Alternate systems suggestions to play in the world of Harn

[Crazymajor]

So, I discovered Harn maybe, at most, a year ago, and it has everything I would ever want for my dream fantasy TTRPG universe. Problem is... the system... I have the same complaints with Harnmaster that pretty much everyone else has, it's too dense, unintuitive, and simply too much to deal with let alone the trouble of convincing anyone to try it.

My trouble is finding a replacement. A game that both rests somewhere between 5e and Harnmaster in ease of access and fitting the setting. And, probably the most important one, something that would be appealing to an average TTRPG player.

For as cool as I find something like 'Lion and Dragon', I would find it a hard time presenting it to people and having them be interested.

 

[RuinousPowers]

Plenty of people just use D&D to play in the world.

 

[Crazymajor]

Plenty of people just use D&D to play in the world.

Oh, I know. I've gotten to the point that I'd likely just suck it up and go for modified 5e. Its just harder to get that low magic, realistic feeling of Harn with it.

 

[darjr]

So, I discovered Harn maybe, at most, a year ago, and it has everything I would ever want for my dream fantasy TTRPG universe. Problem is... the system... I have the same complaints with Harnmaster that pretty much everyone else has, it's too dense, unintuitive, and simply too much to deal with let alone the trouble of convincing anyone to try it.

My trouble is finding a replacement. A game that both rests somewhere between 5e and Harnmaster in ease of access and fitting the setting. And, probably the most important one, something that would be appealing to an average TTRPG player.

For as cool as I find something like 'Lion and Dragon', I would find it a hard time presenting it to people and having them be interested.

I've run it with GURPS but my tastes go much lighter now. Haven't wanted to run or play GURPS as primary for a while now.

I was thinking of using a Traveller hack for fantasy for Harn at one point. Huh I haven't thought of that in a long long time.

 

[Crazymajor]

I've run it with GURPS but my tastes go much lighter now. Haven't wanted to run or play GURPS as primary for a while now.

I was thinking of using a Traveller hack for fantasy for Harn at one point. Huh I haven't thought of that in a long long time.

Theres a traveller hack for fantasy??? If so please, direct me there. Because Traveller is probably one of my top systems.

 

[TerraDave]

There was Adventures in Middle Earth and now Lord of the Rings 5e is coming. Could work as a crossover.

 

[jhingelshod]

The Sword of Cepheus is a 'sword and sandals' RPG based on the 2d6 traveller system. It is available as a pod from dtrpg.

Other good fits for Harn could include Chaosium's BRP, Zweihander, or Savage Worlds. I could even see it working with Ironsworn depending on the aspects of the fiction you want to emphasise.

 

[jdrakeh]

You could grab a free community copy of my own Yarnmaster, which is a rules-light love letter to HarnMaster. Get it here.

 

[Voadam]

Theres a traveller hack for fantasy??? If so please, direct me there. Because Traveller is probably one of my top systems.

The Sword of Cepheus is a 'sword and sandals' RPG based on the 2d6 traveller system. It is available as a pod from dtrpg.

Sword of Cepheus.

Also Barbaric!

I can't remember if Mongoose's non-d20 Slaine (Celtic fantasy) was Runequest based or Traveller based.

 

[Voadam]

I've run it with GURPS but my tastes go much lighter now. Haven't wanted to run or play GURPS as primary for a while now.

This was going to be my suggestion as well for Harn, but also my tastes there. I would do the basic GURPS combat system option over the mechanically intense normal GURPS combat system to be closer to D&D levels of rules simplicity.

GURPS does decently for most any genre or setting where the PCs are mostly being 10 hp relatively realistic people. Harn is known for fairly realistic medieval with light fantasy. The two seem a pretty natural conceptual match.