Let's Talk About Fantasy heartbreaks and other FRPGs

[Reynard]

As an offshoot of my thread about replacing D&D specifically for dungeon crawls, I want to talk about other fantay RPGs more broadly and not necessarily focused on trying to get the same experience.

What was your first non-D&D fantasy RPG? What is your favorite? If it is a different answer, what is your favorite "fantasy heartbreaker" (usually defined as a game designed specifically to be a better game than D&D and usually failing)? Are you able to run that favorite game, or do you end up going back to D&D to get players (or whatever other reason)?

 

[Willie the Duck]

My first non-D&D fantasy game would have been either Talislanta or GURPS set in a fantasy setting.

For non-dungeon-crawling fantasy rpgs, I have some favorites. Romance of the Perilous Land is a great Arthurian style fantasy RPG that doesn't intend to model or facilitate dungeon-crawling. For that matter Chivalry and Sorcery is a good old school game that does the same. While not 'Fantasy' in the standard framing, Paleomythic is a game with opponents and weapons and armor with no tendency towards dungeons (just an unusual setting). I really love the simplicity of the latter's mechanics.

Fantasy Heartbreakers are a hard nut to crack. I've certainly picked up some, but none of them register or are memorable specifically because I have no problem with D&D for doing what D&D does, and when I look to another RPG, it is because I want to be doing something else.

 

[eyeheartawk]

The first RPG I ever played was in summer camp in 5th grade and it was a fantasy GURPS game. That aside my favorite non D&D fantasy game is probably DCC or Castles and Crusades because they do something quite a bit different from D&D.

As far as heartbreakers go I'd probably say either Senzar or Synnibarr. Because if you're going to make "D&D but better" go all the way on that, you know? Those books just ooze excitement and passion. I don't know that I would ever seriously play those, but as a curiosity to read they're pretty great.

 

[Mezuka]

Since 1982, usually when I was tired of D&D I would run a rpg of a different genre. Star Frontiers, Star Wars, Modern D20, Savage World Interface Zero and many others. Than I would go back to D&D.

You made me realize I never ran a non-D&D fantasy rpg until Fantasy AGE two years ago. I wouldn't call FAGE a heartbreaker. It works fine and there are many optional rules in the toolbox for the GM who wants to customize the game. I no longer play it.

My current favourite is Shadow of the Demon Lord. Only two games under the belt. No warts yet and I don't see any when I read the rules, which is very rare. I'll know more in 2-3 months.

I always had to go back to D&D because the players never wanted to play more than 3-4 games of non-D&D games. But with my new group, we are playing anything but D&D. D&D is off the table. Which is very refreshing!

 

[Reynard]

We talked a bit about Earthdawn in the other thread, and I still can't decide whether it is a Fantasy heartbreaker or not. it explicitly sets out to "do D&D better than D&D" and in most ways it succeeds. But at the same time, it is specific to itself (and tied vaguely to Shadowrun). It is probably my all time favorite non D&D game for the things it adds to the D&D formula: in world origins for many of the tropes, a rich post apocalyptic fantasy world, awesome magic, Lovecraftian horrors, and scaling magic items.

Great, now I have to figure out how to play Earthdawn without playing Earthdawn because, hoo boy, that dice pool system.

Another game that gets a lot of flak and is probably the first real Fantasy heartbreaker is the Palladium Fantasy RPG, specifically the first edition. I never played it but I played a lot of Heroes Unlimited and TMNT so I am familiar with the system, which is a janky mess. But, the world has great lore.

 

[eyeheartawk]

Another game that gets a lot of flak and is probably the first real Fantasy heartbreaker is the Palladium Fantasy RPG, specifically the first edition. I never played it but I played a lot of Heroes Unlimited and TMNT so I am familiar with the system, which is a janky mess. But, the world has great lore.

I think Palladium Fantasy RPG ( the real OG PFRPG ) gets unfairly maligned when people paint with the Megaversal brush. What eventually became Megaversal (it wasn't then) is essentially 1E AD&D with some houserules on it, and later hosed down with a thorough application of Mega Damage and Micro Missile Launchers, actually kind of works for a sort of gritty fantasy game. I quite like PFRPG and I hate most Palladium games.

 

[Jer]

What was your first non-D&D fantasy RPG? What is your favorite? If it is a different answer, what is your favorite "fantasy heartbreaker" (usually defined as a game designed specifically to be a better game than D&D and usually failing)? Are you able to run that favorite game, or do you end up going back to D&D to get players (or whatever other reason)?

Interesting question. Looking back I didn't play many non-D&D fantasy RPGs - if folks wanted fantasy we played D&D for the most part. If we weren't playing D&D it was because we didn't want to play fantasy. We played a lot of different RPGs but they were all other genres - sci-fi, horror, supers, etc.

Probably my first actual non-D&D fantasy game was Ars Magica as I think about it. A very different fantasy experience that wouldn't have worked with D&D. We took a stab at Runequest once - so maybe that's it - but I didn't appreciate it until much later in life. I also ran a long-running Torg campaign that used Aysle as a setting a lot, but it's not pure fantasy so I'm not sure it counts.

 

[TwoSix]

Would the White Wolf games count as "non-D&D fantasy"? If so, Werewolf was my first game.

 

[Reynard]

Would the White Wolf games count as "non-D&D fantasy"? If so, Werewolf was my first game.

Not for this discussion, but something like Vampire: Dark Ages might. It's fuzzy.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

The first non-D&D fantasy RPG I played was probably Empire of the Petal Throne. I seem to recall discovering that I couldn't play a dwarf, but could play some creature with three legs, three arms, and a lot of fur and thinking "what is this garbage?!" In my defense, I was quite young.

First non-D&D fantasy RPG that clicked for me was Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying. The GM wasn't very good, but the grim and perilous world, the career system, were completely enthralling.