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11:18 am
Fri 7-16-10
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cancerman
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So, I've been game mastering for a few years, and I'm trying to decide what my next system will be. I'm looking for something with medium weight and a lot of fun. I tend to avoid fantasy. I like the idea of a system that can adapt to different genres, but it's not a necessity. Recently ran a GURPS campaign (set in an early space exploration setting) and found it too loaded down with details. I've also run Shadowrun (decent system, needs a little work), Spirit of the Century (simple but fantastic system, no real leveling) and First Edition D&D (and played in a 4E game).
Here are some of the systems I'm considering, and was wondering if anyone had any input into how good any of these are.
Runepunk (with Savage Lands)
Star Wars
Victoriana
Rogue Trader
Iron Gauntlets: with the Asian steampunk supplements
Full Light Full Steam
Dogs in the Vineyard
Mutants and Masterminds
I'm also considering running a Spirit of the Century game, but using a different genre (than 30s pulp adventure).
Forrest
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2:50 pm
Fri 7-16-10
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rca50
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Medium weight? hmmm…
D20 modern is ok…. if you are looking for Skill based Shadowruin 4th ed is good in my opinion. Mutants and Masterminds can get away from you if you don't have the proper thought on power balancing. I do like the Warhammer 40k system… however the world is a little "heavy."
Fading SUns is a great setting.. but the system is kinda jinky. They are working on a third edition which should be keen.
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5:28 pm
Fri 7-16-10
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gurps_gm
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As a GURPS GM I realize many players and GMs have a problem with the detail. One can tailor the system by lightening it. Obvious ways are to:
- Limit combat to the basic system, or quick contests.
- Don't roll for mundane tasks.
- Give aids to players like the combat cards which are availble as a Free PDF from Steve Jackson Games.
- Use the optional wildcard "!" or bang skills.
I recently GMed two GURPS Prime Directive Games at Kublacon. Admittedly, a Star Fleet character, which what the PCs are, has lots of skills. so reduce informational overload, I created the "StarFleet!" wildcard skill, which has all the skills a Star Fleet officer or enlisted person would have.
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9:21 pm
Fri 7-16-10
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Alex Draconis
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Post edited 4:26 am – Sat 7-17-10 by Alex Draconis
I'd have to agree with rca50, Shadowrun 4th is a good choice.
Also how about Diaspora or Thousand Suns?
GURPS is ok, well once you get past character creation. Transhuman Space for GURPS is excellent.
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11:26 am
Sat 7-17-10
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Finn Kisch
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If you like SotC, take a look at the two more recent incarnations of FATE. Diaspora is hard SF (i.e., it , and I like the way it works in that role. Notably, it adapts FATE conflict resolution to platoon-level combat and starship combat. I love the star cluster generation system as well – I'll be adapting it for setting generation in pretty much any other genre game I play, in any system. The Dresden Files, once you strip away all the book-specific references, is a modern urban fantasy system that I enjoy exponentially more than Urban Arcana (though not as much as the more horror-oriented Unknown Armies). It looks like you could pitch all the supernatural stuff too and run it as straight modern, though I haven't tried that.
As for supers, check out Wild Talents. It's an update and expansion of the Godlike system, which I think plays faster and cleaner than Mutants and Masterminds.
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Finn Kisch
Forum Overlord, EndGame co-owner
Red is my Overlord voice
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11:47 am
Sat 7-17-10
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cancerman
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Alex, I had not heard of Thousand Suns or Diaspora. They both look very cool. (I'm really surprised I hadn't heard of Diaspora as it's based on the FATE system.) I'm a little curious about the general mechanics of Thousand Suns, but I love the setting. I wonder when the new edition will show up (I couldn't find any information on that).
rca50, I may go back to Shadowrun at some point, but I did think the organization of the rulebook (4E) was a little clunky.
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11:50 am
Sat 7-17-10
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cancerman
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Ooo, Wild Talents looks cool, too.
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12:58 pm
Sat 7-17-10
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cancerman
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Something else that appeals to me that I seem to miss when I play a lot of the RPGs out there: Character levelling. It seems to make for a more interesting campaign for me. Sure GURPS and Shadowrun and the like hand out character-building points, but it's just not quite as satisfying as, "You've gained a level. And here are the benefits!" Perhaps this is a little old school of me, but I just lenjoy that aspect (no SOTC pun intended).
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5:37 pm
Sat 7-17-10
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Alex Draconis
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Cancerman (great name btw, X files FTW),
They go into the mechanics of Thousand Suns in the rpg.net review if you want to take a look under the hood.
Shadowrun 4E got cleaned up with the 20th anniversary edition release. I previously hated the artwork, layout, and production values of the core book before, but they've more than brought things back up lately.
Character levelling is seen as anachronistic in modern game design. It's used because it's much easier to design an adventure for a specific predefined power level, i.e. "4th level" than to for a party of freeform designed PCs. Powerlevel can of course vary hugely based on optimal or suboptimal choices. These days it's seen as limiting character design. Although sometimes that's not an entirely bad thing as GURPS and the HERO system can take option choices way too far. I dislike designing characters in both systems without a spreadsheet program to do it. Not surprisingly those two systems sell such a program.
Diaspora has recieved excellent reviews. Naturally I'd be all over that if someone decided to run a game.
-Alex D.
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6:15 pm
Sat 7-24-10
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cancerman
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I'm going with RunePunk (Savage Worlds). It seems to have all the type of mechanics I want, with a setting that is of particular interest to me. Thanks for everyone's input. Honestly, I wish I could play most of these games. Life is way too short.
Forrest
http://rattleanddice.blogspot.com/
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