Can you name a good fantasy TTRPG that's not D&D?
mrm1138
Explorer
I'm surprised I haven't seen any mention of 13th Age. Is that because it's too similar to D&D for people to consider it, or is it just not that popular? I've personally been wanting to try it out with my group as a possible replacement for 5e because I like a lot of the differences. I think the feats and the One Unique Thing make it easier to make PCs more customizable.
As far as combat goes, the Escalation Die and damage on missing an attack roll seem like nifty innovations to keep combat from bogging down. Plus, distance is abstracted (engaged, nearby, far away) so it isn't dependent on maps and minis.
Also, from a GM perspective, I like the monster stat blocks a whole lot more as they look much easier to run. Magic using NPCs don't require you to flip back and forth between their entry in the bestiary and the spells section.
As far as combat goes, the Escalation Die and damage on missing an attack roll seem like nifty innovations to keep combat from bogging down. Plus, distance is abstracted (engaged, nearby, far away) so it isn't dependent on maps and minis.
Also, from a GM perspective, I like the monster stat blocks a whole lot more as they look much easier to run. Magic using NPCs don't require you to flip back and forth between their entry in the bestiary and the spells section.
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Tun Kai Poh
Hero
Oh I do like 13th Age too, but I haven't run it in a while. Other good games to run like Blades in the Dark and Beyond the Fence, Below the Grave...
aramis erak
Legend
Just use the psionics in D6 Space.... its the 3rd edition Star Wars d6 in all but name, and the Force is a good magic system.
Personally, I consider 13th age to be D&D, just like Pathfinder, Hackmaster, and Arcana Evolved are D&D. The sign on the front may say differently, but that's just legal nonsense.
mrm1138
Explorer
That's fair. Heinsoo and Tweet were definitely very overt about their intentions. I just wasn't sure how picky the OP was being about the definition of "not D&D."
Aldarc
Legend
I suppose one could distinguish between "good fantasy TTRPGs" that are technically not D&D but essentially D&D-esque fantasy heartbreakers (e.g., 13th Age, Worlds Without Number, a lot of OSR, arguably Shadow of the Demon Lord, etc.) and those that definitely lie outside of the d20 system family (e.g., AGE, PbtA, BRP, FitD, Cortex, Fate, etc.).
Hex08
Hero
While I understand where you are coming from, and I flip flop between agreeing with you and not, in the end I would have to say I don't. Pathfinder, Arcana Evolved, Castles & Crusades, OSRIC and all the other games that are similar have things that set them apart enough to be considered their own thing (some games more than others). There is more to an RPG than just the ruleset, although that can be a big part of it, and many of these games have a different enough feel than D&D and/or enough differences in the rules to set them apart. Once we start trying to make these distinctions you are never going to get people to agree on what is or is not basically still D&D.
Since the OP just asked if anyone "Can you name a good fantasy TTRPG that's not D&D?" without any additional info or restrictions then any TTRPG that doesn't have Dungeons and Dragons on the cover fits the bill.
Just my take, no more or less valid that yours.
niklinna
satisfied?
What particular things about those fantasy heartbreakers break your heart?
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