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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RareBreed" data-source="post: 9145378" data-attributes="member: 6945590">Since people are mentioning non-D&D fantasy games, how many folks actually preferred playing other fantasy RPG systems from the 70s and 80s?  Our gaming group quickly graduated from D&D when we wanted to play a fantasy setting.  So here's a list of 80s fantasy RPGs and the trope of dungeons...<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">RuneQuest: A visionary of a system, its Bronze Age feel, magic system, classless and skill based characters and concept of mythology is still powerful today.  Dungeon diving was not so big a thing though you could go to the ruins of Pavis and Big Rubble for example</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">HarnMaster: is a more realistic and Medieval like setting.  Limited magic and monsters are interesting.  Dungeon romps not a thing</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Pendragon: The first game I know of to have personality characteristics as game mechanics.  Players didn't have magic, and magic was rare.  Also more realistic and less fighting of supernatural monsters (unless you really did want to kill the Questing Beast).  No dungeon romps</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Middle Earth Role Playing:  Tolkein, so nuff said.  Not as many dungeon kind of encounters unless you went to Moria, or maybe some of the ruins of Mordor.  I think there were more caves than dungeons</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Role Master: very amusing critical hits tables.  At first it didn't have it's own setting, so it depended on a homebrew world.  I never wound up playing in its official settings, so I can't say much about dungeon diving</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Powers and Perils: Highly detailed system that unfortunately only had like two supplements.  Somewhat reminiscent of Runequest but with a medieval flare.  I only played a handful of games, and I don't recall any dungeons from Perilous Lands though I could be mistaken</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ars Magica: was "what if all the myths of Medieval Europe were true?".  Highly innovative game that mainstreamed troupe style play, and had/has one of the best magic systems out there</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Warhammer FRP: perhaps the original "grim and gritty" FRP.  I didn't play too much of this, though I liked all the character class options. Not sure how much dungeon diving is a thing in the setting</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Man to Man: the direct ancestor to GURPs (so TFT -> Man to Man -> GURPs).  This was more of a board/mini game than a roleplaying system, though it could be used for roleplaying.  Stressed combat and came without a setting</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GURPS 1st ed: not the first, but the one universal RP system that sticks out.  Technically it had many fantasy settings, depending on which world book you got.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Palladium Role Playing Game: A kind of clone of AD&D.  I only played a handful of games, but the setting books never felt like they were geared around dungeon diving.</li> </ul>Games I never played (though some I owned and have the rules for) so I don't know how much of D&D tropes they had.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dragon Warriors: A UK designed game that I never got to play but it feels somewhat similar to D&D</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chivalry and Sorcery:  I never played this, but did read the rules.  Seems similar to HarnMaster above</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tunnels and Trolls: can't really say much on this since I never even read the rules/setting</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Fantasy Trip: the direct ancestor to Man to Man.  Never played this one, though I bought the rules much much later when SJ Games re-released it.  Seems more like a board game with some roleplaying attached like Man to Man</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Talislanta: I never played this, though I had the rules.  Lots and lots of different character races to play.  Not sure if it was geared to dungeon diving or not</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">DragonQuest: never played this one and sadly the rules are no longer available to check out</li> </ul></blockquote>

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