Feb 3, 2021 6:08 pm
With my Urban Shadows game having ended and my one-shot coming to an end soon-ish, this will free me to start two new games. Problem is, I own way too many systems and I want to play them all... So I figured I'd list some of the systems I want to try the most below, give each of them a little pitch, and see which ones get the most interest.
So without further ado, here are the following systems I'd like to play right now, in no particular order...
• Warrior, Rogue, & Mage (fantasy, rules light, d6 against TN): Free, rules-light, quick to pick up and play. No classes, in fact, your attributes are the eponymous classes. If you want to be a good warrior, put more points into Warrior. The system is simply roll 1d6 (which can explode) + stat + skilled bonus and beat a Difficulty Level. It can be played with any setting, but there is a very basic one which comes with the game. With the various supplements (also free), the game takes on a bit more depth, with a better magic system, more combat options, and new races. Available for free here.
• Dungeonslayers 4th edition (fantasy, rules light, d20 roll under): Another free, fun, and rules light system (though more complex than WR&M above). Mostly inspired by The Dark Eye, but with some D&D inspirations sprinkled in there as well. A simple system where you roll a D20 under a Check Target Number calculated by one of your Attributes + one of your Traits + various modifiers. 1 is a Coup (a critical) and 20 is a Fumble. Optional rules like Slayer Points and the slaying Dice make combat much more dynamic. The Caera setting is fun and interesting, and they've kept things "small" on purpose so that you could easily justify doing an adventure in cold climate followed by one in hot climate. Available for free here. Map of Caera available here.
• Undiscovered: The Quest for Adventure (fantasy, old school, d%): An older game from a defunct Canadian company I've owned since 2001. The game is very old-school (3rd attack every 2nd rounds and things like that), but the rules are relatively simple (though character creation is rather complex and crunchy). Many races, including old classics with a new twist, and many, many new ones (if you've ever felt like playing a Wookie with Wolverine's bone claws, then this game is for you!). A classless system with unlimited levels, spells, miracles, psionics, shamans, oh my... The world of Arkas is rather vanilla, with good metallic dragons and evil chromatic dragons, but their pantheon of deities is really well-made, with holy symbols that are not limited to some amulet you wear around your neck. Available for cheap here, though if you want to complete your collection with Discovering Dusters, the Player's Codex, or The Adventurer Guide's Screen, you're going to have to hit e-bay and hope for reasonable prices...
• Vagabonds of Dyfed (fantasy, rules light, OSR/PbtA): Another system I wanted to try for a while. Basically a marriage of OSR with a modern Powered by the Apocalypse take. Your characters have no attributes, but rather a series of tags (both positive and negative) which you use to figure out your modifier on any given rolls. No central setting, so I could do pretty much anything with it, and with a conversion guide, I can use pretty much any OSR (and not-so-OSR) adventures I own with it. Available for cheap here.
• Five torches Deep (fantasy, rules light, 5e-inspired): FTD is to 5e what vagabonds of Dyfed is to PbtA, basically a simplification of the D&D 5e mechanics to allow for a more OSR-style of play. Lower attribute scores, deadly combat, classes limited to 9 levels, XP calculated by securing treasure. Again, no central setting, so I can do anything I want with it, and it also possesses conversion guides, so I can use any OSR or D&D5 modules with it... Available for cheap here.
• Barebones Fantasy (fantasy, rules light, d%): An interesting system using only d10s/d100s labelled as "D00 Lite". With the supplements, there is a large selection of fantasy races and pulls a bit of a WR&M in that there are no classes, but this time around, your "classes" are your skills. Want to be a good rogue? Make sure to advance your Thief skill. The established setting of Karenak has enough left vague for each individual GM to tailor it to their taste, and the return of the evil giants from the northern wastes makes for an interesting campaign hook. Available for cheap here.
• The Age of Shadow (fantasy, rules light, d%): Based of Open Quest, another interesting setting with a very "first-age" feel to it. The elves are at the height of their power and are pretty much everywhere, and have taken the relatively young race of man under its wing. The dwarves are doing their own things off to the side. An Enemy (with capital E) which consist of a trio of powerful demon lords (there used to be 4, but one was killed by an elven king long ago) is coming back from the north, sending their minions forth in The Great Lands to the south. Available for free-ish here and here.
