Citizen Kane
Newshound
Has anybody played Tunnels and Trolls? I guess it's an old one, but it was the only nonD&D FRPG I've ever played. I remember some guys going through it and saying all the ways it was mechanically better than D&D.
Do you/have you played any non-D&D/d20 Fantasy RPGs?
- Thread starter johnsemlak
- Start date
roytheodd
First Post
Hmmm... going back I played D&D Red Box set, then AD&D 1st Ed. We grew tired of those and played Elfquest, then AD&D some more. As I moved into junior high it was all AD&D, but in high school I played Ghostbusters, Teenagers from Outerspace, and I pondered Middle Earth Roleplaying. Once AD&D went to 2nd edition I played for a few years, but then grew disgusted with the whole thing and quit roleplaying for nearly a decade. 3rd edition got me back in and I play d20 almost exclusively. I've dabbled with Godlike (and will again), I've dabbled with 7th Sea & L5R (and will again), and I'm going to dabble in LotR RPG, Toon, Ars Magica and Fudge in the next year. I am hoping to eventually leave d20 in the dust, but it's really hard when it's the system of choice to so many gamers.
Mercule
Adventurer
Rolemaster - Nice game. Quite comparable to 1E D&D in playability and enjoyment, IMHO. I played in a Middle-Earth game. Although there was a MERP designed for use in Middle-Earth, it was really just a RM Lite, so we used the full version. Fun.
I also ran a couple of short RM games myself. It was the first time I realized that the actual game system could have an enormous impact on the feel of the game. This is why, although I like Hero, I'll usually look for an acceptable genre-specific system.
Fantasy Hero - Great game. I've played two different versions of FH. One was based on Ars Magica and (by my understanding) did a good job of recreating the AM magic while keeping the non-casters balanced. The other was much more free-form. Magic was very personal and customizable.
I liked the game enough I started converting my homebrew world to use the system. Even ran a couple of exhibition games at a local con. I only stopped because I had a bit of difficulty getting magic just right and because we started doing Vampire, et al.
Aria - The only game I've ever played that I could describe both as being heavily detailed and intricate and requiring a lot of GM judgement. It's not so much of a system as a meta-system, allowing you to create your own world in amazing depth and style. Don't even think about using it without a very experienced GM. Don't introduce any newbies to the game.
I did manage to convert at least the core of my homebrew world to Aria. I ended up switching to 3E when that came out and loved it. About the only thing I can't get over is the cruddy Vancian magic system. To this day, I'm still running a Greyhawk campaign while trying to figure out how to replace the magic system with one I'd be willing to put into a setting I care about.
As far as GURPS goes, most people seem to either love it or hate it, with the HERO system being the alternate. In my group, you'd get jeered out of the room if you professed an interest in GURPS, but some of the participants rate HERO as the pinnacle of gaming. There are some groups just the opposite.
Personally, I had a better time playing with a group of 24 players, half of whom were annoyingly drunk (no kidding, and I was stone sober and serious about playing) making it through one room in a dungeon in a 4 hour session than I did playing GURPS with 4 typical gamers during a reasonably productive session.
I also ran a couple of short RM games myself. It was the first time I realized that the actual game system could have an enormous impact on the feel of the game. This is why, although I like Hero, I'll usually look for an acceptable genre-specific system.
Fantasy Hero - Great game. I've played two different versions of FH. One was based on Ars Magica and (by my understanding) did a good job of recreating the AM magic while keeping the non-casters balanced. The other was much more free-form. Magic was very personal and customizable.
I liked the game enough I started converting my homebrew world to use the system. Even ran a couple of exhibition games at a local con. I only stopped because I had a bit of difficulty getting magic just right and because we started doing Vampire, et al.
Aria - The only game I've ever played that I could describe both as being heavily detailed and intricate and requiring a lot of GM judgement. It's not so much of a system as a meta-system, allowing you to create your own world in amazing depth and style. Don't even think about using it without a very experienced GM. Don't introduce any newbies to the game.
I did manage to convert at least the core of my homebrew world to Aria. I ended up switching to 3E when that came out and loved it. About the only thing I can't get over is the cruddy Vancian magic system. To this day, I'm still running a Greyhawk campaign while trying to figure out how to replace the magic system with one I'd be willing to put into a setting I care about.
