Looking for a different core system

[diaglo]

Ah, yes. The Harn Setting and the Harnmaster Rules system. VERY low-magic, VERY grim and gritty - and very likely to kill off PC's who engage in combat.

played in the original system it worked best in: 1edADnD.

try www.columbiagames.com

 

[Hand of Evil]

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying! Okay, it may be 13th to 15th century and has a few flaws it is still a great game.

 

[Voadam]

I thought about GURPS but i am looking for something prefab, its part of another adventure so i don't want to spent more time on it than the actual adventure. I looked at Ars Magica looks very plausible. Any other suggestions are welcomed.
Z

GURPS Middle Ages is a sourcebook on the middle ages. The gurps rules can be downloaded for free at www.sjgames.com look for gurps lite.

There is a d20 pdf on medieaval magical society that has great reviews.

Ars Magica deals with the right time frame and the core book can be gotten for free at www.rpgnow.com as a pdf

Pendragon has another middle age Europe setting based on King Arthur's knightsand uses its own system, similar to the BRP system for Stormbringer.

 

[pogre]

Perhaps Pendragon? Obviously, a mythical setting based on the legend of Arthur, but might suit your needs. Perhaps somone who has played the game would care to comment.

I would vote for Ars out of the games I have actually played.

 

[Jeph]

Perhaps Pendragon?

Seconded. Very interesting game...

However, it has one major flaw: Monty Python and the Holy Grail jokes. Oh, god. They're omnipresent in all but the most mature (or isolated) groups...

 

[Wormwood]

Another vote for Harn.

 

[Orias]

I'm tossing in my vote for Dark Ages: Mage.

 

[johnsemlak]

I've never played Ars Magica but heard great things about it (They've got a Russian translation, actually). But itsn't it a rather specific RPG. You have very limited types of characters to play (secluded Wizard, manservant, etc).

I'd like to learn more about Harn. Man, that's an old game. Wasn't that being advertised in Dragon in the 70's?

 

[Stormborn]

Seconded. Very interesting game...

However, it has one major flaw: Monty Python and the Holy Grail jokes. Oh, god. They're omnipresent in all but the most mature (or isolated) groups...

Pendragon is great, although probablly not as an aside to an ongoing campaign. Our GM forbade Monty Python jokes under threat of loss of Glory Points.

Ars Magic is certainly designed for that period.

However, if this is part of another adventure (time travel maybe?), I would just use whatever system I started in and read some stories/games for flavoring the world.

 

[Krieg]

FWIW while I love Harn, it doesn't exactly fit your criterea of being "Earth" based. While Harn is VERY heavily influenced by 11th century England/Europe it is still a unique fantasy world and isn't set on Earth.

The makers of Harn (Columbia Games) also produce an excellent supplement called Lionheart that is based in England in the year 1190. I can't recomend it highly enough as a sourcebook for "historical" RPGing.

It's also important to note that Harn is a generic/rules neutral setting. Harnmaster is the game system put out by Columbia Games that is meant to go hand in hand with Harn.