How Complex Do You Prefer Your TTRPG Systems In General

[Desdichado]

Somewhere around 2-3.

 

[JohnSnow]

Based on the scale given, I voted 5.

If D&D 5e and SWADE are a 6, and Shadowdark/OSR D&D is somewhere around 4, I want something between them. But to me, the devil is in the details of how you simplify.

 

[Reynard]

Based on the scale given, I voted 5.

If D&D 5e and SWADE are a 6, and Shadowdark/OSR D&D is soemwhere around 4, I want something between them. But to me, the devil is in the details of how you simplify.

I think there is a space in the market for a slightly crunchier, slightly less deadly, slightly more heroic version of Shadowdark.

 

[JohnSnow]

I think there is a space in the market for a slightly crunchier, slightly less deadly, slightly more heroic version of Shadowdark.

I think that there's already a ton of games vying for this general space, among which I would include both Vagabond and Nimble, but I've been working on a rules hack of my own that lives in exactly this spot.

The devil is in the details, of course, and I know I won't be the first person to try it.

 

[zakael19]

If 5e is a 6, than I'm a 4 or 5. When 5e launched, it was the sweet spot for system complexity, now it's close to the upper limit. Daggerheart is my new sweet spot.

This is where I'm at. Cut waaayyy back on how much you enumerate in the combat subsystem, emphasize handling it via fiction and simple modifiers. Roll your stat for most things. Focus on the around-the-table energy, and have systems that support that.

 

[zakael19]

Daggerheart looks interesting and I would love to try it but I got a feeling it works best in person which is impossible for our group. One of our players has run a few Call of Cthulhu games which is interesting- not a game probably want to play every week but it’s a nice pallet cleaner type game to do some different.

Im running two DH games online, works great! The Hope/Fear helping run the spotlight means its even smoother then most narrative games that I also run online.

 

[jdrakeh]

A solid three. With a caveat. I dislike complex systems that are ultimately just ultra-math-y yes/no outcome generators. If I'm playing something mechanically complex, I want it to provide for degrees of success or have explicit impact on the narrative, not just complex mechanics that ultimately only determine yes/no outcomes (something that is achievable with far less complexity). So, I'm not ruling out more complex games, just poorly developed more complex games.

 

[Reynard]

Daggerheart looks interesting and I would love to try it but I got a feeling it works best in person which is impossible for our group

FWIW, there is nothing inherent in Daggerheart that makes it substantially better face to face rather than remote/VTT, other than the usual "face to face games are better."

 

[Tigris]

FWIW, there is nothing inherent in Daggerheart that makes it substantially better face to face rather than remote/VTT, other than the usual "face to face games are better."

Well it does LACK what makes other games better in VTT.

Like being really complicated and profitting from automation like Pathfinder 2, which most people play in VTT because of this.


Edit: Also doesnt it have physical cards? Having tactile elements (in addition to eice) is a plus for physical play.

And cards on a table also often are nicer to look at and a better "interface" than vtts

 

[zakael19]

Edit: Also doesnt it have physical cards? Having tactile elements (in addition to eice) is a plus for physical play.

And cards on a table also often are nicer to look at and a better "interface" than vtts

Yeah, but you can also use them in a VTT by grabbing the images. Yes, tactility is awesome (and I think some ofmy online players are using physical cards in front of them?), but most of them are just rolling their physical dice and telling me the result.

Also Daggerheart works perfectly in Miro because you don't have to worry about grids or significant complexity - which is my favorite place to run games because it's just a literal tabletop/board.

Also my sorcerer made all custom cards with art that fits our urban fantasy theming which is amazing <3.

Edit: added our entire play area for that game. God I love having everything in front of me and never opening "asset management" crap.