As far as GURPS goes, most people seem to either love it or hate it, with the HERO system being the alternate. In my group, you'd get jeered out of the room if you professed an interest in GURPS, but some of the participants rate HERO as the pinnacle of gaming. There are some groups just the opposite.
Personally, I had a better time playing with a group of 24 players, half of whom were annoyingly drunk (no kidding, and I was stone sober and serious about playing) making it through one room in a dungeon in a 4 hour session than I did playing GURPS with 4 typical gamers during a reasonably productive session.
Last edited:
Jürgen Hubert
First Post
The Cardinal said:
To expand on this, GURPS probably works best on the "gritty" end of things - while PCs can get very heroid, they still have to think about tactics, and getting surrounded by enemies is not an opportunity for using a Whirlwind Attack (though you can do that in GURPS as well), but something you should be very, very worried about...
I am currently using it for a GURPS Warhammer campaign, and it works really well - while the PCs are quite compentent now (even though some of them still have... issues), it is easy to come up with new and believeable enemies that will scare them.
We play D&D now and then too, of course. With D&D, your heros eventually get so tough that your basic orc (or whatever) simply cannot tough them...
Two different styles of play, two different systems. Both have their place, and both can be fun.
buzz
Adventurer
Another oldie
Swordbearer
This was a fantasy game last published by FGU around 1982 or so. A great little system (that I never got to play). It was skill-based and used a fairly unique magic system. Essentially, you collected "nodes" which were essences of various primal elements or else from living beings, stored them in crystals, and then used the nodes to power your spells, with certain types of nodes working best with certain schools of magic. This was also the first game I ever saw that dispensed entirely with currency. PCs had a Social Status rating, and it was assumed that you could afford anything rated at or below it.
Element Masters
Basically a copy of Runequest 2e with a sense of humor. I have no idea if it's still in print or not.
Jorune
This game managed to make it through three editions before going OOP. It was qute a loyal fan base, though, and there are lots of resources on the Web. Basically, it was a planet colonized by humans in the distant past, but had since devolved into a Renaissance-level society with alien races, uplfted animals, and human beings. Plagued by a convoluted rule system.
Tekumel
A number of rule systems have been paired with Tekumel, which is a very Indian-themed fantasy setting created by M.A.R. Barker. Next to Tolkien, Tekumel is probably one of the most detailed, vividly imagined settings ever created. Guardians of Order are coming out with a new Tekumel game in 2003. Awesome fan site can be found here.
Fantasy Wargaming
Released in the early days of the hobby, this was more of a sourcebook for fantasy gaming in general, though it did contain a system aimed at being very "authentic." I haven't read my copy in years, but someone reviewed it recently at RPG.net.
Swordbearer
This was a fantasy game last published by FGU around 1982 or so. A great little system (that I never got to play). It was skill-based and used a fairly unique magic system. Essentially, you collected "nodes" which were essences of various primal elements or else from living beings, stored them in crystals, and then used the nodes to power your spells, with certain types of nodes working best with certain schools of magic. This was also the first game I ever saw that dispensed entirely with currency. PCs had a Social Status rating, and it was assumed that you could afford anything rated at or below it.
Element Masters
Basically a copy of Runequest 2e with a sense of humor. I have no idea if it's still in print or not.
Jorune
This game managed to make it through three editions before going OOP. It was qute a loyal fan base, though, and there are lots of resources on the Web. Basically, it was a planet colonized by humans in the distant past, but had since devolved into a Renaissance-level society with alien races, uplfted animals, and human beings. Plagued by a convoluted rule system.
Tekumel
A number of rule systems have been paired with Tekumel, which is a very Indian-themed fantasy setting created by M.A.R. Barker. Next to Tolkien, Tekumel is probably one of the most detailed, vividly imagined settings ever created. Guardians of Order are coming out with a new Tekumel game in 2003. Awesome fan site can be found here.
Fantasy Wargaming
Released in the early days of the hobby, this was more of a sourcebook for fantasy gaming in general, though it did contain a system aimed at being very "authentic." I haven't read my copy in years, but someone reviewed it recently at RPG.net.
LostSoul
Adventurer
Tsyr said:
Hey, Robotech has some supernatural elements. Especially the Invid stuff. I played the Palladium game, and didn't really like it. Then I played a bit of Robotech with the Star Wars d6 system, and it worked just like the TV show.
If you do want some stats and stuff for that, I can email you.
Similar Threads
