Ideas for a new game in the D&D genre

So any thoughts on game ideas I might be forgetting at the moment?
We went through this stage too. Here is where we went..

Morkborg: Fun but ultimately like all OSR games, it does not hold attention for long.

Blades in the Dark: great game, takes a hard-shift to change from D&D combat to Blades combat though...

Exalted: Essence edition: This is the best version of the rules for Exalted, and there are plenty of old books if you want pad out the setting. Its not good system, borders on terrible, but it also has elements that are really new and fun when it comes to social and combat. So with the mess you get fun too.

Numenera: this works, but you have to consider things in different light. Its not a new spell each level, its a loot-crate game. Get a cypher, use it, go get another. And think of Pool not at HP, but as "pools of effort" and you will come to love the Pool mechanic. House rule, dont spend XP on roleplay, just let them use Intrusions more narratively instead of bonus damage.

Legend of the Five Rings current edition 5th: Amazing game, amazing rules, best fun with samurai duels ever. Takes a little getting used to, but it does sort its self out after you put in a little effort. If you are looking for big magic though, this wont work for you...

Ars Magica current edition. This is like the opposite of L5R. Combat with a sword is meh. But the magic is what made legends like Mage the Ascension and others. Honestly the grogs troupe play gets more and more fun each time. It's like having a level 1 OSR dungeon crawl built into your lvl20 D&D game. as a mini adventure. Just dont bog players down in the lore and setting. Hit the ground running, make naughty word up, and keep the repercussions light till you really know who you are dealing with.

Conan 2d20: really sad they messed up their license on this one. Because its simply the best fantasy RPG of this era. The magic is epic but slightly dangerous. The combat with swords makes D&D and Pathfinder look tedious and boring. You might find it on ebay...
 

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I find myself in the need for a new RPG for players that hits the same general beats as D&D or Pathfinder but ... isn't them.

The ideas I have so far are: Shadow of the Weird Wizard, Worlds Without Number, 13th Age 2E, or Mythcraft.

We're going to be playing via VTT, so I'll need support for that. I use Foundry, but I have also played with Fantasy Grounds and Roll20.

I'm not particularly interested in strong OSR games or super light games either (it's the "just right" amount of crunch I seek). I think I'd be very interested in Draw Steel, but that one's not coming for a while now. Of course, you could say the same thing about 13th Age 2E.

So any thoughts on game ideas I might be forgetting at the moment?
What you want to play is Castles & Crusades it’s what everyone that wants to play DnD but wants it ito be slightly simpler and different wants to play but never does cause it’s old as dirt and people want new, but if it came out now, without all the decades of support it has and all monsters and adventures already out there for it, for cheap, if it didn’t have all that and was new, people would love it, think brilliant. But is old,, and has all that, so people not excited.
 

Another potential, tho' its appeal varies due to the choice of breeds...
Pugmire/Monarchies of Mau/Squeaks in the Deep...
It's a 5e derviative, with slower (but not flat) progression, and lots of variation in advancement.
When I say breed, I mean it... Pugmire is anthropomorphic dogs, MoMau is Cats, Squeeks is rats and mice... each is a standalone corebook.
Pirates of Pugmire adds some reptilians and avians, plus new Callings (classes) available to the other cores.

The advancement is pick which element goes up in your class' list of special abilities... so it's quite possible to have two Herder (breed) Hunters (Calling) with one being focused upon fast movement, the other on archery...

It's close enough to 5E to not be a hard sell for most. It's far enough to be really distinct as an experience, and advancement is a different kind of building experience.
 

I find myself in the need for a new RPG for players that hits the same general beats as D&D or Pathfinder but ... isn't them.

The ideas I have so far are: Shadow of the Weird Wizard, Worlds Without Number, 13th Age 2E, or Mythcraft.

We're going to be playing via VTT, so I'll need support for that. I use Foundry, but I have also played with Fantasy Grounds and Roll20.

I'm not particularly interested in strong OSR games or super light games either (it's the "just right" amount of crunch I seek). I think I'd be very interested in Draw Steel, but that one's not coming for a while now. Of course, you could say the same thing about 13th Age 2E.

So any thoughts on game ideas I might be forgetting at the moment?
Does it need to be d20? There are some games that do some of the things that D&D or Pathfinder do but aren't them. For example, I can think of Fabula Ultima and Fantasy AGE off the top of my head. I can answer your questions about them if you are curious.

