If you could try a RPG that ISN'T D&D...

In no particular order

RPGs
HERO 5TH/Champions
Mutants & Masterminds
Godlike
Spaceship Zero
Space: 1889
Paranoia XP
Shadowrun
Traveller (any version)
Arcana Unearthed
Stormbringer (any version)
D20 Modern/Future
Deadlands (any version)

Non-RPG

Chainmail (the game that was pulled and rereleased as D&D Miniatures)
Confrontation
M:TG
Starfleet Battles
Starfire
Roborally
Crimson Skies (original, not HeroClix)
BattleTech
Cloudships of Mars/Sky Galleons of Mars
O.G.R.E/G.E.V.
Car Wars
 
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As a matter of fact I'm going to be doing it. Playing in a Hero System game in a month or so. When my current d20 game wraps up and the chance comes along i'll be doing a Hero system game, probably supernatural based on the Laurell K Hamilton universe.

Feng Shui is great fun though, as well. Hong Kong Action Theater had a few quirks but was fun the one time I played it, I'd love to do so again.
 

woodelf said:
That change doesn't make it any less gamist, it makes it less complex. The basis for determining the result of an action is still a combination of your character's abilities (simulationist) and whether or not you succeed (gamist). To make it less gamist, or, more specifically, more narrativist, you'd have to use other criteria to resolve actions. Frex, how appropriate the result is to the story. If, frex, it would be very difficult to hurt the Big Bad when you encountered her the first time, and very easy to hurt her when it was the climax of the story (assuming the circumstances within the gameworld were identical in both situations), that would be a narrativist mechanism. To pick some specific examples of more narrativist mechanics: Feng Shui, where you get a bonus for doing something cool, instead of a penalty because it's difficult. Dust Devils and Donjon are great examples of narrativist systems: both of them revolve around not success at an action (a very gamist construct) but narrative control of the action--a successful roll doesn't mean you succeed, it means you get to decide what happens, whether that be success or failure, or something else. Story Engine is a good example of a gamist/narrativist system, where you resolve actions based on how many resources you can bring to bear, but essentially bid other resources (various capabilities) to have control over the situation. Another narrativist/gamist mechanic would be flashbacks in Marvel Universe, where the player can once per session invoke a cut scene, which lets them narrate a bit of backstory, and thus get a bonus on their current action. Even having a rule like OtE or Sorcerer has that requires you to be creative in your attacks is a move in the narrativist direction. (In Over the Edge, each time after the first, in a given combat, that you use the same description for an attack, you take a cumulative penalty on the attack roll. A new description for each attack roll is the norm. And coming up with a really cool and original description for your attack gives you a bonus.)



Aiee! Forge/EN World crossover! *cowers in fear*

Kidding of course. Interesting take on it. Where do you place Universalis? :)
 

Greetings...

First, I'll list the d20 ones, they aren't exactly far enough away from D&D because they use the d20 system...but these 'cousins' are interesting enough for me to want to try them.


  • Farscape: Loved the show, so would love to see how this plays.
  • Wheel of Time: Again, love the books, and I think is a great way to get new blood into gaming, who probably wouldn't want to try D&D.
  • Spycraft
  • d20 Modern/Urban Arcana
Now for the games I have, but haven't gotten much chance to try/run.

  • Ars Magica: Love it, just love it!
  • Witchcraft: Interesting concept, and I think would work well in WoD.
  • Mage the Ascension: Never found a good ST to properly run this.
  • Sorcerer the Crusades: Would love to take it around the block for a spin or two.
  • Vampire the Requiem: Was a fan of the original VtM, and would like to know how the new one is. Heard nothing but good things.
  • GURPS: Always thought that the game system was elegant and nice.
  • 7th Sea: Love the game, fell in love with it the first time I played it.
  • In Nomine: Interesting concept, would like to see what a proper GM can do with it.
  • Call of Cthulhu: I don't know about d20, but the original was great.
  • Deadlands: Played it once, would like to try it again.
Games that I've only looked at once, but never played or never looked at at all.


  • Feng Shui: Don't know that much about it, and would like to learn more.
  • Legend of the Five Rings: Don't know that much about it either...
  • Castle Falkenstein: Interesting concept world.
  • Unknown Armies: Don't know that much about it, don't want to know... just know that it's 'pretty creepy'.
  • HARP: Heard a lot of hype about it, and want to see if it lives up to it.
  • Rune RPG: Interested.
And one game that people here didn't mention, but I thought was an interesting concept. I have the game Legacy the War of Ages, but this one sounded a little more interesting.

  • Immortal the Invisible War
Anyone in Toronto interested in a game? :D
 
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Games I haven't played in a while, and would like to revisit:

Gamma World 1E/2E
Star Frontiers
Dawn Patrol



Games I played once or twice, and would like to give another shot/fair shake:

Gurps
Space 1889
Shadowrun
Darwin's World 1.0
Legends of Excalibur
Aces and Eights



Games I have not played yet, that I want too, in rough order of preference:

Conan d20
HARN
C&C
Spaceship Zero
HARP
Traveller
Paranoia
MERP
Cyberpunk d20
Pendragon
Stormbringer/Elric
Savage Worlds
Call of Cthulu (any version, really)
Fading Suns (non-d20)
Ars Magica
Runequest
Orkworld!
Chivalry and Sorcery


I picked up the pdf for sidewinder: recoiled, and as much as I want to play it, I won't, because I don't want to shell out for d20 Modern.

Also, while not an RPG, I had a great time playing the Reaper Warlord miniatures game at GenCon. I'm looking forward to it coming out October 1st.
 
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francisca said:
I picked up the pdf for sidewinder: recoiled, and as much as I want to play it, I won't, because I don't want to shell out for d20 Modern.

I think everything you need is in the d20 Modern SRD, actually.
 



Emiricol said:
Aiee! Forge/EN World crossover! *cowers in fear*
Well, not really. I probably should be referring to gamist/dramatist/simulationist (GDS), as i'm using the terms in a way that is much closer to the r.g.f.advocacy definitions than to GNS as it has been evolved of late. I think. I'm still working my way through Ron's latest essays. And the more i read of it, the less useful i find GNS for describing RPGs--unless it all "clicks" once i've read it all, or i'm missing something. GDS, however, i've always found intuitively useful, and while it's explicitly only about individual decision points, i think it extends meaningfully to the play of RPGs as a whole (even if only as generalizations).

Kidding of course. Interesting take on it. Where do you place Universalis? :)
Well, without pulling out my copy and rereading (so i may be misremembering an important point), decisions are explicitly made on the basis of what would make a good story, but input is limited by only having so many "points" with which to contribute, and by other players having veto. So sounds like a gamist/dramatist hybrid. Also, Universalis has two modes of play: contributing to the story/setting, and resolving a specific action (again: IIRC). The former is heavily dramatist with a gamist mechanism "limiting" it, while the latter is gamist in mechanism with the flavor text telling you to pretend it's dramatist.
 

Teflon Billy said:
I love PC's list, and would add...


  • Kult

I bought this game when it first came out but loaned it to one of my best friends. I hope to get the book back next month when we're both home for another friend's wedding. I haven't heard too much about the new version of the game. How is it?


I'd have to add Mutants & Masterminds, Arcana Unearthed to the list of games I wanna try out. HERO/Champions I would consider. I want to play SLA Industries and Rolemaster again tho. Great games. My buddy Jeff ran SLA in a very unique way in college. I own the 3 main books these days but I don't think I could do it the justice he did.


Hagen
 

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