• FrontierSpace (sci-fi, rules light-ish, d%): The sci-fi adaptation of BBF's D00 Lite rules with a bit more tweaking and changes. It has been called the spiritual successor to Star Frontier, and I can also see some Traveller influences in there... The rules are a bit more complex than BBF, but still left at a manageable level. The Frontier is an interesting sector of space where the collapse of the Galactic Federation has left many worlds to fend for themselves. As such, you have a setting which feels a bit like a "space western" with technology which has a very rugged feel. Available for cheap here.
• Aliens & Asteroids (sci-fi, rules light, d20 roll under): Another d20 roll under system, but different than the one used by DS4 above. No classes, character are created selecting an origin, background, and career path. No skills, everything is based off your attributes. Again 1 is a critical and 20 is a fumble. No money, but you get purchase rolls based on your successful mission (think of it as your Social Credit Score amid the Dominion of Humankind). A mix of Starship troopers, X-Com, and cosmic horror. Available for cheap here.
• Atomic Highway (post-apocalyptic, rules light, d6 roll successes): A fun and fast-paced post-apocalyptic game where you attempt to roll 6s for success. But don't fret, you have some tools under your belt to help you turn those dice which did not roll 6s into 6s. No classes, characters are created by selected a rearing (your youth and childhood), and a pursuit (what you're doing now). Lots of importance on Scavenging and mutations are kept relatively low-powered and low-impact, so don't expect crazy Gamma World stuff... No official setting, so I can do pretty much whatever I want with it... Available for free-ish here.
• Uncharted Worlds (sci-fi, rules light, PbtA): A Powered by the Apocalypse ruleset which lets you play space opera. No archetypes, character creation is done by selecting an origin and a career. No official setting, but character creation encourages players to participate in the world building. Uses an interesting system of Data Points to provide bonuses for players. Available for cheap here.
Tell me which one(s) interest you the most, and the ones which will get the most votes or interest will be the games I'll use. Also, feel free to ask any questions about the games, any houserules or homebrews I might want to use, etc.
So without further ado, here are the following systems I'd like to play right now, in no particular order...
• Warrior, Rogue, & Mage (fantasy, rules light, d6 against TN): Free, rules-light, quick to pick up and play. No classes, in fact, your attributes are the eponymous classes. If you want to be a good warrior, put more points into Warrior. The system is simply roll 1d6 (which can explode) + stat + skilled bonus and beat a Difficulty Level. It can be played with any setting, but there is a very basic one which comes with the game. With the various supplements (also free), the game takes on a bit more depth, with a better magic system, more combat options, and new races. Available for free here.
• Dungeonslayers 4th edition (fantasy, rules light, d20 roll under): Another free, fun, and rules light system (though more complex than WR&M above). Mostly inspired by The Dark Eye, but with some D&D inspirations sprinkled in there as well. A simple system where you roll a D20 under a Check Target Number calculated by one of your Attributes + one of your Traits + various modifiers. 1 is a Coup (a critical) and 20 is a Fumble. Optional rules like Slayer Points and the slaying Dice make combat much more dynamic. The Caera setting is fun and interesting, and they've kept things "small" on purpose so that you could easily justify doing an adventure in cold climate followed by one in hot climate. Available for free here. Map of Caera available here.
• Undiscovered: The Quest for Adventure (fantasy, old school, d%): An older game from a defunct Canadian company I've owned since 2001. The game is very old-school (3rd attack every 2nd rounds and things like that), but the rules are relatively simple (though character creation is rather complex and crunchy). Many races, including old classics with a new twist, and many, many new ones (if you've ever felt like playing a Wookie with Wolverine's bone claws, then this game is for you!). A classless system with unlimited levels, spells, miracles, psionics, shamans, oh my... The world of Arkas is rather vanilla, with good metallic dragons and evil chromatic dragons, but their pantheon of deities is really well-made, with holy symbols that are not limited to some amulet you wear around your neck. Available for cheap here, though if you want to complete your collection with Discovering Dusters, the Player's Codex, or The Adventurer Guide's Screen, you're going to have to hit e-bay and hope for reasonable prices...
