Omni System/Atlantis: the Second Age, anyone's experiences?

[Dragon-Slayer]

Has anyone played these games? I was a big fan of the original and I am looking to get into the new version using the Omni System. I only found one review on RpgNet and a few scattered reviews. Is the Omni System easy to use and really rules light? I have thumbed through a pod version of the new Atlantis book and it looks good, but the magic and the callings seem like an investment of time and possibly a turn-off for people trying a new system. I didn't have a major problem with the spells and classes as per the original Bard Games version.

Also, it seems as if the Atlantis Bestiary and the magic book for the game are taking forever, which is a pain. Morrigan Press seems to be supporting too many games at the moment. I would like to see the Atlantis game fleshed out and supported a bit before the Terran Trade Authority game comes out, but that is just me. Any good or bad experiences with Atlantis/Omni?



Thanks!

 

[TableSage]

I have GMed the Omni system and I can say that the basic rules are fairly light and very easy to use. And if you know D&D then it will feel similar. (The Talislanta 4th edition was lighter on rules but also lacks some of the crunch of Omni).

As I haven't played the Atlantis version I'm not sure what changes there are in that compared to the Omni system rulebook. I looked at the sampler and it seemed similar enough...

However, the magic is the one thing that some may not like. It is a little open ended when making spells and takes some player/GM cooperation. But once the spell is made it is fine. One of my players loved the system and another one decided to make a different character as it was frustrating her.

As a side note I have also noticed that Morrigan seems to have a lot going on and they take a while to get new books out.

 

[Psion]

I was a huge fan of the original. The omni system version is okay, and gives me a little jolt of nostalgia, but really doesn't jive with me.

The omni system is sort of like taking the Tal system and giving it what it's missing -- namely, a real purchase system -- but still, what the book boils down to is doing the Atlantean Trilogy with Tal, which doesn't fly for me. Too much of the original was steeped in glorious little details, like reagents your alchemist used to create potent items. Too much of that was swept away in the redo, IMO.

 

[Dragon-Slayer]

Thank you both for the replies. I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to mesh some of the old system with Castles & Crusades, like the magic rules, bestiary and the little extras mentioned, the homonoculi rules, runes and all of the little details that made the game so different and so much fun.