Need a system recommendation

[GreyLord]

Well, hmm. There is the old Star Wars RPG, though that has a distinct Sci Fi type feel of space.

There's the New Warhammer Wrath & Glory coming out (very much like Shadowrun, but seems at tad lighter).

My first choice, IF you can get your hands on it, though, is neither. It is a VERY light game that is pretty darn awesome.

It is called Omega World and came out in Dungeon 92/Polyhedron 153. The entire game is around 42 pages long.

It is compatible with just about any D20 game system from that era if you wanted to add anything you wanted.

Not exactly magic, but mutation and stuff like that plays heavily in it. You can take just about any magic system that works with any sort of D20 system you know and add it in.

 

[S'mon]

I like Mini Six a lot, and the sample settings include a modern fantasy one with rules for all your desired points.

It's compatible with d6 System products like d6 Fantasy and d6 Adventure if you want
more material/crunch - https://www.rpgnow.com/browse.php?keywords=d6+System&x=0&y=0&author=&artist=&pfrom=&pto=

Also, OSR game Skyscrapers & Sorcery is modern world/urban fantasy genre.

 

[Guest 6801328]

The One Ring

Oh, wait, you had criteria...

 

[Azurewraith]

Personally I think your best bet is savage worlds. It's generic had everything you are looking for and I have played a few longish stints that have held up just fine.

 

[Mercule]

Based on what you said, I think Savage Worlds is your best bet from the systems with which I'm familiar.

If you want something really off the wall, though, pick up the core World of Darkness book and/or Hunter: the Vigil (which is more mundane than The Reckoning). The base Storyteller/ing system is actually light until you start adding the various "race" rules. If you hate dice pools, you're not going to like it, though.

 

[DM Howard]

I'd recommend WOIN based on what you are looking for.

 

[GMMichael]

Not too rules-heavy

Well then I'd suggest Fate.

Not being FATE

Damn it!

Run without a battlemat and overly tactical combat

Hmm. You probably want a game that's not too combat-heavy, and very unlike CLUE, which runs on a map.

Be able to support investigative scenarios as well as combat-heavy ones.

Curses!

What about something very hackable? You know, that would let you tinker as the campaign evolved?

 

[GreyLord]

I had another idea of a game that popped up in Dungeon #90 with the Polyhedron game. It is around 60 pages and is set in the 1920s-40s.

It has some magic (the mystic) and is set in the modern age.

It is called Pulp Heroes. Pretty decent of a modern age take, probably around the complexity (or maybe a little less, depending on who is playing or DMing) of 5e in my thoughts.

 

[Reynard]

The Cypher system may work for you. There's a free primer over at DTRPG to give you an idea of how it works. There is also Modern AGE, which also provides a preview.

I have been looking for something similar, except I want a game that will handle modern era, normal people trapped in faerie-land, preferably with a level-of-success system (rather than a straight pass/fail system) that can also handle rules for negotiating with terrible powers and trying to keep a community alive.

 

[Xaelvaen]

The Cypher system may work for you. There's a free primer over at DTRPG to give you an idea of how it works. There is also Modern AGE, which also provides a preview.

I have been looking for something similar, except I want a game that will handle modern era, normal people trapped in faerie-land, preferably with a level-of-success system (rather than a straight pass/fail system) that can also handle rules for negotiating with terrible powers and trying to keep a community alive.

I backed the original Numenera in kickstarter, from which the Cypher system derived; incredibly fast play, narrative heavy - would also fit your criteria quite well. So seconding Reynard's recommendation (excepting my own previous).