• Vagabonds of Dyfed (fantasy, rules light, OSR/PbtA): Another system I wanted to try for a while. Basically a marriage of OSR with a modern Powered by the Apocalypse take. Your characters have no attributes, but rather a series of tags (both positive and negative) which you use to figure out your modifier on any given rolls. No central setting, so I could do pretty much anything with it, and with a conversion guide, I can use pretty much any OSR (and not-so-OSR) adventures I own with it. Available for cheap here.
• Five torches Deep (fantasy, rules light, 5e-inspired): FTD is to 5e what vagabonds of Dyfed is to PbtA, basically a simplification of the D&D 5e mechanics to allow for a more OSR-style of play. Lower attribute scores, deadly combat, classes limited to 9 levels, XP calculated by securing treasure. Again, no central setting, so I can do anything I want with it, and it also possesses conversion guides, so I can use any OSR or D&D5 modules with it... Available for cheap here.
• Barebones Fantasy (fantasy, rules light, d%): An interesting system using only d10s/d100s labelled as "D00 Lite". With the supplements, there is a large selection of fantasy races and pulls a bit of a WR&M in that there are no classes, but this time around, your "classes" are your skills. Want to be a good rogue? Make sure to advance your Thief skill. The established setting of Karenak has enough left vague for each individual GM to tailor it to their taste, and the return of the evil giants from the northern wastes makes for an interesting campaign hook. Available for cheap here.
• The Age of Shadow (fantasy, rules light, d%): Based of Open Quest, another interesting setting with a very "first-age" feel to it. The elves are at the height of their power and are pretty much everywhere, and have taken the relatively young race of man under its wing. The dwarves are doing their own things off to the side. An Enemy (with capital E) which consist of a trio of powerful demon lords (there used to be 4, but one was killed by an elven king long ago) is coming back from the north, sending their minions forth in The Great Lands to the south. Available for free-ish here and here.
• FrontierSpace (sci-fi, rules light-ish, d%): The sci-fi adaptation of BBF's D00 Lite rules with a bit more tweaking and changes. It has been called the spiritual successor to Star Frontier, and I can also see some Traveller influences in there... The rules are a bit more complex than BBF, but still left at a manageable level. The Frontier is an interesting sector of space where the collapse of the Galactic Federation has left many worlds to fend for themselves. As such, you have a setting which feels a bit like a "space western" with technology which has a very rugged feel. Available for cheap here.
• Aliens & Asteroids (sci-fi, rules light, d20 roll under): Another d20 roll under system, but different than the one used by DS4 above. No classes, character are created selecting an origin, background, and career path. No skills, everything is based off your attributes. Again 1 is a critical and 20 is a fumble. No money, but you get purchase rolls based on your successful mission (think of it as your Social Credit Score amid the Dominion of Humankind). A mix of Starship troopers, X-Com, and cosmic horror. Available for cheap here.
• Atomic Highway (post-apocalyptic, rules light, d6 roll successes): A fun and fast-paced post-apocalyptic game where you attempt to roll 6s for success. But don't fret, you have some tools under your belt to help you turn those dice which did not roll 6s into 6s. No classes, characters are created by selected a rearing (your youth and childhood), and a pursuit (what you're doing now). Lots of importance on Scavenging and mutations are kept relatively low-powered and low-impact, so don't expect crazy Gamma World stuff... No official setting, so I can do pretty much whatever I want with it... Available for free-ish here.
• Uncharted Worlds (sci-fi, rules light, PbtA): A Powered by the Apocalypse ruleset which lets you play space opera. No archetypes, character creation is done by selecting an origin and a career. No official setting, but character creation encourages players to participate in the world building. Uses an interesting system of Data Points to provide bonuses for players. Available for cheap here.
Tell me which one(s) interest you the most, and the ones which will get the most votes or interest will be the games I'll use. Also, feel free to ask any questions about the games, any houserules or homebrews I might want to use, etc.
Last edited March 2, 2021 2:52 am
