D&D 4E 4e Competition/Alternatives?

[Nightchilde-2]

So, the books are based on a typical RPG campaign?

I kid, I kid...

It's only funny 'cause it's true.

 

[edemaitre]

Beyond D&D

I've played and run lots of different games beyond Dungeons & Dragons over the past 25 years, but here are my favorites:

-GURPS: The Fourth Edition of Steve Jackson Games' Generic Universal Role-Playing System is useful for any genre, and there are indeed numerous well-written sourcebooks for it. It's a bit less crunchy than Hero 5th Ed./Champions or RoleMaster, but still balanced.

-Shadowrun: Now also in its 4th edition, the cyberpunk/fantasy game has fun flavor, just as White Wolf's Storyteller: World of Darkness or Call of Cthulu do for horror. Palladium Fantasy and Exalted can be described as darker D&D on steroids... In a similar vein are the interesting worlds of Talislanta and Tekumel.

-Older non-D20 games: While there are some very good D20 and GURPS adaptations of these, depending on your preference of genre, you might want to look into Deadlands for Western/horror; Castle Falkenstein for steampunk/fantasy; or Traveller, Prime Directive (Star Trek), and Jovian Chronicles for space opera.

-D20 variants: With the Open Game License changing for D&D4e, I also recommend at least considering True20 (and Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Ed. for superheroes), Spycraft 2.0 (for modern espionage), and the D20 licensed adaptations of various science fiction universes, such as Star Wars, Firefly/Serenity, Babylon 5, Farscape, and Stargate.

-Rules-light systems: Savage Worlds is good for pulp adventures, and I've also tried Risus and FUDGE. In the other direction, I've been curious about Burning Wheel/Empires. I hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[hong]

I've played and run lots of different games beyond Dungeons & Dragons over the past 25 years, but here are my favorites:

-GURPS: The Fourth Edition of Steve Jackson Games' Generic Universal Role-Playing System is useful for any genre, and there are indeed numerous well-written sourcebooks for it. It's a bit less crunchy than Hero 5th Ed./Champions or RoleMaster, but still balanced.

And check it out, I just discovered that SJG even have pdfs for dungeoncrawling in GURPS!

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/dungeonfantasy/

 

[Jack99]

His books are moronic.

You are wrong. Did you actually read the books?

Gratuitous violence and profanity for the masses, but not worth the paper they are written on.

I am fairly certain that Mr. Martin's bank account disagrees and if it could speak up it would prove you wrong.

 

[philreed]

- Gurps. Never played it, but you can basically get supplements to have it do anything, from gritty fantasy to over-the-top superheroes.

And now there's GURPS Dungeon Fantasy.

 

[philreed]

And check it out, I just discovered that SJG even have pdfs for dungeoncrawling in GURPS!

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/dungeonfantasy/

I'm too slow!

 

[Yair]

My favortie game has to be Ars Magica. It's a game more strongly focused on the medieval, with emphasis on medieval/ancient myth but with a dose of history and rampant fantasy inventions. Lots of politics, much less (and much deadlier) combat. Wizards kick everyone's ass (and everyone plays one), advancing one through his years of arcane studies and inventions can be rather difficult (on par with creating a high-level D&D character) - p.s., advancement is generally by spending time to gain experience in specific skills, learn spells, and so on. Quite different from D&D.

For an excellent D&D-like setting with some really good ideas like what levels are ("legend points" granting your magical powers as people's stories about you have real power and your legend makes itself real), why there are monsters in ancient abandoned dungeons (in the past everyoned hid from them in hideouts, and they still lurk in the hide-outs that were broken), and so on - I'd reccomned Earthdawn. I couldn't stand the mechanics, but that was a long time ago and I didn't gave them a fair shake.

For a more combat-intensive game incorporating much of 4e's ideas about encounter-based design, dynamic combat, and so on - see Iron Heroes. Be prepared to tinker with the rules, though, as this game isn't really fully completed - Mike Mearls, its designer, left early to work on this little project called "D&D 4e".

I think the others pretty much said everything else I wanted to say.

There are lots and lots of RPGs. Have fun trying them out.

 

[Halivar]

Perhaps you just weren't smart enough to follow the story.

Or, maybe he didn't like the book.

 

[Jack99]

Or, maybe he didn't like the book.

And you don't think there is a difference between saying:

His books are moronic.

Lots of scenes of improbable events, people changing personalities, and characters doing incredibly stupid actions with little worthwhile explanation or motivation as to why.

Gratuitous violence and profanity for the masses, but not worth the paper they are written on.

and:

I didn't like the book?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Yeah, stupid books for the masses usually go on for 1000's of pages and are acclaimed as the best fantasy books written since LOTR. < i cannot roll my eyes enough > Perhaps you just weren't smart enough to follow the story.

Or they weren't just to his taste. Still no reason for anyone to get worked up about it and insult posters or authors. Especially since it's totally off-topic and doesn't help the OP!