Anybody care for an alternative to World of Darkness?

[VelvetViolet]

World of Darkness has a virtual monopoly over the urban fantasy tabletop space.

I don’t like the game setting or the rules. I would prefer if there were alternatives, but there don’t seem to be any.

What I would prefer is something like D&D, except for urban fantasy. Lots of different character options and a variety of campaign settings. An OGL to promote community creations.

I would have to invent something like this from scratch. Is anybody else interested in something like that?

EDIT: Sorry, Urban Arcana, Opening the Dark, Night Shift and others I don't know about are OGL.

 

[Fenris-77]

There are some decent Urban Fantasy games out there, but it's not so overcrowded that there isn't room for a another well crafted one. The UF games I'm most impressed with are Dresden Files, City of Mist, and Urban Shadows.

So yeah, I'd be interested but as we all know the devil is in the details. I'd be less interested the higher the crunch factor, but that's my personal taste in modern setting RPGs.

 

[VelvetViolet]

There are some decent Urban Fantasy games out there, but it's not so overcrowded that there isn't room for a another well crafted one. The UF games I'm most impressed with are Dresden Files, City of Mist, and Urban Shadows.

So yeah, I'd be interested but as we all know the devil is in the details. I'd be less interested the higher the crunch factor, but that's my personal taste in modern setting RPGs.

Fair enough. I was thinking of going for a systemless setting and releasing modular fluff under the OGL to promote community content creation, similar to how d20 Modern released Department-7 under the SRD.

The primary appeal of World of Darkness is the extensive setting, so to compete I would need to write long dissertations on fictional history... I guess. I was planning on a multiverse setting so that I could write contradicting histories and explore concepts that otherwise wouldn’t be possible in a single setting.

 

[Fenris-77]

That could work. I think you want to graft on some bespoke mechanics that will make the theme really hum. Maybe consider what you want to do with classes, for example, which may need to look a little different for a systemless modern fantasy game. Magic may need to move on form the Vancian too, as you will want space for a lot of different kinds of magic from different traditions. One of the challenges of Urban Fantasy, especially systemless like you want, is to find the design space to be broad without at the same time being bland.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You thinking of a modified 5Ed urban fantasy game? If not, remember there was a Urban Arcana D20.

Other notable UF games out there include the venerable Shadowrun and The Strange.

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Urban Shadows and Dresden Files are definitely the way to go. Dresden Files has the benefit of many, many novels worth of lore.

And isn't Rivers of London getting a Chaosium adaptation? That's another nice big urban fantasy series with a big company getting behind it too.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Do you have any particular extant UF IP in mind? I mean, I’m not thinking you're going to actually bid for something like the rights to the Potterverse, Imajica or The Magicians, but it might help to frame the discussion if we knew the flavor of UF you favored.

 

[VelvetViolet]

That could work. I think you want to graft on some bespoke mechanics that will make the theme really hum. Maybe consider what you want to do with classes, for example, which may need to look a little different for a systemless modern fantasy game. Magic may need to move on form the Vancian too, as you will want space for a lot of different kinds of magic from different traditions. One of the challenges of Urban Fantasy, especially systemless like you want, is to find the design space to be broad without at the same time being bland.

Opening the Dark is a retroclone of dice pool mechanics with a freeform magic system.

You thinking of a modified 5Ed urban fantasy game? If not, remember there was a Urban Arcana D20.

Other notable UF games out there include the venerable Shadowrun and The Strange.

I’m not tied to any particular system. I don’t want to any existing IP. Although The Strange’s concept of recursions is really neat.

Urban Shadows and Dresden Files are definitely the way to go. Dresden Files has the benefit of many, many novels worth of lore.

And isn't Rivers of London getting a Chaosium adaptation? That's another nice big urban fantasy series with a big company getting behind it too.

I don’t want to limit myself to any existing IP. I want to create my own lore and inspire others to create their own. Like the good old day of B.J. Zanzibar’s archive.

Do you have any particular extant UF IP in mind? I mean, I’m not thinking you're going to actually bid for something like the rights to the Potterverse, Imajica or The Magicians, but it might help to frame the discussion if we knew the flavor of UF you favored.

I’m not interested in an extant IP. I just don’t like World of Darkness and want more open-ended alternatives. I haven’t found any games that do that, so I’m thinking that I’ll probably have to make my own.

I guess I like the extremely modular concepts behind Hunter: The Vigil and Changeling: The Lost, but otherwise I don’t like the World of Darkness settings or rules.

 

[Badvoc]

Prior to the White Wolf games, we used to play Nightlife. I remember enjoying it at the time, but I'm not sure how well it would hold up now if I was to revisit it.

Another (more current) option is Liminal.

 

[aramis erak]

Urban Fantasy includes two subgenres... one is the "Reawakened diversity" model, championed by Shadowrun. I can't really recommend that mechanically, but the setting is great. Another "in your face" is Castle Falkenstein, a slightly retro 19th C steampunk Urban Fantasy. One can also put the long OOP oWoD relative Street Fighter in this category, tho' it can be played either way... I like the streetfighter setting and the rules play well enough. I'm also fond of CF, but many dislike cards.

The other, epitomized by oWoD, nWoD, Dresden Files, Forever Knight, Buffy/Angel, Army of Darkness, and Night's Edge, and the slightly retro urban fantasies Ghosts of Albion and Vaesen (19thC). GURPS Horror can easily be used to do any of those, as well.

Of those, FK lacks a game. But FK can easily be done with WoD... but they're all one clan. I want to say oWoD Ventrue.

Buffy, Angel, Army of Darkness, and Ghosts of Albion are all fully intercompatible games (unisystem light), so the lack of threat provision books for GoA and Angel is answered with the one for BTVS. Dead tree is 'spensive, but the PDFs seem to have some form of evergreen status with Fox, and they're still up for sale on DTRPG. Note for experienced GM's: This version of Unisystem is "No GM Rolling..." ... the players roll to hit NPCs, and to dodge the NPC's chosen attacks; the NPC doesn't roll to hit, and just uses a dodge score against the player's To Hit. All 4 games do this; if you want to roll for NPC's, remember to subtract 6 from all NPC ability scores...

Ghosts of Albion is "early Victorian age" and is fairly similar to BTVS in tone, but without the overt restriction of slayers needing to be female. I'm not familiar with the books nor shows, just the game. Note that Amber Benson (played Tara on Buffy) was involved with development of the game.

I like Unisystem light, and buffy/angel is a good combo.

Night's Edge is a setting for the Cyberpunk RPG. (ISTR 2013, but I used it with CP2020) Wasn't as good as VTM for me. Dead tree is frightful, but again, it's up on DTRPG for cheap. I'd only recommend it for diehard Interlock system fans.