Freeport with different systems

[Crothian]

The awesome Freeport book is out and as many people know this version is completely systemless. So, that got me thinking as I plan to run a one shot of it: What system to use? Now the obvious answers are things like D&D or True20, or C&C or other d20 clones. So, that has no interest for me. This setting is now systemless so that means I want to challenge the system.

What difference do you see using different systems for Freeport? Imagine how a game could be different using Fudge verse using GURPS. Would you describe a game that used the WoD system differently then one that used the d6 Fantasy? Or imagine how odd a game could be if one tried something like Amber Diceless in Freeport or made it pulp heavy with Spirit of the Century. With all the different systems out there how do you see the system changing the setting of Freeport?

 

[jdrakeh]

I'm seriously considering a Freeport campaign using The Window (now that the 2nd Deluxe Edition is relatively typo-free), though the beauty of The Window is that it can be molded to fit nearly any souce material rather than forcing one to adapt the source material to accommodate the system. This is, incidentally, why The Window continues to be my favorite RPG system out there (it's also free, though I've gladly paid to have more than a few copies printed and bound over the years). That said. . .

The biggest potential change is that certain elements of the setting (particularly items) may take on more significant roles, as The Window treats all equipment and items as props, by default. This means that things like +1 swords (relatively mundane items in d20) can easily be transformed into truly magical things, depending upon how much emphasis the GM chooses to place on them in terms of story. The reason I say that this is a potential change, is because the GM may simply choose not to place any emphasis on such items. The possibility, however, does exist.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think WFRP would be a fantastic system to use. No idea if Green Ronin is doing one -- they haven't said so, if so -- but I think it'd be a great fit.

 

[Patrick O'Duffy]

I think WFRP would be a fantastic system to use. No idea if Green Ronin is doing one -- they haven't said so, if so -- but I think it'd be a great fit.

I'm starting an intermittent Freeport/Warhammer FRP game in two weeks, to take advantage of a short hiatus in my Eberron campaign. I'm pleased (and not at all surprised) to say that the setting and system work very well together.

 

[Gothmog]

I'd go with WHFRP2 or Savage Worlds personally. They would each offer a very different experience, and both fit in perfectly with the swashbuckling theme of the setting.

And for the record, I LOVE the new Freeport book. I really like it doesn't have any stats in it, and focuses entirely on the setting to really make it come alive. In a lot of ways, the editing and layout remind me of the recent WHFRP2 books, which are almost entirely "fluff" based, with maybe 20% of the rules stuck in the book towards the end. IMO, this is the way to do a setting book- give a LOT of detail for the setting, and don't try to introduce a bunch of new mechanics, special abilities, etc, in the setting book.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Savage Worlds would be a good fit.
Might be interesting with Lejendary Adventure, too.

 

[catsclaw227]

I would ditto the Savage Worlds idea. You can use info from 50 Fathoms and Pirates of the Spanish Main.

 

[HellHound]

The awesome Freeport book is out and as many people know this version is completely systemless. So, that got me thinking as I plan to run a one shot of it: What system to use? Now the obvious answers are things like D&D or True20, or C&C or other d20 clones. So, that has no interest for me. This setting is now systemless so that means I want to challenge the system.

What difference do you see using different systems for Freeport? Imagine how a game could be different using Fudge verse using GURPS. Would you describe a game that used the WoD system differently then one that used the d6 Fantasy? Or imagine how odd a game could be if one tried something like Amber Diceless in Freeport or made it pulp heavy with Spirit of the Century. With all the different systems out there how do you see the system changing the setting of Freeport?

I would try Fred Hicks' "Don't Rest Your Head" focused around characters in Freeport who find an even stranger city on the other side of staying awake for 3 days. I think a series of pirate-themed nightmares would rock (I was actually just thinking about using Don't Rest Your Head in Sharn the other day, which is why this was top of mind for me).

World of Darkness would be an interesting fit - I'm thinking especially Prometheans trying to live in a limited geographic environment like Freeport, and I think that Changeling would be a very interesting play there (although I haven't finished reading it yet).

Inserting it in my B/X campaign would be easy, obviously. And the NPCs could be statted right in the book (Fighter-9, AC:x, x HP) with a pencil.

That said, many systems would need some serious reworking to make them fit with Freeport, as the tech level of many of my favourite games is built right into the system, or is a central part of it. For example, while I could really see running a spy adventure with Top Secret, but either the TS rules would have to be adapted to a low-tech setting, or Freeport would need a lot more spies with handguns.

I think it would be fun to twist Bacchanal to fit Freeport - select some gods that suit the setting better, and obviously the setting switches from Puteoli to Freeport, and instead of being accused of a crime against the empire, it is some more personal fault that the pirate lords will keelhaul you for.

By using Dread, you could really change the emphasis of the setting to the already existing cthonian horror that the original modules brought forward. While retaining the setting, it would certainly change the way players interact with it. Just changing all the adventures into horror-based games would be a big switch.

A game of Discordia could use Freeport as a sort of alternate reality where talk like a pirate day has become a lifestyle, not just a jest.

 

[hexgrid]

For a while, I've had this idea of running the original Freeport trilogy (with Freeport itself re-imagined as an ancient, seedy space-station) in a space opera setting.

As I've never gotten very close to actually running this, the system I'd want to use keeps changing. Currently, it's Star Wars Saga Edition.

 

[CaptainChaos]

I'm probably going to use True20 because the True20 Freeport Companion is damn handy, but WFRP and Savage Worlds would be good fits. I think the setting is flexible enough to work with the default assumptions of most fantasy games. In a D&D game, for example, you can see magic items being common, but not in a WFRP campaign.