What makes E6 "gritty"?

[MichaelSomething]

It might help us all if you would describe your previous gaming experience. Being Enworld, I tend to assume everyone here is familiar with D&D.

Generally, the higher level you are, the more powerful you are. If you really want help, you'll need to give up specific examples to work with.

In 3.5 D&D terms, you would most likely be either a level 1 commoner or a level 1 expert if you had a good education. A soldier fresh from basic training would be a level 1 warrior. A cop with a couple of years experience would be a level 2/3 warrior. An elite ranger/marine type would be about level 4. But these are just my educated guesses.

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

It might help us all if you would describe your previous gaming experience.

Played a total of (my memory is bad) 5 games of D&D, only two of which ever got to 3rd level. And that was maybe 4-5 years ago.

 

[Alaxk Knight of Galt]

Played a total of (my memory is bad) 5 games of D&D, only two of which ever got to 3rd level. And that was maybe 4-5 years ago.

I'd suggest that you play a bit more DnD, then decide what fits your style. If you've never been beyond 3rd level, you've never seen the effects of the system at high levels.

Here is what I'd do:
[

• Grab an Adventure Path - Age of Worms is excellent, but finding all the individual adventures may be a pain. Pazio has a lot of adventure paths that start at level 1 and go to any given level. Run the game and see what you enjoy about the game at various levels.
• Determine your style - There is a reason there are a lot of different RPGs on the market, everyone has a different style. I like either wildly cinematic or extremely gritty games that don't use tactical combat. I'll play other styles, but when I run stuff, it's one of these styles. 7th Sea seems to be my default game for the wildly cinematic. Earlier editions of DnD (especially 2nd Edition) tend to fit the bill for the grittier games (run with minimal house rules).
• Find what your players like - If you are playing with seasoned gamers, they probably have their preferences. If not, you might need to experiment with several styles of gaming. As GM, you've got to manage a lot of expectations at the gaming table. Best to know what your players like and dislike before beginning. It's also a good idea to tell them what you like to help manage their expectations.

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

I'd suggest that you play a bit more DnD, then decide what fits your style.

I know what my style is. I just don't know how or if D&D fits that.

EDIT: Also I don't know where to go anymore to find that games. (I'm PbP exclusive, if that helps.) And back in the day every game I found was way too seriously-minded.

And since the usual advice when this is brought up is "run your own" that's what I'm trying to do.

UPDATE: I'm really starting to think D&D is too involved for me to start GMing with it. Maybe it's a better idea if I pick something I don't have to work so hard on first.

 

[MichaelSomething]

EDIT: Also I don't know where to go anymore to find that games. (I'm PbP exclusive, if that helps.) And back in the day every game I found was way too seriously-minded.

If only there was some website you could go to where you find a listing of gaming stores/events you could go to in order to find a game! It would truly be a wondrous place!

Well, sorry for not being able to help you. In terms of complexity, 3.5 is among the more complex. If you're not willing to deal with a lot of rules, might I suggest Mircolite d20? It is the lightest game I can think of. If you run it, you're may have to make decisions without any game rules to tell you what to do, which you may either love or hate doing.

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

If only there was some website you could go to where you find a listing of gaming stores/events you could go to in order to find a game! It would truly be a wondrous place!

What I need is a site that only lists games I'd be interested in. But since that's a fantasy I'm stuck with a great many sites and having no idea which ones to go to. It's disheartening and makes me give up.

I don't expect anyone to fix that, I'm just saying I'm having a hard time and to not assume it's an easy process for everyone.

Well, sorry for not being able to help you.

But you all were: the complexity of not being able to come to a simple answer made me think more about the issue of what I wanted to do

 

[Alaxk Knight of Galt]

What makes E6 "gritty"?
The DM.

 

[P1NBACK]

SilvercatMoonpaw2, what do you want out of your fantasy game? Do you want something focused on fighting monsters? Do you want character-driven, sandbox style game? Do you want high fantasy or swords & sorcery? Do you want Conan or Lord of the Rings?

These types of descriptions will help you better than trying to shoe-horn an existing playstyle into what you want.

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

Do you mean what do I want out of a system? Or more than that?

 

[Alaxk Knight of Galt]

Do you mean what do I want out of a system? Or more than that?

/HeadExplode