Fantasy AGE: It plays like a d20 fantasy game but it uses 3d6, with doubles producing Stunt Point. Players can spend Stunt Points on their turn for special effects. There are combat, spell, exploration, and social stunts. The game has four classes: Warrior, Rogue, Envoy, and Mage. Players will also take Specializations which are like a mix of feats and subclasses. My partner didn't particularly like 5e D&D, but they enjoyed FAGE because it was lighter and they found the stunts fun.

Fabula Ultima: Fabula Ultima is a TTRPG inspired by JRPGs, but it's fun even if you don't know much about them. There are four attributes rated by die size: Might, Agility, Insight, Willpower. Players will generally roll two and add them together plus possible another number or two. That's the basic mechanic. Characters start at level 5 out of 50 in this game, and multiclassing is required though there is a limit. Classes are like ability packages. When you level, you pick an ability from your class until you reach level 10 in that class, then you can't pick any more. So you can really build your character in more flexible ways than either 5e D&D or PF1-2. I recommend looking at the free tutorial Press Start.

@overgeeked already mentioned Dragonbane. I have been enjoying this game. It doesn't have heavy character customization like D&D or PF, but I would still rate it as the lighter side of rules medium.

(There are others, but they may have either been mentioned or I can't think of them right now.)
 
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Pathfinder for Savage Worlds AKA “Savage Pathfinder“ is my personal go-to for fantasy adventure RPG action these days. It is well supported on VTTs and there are a couple of adventure paths already converted to the system with another to come shortly.

It’s not for every table or every campaign so it would be good to know a little more about what type of game you are wanting to run, @SteveC and what your group like / dislike about D&D?
 

Mythcraft is kickstarting a new version right now, so you might want to get in on that / wait
Yes, this is one of the recent Kickstarters I've backed. Once they committed to a VTT option, I was in. I think this will be a very strong choice.
 

Does it need to be d20? There are some games that do some of the things that D&D or Pathfinder do but aren't them. For example, I can think of Fabula Ultima and Fantasy AGE off the top of my head. I can answer your questions about them if you are curious.
Fabula Ultima is on my short list. I'm just a little concerned because it has some narrative mechanics that this group may not be into 100%. Fantasy Age is something to consider too. I picked it up last year and thought, "This is okay." Nothing exciting, unfortunately.
 

Fabula Ultima -- fun in spite of its janky rules. (Its math is broken and punitive at low levels; it is wildly internally inconsistent; its designer is on record saying he doesn't care.) Combat will feel very different from D&D due to FabUlt's (mostly) strict "one action per round, period" so you will often use your round not attacking which is anathema to the D&D ethos.

FabUlt depends on rule of cool / narrative logic, so if the group doesn't like that, definitely do not play it.
 

Exalted: Essence edition: This is the best version of the rules for Exalted, and there are plenty of old books if you want pad out the setting. Its not good system, borders on terrible, but it also has elements that are really new and fun when it comes to social and combat. So with the mess you get fun too.

This is the best capsule review of Exalted ever, that captures its weird blend of borderline unplayable rules with crazy coolness. :D
 

Fabula Ultima is on my short list. I'm just a little concerned because it has some narrative mechanics that this group may not be into 100%.
That is a potential issue. I know that some people don't like those sort of narrative mechanics.

Fantasy Age is something to consider too. I picked it up last year and thought, "This is okay." Nothing exciting, unfortunately.
That IMHO is a perfectly acceptable reaction. I would not call it a "great" game either, but I think that it's a good enough game for my purposes. It does the job of being D&D-like without also having some of the things that irritate me about D&D or PF.

Even if it may be too light in terms of crunch, I would consider giving Dragonbane a look. It has good support on Foundry. You can even buy their Foundry support on Free League's website. It's a bit light in the sense that there isn't much character customization or build options. Your kin and profession each give you a single ability (or magic if you are mage), and that's pretty much it. But it's a pretty quick and tactical game due to the combat system: e.g., round-per-round drawing initiative cards, one-action-per-round, etc. It's a bit more like a d20-based roll-under BRP system. It also has stackable advantage and/or disadvantage.

FWIW, I will not be offended if you choose none of the games that I propose. I hope you find a game that works for you and your group. That's what matters most.
 

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