this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
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Bonus points for any non-D&D or D&D derivative systems.

My first RPG was Palladium Fantasy way back when my grognard uncle invited me to his groups table. I still don't really grok it, but it was pretty formative of my ideas of what an RPG could be. The lack of balance and extreme existential threats as part of ordinary encounters included.

Needless to say, I haven't found a group for this system in a looong while, eheh.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Call of Cthulhu.

Bonus answer: Star Wars D6, our main game back in the day and a lot of great memories.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Oh I would like to try the star wars D6. I played quite a lot of the ffg star wars because at some point it was the favorite for most of the people in my play group, but I never found it very nice. I love star wars lore, but not this system.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

@Merwyn D6 is the best!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

FFG star wars is great. We did a few sessions with my current group and it was pretty fun. Easier online with the automatic counting of successes and failures

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yeah I had to make an android app for that because one person in the group was taking ages to proceed each rolls ...

I would say that the game as a whole is fine but it's carried by the franchise. The system is not for me, but no doubt a lot of people like it. I cannot even explain why I don't like it specifically, it just didn't work for me.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's hard to really understand what each roll means outside of combat. Like you can fail but have a great success at the same time. The passing of bonus to weaker members during a group check is pretty cool

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

It makes it a lot harder to dm imo. It helps if you keep the table of suggested consequences for advantage/triumph or threat/despair, but even that can't always save you!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

Mage: the Ascension. It's the only system I've ever played where I really felt like I knew MAGIC, rather than just a handful of pre-scripted tricks.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

Lancer ! I did one short scenario (6 sessions IIRC) and the system and combat were a blast ! The story a little bit less, it was a homemade one for the GM. But apparently the published ones are quite good.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

Scion (White Wolf). Maybe Eclipse Phase. Mutants and Masterminds.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Oh God, Palladium. That was... A way to do things.

I fucking love G.U.R.P.S. Is it ground breaking? No. Is it fun to smash 6 different flavors together, hash out what survives, and run a short adventure or a few one-shots? Hell yeah! It's not often I run into anyone who has a fondness for the system. Hell, I get kinda excited if someones even heard of it, even if they didn't have a great experience.

Also rather enjoyed Ironclaw. I see it written off as "That Furry TT", but I had a good time with it. Would happily play more.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

I find in practice that I prefer d20hero/mutants and masterminds over GURPS. It has all the same flexibility but WILDLY less math.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

I was explaining to an acquaintance the reasons why I was transitioning my group to GURPS from DnD, and she said she learned GURPS first and they're the same. And I was just kinda gobsmacked that 1. she'd heard of it at all and 2. she learned it first.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Warhammer RPG, Earthdawn 3rd ed or Hero System is my owned top games that see too little game time.

Mutant Undergångens Arvtagare is also sorely missed on the table

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Played a lot of dark heresy 2 during corona online with friends. It's a bit complicated with quite a few skills, but really fun. And because our gm was nice, we barely died :D

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

For years, all our group played was Palladium (Rifts, FRPG, and Heroes Unlimited), but I don’t think I’d ever go back to the system given other options. Combat took forever (possibly bc the GM’s threw ungodly amounts of enemies at us and refused to have anyone retreat, ever) and it felt like it just generally took forever to do anything. Also, there’s not really many adventure modules in any of the books (apart from Sourcebook 1? Just random ideas for things, but nothing to tie it together). We’ve since gone to a few other systems, but I still like to run one-shots and try out new systems whenever I can. I’ve had Year Zero in my sights for awhile and I’m prepping to run Mutant Year Zero, hoping it goes well.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Rifts was my first TTRPG and it opened up the whole RPG world to me. Absolutely loved the blend of magic and sci-fi.

Combat system was clunky as hell though.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

I would love to do more Thirsty Sword Lesbians

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Blades in the Dark and Lancer for the haven't played at all yet answer. I think both sound really cool!

One system I'd love to play more of is the D6 system that the old West End Games Star Wars used. I know they made a generic version and I always liked those mechanics. It was super fun.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Traveller seems like it would be fun with the right group

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

It is, tell ya.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (2 children)

~~F.A.T.A.L.~~

World of darkness (Vampire: the masquerade/Werewolf: the apocalypse). I've never played it, but a friend of mine was really enthusiastic about it and from what she told me it's really fun.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

I love Old WoD games. Vampire less so, but Werewolf, Mage, and Demon: the Fallen are among favorites ever.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I am from that player generation who played the WOD games in the early 00's. Like nobody around was playing D&D, it was VtM, Dark-age, Werewolf, Eastern-Vampires, Mage, hunter and so on.

These games are greats, the system has a good balance between light and crunchy, the setting is amazing with a shit ton of secret, and the idea of playing power struggles as the apocalypse comes was pretty cool.

That said, these games also have their own issue. A big one is their tendency to behave like D&D with tons of sourcebook. Moreover each sourcebook/game are written by different people leading to contradiction in the lore, not a big deal except when everyone pretends to be an expert on the lore. Another big one is that you sell a game where you play monsters struggling to keep their humanity and political power game, and you end up having a system about killing and fiighting I believe the 5th edition solved some of these problems. A last one is that it's really hard to get player to cooperate, not necessarily a big deal if everyone is aware of it, but there is the point where No, I don't see why I'd play that quest, especially with these people comes to the table.

