Fantasy RPGs that do things... different?

[coyote6]

I think you can get GURPS Fantasy II in PDF from e23, too. If you want to drive your players crazy.

 

[Ariosto]

RuneQuest in any edition is definitely a bit different from D&D (although the addition of a "skills system" to the latter slightly echoes "classless, level-less, no-points-system" RQ). Glorantha is also a change of pace as a world of living myth, spirits and all-pervading magic. The HeroQuest rules take a more free-form, story-oriented approach (better geared to the super-powered Heroes of the Hero Wars).

Talislanta mixes a really varied and spectacularly colorful setting with a fast-playing game system. It should start appearing for free online sometime next year, but I think an edition is currently in print.

The original Metamorphosis Alpha turned an interstellar generation ship into a combo wilderness and "dungeon" in which mutants, robots and savage humans mix. Gamma World took a similar approach to Earth. Mutant Future has the same kind of far-out attitude, and readily meshes with Labyrinth Lord to add D&D-style magic to the mix. For all that and Wookee Doxies and Bee Girls, there's Encounter Critical.

For adventure in a more civilized time, when the Sun never sets on a British Empire with colonies on Mars, Space 1889 is the classic "steampunk" extravaganza. Even more genteel is the Great Game of Castle Falkenstein, which with the utmost propriety eschews dice in favor of cards; it is concerned with intrigues in a Europa in which the Seelie and Unseelie Courts of Faerie are powers and magic coexists with the Age of Steam.

For Tekumel, the original Empire of the Petal Throne rules set is as easily playable as Basic Dungeons & Dragons. If you're already familiar with the setting, then Tirikelu is another set I like. In any case, the setting is the big draw; use whatever mechanics you like.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

Blue Rose from Green Ronin is d20 enough to feel familiar to D&D players, while having a setting and enough mechanics changes to get that different feel you're going for, with a focus on narrative, politics, and romance.

 

[darjr]

There is Basic Roleplaying Central.

I loved playing Stormbringer.

 

[Imperialus]

Mouse Guard
If you don't want high power, you can go for the humble Guard Mouse. Mouse Guard takes place in the Territories, where some anthropomorphic mice have set up a Feudal society. Led by their queen, the Mouse Guard are protectors and defenders of civilization. But being a mouse, everything is an epic challenge. A spring rain is an unstoppable torrent. A turtle or snake is a dragon. And if something truly fearsome should enter the territory like a Black Bear or Wolf, you're really in for a treat.

The game has some novel mechanics. All conflicts use the same rules, where the mice form teams and determine their strategy. This works whether you're going on a journey or fighting a snake. There's no magic, no clerics, no monsters. But again, when you're three inches tall, normal animals and nature are downright horrifying.

Or, if you would rather go a more traditional fantasy route there is also the game that spawned Mouse Guard Burning Wheel. Some really cool mechanics for vanilla combat, social combat, and other stuff. One of the key concepts that you need to keep in mind though is radical transparency. The players and the GM need to negoitiate what the outcome of a dice roll will be on a pass or fail, mainly because you will be failing a lot. Heck, trying and failing is really the only way to reliably advance your skills.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Hmm...what to add to a list that includes Runequest, Stormbringer, Space:1889, and Talisantha as a list of non-D&D fantasy games?

Harn
Fantasy HERO
Warriors & Warlocks
Ars Magica
Harn
Hawkmoon
Corum
The entire WoD line
Deadlands
Earthdawn
Shadowrun
The Fantasy Trip/In the Labyrinth
RIFTS
Call of Cthulhu (yes, its more horror than fantasy, but there is thematic overlap)

 

[Wik]

Geez. the only person to mention Earthdawn is DA, and he just put it in a list. 16 posts in, no less! Am I the only one who remembers this awesome game?

Check it out. The 3rd edition looks like it fixes some of the bigger problems of the game, and seems well organized... even follows a D&D approach, in that there are two books (A PHB, and a DMG). It's definitely fantasy, and some would suggest that it's a precursor to 4th Edition D&D.

Most of the fantasy tropes are there, but in new ways. Dungeons are explained away because, until a hundred years ago, EVERYONE lived in underground cities called "kaers" to keep the supernatural horrors at bay. Now, of course, the people are on the surface, and there are evil horrors lurking in the shadows (and in the kaers - many kaers were broken into by horrors during the scourge, so there's a lot of fun stuff you can do there).

The world has some good detail, as FASA was wont to do, but they made sure to keep the place unexplored and mysterious. There were meta-plots, but there was also a LOT of room to expand with your own stuff.

Plus, the game has an easy to learn system at its base, and then some "meat" added. Magic is a bit confusing to learn at first, but once you grok it, you'll love it. And the game is a bit wild and crazy at times, because it uses exploding dice - which is a very fun mechanic. Even damage dice explode. And hit points don't necessarily scale with level.

Plus, the races are a lot of fun, and set up in such a way that no sourcebook is gonna add a bunch of new races that unbalance your campaign. Humans are NOT the most common race (or even the second most common!). Many are standard (Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orks), while others a bit more off the beaten path (Trolls, Obsidimen, T'Skrang, Windlings).

Seriously, check it out.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Geez. the only person to mention Earthdawn is DA, and he just put it in a list. 16 posts in, no less! Am I the only one who remembers this awesome game?

I just wanted to get it out there for discussion, not expound upon what made it different...or great. I was reasonably sure someone would talk about it...

Hey look! I was right!

 

[kaomera]

Or, if you would rather go a more traditional fantasy route there is also the game that spawned Mouse Guard Burning Wheel.

Burning Wheel is pure awesome, but it requires quite a lot of "buy-in" on the part of both the players and the GM. I don't know if I can explain that better without going on for like 400 pages... Personally I think I figured out a lot about what you need to run a successful game of Burning Wheel by running Mouse Guard, but that may not really be necessary, as these where mostly "d'oh!" moments (where I realized something that should have been glaringly obvious and/or is actually explicitly stated in the BW rules...).

 

[Treebore]

HAckmaster Basic.

You roll opposed attack versus defense dice, skills are based on percentile and makes more sense as a skill system than I have seen. Shields are very important. Weapons are differentiated by speed, damage dice, and penetration liklihood. Armor has damage reduction and slows you down. The initiative system is a count up system so everyone is probably doing something every second, unless they are engaged and waiting for their weapon speed count down to finish. Mage spells are based on Spell points, Cleric magic is based on praying, spell casters have significantly fewer spells. Its deadly. Its fun.

Plus, once you get it all figured out it runs much more smoothly than you would think.