoe wrote: »

horse discovering the glory that is HYBRID

another one has joined the flock

enjoy hybrid, it's a... masterpiece

Horseshoe

It's amazing.

But, getting back to the main example, what this particluar blog is about that being the unit of magnitude of [CA], which in its modified form of [CA - 10], will give rating for both Nobilis rpg & for AVERAGE psyche for the character in MU SAGA, where in the latter Galactus will be @ rating of 30 in MU SAGA, by [(CA = 40) - 10] = [40 - 10] = 30 or 30 rating for his AVERAGE psyche rating in MU SAGA: the C1 DP or Default Psyche for Galactus is @ 40^LOG10(40 CA) = 368.6347 C1 Default Psyche: this value of 40 CA DP i did NOT get by reverse engineering from MU SAGA: it just came out that i had given value of 40 CA DP to MU Galactus, then years later, when i did crack the code for MU SAGA by subtracting 10 from my CA unit of magnitude, it gave me value of/for the rating of Galactus for his AVERAGE psyche in MU SAGA, by [40 - 10], giving rating of 30, which just happens to be the maximum rating value in MU SAGA: coincidence ? IF it is NOT a coincidence, [and, i came up with the result independantly], the value given by MU SAGA must have been derived from me by way of circular timeline: THEORY, a theory published by the famous physicist Maxwell, but maybe Maxwell came up with idea of circular timeline from me.

Shit, this last part is something I would say.

In fact, this guy is on to something... because maybe I did say it.

Super Namicchi

popular opinion is that he is mentally ill

you know what they say, the geniuses are often insane

but not to derail the thread. fantasy rpg? Exalted is fantasy, and I don't think anyone's mentioned it

it has rules for social combat and stuff

the only thing going against it in my mind is the high crunch factor, but I don't mind that because it's easy to wrap your head around

Horseshoe

Has rules/mechanics for role-playing/moral choices/storymaking, not just combat.

Has a fairly generic setting so that players don't have to know much to play.

Has a simple combat system but one that allows for some choices (e.g. fighting defensively, heroic charges)

You might try not to get hung up on thinking of that first one as mandatory... it can be easy to borrow from one game tack on to an rpg you like otherwise.

In the Star Wars RPG, players collect "Dark Side Points" when they do bad things, and mechanical consequences can result.

In DnD there's a variant rule called "taint" (hehe) that measures corruption in a way that works into the gameplay. It's actually part of the SRD now. This same variant rules section has ways of using "honor" or "reputation" as game mechanics.

In Warcraft D20, players collect "Hero Points" for certain actions that they can spend in order to directly affect the storytelling narrative.

And in any system you can find ways to reward a character for roleplaying so long as you hold up your end as the GM.

delroland

ArcanisTheImpotent wrote: »

enjoy hybrid, it's a... masterpiece

Horseshoe

:^: