Changing Game Systems

[Dannyalcatraz]

Are you looking for new systems to try or are you looking for different settings?

If its the former, try HERO. HERO is my favorite system of all: super flexible and once you make your PC, you almost never reference the book again. Mutants & Masterminds is similarly flexible.

If it's the latter, there are many innovative settings out there that you could either run as a game or use as source material in a system you prefer. You've already taken a look at Shadowrun, but others are worthy of examining: RIFTS, Deadlands, Space:1889, Earthdawn, Paranoia and Call of Cthulhu are all very rich with ideas & flavor.

 

[scourger]

Savage Worlds. This document gives the design history/philosophy, which highlights what the system does and does not do.
http://www.peginc.com/Downloads/SWEX/MakingofSW.pdf
WARNING - SW will ruin you for other systems.

Yep, QFT. And, you can try Savage Worlds for free (but you've been warned):

http://www.peginc.com/Downloads/SWEX/TD06.pdf

Otherwise, I suggest you pick up the new Gamma World. Since you're already familiar with 4e, it would be an easy conversion. I find it very engaging, although I am not a fan of 4e; but I am a fan of GW. You may find it a nice change of pace.

 

[Redcrow]

If you want a toolbox system like GURPS, I would recommend checking out BRP (Basic Role Playing) which is a fairly simple and generic ruleset that you can customize to fit most any genre. And for a more streamlined, fantasy focused version of the BRP rules I would recommend checking out MRQ II (Mongoose RuneQuest 2). Simple yet flexible rules that fade into the background instead of taking center stage. BRP is also the underlying ruleset for Call of Cthulhu.

 

[Mal Malenkirk]

Malenkirk: From what I've seen of Shadowrun, it looks like something that could be incredibly fun. Your caution of character development worries me a bit, though. We have one player that has been all about optimizing his character for combat in our 4E campaigns. It sounds like this could be a problem in a Shadowrun game.

Don't let him be a mage and you should be all right.

 

[Bavix]

Savage Worlds

I have to give a shout out to Savage Worlds as well. You just can't beat this multi-genre, fast and furious RPG for $10. It's definitely my system of choice.

 

[samursus]

I would also recommend Savage Worlds as a nice change of pace from 4e (which I do like) and as a bonus its inexpensive, rules-light and very flexible.

 

[steenan]

I suggest widening your horizons and trying something completely different than the games you played. It's very good way to learn how much RPG has to offer.

Polaris has already been suggested. It's a GM-less game, based on ritualized negotiation as a resolution system (it's perfectly possible to play a session, use the mechanics a lot and never roll a die). It aims for an emotionally intense game, but it's not immersive; it's closer to creating the story through conflict and negotiation.

Dogs in the Vineyard is closer to a traditional RPG than Polaris, as it has a separate GM. It's a game focused on choices and escalation (as in: "how far would you go to do what you think is right"). It uses a fun conflict resolution system where you roll some dice at the beginning and then use them as raises and sees; various character traits add to the pool, as do escalating into using more severe methods (talking to pushing to fighting to shooting).

Donjon is about a group of adventurers, exploring dungeons, fighting monsters and finding treasure - just as D&D. The difference is, it gives players a lot more power over what happens in game. Characters have equipment pool, as a numeric value, and it represents what happens to be useful in given situation. Successes in tests may be used to declare results of actions: this way, player is allowed to say, for example "Looking around the corner, I see a group of goblins, gathered around a heavy chest and engaged in a heated argument", after he got 3 successes in a perception test. Players also declare what items they want to get when they find loot and then roll if it's really there. The game is fun, funny, and forces everybody to hone their improvisational skills.

Bliss Stage is a game in which you play teenagers that fight alien invaders with dream mecha made of love and hate - to sum it up in a single sentence. It's mechanics is all about relationships, trust, intimacy and trauma. The weapons you use all correspond to the feelings that connect you with other people; each time your mecha gets hit, a relationship is hurt. Each fight, you have to choose between humanity's future and someone you care for. Take care: this game is heavy and often depressing, the kind of feeling you get from later episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

 

[Aus_Snow]

A couple of things I like, that you might like, should you try them...

Pendragon: The setting has perhaps unrivalled mythic resonance. Also, it's very well written. The system works beautifully with it too. There are no mental or social stats... but you have Personality Trait pairs (e.g., Forgiving/Vengeful and Valorous/Cowardly), Passions (e.g., Love of Family or Loyalty to your Lord), and Glory (that which is accumulated, by doing, well, glorious things). Some of the supplements are also superb, but that's very much a matter of not only taste, but what you intend to do, exactly. None of them's needed, mind you, for the default experience. Another thing that stands out is the "seasonal" play - you go out and do risky stuff for some of the year, and for some of it, it's much more restful and constructive (in a different way)... or on the other hand, political and complicated.

In a Wicked Age: Wonderfully alluring S&S setting (albeit largely fleshed out by the group). An unusual experience, if you've only played traditional RPGs. You still use dice, and have a lot of freedom, but there are some key points of difference to said "trad" games. The thing that starts off a game is the Oracle, from which is derived the characters, and the general setup. Stats are as follows - Covertly, Directly, For Myself, For Others, With Love, and With Violence. Each has a die type for its score, which can be reduced, if Bad Things happen. There's a lot more to it than that, as well, but I hope that gives you some idea. Excellent zero-prep game!

 

[MortonStromgal]

I'm currently enjoying Desolation and All for One. Both use the Ubiquity system which is a dice pool d2 system.

 

[Hussar]

For some short term gaming to scratch the itch, I might suggest All Flesh Must Be Eaten (loads of fun) and 3:16 Carnage Beyond the Stars (haven't played it but it looks like a blast).

Both are very simple systems that really reach the concepts they're trying to tap - zombie horror or Hunt the Bugs a la Starship Troopers.