What different games do WELL.

[Iota]

My wife and I are thinking about getting back into RPGs, but we're a bit overwhelmed with all the choices out there. I've always toyed with the idea of making my own system, but that leaves my wife with nothing much to do in the meantime. I recently came across the idea that while no RPG is good at everything, certain RPGs are really good at one particular thing. World of Darkness games are good at things D&D isn't and Polaris is good at things Burning Wheel isn't. Out of those I'd only heard of D&D before two weeks ago, so I need some help getting up-to-speed on what's out there.

In your experience, what is a particular RPG that is better at what it does than other similar RPGs? Or, to put it another way, what is a quality you enjoy in an RPG, and what is the best RPG that you've found with that quality?

 

[billd91]

I guess it depends on what you're trying to do - what sort of feel and operation you're trying to get.

I like both Champions and Mutants and Masterminds for their ability to mimic elements of comic superhero action - both in subtle design of powers and in heroic action. Champions is particularly good at modeling differences between killing attacks and regular attacks. Mutants and Masterminds with its Damage Save mechanic is really good at handling superhero fights that heroes bounce back from without using a pool of hit points (stun points, body points, whatever) to ablate.
Mutants and Masterminds is also really good with dealing with complications in a hero's life. Rather than have disadvantages that give the character build points (that exist whether or not the GM actually includes the disadvantage in a session), M&M gives out hero points whenever a complication (or even significant defeat) affects a character.
For other superhero games, Villains and Vigilantes is really good at handling characters with broad powers like weather control (which is EXPENSIVE in Champions). It's also rules-lighter than Champions and so is really good for getting a beginner group up and playing.

In other genre, I like Call of Cthulhu's sanity track. It's a nice way to handle a second way for a character to be taken out of action rather than just getting physically beat up.

Other people may balk at it, but I always loved the Traveller/MegaTraveller character generation system. There's a lot of random rolling but it makes it a mini-game to play before the game actually starts. How far can you push your pre-adventuring career to get more skills and benefits before your physical stats collapse on you (or you get mustered out for an injury)?

I've only started delving into Torg but I think it has some nice narrative tools for the players to use - from cards that offer modifiers to subplots.

James Bond 007's opposed task bidding system was pretty cool too. And the play example illustrating it is brilliant (drawn from a car chase in Goldfinger). The player basically starts bidding with a difficulty level and the GM then bids against him until the resolution determines the outcome. More difficult bidding compared to your opponent yield more dramatic results - success or failure.

I really like what Pathfinder has done with a number of old D&Disms including offering benefits for PCs who stay in their initial class rather than multiclass, handling energy drain without affecting a character's level, and learning to use skills outside of your normal class package.

MegaTraveller had a pretty good action interruption system. Each side in a fight could have one active interruption going at a time. For example, one character breaks cover to try to move up to a doorway. The opposition interrupts to fire at him. That's the interrupt for the opposition side. An ally of the moving character interrupts to offer cover fire for the runner. That's the interruption for the PC side. No more interruptions are allowed and they are resolved in reverse order. Suppressive fire - if that doesn't take the NPC out, he gets his shot at the running PC - then the PC makes it to the doorway if he, in turn survives.

 

[scourger]

For me, D&D (d20) does fantasy very well and can be adapted to a few other genres very well: Omega World (post apocalyptic), Star Wars (sci-fi) and Judge Dredd (post-apoc/sci-fi).

For everything else, there's Savage Worlds. Try it free here: http://www.peginc.com/Downloads/SWEX/TD06.pdf

 

[Nagol]

My wife and I are thinking about getting back into RPGs, but we're a bit overwhelmed with all the choices out there. I've always toyed with the idea of making my own system, but that leaves my wife with nothing much to do in the meantime. I recently came across the idea that while no RPG is good at everything, certain RPGs are really good at one particular thing. World of Darkness games are good at things D&D isn't and Polaris is good at things Burning Wheel isn't. Out of those I'd only heard of D&D before two weeks ago, so I need some help getting up-to-speed on what's out there.

In your experience, what is a particular RPG that is better at what it does than other similar RPGs? Or, to put it another way, what is a quality you enjoy in an RPG, and what is the best RPG that you've found with that quality?

Most game systems do SOMETHING well.

Even restricting the genre to fantasy leaves an overwhelming set of choices: Pendragon, Ars Magica, D&D (various editions do different tropes better or worse than others), Runequest, Fantasy Hero, are some of my more common choices, but there are dozens or hundreds of others.

Perhaps a better point to start is to define what it is you'd like to play and then look for a game that does a good job of emulating that genre. That's generally how I pick a system -- what genre, what tech/magic level, what specific tropes would I like to emulate; what is the specific feel I'm looking for. Then I pick a system that matches.

 

[SkredlitheOgre]

I like GURPS a lot because of all of the customization and the ability to make things relatively simple or as complex as you like and you can use it for all settings. So far, I've been part of groups playing Supers, Cyberpunk, Corporate espionage, and a medieval setting, a setting based on the manga/anime Black Lagoon, and a Firefly based campaign.

 

[innerdude]

My wife and I are thinking about getting back into RPGs, but we're a bit overwhelmed with all the choices out there. I've always toyed with the idea of making my own system, but that leaves my wife with nothing much to do in the meantime. I recently came across the idea that while no RPG is good at everything, certain RPGs are really good at one particular thing. World of Darkness games are good at things D&D isn't and Polaris is good at things Burning Wheel isn't. Out of those I'd only heard of D&D before two weeks ago, so I need some help getting up-to-speed on what's out there.

In your experience, what is a particular RPG that is better at what it does than other similar RPGs? Or, to put it another way, what is a quality you enjoy in an RPG, and what is the best RPG that you've found with that quality?

I have to go with Scourger--Savage Worlds makes a marvelous RPG, for a number of genres, while being easy to learn, and flexible to use.

If you're looking for something to "try out" until you get a better feel for where your tastes run, there's almost nothing better than Savage Worlds.

Especially when the standard "Explorer's Edition" rulebook is a grand total of $10.00.

Also, don't be misled by the claims that it's "rules lite." It's closer to "rules medium," with more than enough "crunch" to keep things fun without bogging down.

 

[GSHamster]

Who are you playing with? Might as well go with what the other people in the group want.

If it's just you and your wife, I'd echo Nagol and go by genre.

 

[amerigoV]

I have to go with Scourger--Savage Worlds makes a marvelous RPG, for a number of genres, while being easy to learn, and flexible to use.

If you're looking for something to "try out" until you get a better feel for where your tastes run, there's almost nothing better than Savage Worlds.

Especially when the standard "Explorer's Edition" rulebook is a grand total of $10.00.

Also, don't be misled by the claims that it's "rules lite." It's closer to "rules medium," with more than enough "crunch" to keep things fun without bogging down.

Its "rules elegant." All the rules work together for a greater playing experience.

 

[Hussar]

I'm going to third (or fourth) Savage Worlds. It's a really great system for fast paced, pulpy action.

If you want something more... cerebral? High brow?... not sure what the right word is here, you might want to go with Spirit of the Century and the FATE system. Fun system, easy to learn and very heavy on the story aspects of gaming.

 

[Kunimatyu]

Savage Worlds does most everything right. Meaningful character options, fast prep, and fun sessions.

It reads a little funny, but everything that's in there is there because it works. Going back to rolling initiative after SW's playing card initiative would be tricky.