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<blockquote data-quote="Wik" data-source="post: 5418989" data-attributes="member: 40177">Yup.&nbsp; You missed a big one - and everyone else on this thread did, too.Earthdawn.It's probably &quot;more D&amp;D than D&amp;D&quot;.&nbsp; Lesse, here.Euro-centric fantasy setting: Yup.&nbsp; In fact, not only is it Euro-Centric, but it is actually SET in Europe!&nbsp; Granted, it's Europe in the time before Atlantis, all the names have changed, and whatnot... but it's still Shadowrun's Europe.&nbsp; Much of the game's architecture has a sword and sandals, vaguely roman style to it.Flashy, dramatic magic: Oh yeah.&nbsp; There are some big spells you can cast in the game.&nbsp; But there's also the horrors (super magical beings of terror and destruction), flying airships, and an entire city that can teleport.&nbsp; Plus, all of the PCs are magical adepts, in one way or another.&nbsp; Even the basic warrior can use &quot;Air Walk&quot; at first level.Variety of races:&nbsp; Yes and no.&nbsp; There are humans, elves, dwarves, pterrans, windlings, obsidimen, trolls, and orcs - eight races.&nbsp; But the game basically says &quot;that's it&quot; - there are no other new, playable races... only these eight are name-givers.&nbsp; So while it has as many races as &quot;out of the box&quot; D&amp;D, it lacks the explosion of splat races.&nbsp; Which I think is a good thing... YMMV.Class-based system:&nbsp; Yup.&nbsp; It has a class system.&nbsp; Later editions make the class system a bit more flexible, similar to how 3e handled the classes.&nbsp; Level-based system:&nbsp; Yup.&nbsp; In Earthdawn, you progress through the &quot;Circles&quot;.&nbsp; The cool thing is, it's still a Karma-system, meaning players spend XP to improve abilities.&nbsp; Some players will spend points on more skills and talents, while others will choose to shoot through the levels to get access to new powers.&nbsp; No group of PCs will ever be the same level after only a few sessions.Crunchy, rules-heavy system: Dude, the game was created by FASA.&nbsp; &quot;Crunch&quot; is their middle name.&nbsp; Later editions of Earthdawn have kind of stream-lined things a bit, and I'd say new Earthdawn is generally less rules-heavy than 4E.&nbsp; Until we get to the finer points of magic use...Combat-focused system: Yyup.&nbsp; However, Earthdawn is very much a fan of the &quot;fewer, more dramatic fights&quot; option than the &quot;many, smaller fights&quot; option of some older editions of D&amp;D.&nbsp; Unlike 4e, though, Earthdawn fights can get very swingy - what with exploding dice, armour-defeating hits, knockdown tests, and wound thresholds, even lowly goblins (were they to exist in Earthdawn) can potentially kill you.&nbsp; Which is a feature, not a bug, to me.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Wik, post: 5418989, member: 40177"] Yup. You missed a big one - and everyone else on this thread did, too. [b]Earthdawn[/b]. It's probably "more D&D than D&D". Lesse, here. [b]Euro-centric fantasy setting:[/b] Yup. In fact, not only is it Euro-Centric, but it is actually SET in Europe! Granted, it's Europe in the time before Atlantis, all the names have changed, and whatnot... but it's still Shadowrun's Europe. Much of the game's architecture has a sword and sandals, vaguely roman style to it. [b]Flashy, dramatic magic:[/b] Oh yeah. There are some big spells you can cast in the game. But there's also the horrors (super magical beings of terror and destruction), flying airships, and an entire city that can teleport. Plus, all of the PCs are magical adepts, in one way or another. Even the basic warrior can use "Air Walk" at first level. [b]Variety of races:[/b] Yes and no. There are humans, elves, dwarves, pterrans, windlings, obsidimen, trolls, and orcs - eight races. But the game basically says "that's it" - there are no other new, playable races... only these eight are name-givers. So while it has as many races as "out of the box" D&D, it lacks the explosion of splat races. Which I think is a good thing... YMMV. [b]Class-based system:[/b] Yup. It has a class system. Later editions make the class system a bit more flexible, similar to how 3e handled the classes. [b]Level-based system:[/b] Yup. In Earthdawn, you progress through the "Circles". The cool thing is, it's still a Karma-system, meaning players spend XP to improve abilities. Some players will spend points on more skills and talents, while others will choose to shoot through the levels to get access to new powers. No group of PCs will ever be the same level after only a few sessions. [b]Crunchy, rules-heavy system:[/b] Dude, the game was created by FASA. "Crunch" is their middle name. Later editions of Earthdawn have kind of stream-lined things a bit, and I'd say new Earthdawn is generally less rules-heavy than 4E. Until we get to the finer points of magic use... [b]Combat-focused system:[/b] Yyup. However, Earthdawn is very much a fan of the "fewer, more dramatic fights" option than the "many, smaller fights" option of some older editions of D&D. Unlike 4e, though, Earthdawn fights can get very swingy - what with exploding dice, armour-defeating hits, knockdown tests, and wound thresholds, even lowly goblins (were they to exist in Earthdawn) can potentially kill you. Which is a feature, not a bug, to me. [/QUOTE]

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