2005 -- A Good Year For 'Rules Lite' FRPGs?

[cleaverthepit]

First, Ill agree with Akrasia, I think this is going to be a cool year for rules lite. I am picking up Blue Rose at Gen Con this year and will see if I can get together a campaign with it. I like the idea of making a Tolkienesque campaign with it.

T&T - I can't wait. We'll probably pay our 'Slash Around the House' annual T&T campaign right after gen con.


A clarification

""C&C starts of with some fantastic ideas and wonderful mechanics and then they fumble it all away and make up strange one-shot rules for common actions. I.e. To disarm someone you need to hit AC 23 (# taken from thin air I imagine) and roll some other various dice to end up with an action that is far worse than a regular attack against almost impossible odds.""

It was decided that 'Disarm' would be a type of attack rather than an attribute check - one could easily argue that it should be an attribute check though - But, the rule actually runs on the 12/18. To successfully perform the action one must hit 18+the level or HD of the creature. 18 was used so that those who want to morph it into an attribute check can do so with ease. The 23 was an example of a 5hd creature.

But I understand. Some things fall flat. But all I am thinking, you got a lot to choose from this year.

DAVIS CHENAULT

 

[The Sigil]

Bah. OGL Fantasy Lite (2004) is the only true rules-light d20 game. All other games are pale imitations of the real thing.

Wow. That's sig-worthy material.

Thanks for the compliment, Henry.

--The Sigil

 

[Frostmarrow]

A clarification

""...""

It was decided that 'Disarm' would be a type of attack rather than an attribute check - one could easily argue that it should be an attribute check though - But, the rule actually runs on the 12/18. To successfully perform the action one must hit 18+the level or HD of the creature. 18 was used so that those who want to morph it into an attribute check can do so with ease. The 23 was an example of a 5hd creature.

But I understand. Some things fall flat. But all I am thinking, you got a lot to choose from this year.

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Alright, alright. I might have been a wee bit unfair...

 

[Turanil]

If I succeed to bring this work to completion all by myself in 2005 (or 2006 hum), there also will be a lite d20 sci-fi game, for those using d20 Modern and d20 Future but who would like simpler character design and combat. Plus a setting to go with it. (probably available on rpgnow plus free OGC)

 

[DMScott]

I guess it kinda depends on how you define "Rules Lite". I tend to define Rules Lite games as being those with simple, consistent rules where the rules reflect the setting rather than constrain it. By that standard, anything with a class system is unlikely to make the cut, and most d20-type games (C&C included, at least from the box set - I haven't seen the hardcover yet) use different resolution systems for different types of actions mostly due to tradition and nostalgia. Maybe Blue Rose will buck the trend.

I honestly don't think most companies are much interested in getting involved in rules lite stuff in a meaningful way, because that usually means selling a small rulebook and watching your customers go off and do their own thing. That I suppose is another reason why I don't see your suggestions as particularly rules lite - they're all relatively pricy.

Still, going by your implied definition, I would say that d6 and World of Darkness are both rules lite, and the latter at least has pretty big plans for 2005. Dunno how heavily d6 plans to follow up on the releases late last year, but they could also be contenders.

 

[Dragonhelm]

I picked up the C&C boxed set, and then the C&C PHB. Both have been really good, and I've enjoyed them. In a way, C&C is sort of the "missing link" of D&D. I imagine this could have been the rules set used between 2e and 3e.

The artwork is really great as well.

I'm not sure I would do a mass conversion to C&C, but I would definitely like to give it a try once in a while.

 

[greydown]

I agree the rules light and more 'dramatic' systems seem to be my style. We get bogged down with to many rules checks and issues during a game session so we always seem to jump back and forth between two "lighter" systems.

We been playing the Everstone game (www.irongolemgames.com), it takes away all the "slow down the action" rules and makes things more balanced so that lower level characters can hang out with higher level characters without the major power factor between the two. Its a great fantasy setting.

We jump between that one and the old Trinity d10 game from White Wolf. We been playing that one for years.

 

[nopantsyet]

I love the idea of rules-light right now, and if my feelings are shared in the community, then 2005 just might be that year.

But as for me and my group, we'll be sticking with D&D. It's really a practical concern. It's flexible to allow for a variety of roleplaying interests, which I think makes for a better game overall. I try not to let the rules rule the game, because I think pacing is important. I favor resolution over accuracy because I think that helps the game.

And finally, I'll always be able to find D&D players. Through all the life changes that occur in adulthood, I've decided it's more important to keep the game going rather than find the "perfect system" for my campaign.

But if I were to go rules-light, Unisystem is the only one of the listed group that interests me in the slightest.

Edited: Added last statement.

 

[Acid_crash]

Ooo ooo...don't forget BESM 3e coming out later this year, with their new Role-over mechanic instead of roll-under (which I didn't really like all that much). Now that it's roll-over, and a new edition, that ones also looks pretty darn cool.

 

[Mythmere1]

I'm looking forward to C&C. My feeling is that the complexity of the 3x rules, while improving many many things in the system, is so complicated (and actually so consistent) that it changes the feel of the game from D&D into something else. C&C looks like it might recapture the true feel of D&D, but streamline the system.

Of course, I'm a D&D diehard - a classless system might be more flexible, but I wouldn't be interested in it just because it (like 3x) wouldn't feel like what I consider to be true D&D.