In Print Fantasy Games

[Turjan]

Isn't Stormbringer 5 still in print, too?

 

[Deadguy]

FWIW, I quite enjoyed using the Earthdawn systemwhen we played it a few years ago.

The magic system takes some getting used to (but works quite effectively), and the martial types can get fairly tough as they get higher in level.

A battle against a Horror generally becomes a pants-wetting experience.

I'll second meomwt. Earthdawn takes a little getting sued to, but it's a system that uses archetypes with some flexibility. It has enough setting and background to get everyone on the same page, without dictating your campaign for you. And for once there is a decent balance between the power of spellcasters and warriors; spells are merely one way of tapping the magic of the world.

There are two revised versions of the game available right now, but both are still close enough to the original game, that material for any of them can be used interchangeably with little work.

Go on, give the game a shot!

 

[scourger]

Savage Worlds is the non-d20 game in print that I would most like to try for fantasy. We had a great Tour of Darkness game with it in 2005-06, and I would like to run a Savage Keep on the Borderlands.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP) was fun for about 3 months last year, but I doubt it will come back. I ran the very cool module Karak Azgal, but it was the kill-loot-rinse-repeat cycle. I never really mastered the rules. I just knew enough to get by. Needless to say, the players knew even less. I did change combat to make the mooks zero wounds and immediately subject to critical hits both to make the heroes more powerful and to make combats faster. They were still in plenty of danger and the combats had a lot of time-consuming dice rolling. I was trying to make it feel a bit more like Savage Worlds, but it felt more like D&D; no surprise in retrospect but ironic nonetheless. I would not do it differently in that respect, but it would probably still be on the table if it had been converted to Savage Worlds or even D&D--although the work of conversion is the reason I didn't do it.

Most ironically, our group is back to playing d20 this year and D&D this month. It's been fun, especially having been away from it for a while. I'll probbaly try to reprise some old games, too. But, this is off topic.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Isn't Stormbringer 5 still in print, too?

I don't know what edition it's on, but Stormbringer is still available.

 

[Teflon Billy]

I'll sound off for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay as well.

Yeah, it's not a toolkit for your own setting, but it's own setting is incredibly rich

 

[EyeontheMountain]

I'm kinda suprrised how many games are out there. I live in Japan, and never get to browse the FLGS. Good to hear.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Looks like we're going with Warhammer.

I was tempted by the Steampunk Mushia but I don't know enough about it and it's been a while since the hordes of chaos were stired up.

One of my friends was upset that I'm making everyone roll their career but I like the set up of essentially quitting whatever you used to do and now are an 'adventurer' so to speak.

 

[Tharen the Damned]

Looks like we're going with Warhammer.

I was tempted by the Steampunk Mushia but I don't know enough about it and it's been a while since the hordes of chaos were stired up.

One of my friends was upset that I'm making everyone roll their career but I like the set up of essentially quitting whatever you used to do and now are an 'adventurer' so to speak.

After years of D&D my players and me came back to WH. It took some time for us to get into the WH mindset.
It started with the complaints about rolling the careers.
Then the players were amazed that their PCs died like flies in combat. Well, again the D&D metagameism: If we are 1lvl and meet a XXX (fill in monster) than we are able to kill it. Not in WH lads. The Chaos Troll told them the virtue of the rearward charge.
And yeah, magic is dangerous and most people do not like those who use sorcery. But one of the PCs had to flaunt his arcane disposition...IN A PUB! (and a hedge wizard he was too, if you can believe it). And along came the Witch Hunters... Time to roll a new PC (I showed my Player rather drastically what happend to his PC in burning his Charactersheet).
Finally they had to learn that there are no Heros with mutations. You guess it? Yeah, our frineds the withc hunters again, supported by a mob of villagers from the village they rid of the chaos mage.

Now the D&Disms are gone and my Players have fear in their eyes when I start to roll dice behind the DM screen and start to chuckle.
All Hail to Tzeench the Changer of Ways!

 

[buzz]

Now the D&Disms are gone and my Players have fear in their eyes when I start to roll dice behind the DM screen and start to chuckle.

And this is fun for them?

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

And this is fun for them?

Uh oh -- BadWrongFun alert!