Looking for a new RPG - Recommendations?

[pming]

Hiya.

I'm assuming Fantasy RPG is what you're looking for. In that case, BECMI/RC (basic D&D), which can be kind of hard to find (and/or expensive)...so, an *AWESOME* alternative which we have been using is "Dark Dungeons". It's a free DL, and you can buy the full greyscale softback for something around $14.

Dark Dungeons is the original site, but he's also 'moved' ito to his new one, Gratis Games - - the home of Dark Dungeons and other free games!

I was so impressed with the quality and 'authinticity' related to the original BECMI/RC I bought 7 softback copies for my group, plus the delux color hardback for myself. The delux color hardback has got to be one of the best hardback books I've ever bought; solid, excellent binding and thick, sleek paper. Mmmmmmm..... Expensive, but well worth it to me.

Anyway...yeah, Dark Dungeons; fast playing, easy to understand, even easier to manipulate. Great system.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Pbartender]

What we'd be looking for would hopefully be doable without a game board, and probably kind of 'rules-light.' I put that in quotes because I'm not even sure what a 'rules light' system looks like, to be honest. All I know is one of our current complaints is we no longer have time for hours of combat, and we'd prefer to get through stories a little faster.

It would help if the rules were online somewhere (like the pathfinder SRD) or if we could in some way otherwise preview it before we jump into a purchase.

I beginning to sound like a broken record, but...

My group was having similar problems with 4E. We switched to FATE 3.0 (we tried out Spirit of the Century, Dresden Files, and finally settled on Starblazer Adventures, because we wanted a sci-fi game).

The basic mechanics are modestly rules light (I like to call it "rules al dente"), and it can be played without a battlemat and minis, but there are still plenty of options for those who want customizable characters.

The SRD for FATE 3.0 can be found here.

 

[Technomancer]

If you're familiar with 3.5/Pathfinder and looking for something lighter, the obvious choice is Castles and Crusades. I see it as sort of a cross between 2E and 3E, with many of 3E's more streamlined mechanics and 2E's simpler design (especially WRT character creation).

Here's a link to the publisher's website, with a link to download a quickstart version of the rules and try it out.

 

[GreyLord]

Another you could try would be the Lone Wolf multiplayer gamebook, basically an RPG but really could be done easily with just two players.

 

[dm4hire]

Haven't seen mention of Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG which will be releasing soon. Highly recommend it as it is very rules light. It is modeled after Basic D&D with 3.0 mechanics added in. It also only goes to level 10 and seems designed for the players who no longer have time for long campaigns due to family or work. Check out the website for a better write up.