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<blockquote data-quote="innerdude" data-source="post: 6872907" data-attributes="member: 85870"><p>As already mentioned, Savage Worlds is the answer. </p><p></p><p>1. "Rules-light to rules-medium game" -- Check.</p><p></p><p>2. "Fairly fast-paced (to keep the kids' attention), but not driven mostly be player narrative and roleplay" -- Check. Savage Worlds aims for action/adventure style play, with just enough nods to roleplaying to keep things interesting. My pitch to people looking at the game generally goes something like, "It's the game I always wished BECMI D&D would have been but didn't know it when I was 13." To me it plays very much like my early BECMI games but much more robustly and with consistent, easy-to-apply rules. </p><p></p><p>3. "Quick, easy prep, as it is taking everything I have to keep things running already" -- MASSIVE check. When I was running my Savage Worlds fantasy campaign, my game prep averaged maybe one to three hours a month. It wasn't uncommon to prep entire sessions in 15-20 minutes, and sometimes less. If you can't prep a satisfying session of Savage Worlds in 30 minutes or less, you're doing something very, very wrong. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> </p><p></p><p>Further evidence on this point --- one of my good friends in the group had never once in his life tried GM-ing before he tried Savage Worlds. Within months of trying it out in my fantasy campaign, he asked if he could try his hand at GM-ing for the very first time. The end result was he ended up running an absolutely brilliant zombie apocalypse campaign. </p><p></p><p>4. "If there is an option that isn't fantasy, that would be a plus, too" -- Check. Savage Worlds is a multi-purpose, "toolkit" system and can easily handle nearly any genre of game you throw at it. I personally have run or played in a traditional fantasy game, a modern-day zombie apocalypse game, a near-future cyberpunk game, and a Firefly spinoff, all using the same core set of rules. And all of them ran and played wonderfully.</p><p></p><p>If you end up trying it, understand that isn't D&D. It's not based on standard d20 design, so there will be a small learning curve to acclimate to it if your baseline is D&D---but the payoff is vastly, hugely worth it. </p><p></p><p>Savage Worlds has been my go-to game since 2011 when I switched from Pathfinder, and to be honest, I have almost zero desire to try anything else at this point. Unless I'm looking for something in full "narrative/storytelling" mode (like Fate) or directly tied to a highly specific setting (The One Ring), Savage Worlds is my system of choice every time.</p><p></p><p>*Bonus: The huge variety of campaign settings. </p><p></p><p>If you want traditional, "high fantasy", Shaintar is absolutely brilliant. (I've not played it, but Hellfrost is also highly regarded amongst fellow Savages, or check out the Lankhmar companion.)</p><p></p><p>If you want "space opera," check out The Last Parsec or Slipstream. </p><p></p><p>If you want "Age of Sails" check out Pirates of the Spanish Main or The Savage World of Solomon Kane. </p><p></p><p>If you want horror, try Realms of Cthulhu, East Texas University, or Rippers. </p><p></p><p>If you want modern-ish, look at the Weird Wars series.</p><p></p><p>*Edit -- I can't believe I forgot one of my top 3, All Time Favorite RPG books I've ever owned, Interface Zero 2.0. This is one of the best cyberpunk settings you'll find anywhere.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="innerdude, post: 6872907, member: 85870"] As already mentioned, Savage Worlds is the answer. 1. "Rules-light to rules-medium game" -- Check. 2. "Fairly fast-paced (to keep the kids' attention), but not driven mostly be player narrative and roleplay" -- Check. Savage Worlds aims for action/adventure style play, with just enough nods to roleplaying to keep things interesting. My pitch to people looking at the game generally goes something like, "It's the game I always wished BECMI D&D would have been but didn't know it when I was 13." To me it plays very much like my early BECMI games but much more robustly and with consistent, easy-to-apply rules. 3. "Quick, easy prep, as it is taking everything I have to keep things running already" -- MASSIVE check. When I was running my Savage Worlds fantasy campaign, my game prep averaged maybe one to three hours a month. It wasn't uncommon to prep entire sessions in 15-20 minutes, and sometimes less. If you can't prep a satisfying session of Savage Worlds in 30 minutes or less, you're doing something very, very wrong. :) Further evidence on this point --- one of my good friends in the group had never once in his life tried GM-ing before he tried Savage Worlds. Within months of trying it out in my fantasy campaign, he asked if he could try his hand at GM-ing for the very first time. The end result was he ended up running an absolutely brilliant zombie apocalypse campaign. 4. "If there is an option that isn't fantasy, that would be a plus, too" -- Check. Savage Worlds is a multi-purpose, "toolkit" system and can easily handle nearly any genre of game you throw at it. I personally have run or played in a traditional fantasy game, a modern-day zombie apocalypse game, a near-future cyberpunk game, and a Firefly spinoff, all using the same core set of rules. And all of them ran and played wonderfully. If you end up trying it, understand that isn't D&D. It's not based on standard d20 design, so there will be a small learning curve to acclimate to it if your baseline is D&D---but the payoff is vastly, hugely worth it. Savage Worlds has been my go-to game since 2011 when I switched from Pathfinder, and to be honest, I have almost zero desire to try anything else at this point. Unless I'm looking for something in full "narrative/storytelling" mode (like Fate) or directly tied to a highly specific setting (The One Ring), Savage Worlds is my system of choice every time. *Bonus: The huge variety of campaign settings. If you want traditional, "high fantasy", Shaintar is absolutely brilliant. (I've not played it, but Hellfrost is also highly regarded amongst fellow Savages, or check out the Lankhmar companion.) If you want "space opera," check out The Last Parsec or Slipstream. If you want "Age of Sails" check out Pirates of the Spanish Main or The Savage World of Solomon Kane. If you want horror, try Realms of Cthulhu, East Texas University, or Rippers. If you want modern-ish, look at the Weird Wars series. *Edit -- I can't believe I forgot one of my top 3, All Time Favorite RPG books I've ever owned, Interface Zero 2.0. This is one of the best cyberpunk settings you'll find anywhere. [/QUOTE]
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