But still a very great set of games

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

My first RPG was called "Het Oog des Meesters", translated from the original German "Die Schwarze Auge". It was probably pretty bad compared to AD&D but I loved it as a kid. In the one hand I'd love to play it again. On the other hand, playing might ruin my memory of the game. Like rewatching a bad cartoon from your childhood.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

The Dark Eye is still alive and well. The current edition is still a pretty crunchy and traditional RPG experience compared to say dnd 5e but it's a lot more modern than the older ones.

And the world building is still one of the best out there for any TTRPG imo.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Any of the crazy, mostly-single-page, mostly-free RPGs made by Grant Howitt. They start off sounding almost sensible (Death was the Only Road Out of Town, System Shutdown), then start pushing the boundaries (Honey Heist, TRAMFORCE), before going all in on the madness (Seans Bean star in: A VERY NORTHERN CHRISTMAS, Jason Statham's Big Vacation). Great for a last minute one-shot with zero planning required and maximum laughs produced.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Chivalry & Sorcery

I played loads of this back in the 2nd edition days, but by the time 3rd edition had come out, all the people I'd played 2nd with dribbled out of my life (or I out of theirs) and that, combined with the seriously flawed nature of 3rd's publication, left me nobody to play with. Now C&S is in its 5th edition, and it's a powerhouse of a game, but I know of nobody anywhere who plays it. I play it solo only, now. I wish I could find a group.

Grey Ranks

You need to have a very special kind of player willing to play a game that's as depressing and rigidly structured as Gray Ranks. I've never found people matching those traits. I can only read the game and imagine.

Space Opera

Yes, it has some of the most ludicrously complicated rules ever put into a game. (1.5 pages of dense-type rules for handing items from one character to another!) Yes it feels like they just took every space-based SF conceit and crammed it into the rules. But there's a whole lot of remembered good times in those black books that very few games since have ever come close to matching.

Psi World

At a time when games from almost all companies were going crazier and crazier in complexity, with FGU, the publisher of this game, leading the pack with the insanely complicated rules of (in)famous games like Space Opera, Chivalry & Sorcery, Aftermath, and even games like Flashing Blades or Daredevils, out came the small, unassuming boxed set of Psi World with slim rules that were very simple (by the standards of the time: medium complexity by modern standards) and yet contained within them one of the best systems for psionic powers ever put to paper, and had an implied setting with more depth than you'd expect from the low page count in the main rules box.

I had loads of fun in this game playing weak psis, strong psis (verging on abusive), and psi cops. And now nobody's even heard of it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Genius: the Transgression. A world of darkness fan game. I started running it in the hope I'd be able to play in a game some day. No luck. My favourite game, and I've never played in it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

@spittingimage @HipsterTenZero
I loved the rulebook to this - the narrative chunks illustrating the “enlightenment” experience were terrifying and beautiful.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Man, I wanna play Lancer so bad!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Dragonbane. Got my box set, have Foundry all set up. Just need a group that wants to play.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I know nothing about Dragonbane (though I’m familiar with Free League’s other stuff), but I’d be interested in playing online if you’re looking for people and the timing works.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

I would love to play a retro clone like Old-School Essentials, Labyrinth Lord and Swords & Wizardry. I wanted to try the old school DnD mega dungeon system.

For non-Dnd system I would like to Apocalypse World system like Monster of the Week. I downloaded a new system called Coyote and Crow that seems very interesting. It is set in a North America that was never colonized with some cool magic elements. The setting looks dope but I have no idea about the mechanics. I didn't get that far in my reading of the rules yet

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Numenera, far future setting for Cypher System. I'm the forever DM and I haven't been a player since I played the Skein of the Blackbone Bride oneshot at GenghisCon that got me into it at least 5 years ago.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I've always wanted to play Cypher in the Numenera system. I have been using the Cypher items in my dnd game but I wanted to use the whole system

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Dm me If you're interested in a text game, I'm running one with three players on discord. Also there's an official 5e-numenera conversion

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Dune and Symbaroum

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Unknown armies 3rd edition. Did the kickstarter however long ago that was but haven't had a group in that long to try it out with.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Rifts, although it could use an optimization pass or two on the rule set.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Dresden files rpg!! I'd settle for any fate system or dresden based game tbh

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I really want to try OG Rifts one day

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I really want to give masks a shot sometimes

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Right now I'm playing Lancer and I really wish I had another campaign to try a different build/corpo. Not that I am unhappy with my choices or anything, but the more I build into what I want, the more I look at other mechs going "Hmmm...kinda want to try that too"

For something that's not as ridiculous, I really want to play some goddamn Masks. I've been thinking of running it, after the book gets a proper publishing in my country, but I also really want to play.

I almost always want to play some Masks, but still.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Everything on my shelf. Cyborg, Forbidden Lands, Spire etc.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Cyborg and all the Mork Borg games are so great. I want to play and run them more too. I did a few months long Pirate Borg campaign and it was such a blast. I really want to give Vast Grimm a go too.

These games are just so fast, fun, random and wild. Such rich tools for great storytelling. Love, love, love them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Ive only played/ran one shots in borg . Hows it work for longer form campaigns?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I got to have an intro session but then never play deadlands. I need my weird West fix!

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

@HipsterTenZero at this point, anything. Savage Worlds has been my jam, though.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

@HipsterTenZero Aftermath! Because I've always been weird. Also, Space Opera.

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