long long post about my system of choice problem...

[der_kluge]

this is very good to know!
i did read the review and it looked like the only problem i might have had were the typos (i'm really paranoid of my english going down in the toilet... )

I honestly believe that the typos in C&C are over-rated. If you read my (very long) review, you'll note that I don't even mention them. For the most part, they are very obvious things "pioson" instead of "poison" or "wsdom" instead of "wisdom". And they also seem to appear more frequently in headings and in the tables. So, I think those must have not got the benefit of a spellcheck or something. The biggest complaint I have is is the order of the classes. Fighter comes first, and bard comes last, IIRC. It just makes it hard to find things in it.

I bought a copy even though I know a revision is coming out. You can find them on eBay for about $12-$15.

 

[DragonLancer]

My recommendation is stick with D&D 3.5, specifically stay with the 3 core books and fiddle what you feel it needs.

 

[Gundark]

How about d20 without most of the supplements?

Plenty options, but not overwhelmingly many of them.

Bye
Thanee

Also it's easier to find people willing to play d20...again you could look at true 20

 

[scourger]

The first option I would recommend is #1--keep D&D 3.x d20 and modify to suit your tastes. I am currently playing a 3.5 "old school" core game. The DM is using a classic-style module from Goodman Games (http://www.goodmangames.com/DCCpreview.php). Personally, I'm partial to Dungeon Magazine (http://paizo.com/dungeon). I've had a subscription for years and have kept all the d20 stuff even after culling all the prior edition material I owned. Also, I find a core game is the most fun to run & play, especially when kept at relatively low levels. The PCs really have any option they need from the PHB (I don't even use the PrCs in the DMG for PCs). There is more than enough material to master for a DM in the PHB, DMG & MM. Initiative cards, the free ones and the pre-filled ones, are awesome (http://www.thegamemechanics.com/index.as). The prior posters who comment about finding d20 D&D players more easily are on-target. Save yourself the work. Run a core D&D d20 game using a module with classic flavor.

My second recommendation is #4--use Savage Worlds (http://www.peginc.com/Games/Savage Worlds/Savage Worlds.htm). It changed the way I approach gaming. I think it may even help (save) my d20 DMing. I think it can do the same for you. It really keeps the game fast, furious & fun. The core book is concise. It's simple enough to make it a joy to run but complex enough to keep it fun to play. You can get the free test drive rules and give it a try. It is multi-genre, too; so it can incorporate all the elements you want in your game. There's a ton of fan support, too (http://www.savageheroes.com/default.htm & http://www.sharkbytes.info/index.html). I find it truly a joy to run it, although D&D has so much support among my gaming friends and I have so much knowledge of d20 that it would be difficult to switch to Savage Worlds for genres in which we already play d20. I will incorporate concepts from SW in d20, and I think you would benefit from the same.

Good luck.

 

[mythusmage]

Since you're aiming toward salvage worlds, may I recommend Traveller? Lots of worlds to loot of interesting stuff there.
\
BTW, did you know you could choose more than one option in your poll?

Update: Savage Worlds kinda moved.

 

[Yair]

I haven't read it, but for your preferences I think Castles & Crusades looks like the best candidate.
If I were you and C&C turns out not so good, I'll take down the d20 SRD, and start chopping and modifying until I get what I want, then print it out and give to the guys. It's a lot of work, but it's the only way to truly get what you want.

Perhaps something like this (just rambling, so I'll spoiler it): [sblock]Keep most races, the Rouge, Barbarian, and simplified Fighter (make feats into ability chains). Modify Bard to be the holy caster (simpler to run then a cleric), or adopt some non-core spontanous divine caster. Reserve arcane magic to NPCs. Put in "customization" into each class by allowing choices between feat-chains as class abilities. Buff them up with special abilities in line with magic items, and don't give out any magic items (use an extended Masterwork ruleset, though, and give out cursed/artifact items rarely). Simplify skills by striking off their specific rules and using a global guideline for setting DCs. Adopt some Iron Heroes options for skill use in combat.
What you end up with is a system where you can play a Dwarf Cleric (i.e. Bard), Human Barbarian, or so on by reading nearly only your race and class sections, the general rules of combat and the general rules of skills. Referencing the book into other sections won't be required, and the characters will remain as powerful as D&D characters and use the same stats so you can use all the 3.xe adventures et al.
The downside is that you remove a lot of options by taking away feat and spell choices, some classes, and so on, and that it's A LOT of work.[/sblock]

 

[Spell]

Actually, if you are going to use D&D/d20 products with any game system (other than the one they were designed for), then HARP would actually be easier to convert to than GURPS. HARP uses a percentile based system (1-100), while D&D uses a similar system (1-20) just scaled back by a factor of 5. Conversion is not very difficult at all in the long run.

mmmh... (thinks of heading back to the shop quite soon to investigate the matter further...)

 

[Spell]

Hmm, have you considered Warhammer? It's easy to learn, very gritty/old-skool in feeling (to me, anyway) and lots of fun. Depending on your tastes, it might be a little too high-lethality, though... but (both as player and as dm) I like high-lethality games.

i have warhammer, and i love it. but i wanted to play those old mystara adventures, maybe with something like the desert of desolation serie...

 

[Spell]

i'm reading the test drive of savage world, too...

 

[Testament]

I personally say tweak D&D 3.X to your liking, but if that doesn't work, then Savage Worlds is easily one of the best systems out there. Horror of horrors, its a generic system that actually works! And as for running your old Mystara adventures, I know that a group of Savage fans out there are working on (gasp!) converting the monster manual's beasties to Savage Worlds.